What Are Your Career Plans?
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Foreword to 4/4/4 Four Communications Issues. Four Perspectives. Four Weeks. Blog Series
This is part 2 of 4 of this series that I am writing with Todd Defren, Lou Hoffman, and Paul Roberts. Do we agree? Maybe, maybe not. You can read Todd’s Here, Lou’s Here, and Paul’s Here.
For some great additional perspectives on this topic I encourage you to visit Hans de Groot, and Don Jennings.
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To Stay Relevant How Do Communications Professionals Need To Evolve?
By Steve Farnsworth (@Steveology)
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If you want to evolve you need to kill PR. Why? Because there is too much head trash about what public relations means. I think it is unrealistic to expect that others outside the profession, including most bosses and clients, will ever see it more than publicity, free advertising, or press releases. Your job is about to get harder than it already is, and dragging that old description around is just dead weight. If we want to evolve I think we need to kill “PR”.
Don’t get me wrong. This is not a “PR is Dead” post. In fact, the idea of relating to the public is now as important as ever. Your smart practices on quality communications are extremely valuable, but I think to stay fresh you will need to shift your view of yourself from a company communicator to that of a communities facilitator.
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Good Is Not So Great
We no longer have high control of the message as we did in the traditional one-to-many communications model. We now have a many-to-many model. Very powerful, but very low control, and it can be scary if you are closed to change.
So, I have to wonder why are so many senior communications professionals slow to embrace and own social media, communications 2.0, PR 2.0, social communications, or whatever you want to call it? I think its because of fear, uncertainty, and lethargy. This is a time where good enough communications really is the killer of great communications.
If you want to stay relevant you will need to reinvent your roll, reimagine strategies that worked yesterday, but are becoming dangerously outdated today, and reevaluate your bag of tools constantly to meet the quickly changing digital landscape. That change is not new. It has been underway for over a decade with the adoption of the popular Internet, e.g., email and message boards. A platform where anyone with an Internet connection and an opinion could talk to large dispersed groups.
It’s Not Paranoia. They Are Talking About You…And To You.
Social media and digital communications are message boards on steroids. They break down the traditional barriers to dialog, and that is great, but has a profound impact on the time-honored idea of who is the face of the company. Now everybody is. Customers can talk to others who share their passion, and talk to the vary people who make the products that are most important to them.
We now need to help train those who have a public facing roll to have the skills sets of a communications pro. Frankly, that is almost everyone in the company these days, and probably will include Joe in the warehouse who has his own blog or Susie who posts her pictures to Flickr, too.
Always Be Learning
How do you keep your skills and roll relevant? I don’t think there is a clear, one size fits all roadmap. Things are in constant motion. You need to be flexible. I would read blogs and participate in social media everyday. I would look to build new and deeper relationships with communications professionals of all ages and disciplines outside your comfort zone.
I suggest you do all those activities with the clear goal of trying to continuously answer these questions:
What knowledge and communications smart practices need to be imparted throughout the organization?
What new skills and tools will they need to understand?
What new skills and tools are the best communicators I know learning now?
How can I use social media to facilitate the organization’s learning process?
The last, that in my mind the most important question you can ask and that has the highest payoff is:
How can I harness the wisdom of the crowds in this rich communications environment to help make the organization a true thought leader?
Daniel Young
September 15, 2010
Er… OK. What are you calling it, if you’re dropping the ‘PR’ bit?
Steve Farnsworth
September 17, 2010
I thought that would be obvious: Brand Esprit de Corps Ambassador, or Minister of Propaganda and Community. Which one do you like better?
Er, I didn’t have one I was putting forth. I think it will just evolve. As it is now there will probably be a few versions of it. I think that Communications will continue to grow in popularity, and suspect Communities will be in titles more, too. Many agencies I know here in the states are down playing PR in their online presence as they try to grow in other service areas, and are opting for phrases like Communications Agency. I take it from your response that your not see that in Australia?
Paul Roberts
September 18, 2010
Hey Steve, I couldn’t agree more with the need to kill PR in order to save it. The PR job title can be very limiting for folks looking for new opportunities.
For example, lots of organizations NEED a communications professional to help with internal and external communications, social media, messaging and branding etc., but few of them realize that in many cases it is probably a PR professional that can and should fill this role. In some ways the core marketing professional has…well…out marketed the PR profession.
Kate
March 3, 2011
Steve,
I agree with all you say on the hackneyed PR perceptions and how practitioners need to engage with social networks.
In a consumer business, absolutely.
In some B2B, also yes though possibly more restrained in scope and channel.
BUT – what about the last bastion – the communication function in a large investment bank, on the client side.?
Seriously, how can a communiction practitioner in this environment use social networks as part of the mix with uber clients, given the propensity for Chairman and like to only/largely attend the elite event forums (& premier sports events and other hospitality) – this being being one of few avenues to communicate to the C suite with? Any views?
Alice
April 1, 2013
Develope a relationship with one level below your uber client Chairmen, utilizing social networks because these will be the inividuals within the companies who peruse, qualify and prioritize was flows in. Become a reliable confidant and interact often; he/she will get you through the gate..
Frank_Strong (@Frank_Strong)
August 14, 2011
Rebranding for PR — it’s an interesting concept — but I’d think twice before signing that petition. I’ve noticed several prominent PR types quietly jettisoning the term from their bio because they said it didn’t help in the boardroom. I’ve had the opposite experience.
Sure some people are skeptical of PR people at first, but they are also skeptical of marketing too. About five years ago a (very brilliant) product manager told me it’s an inside joke in business that marketers are the dumbest people in the company. Whatever, why don’t you get that software patch out before we have a crisis buddy!
There’s a market for PR…15 years ago, it was a much harder sell than it is today. People can’t always define PR, but they know good PR people and good PR work when they see it. I think that PR people that actively pursue the questions you’ve made at the end of your post AND learn enough about business finance, they’ll more easily grown internal influence and be in a position to dispel the myths.
We don’t need rebranding, we need to stop the bickering and finger-pointing and get some consensus. I’d sign that petition.
And Paul Roberts, nice to see you again…I just might get around to that post one of these days that are slow. ;-)
Kare Anderson (@KareAnderson)
June 19, 2012
So happy you are addressing this Steve… and as a former WSJ & NBC reporter I feel for “communications professionals”.. many of whom are caught between a rock and a hard place, if they work for corporations where most senior execs are still skittish about doc media…
and even those who want to embrace the use of it must, almost as two extra jobs, track the rapidly evolving social media tech and suggested usage whilst also tutoring their colleagues on ways they believe it should be use to be “in conversation” with key stakeholders, pulling them in with messages that have A.I.R.: Actionable. Interestingness. Relevant… rather than continue to push messages out….
There is the timeless problem, too, of being quotable, avoiding generalities and jargon.
I am eager to read more about this collaborating conversation you are co-leading….
John Mallen
November 4, 2012
Excellent points. An agenda for the future for PR, which sadly has become seen as publicit and media relations – still valuable but only part of the communications kit.