Communication
Don’ t Wait For An Invite: Claim Your Seat At The Table
By Grace Oduor
A while back, I sat in a young women empowerment summit, watching young women boldly claim their place in decision-making spaces. They were not asking politely for permission, they were declaring their worth, holding duty bearers accountable, taking seats at tables that had historically excluded them. Their confidence was infectious, their persistence unmatched. They were unafraid to challenge systems and speak their truth.
As they presented statements on critical issues such as gender-based violence and early marriage, it hit me: as communications professionals, we often do the opposite. We complain about comms being a“ support function,” lament being left out of strategy, or post online about how comms isn’ t valued, but what are we actually doing to change our narrative?
The High Cost of the " Invisible " Communicator: When communications professionals are excluded from decision-making spaces, the entire organization pays the price. Messaging becomes reactive and misaligned with program goals, confusing staff, partners, and beneficiaries. Stakeholder trust suffers, and donors lose confidence when reports and updates fail to clearly show impact. Teams scramble to handle media inquiries, donor questions, or crises without guidance, risking misinformation and reputational damage. Sidelining communicators doesn’ t just limit visibility; it undermines the mission. Without a comms lead in the decision-making room, teams scramble during a crisis, donor confidence wavers when impact isn ' t clearly articulated, and the organization’ s overall influence is weakened.
From Support Function to Strategic Driver: Communications must evolve from a support function to a strategic driver of organizational success. This transformation isn’ t about waiting for permission, it’ s about organizational success. This transformation isn’ t about waiting for permission, it’ s about proving indispensable value. Consider an example from a large organization: a small communications team, initially buried under HR and under-resourced, repositioned itself
106 MAL71 / 26 ISSUE as a strategic function within a few years. They grew their influence, secured direct access to senior leadership, and became part of key decision-making processes.
How did they do it? They didn’ t wait to be invited. They put their hand up for the work that mattered. When high-level initiatives emerged, company-wide communication, employee engagement platforms, leadership messaging, they stepped forward and said,“ we can help with that.” They volunteered for the projects that gave them visibility and influence. In doing so, they proved that they didn’ t need permission to be strategic, they needed to identify the right opportunities and show up with solutions. And importantly, this didn’ t happen overnight. It was one project at a time. One relationship at a time. One win at a time. What looked like a rapid transformation was in reality a steady, intentional build of trust, credibility, and proven impact over time.
The Roadmap to Strategic Influence: The path towards owning a seat at the table in the midst of senior leaders requires intentional action. Here is how you can move the needle:
Take ownership of high-impact moments. Lead during crises, strategy launches, or major organizational initiatives. These are the moments when communications moves from background support to visible leadership, demonstrating influence over outcomes, not just outputs.
Ask the right questions, especially one that can change the game:“ What happens if we don’ t communicate this well?” This shifts discussions toward risk, misalignment, and missed opportunities, positioning you not as a messenger, but as a strategic partner integral to project success.
Speak the language of business impact: instead of reporting email open rates, demonstrate how engagement improves employee retention. Rather than countingcontent views, measure impact on stakeholders and program outcomes. For example, a targeted media campaign highlighting an NGO’ s child protection work increased awareness, donor contributions, and partnerships that advanced program delivery.
Build alliances deliberately. Collaborate closely with program managers and directors, understand their priorities, and align your recommendations with what matters most to them. When presenting ideas during meetings, ensure there are voices in the room that reinforce and champion your approach.
Finally, do what many communicators struggle to do: talk about your impact. Share wins internally, connect your work to organizational results, and communicate your contributions clearly and consistently. Visibility is not vanity, it is strategy. If people don’ t see the value of communications, they cannot recognize it.
Start Today, Claim Your Seat: The shift from being overlooked to being influential doesn’ t happen overnight. It happens one project at a time, one conversation at a time, one win at a time. You can start today. Identify one strategic initiative in your organization and put your hand up. Ask the right questions. Offer your expertise. Deliver excellence. Then make sure people know the impact of your work. Remember, communications is not just about producing content, it’ s about shaping decisions, influencing outcomes, and driving impact.
The young women at the Summit did not wait for permission to lead. Neither should we. Our voices matter. Our expertise is valuable. Our seat at the table is not something to request, it is something to claim through action. Be bold. Be daring. Demand the seat. Do the work. Own it.
Grace Oduor is a Communications Advisor with over a decade experience in Marketing and Communications space. You can commune with her via email at: GOduor111 @ gmail. com.