Knowing and understanding how politics works is part of the job of public affairs but the most important element is providing a translation service. This means helping organisations understand what politicians are saying and how to talk to them.
I heard Dr Pippa Malmgren talk recently at a London First event. She used the term ‘political translation’ in relation to engaging with government and I thought this summed up perfectly a lot of what public affairs is about.
It is too easy to listen to politicians and take what they say literally. Instead a healthy sprinkling of historical context, nuance and realism has to be applied to really get to the heart of what they mean. Sometimes their words can be very clear but on other occasions they may need to be unpicked.
The intended audience for a political speech or comment also requires understanding as well. Are they talking to their own MPs, members, businesses or the international community etc.?
There are some things that politicians and parties cannot say and others that they must. Take a look at the party conferences and play buzz word bingo to see this in action. It was a standing joke that the Labour Party would always talk about ‘an integrated transport system’. Meanwhile, the Conservatives would bash Europe and talk about tax cuts.
Sometimes new words and phrases enter the vocabulary. When Tony Blair first talked about stakeholders in a series of speeches in early 1995, the term was uncommon in political lingo and no-one had a clue what he was talking about. Now, it’s much more widely used in political communications. He didn’t invent the term, of course…
The role of public affairs in political translation is about ensuring effective two-way communication. Organisations not only need to be able to understand what the politicians are really saying and to who but they also need to be able to feed in ideas as well. That can take various forms from written policy submissions, to briefing papers or consultation responses but also personal interactions as well. In all forms of engagement, the language and communications needs to be right. Being right is about being effective. In other words, it has to have the maximum chance of success.
Especially in direct interactions, this requires a degree of self-confidence as well as a belief in the organisation you are leading or representing. Confidence comes from understanding what the other side is talking about and appreciating their position. These positions may arise from electoral imperatives or policy-making processes and timescales. Nevertheless, the translation needs to have been considered in advance otherwise effective responses cannot be provided during any meeting.
The same basic rules apply to written materials as well. They need to reflect on what is being said and asked before responses are provided. Too often organisations have a point of view or opinion to convey and this is done so without really considering what is being asked. This approach may make some senior leaders very happy but its effect will be minimal.
The sources of materials to be translated needs to be drawn widely – Parliament, the media, social media, political speeches, hustings etc. In this way, the responses, however provided, will be more telling.
Talking the same language isn’t just about the words but about the context, setting, and future expectations. Public affairs can help understand all of these and, as a result, provide solutions to problems. Solutions that government will listen to because we are all talking the same language.