Grade 7 Communicating and Influencing 250-word statements need to show that you can explain complex issues clearly, handle competing interests and use communication to secure understanding, agreement or action.
At Grade 7, the strongest statements are usually built around a situation where communication mattered to a real decision. You want the assessor to see how you adapted your message, handled challenge and influenced people with different priorities.
Need more Grade 6/7 statement examples?
The complete Grade 6/7 guide contains 50 worked examples across all nine Civil Service behaviours.
What Communicating and Influencing means at Grade 7
The Grade 6/7 criteria expect you to communicate clearly, honestly and enthusiastically to build trust. You should be able to explain complex issues simply, take account of individual needs, deliver difficult messages sensitively and remain open-minded when people hold different views.
🗣️ Explain complexity clearly: make difficult information easier to understand without removing important detail.
🤝 Build trust: be honest about uncertainty, risk and constraints.
🎯 Tailor the message: adapt language, detail and method to the audience.
⚖️ Deliver difficult messages well: stay clear and respectful when the information is unwelcome.
🌍 Respect different interests: remain open-minded when stakeholders disagree.
💻 Use different communication methods: make sensible use of digital channels and consider value for money.
📊 Monitor effectiveness: check whether communication is working and improve it when necessary.
In a 250-word statement, you cannot show every part of the behaviour equally. Choose a story where several elements naturally appear together rather than forcing the criteria into the answer as a checklist.
How to structure a 250-word statement
💭 Belief: one sentence on your approach to clear and persuasive communication.
📍 Situation: identify the issue, audience and why agreement mattered.
🎯 Task: state what you personally needed to communicate or influence.
🛠️ Action: use most of the word count to show how you adapted the message, handled concerns and secured understanding.
📈 Result: explain what changed because of your communication.
The Action is where most of the evidence sits. If the statement spends 100 words explaining the policy, programme or project, you have left too little space to show your own judgement.
Grade 7 Communicating and Influencing 250-word example
I believe effective communication builds trust when complex issues are explained honestly, difficult messages are handled sensitively and people can see how their concerns have been considered. As a Policy Adviser, I led consultation on a new environmental regulation affecting industry, local authorities and public-interest groups.
My responsibility was to secure informed engagement on a technically complex proposal while keeping the policy intent clear. I mapped stakeholder interests and tailored communication accordingly. For industry representatives, I focused on implementation cost and timescales; for environmental groups, I explained expected outcomes and evidence; for public audiences, I removed legal jargon and used plain-language summaries.
When several organisations challenged the timetable, I acknowledged the operational impact, tested their evidence and explained which statutory requirements could not change. I proposed a phased implementation that protected the policy objective while giving affected organisations more time to prepare.
I introduced online briefings and an FAQ portal so recurring questions were answered consistently, then monitored feedback to identify areas where the guidance remained unclear.
The consultation closed with fewer unresolved objections, clearer stakeholder understanding and agreement on the phased approach. The digital materials were retained for implementation because they reduced repeated enquiries and gave stakeholders a consistent source of information.
Why this example works
The candidate adapts the same underlying issue for different audiences rather than repeating one message. That gives clear evidence of audience awareness.
There is also real influence. Stakeholders challenge the timetable, the candidate tests the concerns and proposes a phased approach that changes the implementation while protecting the policy objective.
The communication method is improved as well. Digital briefings and an FAQ portal reduce repeated questions and provide a measurable service benefit.
Build the rest of your Grade 6/7 statements
Use the complete guide for worked examples across Communicating and Influencing and every other behaviour.
What to include in your own statement
✅ A communication objective that matters to the wider outcome.
✅ At least one audience whose needs or priorities affected your approach.
✅ A complex or difficult message that required judgement.
✅ Evidence that you listened and responded to different views.
✅ A result showing agreement, changed understanding or another practical impact.
Common mistakes
❌ Writing about a presentation with no challenge: influence is easier to demonstrate when people did not already agree.
❌ Using the same message for every audience: show how communication was tailored.
❌ Listing channels with no reason: explain why a meeting, briefing or digital method was appropriate.
❌ Forgetting difficult messages: senior communication often involves telling people something they would rather not hear.
❌ Using a vague result: “stakeholders were happy” is weaker than explaining what they agreed or did differently.
For broader guidance, see the Communicating and Influencing 250-word statement example.
Final 250-word check
✅ Is your personal responsibility obvious?
✅ Have you shown how the audience changed your approach?
✅ Is there real challenge or competing interest?
✅ Does most of the statement focus on what you did?
✅ Is the statement within the 250-word maximum?
Need examples across all nine Grade 6/7 behaviours?
