PR Skills

In an earlier post found here I talked a little bit about the role of a PR practitioner, basically what your job will be when you get into the working field. However, what I did not add in your role as a PR practitioner, are all the necessary skills you need to have to maximize your potential and get the most out of your career.

So what type of skills am I talking about? Well they are the basic things which countless teachers, parents, have tried to ingrain into our heads as being important, that we never took seriously.

Dad: Now I know you don't like to read like your brothers and sisters, but it is really a necessary thing. You don't want to be reading in newspapers about their success and not your own...

Or this one...

Mom: How are you doing in English dear? Remember writing is very important, I don't want my little one to fall behind. So will you be a dear and get started on that 10 page book report, you don't want to disappoint mommy, do you?

Now maybe a little of what Mom and Dad have said about these two skills, writing and reading, is a little exaggerated. That is for you to decide. This isn't a place to debate whether that is important.

What is important though is these two skills of reading and writing, along with the skill of listening, form what I call the "PR skills trifecta" (I think I'm beginning to take a liking to coining new phrases see "life at the desk" in my eariler post), three core skills that PR practitioners must possess, for him/her to really get the most out of their careers.

You may ask how I came across this "PR skills trifecta". Well to be honest it came to me quite naturally.

After thinking about what I learned during this past year at school, a very long year that included 7 courses in the first semester and 8 courses in the second semester last year, everyday my reading, writing and listening skills were strained to their fullest.

Now at the end of the year, I know my skills could be much improved. If you aren't constantly looking to improve, it is hard to stay pace in as the cliche goes, a very competitive dog eat dog world, especially the PR world, being competitive is undoubtedly true.

So with that said it is time for me to spruce you up your skills. I'm going to help you improve your PR skills by introducing the skills I think every PR practitioner should have, the skills found in the "PR Skills trifecta" (reading, writing, and listening) and my experience with these three skills and how they have helped me thus far in my career. Prepare to get mom and dad off your back for once...

Life at the desk

With a second month of volunteering soon to be concluded, I can officially say that I am getting the hang of it. Everyday I come to work with a fresh number of articles to read through, interpret, and judge accordingly. Most of time when I arrive, around noon, I get finished by the early afternoon, as the speed in which I can input the articles into the report has gotten much quicker.

But yesterday it was a little different. I was in the office till 4 p.m. Now four hours might not seem to be a lot to the seasoned volunteer, however for me being glued at a desk for that time I beg to differ. Don't feel sorry for me though (I already can feel the sympathy from here) because I could have taken a walk around the office, gone for a bathroom break or found some other way to break from my duties.

I had that choice and chose not to take one. This is because I was so focussed on my work, so into what I was doing that I felt what it is like for many of those who work 9-5 everyday. I felt what it is like to have your life at your desk.

Now what I mean by having your "life at the desk" is the idea that the work you are doing at your job takes a precedent over everything else, making anything outside of this work seem insignificant.

For me this characterizes exactly what yesterday was. The countless articles that I had to read, analyze and input (45 was yesterday's total to be exact) for this months report became my "life at the desk". I could not get away from them. They held me like cement, keeping me rooted to my chair.

Whether this is something that I look forward to next week is something I'm still not sure of. While not having the ability to leave something you enjoy is a good thing, there comes a point where breaks are necessary, just to let your mind relax and get back into the real world. Until next week, I might have a better idea where I stand...