Policy comms has an EQ problem

Why emotional intelligence matters more than ever in Brussels 

by Shauny De Donder

In Brussels, policymaking is often treated like a logic puzzle. Understand the procedure, get the facts right, tick the stakeholder boxes, line up your arguments, and you’ll win support. 

But that approach is looking increasingly out of touch. 

The policy landscape is shifting. Issues that were once technical or niche are now mainstream, emotionally charged, and politicised. Take climate policy. What was once the domain of scientists and policymakers is now a subject of dinner-table debate, grassroots movements, viral campaigns, and public pushback from all sides. People bring their hopes, fears, and frustrations to the table and expect institutions, businesses, and stakeholders to respond not just with policy proposals, but with empathy. 

This isn’t limited to climate. The same is true for health, technology, agriculture, and even banking. Policy decisions are no longer happening quietly in the background. They’re unfolding in public, shaped by perception as much as procedure. In this context, how you communicate matters just as much as what you are communicating. 

And yet, most policy communications still fall into the same trap: thinking that logic will land the message. 

Policy briefs, timelines, and messaging houses often take priority. There’s an assumption that stakeholders will read between the lines or interpret neutrality as credibility. Precision is valued over emotion. But when audiences - from policymakers to NGOs to civil society - are engaging with policy on a more personal, values-driven level, that gap becomes a problem. 

This is where emotional intelligence becomes essential. 

Emotional intelligence is not about being soft or sentimental. It’s about being smart with people. It’s the ability to sense when a message feels off, even if it’s technically correct. It’s the instinct to pause, reframe, or listen more deeply before responding. It’s understanding not just the context of a policy file, but the human dynamics shaping the debate around it. Emotional intelligence is what helps read the room, even when that room is a committee hearing or a background briefing with a journalist. It’s what enables communicators to know when a message will resonate or when it will provoke unintended consequences. 

It matters in moments of tension. It matters when an industry comes under pressure or when trust in institutions is low. It matters when a CEO wants to speak out, but doesn’t know how to strike the right tone. And it matters when campaigners are pushing hard and companies are searching for the right balance between assertiveness and humility. 

Without emotional intelligence, even the best-crafted policy narrative can come across as tone-deaf. And once you lose trust, it’s hard to get it back. 

All of this doesn’t mean abandoning facts or analysis. It means adding another layer of awareness to how we build and deliver messages. Communications that connect are about clarity and evidence just as much as they are about understanding what people care about, what they’re afraid of, and how they’re likely to feel when they hear from you. 

That’s a skill that can be trained and developed, and one that should be a priority for every policy comms team. 

In 2025, influence does not belong only to those with the best white paper or the sharpest campaign line. It belongs to those who understand the people behind the positions.