Communications professionals in the public sector face unique challenges in terms of budget, timeline and regulatory restrictions. What makes internal communications in the public sector unique and what challenges do communicators face?

Amanda Coleman, head of corporate communications, Greater Manchester Police

When anyone asks me what I have done at work today, I can say ‘helped to fight crime.’ What we do is really supporting the frontline of service delivery. People rely on public services and everyone has a view about them both good and bad. Effective communication isn’t about boosting profits, it is about changing people’s lives, helping them when they are in need and improving society. It may sound a bit cheesy but working in the public sector matters.

We may not have big budgets or huge teams but we have something more important – a passion for what we do. Public services are always in the spotlight which brings additional pressures and a huge amount of scrutiny. There is no hiding in the shadows when you are working in the public sector. But when communication means a victim is helped, a criminal is put behind bars or someone is protected from harm then it is a good day.

Katy Gibbins, former senior internal and external communicator, Lambeth Council

In my opinion and from my experience, the internal communications challenges facing the public sector are unique first, because of the scale and pace of change – the level of cuts and impact on services is huge for staff and service users.

Seond, there is a need to maintain levels of engagement and productivity – intrinsically linked and made difficult by the above.

Third, information overload is faced by employees. We are all learning to embrace change and be more resilient but one more new piece of technology or management update can be overwhelming for some.

Finally, there are political and corporate aspects to messaging. Balancing the need for positive employee engagement with the messaging for the organisation in line with the corporate plan and political manifesto commitments can be a difficult balancing act.

I have found that the keys to success (not necessarily in this order) are: Apply a whole person approach, focus on well-being, senior buy-in is essential, the links between internal and external communications are integral, your organisational values should be at the core, use analytics to see how you are doing, take advantage of technology to reach different sections of your workforce and their locations.

@SarahJ_Copeland Public sectors are unique because they deal with a much broader audience than when working for a specific firm or company
@DanielCattanach People care so passionately about the subject matter - both internally & externally
@Nicksy200 Storytelling essential to cut through the jargon but can be hard to convince public sector execs
@vickyohare Show the real impact of your work. In policing, crucial info often comes as a direct result of our work.
@rachrt Comms should help a company reach its goals & keep consumers happy & informed. Make it so comms value can’t be denied.
@vickyohare Take time to get to know senior people & explain your role. When they get it, their support is invaluable
@SarahJ_Copeland Show that your work has a valuable outcome for business and audiences
@Nicksy200 Joining up with 3rd/private sector can sometimes work to our advantage in NHS
@NatalieEliasPR I’d say there is opportunity for great influence over how the public engage/react to topics
they face every day