"Communicating & Influencing" in the UK Civil Service means being able to share ideas clearly and listen to others. It's about convincing people and getting them to understand your point of view. This involves:
🗣️ Clear Communication: Speak and write in a way that is easy to understand. Use straightforward language.
👂 Listening: Pay attention to what others are saying. Show that you value their opinions.
💪 Persuasion: Help others see the benefits of your ideas. Use logic and facts to support your points.
🤝 Building Relationships: Get along with different types of people. Show respect and understanding for their views.
For a candidate applying for jobs, this means showing that you can talk and write clearly, listen well, and work with others to achieve common goals.
When writing the 250-word statement for a UK Civil Service job application, you should focus on how you've demonstrated "Communicating & Influencing" in your past experiences.
🗣️ Clear Communication: Start by clearly explaining a situation where you had to share ideas or information. Talk about how you made sure your message was understood.
👂 Listening: Describe a time when you actively listened to others, showing that you value their input and can take on board different perspectives.
💪 Persuasion: Give an example of how you've persuaded others to see your point of view or to support your idea. Talk about the logic and facts you used to make your case.
🤝 Building Relationships: Show how you've built and maintained positive relationships with different types of people, and how this helped you to achieve a common goal.
Remember to be concise and to the point, as you only have 250 words. Focus on specific examples that clearly demonstrate how you've exhibited the "Communicating & Influencing" behaviour in your past experiences.
Learn how to score high on all of your 250 word statements with these 50 examples!
B-STAR
When writing your 250-word statement, you can use the B-STAR structure to clearly demonstrate the "Communicating & Influencing" behaviour:
Belief (B): Start by briefly explaining your belief in the importance of clear communication and strong relationships.
Situation (S): Describe a specific situation where you needed to use communication and influencing skills.
Task (T): Explain what your role was in this situation and what you needed to achieve.
Action (A): Describe the specific actions you took to communicate clearly, listen to others, persuade them to see your point of view, and build relationships.
Result (R): Conclude by explaining the outcome of the situation and how your actions contributed to it.
This structure will help you to clearly and concisely demonstrate how you have exhibited the "Communicating & Influencing" behaviour in a real-life situation.
250 Word Statement Example for Communicating & Influencing
Belief: I firmly believe in the power of effective communication and building strong relationships to resolve customer issues and create positive experiences.
Situation: In my role as a customer service agent, I was faced with a challenging situation where a customer was unhappy with a faulty product they had received.
Task: My task was to address the customer's concerns, provide a suitable resolution, and ensure they left feeling positive about our company.
Action: I started by actively listening to the customer's concerns, demonstrating empathy and understanding. I then clearly explained our policy regarding faulty products and outlined the available options, ensuring the customer fully understood their choices. I used persuasive communication to highlight the benefits of opting for a replacement, which was a more cost-effective solution for both the customer and our company. Throughout the interaction, I maintained a positive and respectful attitude, building a strong relationship with the customer.
Result: The outcome was that the customer chose a replacement product and left the interaction feeling satisfied with the resolution. They even took the time to leave a positive review of our customer service online, which contributed to our company's positive reputation. This experience reinforced my belief in the importance of clear communication, active listening, and relationship-building in providing excellent customer service. It also highlighted the impact that positive customer interactions can have on a company's reputation.
