You’ve got a brilliant HR initiative. But brilliance doesn’t guarantee buy-in. Too often, HR pitches fall flat, not due to poor quality, but because they don’t speak the language of the audience. HR’s metrics (engagement, culture, wellbeing) matter enormously… but executives care most about business impact, risk and financial outcomes.
HR as a function is evolving. Half of HR leaders now hold C-suite positions on par with other executives, a signal that people strategy is business strategy. Yet many still struggle to articulate the strategic value of HR in executive terms.
This blog shows you how to bridge that gap.
Understanding each executive’s motivations is the first step toward delivering persuasive internal comms.
What they prioritise:
Strategic direction and long-term growth
Risk mitigation and stakeholder confidence
Alignment of mission, people & performance
CEOs expect HR to contribute to organisational success, not just people metrics. They want talent strategy and workforce planning tied to competitive advantage and business resilience.
Communications Tips:
Lead with strategic outcomes
Connect HR initiatives to organisational mission
Show risk reduction and future readiness
What they prioritise:
Financial performance and ROI
Cost management and risk control
Data-driven decisions
CFOs still lead financial health — and HR must speak their language. Translate people outcomes into financial impact. For example, reduced turnover can be reframed as cost savings on rehiring and lost productivity.
Communications Tips:
Quantify impacts (e.g., reduced costs, time saved)
Use fiscal terms before people terms
Tie HR initiatives to balance sheet outcomes
What they prioritise:
Smooth execution
Operational efficiency
KPIs and timelines
COOs are all about can we do this well and quickly? Show how your HR initiative will streamline workflows, reduce bottlenecks or improve processes.
Communications Tips:
Lead with operational improvements
Focus on efficiency and performance metrics
Demonstrate predictable execution
What they prioritise:
Talent management and succession planning
Cultural alignment and capability development
Board credibility and governance
Effective CHROs position HR as a core strategic partner — not a support function. That means speaking confidently about workforce strategy in business terms.
Communications Tips:
Bridge organisational strategy with people investment
Demonstrate strategic alignment to business goals
Use data to back recommendations
Across all executives, a few key principles hold true:
Don’t just share people metrics, tie them to outcomes that matter to leaders: revenue impact, risk reduction, growth acceleration, and competitive advantage.
Executives prioritise metrics familiar to them. CFOs care about cost savings; CEOs care about strategic leverage; COOs care about delivery efficiency.
Numbers are persuasive when tied to narrative. Rather than presenting a list of facts, tell a coherent story showing why change matters now and what leaders gain by supporting it.
To make this actionable, we created a persona-based guide that gives you:
✔️ Key executive motivations
✔️ Messaging templates tailored to each persona
✔️ Practical examples of how to translate HR outcomes into business language
👉 Download the guide here - it’s free and ready to use.
If you’re ready to turn your HR vision into a ‘yes’, don’t miss our free email course:
Your Great Ideas Deserve a ‘Yes’, a step-by-step journey through building strategic business cases and delivering pitches that land.
This course will help you with:
Framing your HR initiative for maximum impact
Speaking in C-suite language
Drafting compelling business cases
Delivering board-ready presentations with confidence
| Executive | Top Priorities | What HR Must Show |
|---|---|---|
| CEO | Vision, strategy, growth | Long-term organisational value |
| CFO | ROI, cost control | Financial impact of people initiatives |
| COO | Efficiency, delivery | Operational improvements |
| CHRO | People strategy | Strategic integration with business goals |
Q: Why doesn’t the C-suite automatically see HR as strategic?
A: Because they prioritise financial and operational outcomes. HR professionals who don’t translate their work into business terms risk being perceived as nice-to-have instead of must-have.
Q: Should HR stop talking about engagement and culture?
A: No! But you must connect engagement with business impact — e.g., higher engagement reduces turnover, which lowers recruitment costs and improves productivity.
Q: What’s the first step to better influence?
A: Know your audience. Tailor your message to show how your HR initiative helps that executive solve their challenges.
Great HR ideas don’t just happen, they get communicated. If you want buy-in, you need a plan that speaks to the people who decide yes or no. That’s where strategic internal comms comes in, and why the right messaging can be the difference between dead-on-arrival and funded, supported, implemented change.
👉 Grab your guide
👉 Start the free course
Your next big HR win starts with the right words.