If you have to work with Whitehall you will know that Government can make change happen faster, Government can also make things a whole lot worse.
Either way, Onyx can help you land the right messages with the right people at the right time.
People first. Always.
Relationships are the bedrock of influence and we speak and we listen to people whose ideas and opinions we value. For the issues that matter to you, who are the key decision-makers and who are the key influencers? How will they see you and your ideas? What about other organisations with an interest? What do they want and what will they be arguing for? How does that sit with what you want?
Where can you exploit synergy and where is there the potential for conflict? What is the best balance
between direct and indirect engagement?
Onyx can help you identify who you should be engaging with and how to present you, your organisation and your thinking most effectively.
Timing is key.
Whitehall isn’t always in listening mode. If changes to the tax system would help you succeed, trying to engage the Treasury in the run-up to the Budget just won’t work. And if Government has said it will consult on an issue that could affect your plans then the key decisions could be all but set in stone by the time the consultation document is published. Counter-arguments can take time to be accepted and new thinking can take time to be understood and gain traction. Engagement at exactly the right
time can accelerate those timescales.
Onyx can help you determine when and how to engage most effectively.
And above all there is the message. The quality of your communications and your engagement. Ensuring your messages work.
The last twelve months have seen some spectacular examples of mis-communication.
Presidents whose casually selected words of comfort cause unprecedented distress to the grieving.
Prime Ministers whose attempts to bring clarity to complex questions exacerbate uncertainty.
Chief Executives at a loss to understand why caveated apologies simply make things worse.
And entrepreneurs frustrated by others who cannot see things as they do and fail to realise the power and potential of new ideas.
Communication is key. The right messages, conveyed to the right people at the right time in the right
way.
Onyx can help you to craft messages that work, whether as press releases, speeches or discussion papers that set out the issues and make your case.
Specifically, Onyx can advise:
– Who you should engage;
– Where your aims align with theirs and especially what to do where they don’t;
– How, when and where to engage them.
By helping you shape, focus and time your communications and wider engagement to maximise your impact and influence, Onyx can help you achieve your goals.