How can you get buy-in from the people you need to work with?

When you work in communications, nothing is more frustrating than being brought into a project or issue at the last minute and expected to deliver results. When time is limited, you can’t do much beyond developing basic materials and pushing them out. If you’re part of the project from the start, you can deliver actual strategic advice. 

How do you get a seat at the table from the start? How can you ensure you’re on the invite list for the project kick-off meeting? How can you position yourself so that people will call you when they sense that an issue is brewing? It’s all about proactively building relationships. 

First, you need to identify all the people you would like to be looping you in earlier. Who are the teams that deliver core work that needs communications support? Where do most media issues come from in your organisation?

You’ve figured out who you want to engage with sooner; now it’s time to figure out how. 

Start communicating with them - Don’t wait for them to come to you; you can start going to them. Start proactively communicating with them where it’s appropriate. See an article in the media that relates to their work? Send it through. Notice something they did was awesome? Let them know. 

Ask to be part of their meetings - Once you’ve built some rapport and shown them what you’re capable of, ask them to bring you into the fold. A great way to do this is by joining their regular team catch-up. At the start, you could suggest joining once a month to provide an update on what you have in the pipeline for them. Let them know that if you’re brought into conversations about work they are developing, it will help you to provide more strategic advice. 

Set up a collaborative process - Another way to get a conversation going is to create a process that brings you both together. Some suggestions include making a content calendar that you ask them to review once a month. This will show how far out you’re planning and where there’s an opportunity for them to contribute to your work.