How to brief a new Minister: 3 essential tips

With an overhaul of the Government and an array of new Secretaries of State and Ministers, there is a huge amount of work to do for those in advocacy.

It can be frustrating when the Ministers you’ve been working hard to build relationships with have been shuffled out of post and you have to start from scratch with someone completely new.

You don’t know what to expect of them: will they have the same views as the previous post-holder? What will their style of working be? Will they be interested in what your organisation has to say?

It can be a stressful time waiting to find out what’s in store for you and your work in the months ahead. Flexing your approach when there are new Ministers really puts to the test your influencing strategy and all your advocacy skills.

Here are three important things to consider when preparing to meet and brief a new Minister:

1.       Put yourself in their shoes

Most new Ministers are given the job and immediately have to dive right in - they have very little time to think about it and prepare, mentally or practically. They may suddenly find themselves responsible for a subject area they know very little about.

They may be feeling daunted or having bouts of impostor syndrome, just like the rest of us might do when faced with a new job. If they’ve been demoted, that can also be a huge emotional blow.

As well as the emotional challenges, there’s a very steep learning curve for a new Minister to get on top of the issues in their remit. In the first few weeks they will be inundated with people they need to meet with, both within their department and externally; they will have urgent briefings which require quick decisions on things which they are only just finding out about; and there will be many topical briefings from civil servants to get them up to speed on all the work of the department.

This means that when you meet with them, their head will be in many places at once and they may still be trying to get on top of the brief. Keep this in mind when you’re thinking about what messages you want to land when you meet with them, and avoid acronyms and technical language that they may not have got to grips with yet. Equally, do your research on the Minister so you can avoid being patronising - they may have decades of experience in the subject!

2.       Frame your pitch as an opportunity

There’s intense pressure for a new Minister to get to the point where they can make a speech and set out their vision for what they want to achieve. They will be looking to make their mark, do something to improve things and demonstrate why they were given the job.

This means they’ll be particularly interested to hear about any new ideas for what their department could do or say, which will show progress on what has gone before. Sometimes a new Minister will want to change direction on a policy area or put something on the backburner, but often they will want to continue to deliver what is already set in motion and find ways to deliver it faster and better.

If you can offer up your policy proposals as ways of achieving their goals, then you’re most likely to get traction. Think about how you can help them in the new situation they find themselves in and frame what you say as the solutions that they’re looking for.

3.       Ruthlessly prioritise

Given how busy a new Minister is, and how many briefings about different issues they receive, the only way to have any chance of making an impact is by prioritising what you tell them. Avoid the temptation to tell them everything you know, or everything you think they should know.

When you meet, make sure you have an ‘ask’ rather than simply showcasing your work as an organisation. Have just a single clear ask or small number of asks and make sure you’ve covered them clearly and well.

A meeting with a new Minister is likely to be short, and may consist mainly of them asking questions about what they want to know from you. That’s why being prepared and having clear priorities is so essential as you may not be in control of the agenda. When you do get the chance, make sure you’re ready to say what really matters to you most.

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