Checked 14 October 2026. From GOV.UK Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours (updated 29 January 2025), Success Profiles: Candidate overview, Using the Civil Service Jobs website as a candidate (last updated 27 January 2026), A brief guide to competencies (12 April 2016) and Civil Service Careers pages, read on 14 October 2026. The behaviour examples are quoted word for word and reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The interview questions are written by us from those examples.
The name of this behaviour has two halves, and the GOV.UK examples do not weight them equally at every grade. At AA and AO and at EO the lists are almost entirely about communicating: plain language, the right channel, listening. Persuasion first appears in the wording at Grade 7 and Grade 6, and the word “influence” itself only in the two senior bands. This guide prints the GOV.UK examples for Communicating and influencing at all six grade bands, word for word, shows what changes from one band to the next, gives six interview questions that we wrote from those examples, and sets out how to structure a written example. It contains no sample statements and no model answers: an example only counts if it is yours.
What Communicating and influencing means: the official definition
GOV.UK defines the behaviour in these words: “Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others.” Civil Service Careers prints the same definition on its Behaviours page. Everything else on this page builds on that definition and on the grade-band examples that follow it.
Our count of the bullet points under each band in Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours (updated 29 January 2025): 39 examples in all for this behaviour. The number of bullets is not a measure of how hard a band is.
Communicating and Influencing at each grade band: the GOV.UK examples in full
On GOV.UK each list completes a sentence that ends “are when you:”, which is why the examples begin with a verb in lower case. They are reproduced exactly, including GOV.UK’s own punctuation. Find the band that matches the grade in your advert; the headings are GOV.UK’s.
Administrative Assistant (AA) and Administrative Officer (AO) grade or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Communicating and influencing at AA and AO (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | put forward your views in a clear, constructive and considerate manner |
| 2 | use an appropriate method of communication for each person - for example an email, phone call, face-to-face - taking into consideration their individual needs |
| 3 | use plain and simple language, being careful to check written work for errors |
| 4 | consider the impact of language used on different groups of stakeholders |
| 5 | remain honest and truthful when explaining opinions |
| 6 | listen and ask questions to ensure your understanding |
Executive Officer (EO) grade or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Communicating and influencing at EO (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing |
| 2 | take time to consider the best communication channel to use for the audience, including making the best of digital resources and considering value for money |
| 3 | interact with others in an enthusiastic way |
| 4 | express ideas clearly and with respect for others |
| 5 | listen to and value different ideas, views and ways of working |
| 6 | respond constructively and objectively to comments and questions |
| 7 | handle challenging conversations with confidence and sensitivity |
Higher Executive Officer (HEO) and Senior Executive Officer (SEO) grades or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Communicating and influencing at HEO and SEO (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner - choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact |
| 2 | encourage the use of different communication methods, including digital resources and highlight the benefits, including ensuring cost effectiveness |
| 3 | ensure communication has a clear purpose and takes into account people’s individual needs |
| 4 | share information as appropriate and check understanding |
| 5 | show positivity and enthusiasm towards work, encouraging others to do the same |
| 6 | ensure that important messages are communicated with colleagues and stakeholders respectfully, taking into consideration the diversity of interests |
Grade 7 and Grade 6 or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Communicating and influencing at Grade 7 and Grade 6 (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | communicate with others in a clear, honest and enthusiastic way in order to build trust. |
| 2 | explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand |
| 3 | take into account people’s individual needs |
| 4 | deliver difficult messages with clarity and sensitivity, being persuasive when required |
| 5 | consider the impact of the language used |
| 6 | remain open-minded and impartial in discussions, whilst respecting the diverse interests and opinions of others |
| 7 | introduce different methods for communication, including making the most of digital resources whilst getting value for money |
| 8 | monitor the effectiveness of own and team communications and take action to improve where necessary |
Deputy Director or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Communicating and influencing at Deputy Director (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | implement communication strategies which ensure effective communications are embedded and take account of people’s individual needs |
| 2 | embed a culture where there is a wide ranging use of the infrastructure in place to support varied communication methods which deliver value for money |
| 3 | communicate in a straightforward, honest and truthful way with consideration for the impact of the method used |
| 4 | communicate with conviction and clarity in the face of tough negotiations or challenges |
| 5 | respect and consider the diversity of the audience when giving messages and deliver these appropriately |
| 6 | influence external partners, stakeholders and customers successfully securing mutually beneficial outcomes |
Director and Director General
| No. | GOV.UK example of Communicating and influencing at Director and Director General (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | demonstrate and promote communicating with honesty, integrity, impartiality and objectivity |
| 2 | ensure there is the infrastructure to support varied communication methods which are cost effective and keep up with advances in digital technology |
| 3 | develop a culture where colleagues consider the individual needs of people when deciding how to communicate and understand the impacts of the chosen methods |
| 4 | communicate purpose and direction with respect, clarity and enthusiasm |
| 5 | overcome objections to gain acceptance of the vision and purpose of the department |
| 6 | use your influence to make a positive difference across the Civil Service and externally |
One dated detail for Grade 7 and Grade 6. The Success Profiles page on GOV.UK records this change on 29 January 2025: “In the behaviour examples for G6 and G7 grades, restored the number of bullet points in the leadership, managing a quality service, and communicating and influencing examples.” Communicating and Influencing is one of the three. If you are working from a copy saved before that date, compare its Grade 7 and Grade 6 list with the one above.
What changes from band to band
The lists move from being clear and considerate, to handling hard conversations, to persuading, to setting how a whole organisation communicates. The middle column quotes the wording that first appears, or matters most, at that band. The right-hand column is our reading of it and is not official guidance.
| Grade band | Wording from the GOV.UK examples (verbatim) | Our reading |
|---|---|---|
| AA and AO | “clear, constructive and considerate” · “an email, phone call, face-to-face” · “plain and simple language” · “check written work for errors” | Clarity, the right method for the person, and accuracy. The only band that mentions checking your writing for errors. |
| EO | “both orally and in writing” · “best communication channel” · “challenging conversations with confidence and sensitivity” | Choice of channel becomes a considered decision, and difficult conversations enter the list. |
| HEO and SEO | “choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact” · “encourage the use of different communication methods” · “check understanding” | Style is chosen for impact, and you begin to shape how other people communicate. |
| Grade 7 and Grade 6 | “explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand” · “being persuasive when required” · “monitor the effectiveness of own and team communications” | Complexity, persuasion and measurement: you are expected to check whether communication is working and improve it. |
| Deputy Director | “communication strategies” · “tough negotiations or challenges” · “influence external partners, stakeholders and customers” | Strategy and negotiation. This is the first list to use the word “influence”, and it is about people outside the organisation. |
| Director and Director General | “honesty, integrity, impartiality and objectivity” · “overcome objections” · “across the Civil Service and externally” | The first line names the four core values of the Civil Service Code. Influence is exercised across the Civil Service and beyond it. |
One line that runs through five of the six bands: honesty
Honest communication is written into the examples at five bands. The EO list is the exception; its nearest line is to respond “constructively and objectively”.
| Grade band | GOV.UK example (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| AA and AO | remain honest and truthful when explaining opinions |
| HEO and SEO | communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner - choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact |
| Grade 7 and Grade 6 | communicate with others in a clear, honest and enthusiastic way in order to build trust. |
| Deputy Director | communicate in a straightforward, honest and truthful way with consideration for the impact of the method used |
| Director and Director General | demonstrate and promote communicating with honesty, integrity, impartiality and objectivity |
Our reading: this behaviour is not about winning people over by any means. The definition says “clarity, integrity and enthusiasm”, and the Director list repeats the Civil Service Code’s core values, which the Code gives as “integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality”. An influencing example in which you were selective with the facts works against the behaviour.
Six Communicating and influencing interview questions, built from the GOV.UK examples
We looked for official example interview questions for this behaviour on GOV.UK and on Civil Service Careers and found none. What the official pages do say is short. GOV.UK says you “may be asked to give examples of when you have demonstrated a particular behaviour”, or “how you would behave in a given situation”. A Defra recruiter writing on the department’s GOV.UK blog says behaviour questions “may start with ‘Tell me about a time when…’”.
The six questions below are example questions we wrote from the descriptors, one for each grade band. Each is built from a single GOV.UK example, shown beside it so that you can see where the wording comes from. We do not claim that any department asks them. Use them to rehearse, and expect your panel to word its own.
| Grade band | Example question (written by us) | The GOV.UK example it is built from (verbatim) |
|---|---|---|
| AA and AO | Tell me about a time when you chose a particular method of communication for someone because of their individual needs. | use an appropriate method of communication for each person - for example an email, phone call, face-to-face - taking into consideration their individual needs |
| EO | Describe a challenging conversation that you handled with confidence and sensitivity. | handle challenging conversations with confidence and sensitivity |
| HEO and SEO | Give an example of when you shared information and then checked that it had been understood. | share information as appropriate and check understanding |
| Grade 7 and Grade 6 | Tell me about a time when you explained a complex issue in a way that was easy to understand. | explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand |
| Deputy Director | Describe a time when you communicated with conviction and clarity in a tough negotiation or in the face of challenge. | communicate with conviction and clarity in the face of tough negotiations or challenges |
| Director and Director General | Give an example of how you overcame objections to gain acceptance of your department’s vision and purpose. | overcome objections to gain acceptance of the vision and purpose of the department |
Two points on using them. First, a panel can turn any of these into a hypothetical (“How would you…”), which GOV.UK expressly allows for. Second, each question is narrower than the behaviour. A good answer to one of them shows that line of the list clearly and touches others on the way; it does not try to recite the whole list.
How to structure a Communicating and influencing example
The rules are the same for all nine behaviours. The short version is in the table; the full version, with the STAR method in the words of the official guide, the four official statements on word limits and how examples are scored at sift, is in our guide to Seeing the big picture, which holds the full explanation.
| Point | What the official page says |
|---|---|
| Who picks the behaviours | Recruiting managers “will choose a selection of behaviours which are best suited to the specific job role”, and “You will not be asked to demonstrate all Civil Service Behaviours for one role.” (GOV.UK) |
| Length of a written example | “The online application form will automatically delete any words which exceed the 250 allowed for each example.” (GOV.UK, Using the Civil Service Jobs website). Follow the limit shown in your own advert and form. |
| Structure | “In your own examples, consider using the STAR method which allows you to set the scene, show what and how you did and the overall outcome.” (GOV.UK) |
| Covering every line | “There is no expectation that you need to demonstrate every part of each example to be successful.” (GOV.UK) |
| Where an example can come from | Work, “or somewhere else such as”: work experience, volunteering, in connection with a hobby (GOV.UK) |
| Score needed at sift | “Generally to progress to the next stage a candidate should score at least 4 for each example.” Rating scales “can vary across recruiting organisations but the standard is the same.” (GOV.UK) |
GOV.UK’s advice on structure is one sentence: “In your own examples, consider using the STAR method which allows you to set the scene, show what and how you did and the overall outcome.” The table below is our suggestion for what each part should carry when the behaviour is Communicating and influencing. It is drawn from the definition and the examples above, and it is ours, not an official template.
| Part of STAR | What to put there for Communicating and influencing (our suggestion) |
|---|---|
| Situation | Who needed to understand, or agree to, what, and what made that difficult. |
| Task | What you needed them to know, do or accept. |
| Action | The channel and the language you chose and why, how you listened and checked understanding, and how you dealt with disagreement. |
| Result | What they understood or did as a result, and how you know. Evidence that the message landed is stronger than a description of the message. |
Then check the draft against your band. Take the list for your grade from the tables above, or use the tool, and go line by line. Mark a line as shown only when you can point to the sentence that shows it. Lines with no sentence behind them are either gaps to fill or parts you have chosen not to cover, which GOV.UK allows.
If the tool does not load, the six tables under “the GOV.UK examples in full” carry exactly the same lines.
Where Communicating and influencing is assessed
GOV.UK lists six ways a behaviour can be assessed: an application form requiring written examples, the Civil Service judgement test, a personality test, an interview, an assessment centre and job related simulations. Your advert says which apply.
On the online test, GOV.UK says the Civil Service Judgement Test “measures your ability to demonstrate judgement and decision-making regarding specific Civil Service Behaviours, which have been selected as important for success in your chosen job.” It does not list which behaviours a given test covers, so we cannot tell you whether Communicating and influencing will be in yours. For the test itself see CSJT pass mark and scoring, what a CSJT score means and CSJT tips from the behaviours. Our practice scenarios guide has scenarios that are our own teaching exercises, not official test items.
What we could not find
Not on any official page we read
- Any statement that the writing of a behaviour example is itself marked as evidence of this behaviour. The AA and AO list mentions checking written work for errors; no page says an application is scored for its own prose.
- An official list of example interview questions for Communicating and influencing, or for any behaviour.
- An official sample or model behaviour example at any grade.
- Whether the Civil Service Judgement Test for a given job includes Communicating and influencing.
Read on 14 October 2026: the pages listed under Sources. Departmental candidate packs attached to individual adverts were not read; your own advert may say more.
The other eight behaviours, each with its own examples by band and its own six questions: Seeing the big picture, Changing and improving, Making effective decisions, Leadership, Working together, Developing self and others, Managing a quality service, Delivering at pace.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
What does Communicating and influencing mean in the Civil Service?
GOV.UK defines it as: Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others. The examples expected differ by grade band, and GOV.UK publishes a separate list for each of six bands.
What is Communicating and influencing at HEO and SEO level?
GOV.UK lists six examples at HEO and SEO grades or equivalent. The first is to communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner - choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact. Another is to share information as appropriate and check understanding.
What is Communicating and influencing at AA and AO level?
GOV.UK lists six examples at Administrative Assistant (AA) and Administrative Officer (AO) grade or equivalent. The first is to put forward your views in a clear, constructive and considerate manner. The second is to use an appropriate method of communication for each person - for example an email, phone call, face-to-face - taking into consideration their individual needs.
What is Communicating and influencing at EO level?
GOV.UK lists seven examples at Executive Officer (EO) grade or equivalent. The first is to communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing. The second is to take time to consider the best communication channel to use for the audience, including making the best of digital resources and considering value for money.
How long should a Communicating and influencing behaviour example be?
GOV.UK’s guide to the Civil Service Jobs website says the online application form automatically deletes any words beyond the 250 allowed for each example. A Civil Service Careers page says short written examples are usually 250 words each. Follow the limit in your own advert.
Is Communicating and influencing tested in the Civil Service Judgement Test?
GOV.UK says the test measures judgement and decision-making regarding specific Civil Service Behaviours selected as important for the job. It does not publish which behaviours a given test covers.
More in this series
- CSJT pass mark and scoring
- What a CSJT score means
- CSJT tips from the behaviours
- Seeing the Big Picture: examples by grade
- Changing and Improving: examples by grade
- Making Effective Decisions: examples by grade
- Leadership: examples by grade
- Working Together: examples by grade
- Developing Self and Others: examples by grade
- Managing a Quality Service: examples by grade
- Delivering at Pace: examples by grade
- Civil Service Judgement Test: 8 original practice scenarios
- Fast Stream online tests: a different test with a different scale
- Fast Stream vs direct entry and the other routes
Sources
- official — GOV.UK: Success Profiles, Civil Service behaviours (updated 29 January 2025)
- official — Civil Service Careers: Behaviours
- official — GOV.UK: Success Profiles (collection page, last updated 29 January 2025)
- official — GOV.UK: Success Profiles, candidate overview
- official — GOV.UK: Using the Civil Service Jobs website as a candidate (last updated 27 January 2026)
- official — GOV.UK: A brief guide to competencies (Civil Service Resourcing, published 12 April 2016; the STAR and CAR methods)
- official — Civil Service Careers: GOS, Tips and guidance for applying (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology pages; tips for external scientists, engineers and researchers)
- official — Defra Digital, Data and Technology blog on GOV.UK: How to improve Civil Service job applications and ace your interviews (a Defra recruiter, 14 April 2023)
- official — GOV.UK: Preparing for the Civil Service Judgement Test (last updated 24 May 2024)
- official — GOV.UK: Preparing for the Civil Service Styles Assessment (published 27 January 2026)
- official — GOV.UK: The Civil Service code (updated 16 March 2015)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
