What is Value in Public Affairs Work and How to Find it? The Internal Side of Public Affairs (12)

Alan Hardacre, PhD

Co-Founder Advocacy Academy, Advocacy Strategy

In recent weeks the issue of identifying-delivering-showcasing value in Public Affairs has come up repeatedly. This theme cross-cuts many of my posts – but here I want to look at the question in more detail because it is so critical. You need to know what value your client (be that internal or external) is looking for so you can deliver success.

🔍 Different Types of Value in Public Affairs Work:

Professional / Team Value: A structured well-run Public Affairs function that links to the right places in the business, provides the right input and advice at the right times. Think reporting / business planning.

Stakeholder Value: Value can be built internally through the quality and depth of relationships with key stakeholders, including government officials, industry leaders, and your internal management teams.

Crisis Value: Navigating and mitigating crises is often one of the most direct and visible ways to demonstrate value.

Financial Value: Mitigating risks or pursuing opportunities that make a financial contribution to the organization.

Personal Value: Certain key internal stakeholders will get value from speaking opportunities, meeting opportunities or other personal motivators. These should not be ignored.

Reputation Value: Great external work can help support and build the reputation of the organization (in several ways).

No Surprises: Many organizations place great value on being eyes wide open. 

🛠️ How to Find the Value for your Organization:

Survey & Presence: You need to ask your organization directly and you also need to be present in as many of the key internal meetings as possible to understand the (spoken and unspoken) needs.

Feedback Loops: Regularly seek feedback from internal stakeholders to gauge what value is for them and identify improvements / opportunities.

Space for Dialogue: Make sure to create space to discuss Public Affairs Value. This can be a dedicated group or time on the right agendas. 

Benchmarking and Peer Conversations: Compare the value you are trying to deliver against industry standards and best practices and that of peers to see what other options you have.

Identifying, articulating and then tracking value should be a core exercise that you are constantly running (because things and people change). You need to be able to answer the question of what value you add to your organization in an elevator pitch. 30 seconds.

Are there are other types of value Public Affairs can bring? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!