Communication Beyond the Campaign

The signs come down. The congratulations slow. And in your first meeting, you realize campaigning is nothing like governing.

I know. Twenty years in and around communications work didn’t prepare me for the disorientation of being newly elected—the pace, the pressures, the parts of the job not on the campaign trail (spoiler alert - it's most of it).

If you're running this fall, or if you're part of the staff preparing for a council transition, or a returning council member observing new arrivals in November—this is what I wish someone had expressed openly.

Procedural training is the easy part.

Robert’s Rules. In-camera protocols. Conflict of interest. You’ll get plenty of that.

What you will not learn: how to get ready for a media call, set boundaries with a distressed community member, decline something you previously supported due to new financial insights, or collaborate with a council of individuals whose values differ from yours—even though they were elected by the same community as you. This applies to both councils and regional districts.

Those aren’t procedural skills. They’re communication skills. And they’re the difference between a term you’re proud of and a term that erodes you.

Communication is 80% of the job.

Almost every problem an elected will face — on council/RD, with staff, with residents, in the media—is a communication problem underneath.

A policy fails because it wasn’t sold. A relationship sours because the hard conversation didn’t happen. A meeting goes sideways because the pre-work didn’t happen. A media response drafted in panic doesn't land as needed.

None of that shows up in orientation.

The biggest threat to your communication is losing your own voice.

People will tell you to soften your edges. Tone down your positions. Say less, or say it more politically. A few weeks in, you’ll catch yourself workshopping a sentence for the third time—not because you don’t know what you think, but because you’ve absorbed too many voices telling you how to sound.

Stay yourself.

Being authentic is important for decision-making and communication. Sticking to your values leads to faster and more aligned decisions. This helps you communicate clearly, especially under pressure, and the honesty builds trust and strengthens relationships.

Being politically astute and being authentic aren’t opposites. The elected officials who last—the ones who build trust that survives hard votes—do both.

New councils get one shot at setting the tone.

The first three months set the tone for the next four years. How you disagree in public. How you handle a mistake. Whether the elected/staff relationship starts from trust or tension. Whether returning members welcome newcomers, or quietly wait for them to fail.

There’s no do-over on that opening period.

What actually helps.

Communication training and coaching built for the moments you’ll actually face. A council/board-wide conversation about how you’ll disagree with each other in public (because you will).

That’s the work I do. One-on-one coaching for elected officials. Team sessions for new and returning councils.

I provide communication support in the moments that matter: a media response, the strategic plan you will actually use, or a public engagement.

My training and coaching works because I’ve been in the room. Not as a consultant. As a councillor.

If you’re at UBCM next week. Find me. Sessions, hallways, receptions—fifteen minutes of coffee is often more useful than another orientation session.

If you’re not. The offer’s the same. My email’s below.

The signs come down. The real work starts. Let’s talk about how to be ready and steady.

— Sadie

Sadie Hunter is a certified executive coach, communications consultant, and former Kamloops City Councillor. She provides coaching for elected officials, communications support, and team training for new and returning councils across BC. Book a 15-minute call at hunter-ink.com.