Five Things I Wish I Knew When I Started

Business Communications, Public Relations

Photo Courtesy of Plutor

To be fully transparent, since that’s still a favorite buzzword thanks to our FTC friends, this list could be much longer.  However, “The 77 Things Dave Didn’t Know” doesn’t have a great ring to it.  We all like lists and tips so here are a few things that could have helped me as I transitioned into the day-to-day world of communications and public relations.

1. Asking Questions is a Good Thing

I came into the working world with a misconception that asking question was somehow admitting defeat.  After all, I’d just graduated and felt like I’d accomplished a great deal in my time at school.  I had a hard time admitting that I didn’t know something.  What would everyone think?

Over the years, I’ve seen a strong pattern that those who ask questions, and listen closely to the answers, are often times the smartest ones in the room.

2. Business Background Buys Credibility

I’d done the econ and finance classes throughout college but really hadn’t thought of really spending time studying how the best business leaders achieved their goals.  Organizational management wasn’t a common crossover for communications students but I wish I would have thought of it.  Understanding operations and management styles are critical for communicators.

3. Confidence- Trust Yourself

*Caution on this one – it can easily go the wrong way if confidence moves to ego.  As long as you’re really putting in the work, be comfortable speaking up about your areas of responsibility.  It help others understand that you’re making the transition to a true pro and that you’re capable of providing immediate value to the organization.

4. Watch the Office Politics Closely

I had no idea how important this is when coming out of school.  It only takes one big miss to get off on the wrong foot with someone you’ll need as an ally down the road.  I don’t like power plays.  Those that use internal status to move their own agendas but I won’t pretend they don’t exist.  Watch closely and see where both friction and allegiances lie.  Think of it as high-stakes Survivor. You don’t want to quickly become tied to the person in the office that’s sinking or on their way out.  Take the time to watch and learn from the dynamics you see.

5. School Isn’t Over

Something changes every day in the communications industry.  Might be new technology or a new contact you should meet but there should never be a day when you don’t learn something new.  Literally, keep notes on who you met today that will help down the road or tag your calendar with an idea for tomorrow before you go home for the day.  Simple steps like this will keep you learning and keep you ahead of the pack.

This is in no way a comprehensive list.  As I said, I could add more on my own but what have others learning in the first years of a communications career?  What other tips do you have for the future of our industry?

Common Sense in Communications

Business Communications, Public Relations

There are times I really shake my head at some businesses and what they try to roll out as “good policy” to consumers.  I had one of these moments recently with the H&M fiasco regarding shredding clothing that doesn’t sell versus finding a better way to remove inventory. 

This situation hits a number of important issues where communicators should have stepped forward to raise questions that could have improved the situation.

  • Ethical Inquiries- O.k. this could be raised to anyone in leadership frankly.  Common sense says that destroying clothing while so many are in need is a waste.  At a bare minimum, I hold communicators to a higher standard in at least thinking about this perception if nothing else.  Why didn’t anyone raise this issue internally?  Too scared of internal arguments or do they just really not care.
  • Policy Issues- If you have to write a two-page explanation justifying your corporate viewpoint, there’s probably something wrong. 
  • Leading the Culture- As communicators, wheat we say publicly has a major impact on how a culture operates internally.  Trainwrecks like this H&M incident have a very real impact on everyone associated with the company.  If your public communications appear phony, you’re hurting the reputation of every employee in that company.  Not a great long-term retention tool is it?

I think most communicators have a good sense of judgment and should understand how audiences will view and evaluate these types of problems.  Let’s collectively step-up and put our skills in understanding audiences, and some common sense, to good use.

A Shared Dream

Leadership, Life

This post is simply to thank the great Martin Luther King Jr. for his vision and the courage to follow that vision.  From a communications standpoint, he was an amazing storyteller and leader.  While I’ll likely never write anything so powerful, I think we can all learn from his work. 

You can view full text of MLK’s amazing I Have a Dream Speech and his acceptance of the Nobel Prize here. 

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man’s sense of values
and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false
and the false with the true.
-Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength To Love, 1963.

MacGyver is a Nonprofit

Business Communications, Life, Public Relations

A World of Tools for MacGyverYes, that MacGyver, the one that can create a bomb out of a paper clip, some lint, and maybe a ketchup packet if he’s fortunate to have such luxuries around.  For anyone seeking a trip down memory lane, or context for some of my younger readers, be sure to check out the original geek adventure hero online and have some fun with the SNL spoofs too.

Aside from a good retro laugh, the real prompt for this post was chatting with my friend Arik Hanson who is working with a couple of Minnesota nonprofits in the digital space.  He commented on how dedicated the staff and leadership of these organizations are and how much of themselves they truly put into their work.  The comment Arik made that hit home with me is “this is their life; they don’t leave the job when they go home. It’s part of them.” 

I’ve been fortunate to work with so many outstanding people from a variety of nonprofits and it’s a spot on comment.  As you may know, I  work for a nonprofit so I am commenting as an “insider” but have also worked for a global PR agency, a Fortune 500 medical device company, and a small specialty pharmaceutical company.  I can tell you (relatively objectively) that nonprofit staff invests themselves in their work just as much as any corporate or agency pro…maybe more. 

However, I believe that many in the PR world view nonprofits as a second-tier job.  It doesn’t carry the status that some in our industry want on their resumes which is too bad because nonprofit pros are MacGyver-like problem solvers.   They’re working on addressing major community challenges with limited budgets, increasing demands for accountability, typically lean staffs, and doing it all for less pay and prestige.  So next time you’re at an industry get-together, keep an eye out for some of these smart MacGyvers in the room.  I bet you’ll meet some great new friends filled with passion and creativity.

Resources:

Noted below are some great contacts if you’re interested in learning more about smart nonprofit thinking and other communications pros working to help their communities and important causes.

  • Beth Kanter who has a great blog and a ton of ideas around nonprofit leadership
  • In Minneapolis, for my local contacts, be sure to check out Ashley Schweitzer who is a constant advocate for nonprofits
  • My inspiring pal up north, Danny Brown with his outstanding 12for12k social media/charity efforts
  • Or maybe Katya Andresen focusing on marketing for nonprofits on her blog

PR Resolutions

Business Communications, Leadership, Public Relations

It’s that time of year when we all make resolutions and promises…many of which fall by the wayside by the end of January.  However, I think as PR practitioners we need to do better.  As we enter into 2010 our profession is still not give the respect I believe it truly deserves.  Too often PR is still viewed as “spinning” bad news to make it acceptable to the masses.  There are too many outstanding communicators out there to allow this misperception to continue.

How do we kill off this old stereotype? We collectively step-up to make sure that we don’t allow our profession to be viewed as window dressing but a critical function to every company we serve. How?  Here’s a few starters.

  • Know Your Business and Your Customer
                                                                                                                                    Before you start throwing out ideas about how to obtain more coverage or the greatest new promotional idea, make sure the efforts line up well with the overall strategic plan for the company.  Take the time to think about your work from the customer perspective– ask yourself why would a customer care and how would your ideas improve their experience.  Also be sure that you’ll be able to measure how your work will have an impact.  Even if you fail, you want to learn from the effort rather than have no idea if you made a difference.     

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  • Use New Tools to Improve Your Work       
                                                                                                                                           Don’t recycle the plan your boss used when you started.  That’s a sure-fire way to maintain a very average program that becomes irrelevant…and doesn’t exactly position you as a great strategic mind.  Take advantage of the new technology out there and think critically about how social media may fit in your mix.  Look at if there is a fit in your company for Skype to cut down on some costs and encourage better collaboration. 

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  • Don’t Just Use New Tools to Improve Your Work              
                                                                                                                   
    On the flip side of that last point, please don’t chase after the new shiny toy so much that you forget about core fundamentals.  I don’t care how many followers you can get on Twitter if you can’t explain what the heck it is your company does and why anyone in their right mind would use your product or service.  Be sure to communicate all the methods you want to use in reaching your audience. Your discussions should never strictly focus on a technology but what the technology can do for you. 

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  • Deliver What Reporters Need    
                                                                                                                                                                         One of the issues that hounds our field is the “smile and dial” approach where a PR person is asked, typically by a client, to just call your reporter friends and pitch this great new product.  Here’s the problem, if you have no idea what the product does or (even worse) the product is junk and you still pitch it then it’s your reputation that takes the hit.  We need to be smart enough and strong enough to push back to our companies and clients if there is no valid news angle. 

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  • Be an advocate for communications 
                                                                                                                                                     This is especially aimed at my corporate readers more than agency but it applies to us all.  If you are being paid to be an expert communicator, you also need to help others in your organization understand the true importance of the role.  If you have a truly groundbreaking product that nobody knows about, then you have nothing.  If communications is always viewed as the least important part of a planning session then you know something is critically wrong culturally and you need to change it.  Take the time to explain (supported by examples of your results) the value of communications and be a leader in speaking up for the importance of our profession. 

So, in 2010 let’s all resolve to eliminate the missteps that plague our profession.  Let’s do a little PR work on PR this year.  What else belongs on this list?  What else can we do to improve our collective reputations?  Let’s think big this year and make some real change.