What are the characteristics of a comms team that people want to work with and be part of?

It's not your ability to craft a communications strategy or how well you can reach out to journalists. 

In my opinion, the most important skill for a communications professional is the ability to build relationships with others.

If you don't have this, you can't learn about your organisation. You can't contact people when you need information urgently or out of hours. You will also probably find it difficult to enjoy your job if you don't have good working relationships with your teammates. 

Here are the characteristics you and your team need to be successful. 

Predictable - People need to know what to expect from your team. A media launch should follow roughly the same formula each time. As should how you handle a media issue and the process you use to plan content. Consistency makes it easier to work with you and builds trust. 

Approachable - Communications teams need information from people across their organisation. For this to happen, people need to feel comfortable approaching you. Whether you're about to grab lunch or on a roll with an email doesn't matter. If someone reaches out to tell you about a great story or an issue brewing, ensure they know that you appreciate them getting in touch. They might not come to you so quickly next time if you don't. 

Solutions focussed - There will be times when people need to share mistakes or things that have gone wrong. Focussing on your frustrations rather than how you can solve the problem will not get you the outcome you need. Reassure people that you're there to help, and highlight how you will work together to resolve the issue from a communications perspective. This will ensure they feel comfortable working with you in the future. 

Open to feedback - Once a project has been launched or an issue resolved, there is always the opportunity to reflect on how things went. This includes thinking about what can be done better next time. It's crucial that you listen to feedback from people outside your team to understand what the experience was like for them. This openness to feedback not only promotes a culture of continuous improvement but also ensures that you are always growing and adapting to meet the needs of others.