Communicating and Influencing Example at Grade 7
A worked Grade 7 STAR example for Communicating and Influencing showing directorate-level communication redesign and ministerial engagement.
**TL;DR.** At Grade 7, Communicating and Influencing is about leading communications at directorate scale, engaging with Permanent Secretaries and ministers, and producing outcomes that affect departmental performance or reputation.
Worked Grade 7 example (250 words)
*I led the redesign of stakeholder communications across my directorate (180 staff, 14 stakeholder groups). The existing approach was producing low engagement and had triggered a recent ministerial complaint about communication failures. I commissioned a rapid review with the directorate's communications business partner, identified that 11 of 14 stakeholders were receiving conflicting updates from different teams, and presented findings to the Director with three options. The Director approved a single co-ordinated communication function which I established in three months, including a new tier-1 escalation route to the Director's office for high-risk issues. The change reduced ministerial complaints relating to communication from an average of two per quarter to zero across the next six months, and was cited in the directorate's positive Cabinet Office Capability Review. This evidences Grade 7 Communicating and Influencing: directorate-scale redesign, ministerial visibility, and measurable reputational outcome.*
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Frequently asked questions
Should Grade 7 Communicating and Influencing include ministerial engagement?
Not always directly, but many Grade 7 examples reference ministerial implications (complaints, submissions, briefings). Direct ministerial engagement is stronger evidence at Grade 6 and above; Grade 7 often evidences ministerial consequences of communication work.