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Senior Associate Emily Maister shares insights from 10 Downing Street on how to win in the court of public opinion.
Claiming credit and managing risk in the public arena
In his Citizenship in a Republic speech (1910), Teddy Roosevelt said that “credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood”.
But for those in the public eye, recognition rarely comes automatically; it has to be claimed. That’s the risk of being “in the arena”, political or otherwise.
This was a daily challenge when I was briefing ministers and drafting messaging in No 10. But it is a challenge shared by everyone working or living in the spotlight, as media attention often comes from scandal rather than success.
For effective reputation management, you need to communicate through both the good times and the bad. We help our clients build reputational resilience by creating and realising opportunities; ensuring they get the credit that they deserve for successes while being cushioned against reputational damage.
So, when you’re in the public eye, and up against professional opponents, public negativity bias, a 24-hour news cycle and a deadline, what lessons from frontline politics can help you make the right kind of impact?
Manage your stakeholders
The Whips’ Office perfectly illustrates the importance of stakeholder management. An effective Chief Whip can pass legislation with the slimmest of majorities, instilling a sense of urgency and responsibility with the stakeholders they are managing.
It is a masterful balancing act, ensuring that your stakeholders feel heard, while staying united, motivated and personally invested. No one hears about the Chief Whip if they are doing their job effectively. If it goes wrong, you can go from an 80 to a 19-seat majority in one Parliament.
Managing stakeholders starts with figuring out who really matters. Identify the key influencers, decision-makers, and wider audiences that you need to target. It’s critical to note who’s likely to be on your side and who might push back. That way, you can plan ahead, build coalitions with allies, and have strategies ready for any challenges.
Once you have identified your audiences, you need to understand their priorities. Take the time to do your research. Data can help, for example polls, analytics, and media trends, but don’t be a slave to the numbers. Sometimes the best insights and ideas come from real conversations. You can also use these insights to deepen key relationships and manage them effectively through crises.
Stakeholder management isn’t a one-and-done task; it’s about staying connected and adapting as things change. Regular check-ins and open communication help you identify problems early and overcome them quickly.
When you combine stakeholder and audience mapping, understanding priorities, and ongoing engagement, it amounts to more than managing stakeholders. You’re building strong, lasting relationships that you can depend upon.
Craft your messaging
Now you have identified your key audiences, and understood their priorities, you need to work out what to say to them. Though their priorities may conflict or seem unrealistic, you need to filter and distil them into no more than three core messages that resonate with your target groups. These messages should be deliverable and aligned with broader objectives. Most importantly, they should be simple, memorable, and adaptable across platforms.
Test your proposed messaging with your target audiences and refine them for clarity and impact. Sometimes the messages that cut through will surprise you. During a campaign I worked on, the main point that resonated with voters was one candidate’s vegetarianism – not wholly relevant, nor the message that needed to land. This is where your judgement needs to temper feedback.
Once you have identified your messages, it is time to communicate strategically by selecting the most effective channels. These might include private meetings, public events, media appearances. Announcements, interviews, and key dates should be carefully scheduled among them.
Maintain consistency. You want keep people engaged, while ensuring your core messages remain steady over time. Repetition builds trust and reinforces your positioning, helping your narrative stick with the public. Don’t allow your opponents or critics to throw you off course.
Finally, know when to stop communicating. This would be one of the first things I’d tell ministers in media training, as they prepared for Question Time or the morning round. Being riled or feeling uncomfortable can often result in saying too much, which can easily lead to trouble. A good journalist will give you the rope with which to hang yourself. Don’t tie the noose.
Prepare for scrutiny
Communication always comes with risk, so your defence is critical. Preparation is the best protection. Undertake a thorough, and honest, review of your public profile and address any potential risks internally. Be ready for scrutiny and to respond to those who disagree. Stress-test your arguments. Early preparation minimises surprises and strengthens resilience, allowing you to stay focused on your objectives.
When preparing the Prime Minister every week for Prime Minister’s Questions, where he would be publicly scrutinised by the Leader of the Opposition, it was useful to get in the mind of the Labour leader. We would draft the five toughest questions that could be asked and put them to the Prime Minister – which meant his responses were ready, and the attacks could be brushed off or, better yet, turned on the opposition.
By anticipating the most likely lines of questioning, you are better prepared to maintain control of the narrative. Develop clear, concise responses for each potential issue, ensuring they are factual, calm, and aligned with your core messaging.
Designate trusted spokespeople to handle inquiries and maintain consistency in tone and content. On the hardest days in No10, we always wanted the best, most unflappable, communicators going out to bat for the Government.
Finally, own your narrative: if a vulnerability is likely to surface, address it proactively on your terms rather than reactively under fire. This approach ensures you remain in control, resilient, and focused on advancing your objectives.
Staying in control
Roosevelt was right. The person in the arena deserves credit. But in today’s environment, being in the arena means more than showing up; it means managing relationships, shaping narratives, and preparing for every angle of attack.
Stakeholder management gives you the allies and intelligence you need. Clear, consistent messaging ensures your voice cuts through the noise. And rigorous preparation protects your reputation when the pressure is highest.
None of this happens by accident. It takes discipline, foresight, and resilience. The dust, sweat, and blood are inevitable — but with the right strategy, you can claim the credit you deserve and stay firmly in control of your story.
