The Work
A county council in England recently established a dedicated public affairs function to strengthen its engagement with national political stakeholders. While the organisation had significant experience in local government and media relations, it sought to build confidence and skills for direct advocacy at the national level.
The council needed to ensure its priorities were heard and understood by ministers, MPs, select committees, and other influential decision-makers.
Senior officers were already participating in political meetings and preparing evidence for parliamentary processes, but required structured training to:
Adapt their approach for different political settings
Deliver persuasive, concise messages under pressure
Maximise the impact of both formal and informal interactions
Inflect designed and delivered a bespoke half-day workshop, blending expert insight with interactive, scenario-based learning. Drawing on the council’s real policy priorities, the training covered:
Principles of effective engagement across formal meetings, informal interactions, and select committee appearances
Practical role-play exercises to develop elevator pitches, opening statements, and confident responses to challenging questions
Techniques for relationship-building and follow-up to sustain influence over time
Guidance on ethical standards and boundaries in political engagement
The session was highly participatory, with officers working through realistic political scenarios, sharing peer feedback, and refining their advocacy strategies in real time.
Officers left the session with greater clarity on how to tailor their messages for different audiences, and with renewed confidence to step up their public affairs work.
