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Building Trust in Public Relations

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Ethics… it’s just a matter of right and wrong, correct? Yes, but there are layers to being an ethical professional. Remember when PR was deemed the profession of spin? We’ve come a long way since then and in today’s media landscape, where everything is picked apart and scrutinized, we must remain trustworthy.

media-gatekeeperWhen covering ethics in public relations, there is a lot of mention of keeping the line of communication between the public and company, client and/or brand transparent, as well as legal. It’s a no brainer that public opinion is important but we must remember the gatekeeper, the middle man, better known as the media. Building trust between practitioner and the media is just as important because essentially, they are telling the public your story. One of PRSA’s core codes of conduct is the free flow of accurate and truthful information. That means building honest relationships with journalists, even if they become a close friend along the way. As ethical PR practitioners, we must play fair and keep an even working relationship between all members of the media. Yes, we should tailor each message depending on the interest of the publication and beat, but that doesn’t mean sending over confidential, inside information to a journalist just because you two are friends.

Being ethical doesn’t just mean avoiding bad situations. It is proactively doing what’s right, giving clear, correct, and complete information to the media while building meaningful relationships. Here are three essential rules to build trust between the media and the public:

  1. Do what you say you are going to do

As a PR professional, it is our primary job to communicate and disseminate information to the public. We are a resource and must be complete, accurate and timely at all times. Don’t be that PR person to hit up a journalist months before or after a issue is being printed with “new news” on the topic. They don’t care, you’ve missed your chance, and you’ve broken a tad bit of trust by wasting their time. We must remember that day to day, we work with a variety of people, companies, and industries that may not work in the same manner. Keep a trustworthy relationship with all stakeholders by meeting deadlines, responding to emails and phone calls, and fulfilling the duty of being a resource.

2. Focus on the relationship not the transaction

Trust comes with respect. If your primary connection with a person is based on press coverage, it is less likely they will come to you when they need a quote from an industry leader. How would you feel if a journalist clearly makes it known they primarily work with you because your company offers cool freebies or perks, you’d feel a little used. Don’t continuously send press releases and pitches without any other dialogue. Set time aside to really get to know the journalist and what they like, beyond their beat. Sometimes, working relationships are forced but to build solid relationships with the media remain open, transparent, and friendly.  

3. Remember the Golden Rule

The Golden Rule simply states, “Do unto others as you would like them to do to you.” How would you feel if you were on deadline and someone didn’t give you critical information needed? What would you think if you gave a journalist cool information on a new campaign, and they left out the hook that made the story interesting? Ethical public relations can be much simpler if we keep the Golden Rule in the back of our minds. Treat your client, the media, and the public with respect by practicing public relations with the highest ethical principles.

 

i-zthGPGn-XL-230x300Jasmine L. Kent, a member of PRSA-LA, is a fan of all things food and beverage, pop culture, and media. Combining all three passions, Jasmine builds community through engaging online marketing and dynamic events as an integrated communications professional in Los Angeles, CA. Keep up with her on Twitter and Instagram at @LoveJasPR or visit LoveJasPR.com.

 

Join PRSA New Pros at PRSA ICON

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The PRSA New Professionals Section is very excited to announce our networking session during the upcoming PRSA International Conference in Indianapolis from Oct. 23-25!

PRSA New Pros will host a networking breakfast and discussion on Oct. 23 featuring:

  • Updates from the New Pros Section leaders
  • Information on how you can get more involved
  • A guest speaker from the PRSA Board
  • 30-minute networking and Q&A session to meet new pros from around the country

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We would love our members’ input on what you would like included during the networking time. Please comment below with any ideas around what would be most beneficial to you during the networking session. Feel free to also pre-submit questions you would like to ask during the Q&A portion, which will include discussion with other New Pros to help solve challenges you’ve faced professionally. You may also submit ideas and questions via email to Jess Noonan, Heather Harder and/or Ruthann Campbell or tweet us @PRSANewPros.

Please RSVP for the breakfast here.

We look forward to seeing you at #PRSAICON!

 —The New Pros Committee Chairs

Embracing Diversity In and Out of the Office

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Diversity is one of the biggest employer buzzwords out there right now, but the truth is that PR has a big diversity problem. One of the main problems with workplace diversity is that it’s sometimes viewed as a top-down initiative meant to make the company look good, not to improve the workplace or services offered. New Pros, with their differing outlooks and definitions of what “diversity” is, can help solve PR’s lingering issue.

Original plans for diversity included hiring people of different races, backgrounds, genders, etc., and to have those groups equally represented within the workplace to create a diverse employee pool. But is that actually the thing to do to help better understand and provide for your clients and audiences or is that just checking off boxes and creating a fun illusion of inclusion and diversity? I’d say it’s the latter.

Today’s new pros are a great example of the cultural shift happening in America, and the world over. More and more of us come from blended backgrounds and we’re described as “an ethnically diverse generation who are team players, optimistic, confident, trusting of authority, rule-followers, achievers in school and generally achievement-oriented in everything they undertake.” Seeing, interacting with and working with people from diverse backgrounds is commonplace because that’s the world we’ve come of age in. We care more about diversity in ideas, philosophies and perspectives than how people look, where they’re from and whether there’s equal representation.

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The biggest benefit of a diverse team is that it inspires creativity and productivity. Thoughtfully listening to and talking with those who see things and think about things in ways that you may not helps us to see new perspectives and think outside of our normal boxes. It almost goes without saying that there’s no such thing as being too creative in PR. The open flow of communication between employees of all backgrounds is important to effective brainstorming and problem solving and should be used by all teams, even if that means taking the brainstorming sessions into your own hands and on your own time.

In addition to being more productive and better problem solvers, a diverse team tends to adapt more easily. Whether that’s to new obstacles, changes within the team or changes to the project, adaptability is important to success, especially in PR, where things constantly change. Talking through problems and strategizing the best plan for what’s ahead is a key advantage that comes from bringing together people with varied perspectives and backgrounds to tackle a project.

Since diversity often be a bigger initiative put in place by executives or managers, it may seem like there’s nothing that a new pro can do to influence how diverse a team they are work on. There are plenty of things that today’s new pros can do to make diversity a common part of their their career development. When you have the opportunity, speak up about any coworkers whom you think would add a good, new perspective to a project you’re working on if there’s an opportunity for adding a new team member or seeking out their thoughts.When you’re in a position, maybe a little further along in your career, to make decisions on team structure, bring in members who think differently than you do and offer a different perspective.

New pros should also look outside the workplace to embrace diversity. Look for opportunities to embrace another culture, through festivals, celebrations, studying or simply interacting with those of another culture near you. Travel and experience new areas and traditions. Seek out friends of different backgrounds and ideas. Make diversity less about having equal representation or “checking the boxes” to make sure everything’s covered and more about being a well-rounded, open-minded professional.

Robyn Rudish-Laning (1)Robyn Rudish-Laning is a member of South Carolina’s PRSA chapter and is communications coordinator for the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness. Robyn is also a member of the New Professionals executive committee and is a two-time graduate of Duquesne University who currently lives in Columbia, SC. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter or read her blog here.

Become a Diversity Superhero: Use Your #PRDiversity Superpowers

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Happy Diversity Month, new professionals!

I am passionate about diversity and human rights, but I don’t consider myself an activist. Rather, I am a storyteller, I am a superhero with a superpower. I believe that public relations professionals have the superpower to influence people’s behaviors not by communicating empty words but by using real stories to become agents of change.

Back in mid 2014, I decided to become a superhero with PRSA so I joined the Diversity Committee (now called Diversity and Inclusion Committee). As a committee member, I have seen super heroes from various backgrounds and different career stages work together in a variety of initiatives. In the committee, we use our superpowers to educate our membership on current issues related to diversity and inclusion throughout partnerships with the PRSA Foundation and other affiliate organizations, contributing blog posts to PRSay, hosting webinars and the #PRDiversity Twitter chats.

Although progress has been made, the work done by the D&I committee in cooperation with industry leaders and companies is far from complete. As our industry continues to evolve and to adapt to the new technologies we are presented with almost every day, the need to diversify the demographics of our practitioners and to work towards a more inclusive work environment is still as relevant today as it was more than 20 years ago when PRSA launched its first diversity initiative.

A launching statement for Diversity Month this year: “Lack of #PRDiversity makes Diversity Month more relevant” by Ana Toro, APR, Fellow PRSA stated, “many studies indicate that the industry still struggles to attract young Black, Asians, and Hispanic to pursue public relations as their career choice, while there is a lack of diversity in management positions industry-wide.”

The New Professionals Section leadership understands the importance of promoting diversity and inclusion among young practitioners. This year, I was selected as a diversity superhero (formally known as diversity liaison) for our section. In this role, I started two main initiatives that will be relaunched over Diversity Month:

* #DiversityTuesday: the posting of digital content over Twitter and Facebook that aims to raise awareness of diversity and inclusion topics of importance to new pros.

* What does diversity mean to you? Blog Series: A blog series that invites young practitioners to share their thoughts on diversity and inclusion through blog posting. On that note, if you would like to contribute to the series, contact me at henryc@uvu.edu.

In the second half of the year, an updated version of the Diversity Tool Kit® will be distributed to the local New Professional Leadership to contribute to and promote their diversity efforts.

Become a Diversity Superhero: Celebrate Diversity Month!

* Join and learn from Hugo Balta, Senior Director of Multicultural Content at ESPN, at PRSA’s webinar: “Diversity & Inclusion: The Competitive Edge” on August 16th from 3-4 PM EDT.

* Follow @PRSADiversity and use the #PRDiversity to promote an online conversation in diversity and inclusion topics.

* Post a diversity related question or share your knowledge with other professionals on the Online Forum hosted by the D&I Committee.

When we transitioned from PRSSA to PRSA, we all came with a different set of skills and aspirations. Not all of us came from the same demographic and socio economic background. Our job experiences along with our opinions and beliefs were, are, and will never be the same. All these components blended together make us unique and diverse.

To become a diversity superhero, working towards inclusion, and more specifically, acceptance, is a must. To excel in our profession and move on to management roles successfully, accepting all members of our team is an imperative. Being or learning to be in the mindset that all team members are valuable and have something to contribute will make of our industry more diverse and welcoming.

How are you going to become a superhero for Diversity Month?

Untitled design (10)Henry Cervera Nique serves as the diversity liaison for the New Professionals Section and is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Follow him on Twitter @SoyHenryCervera

 

Turning Your Internship Into A Full-Time Job

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On the first day of my internship, I was handed a laptop, emailed a contract, and shown to my desk. That’s all. No new-hire orientation, no manual; the rest was up to me.

That was nearly three years ago. The trajectory of my internship relied entirely on my own ambition, and quite frankly, my desire to land a job. From my 8-month “audition” I found that there are three basic practices that interns should adopt in order to land a full-time offer.

Follow the Leader

It won’t be difficult to identify the individuals that you admire at your internship. Do some calendar stalking and you will find the leaders—their calendars will be packed with meetings since colleagues crave their input. Ask to join those meetings, as many as they will allow you to attend, and then, stop, sit, and listen. Really listen to the dialogue taking place inside the room, absorb what’s working, and make note of what isn’t.

As an intern, this practice almost felt like cheating. I had regular exposure to the most brilliant minds of the business.

Be a Duck

On the heels of one of our largest, most stressful, customer events of the year, my boss at the time, pulled me aside to share some advice that will stick with me for the rest of my professional career. “Today is going to be hectic,” she said. “Something will go wrong and it will be overwhelming, but all the while, you need to be a duck. Paddle furiously beneath the water and work through the chaos, but maintain cool composure up top where people can see you.”

Every day of your internship is a test of your ability to handle stress and problem-solve. Don’t let them see you sweat. Be a duck, and paddle like crazy. This is an indicator of how you will handle added responsibility as a full-time employee.

elizabethBe Better than Coffee, but Don’t be Above Coffee

Without question, your attitude will be one of the deciding factors of your future employment. In the investment banking world, it’s called the “punch test.” You’re working long hours, you’re stuck alongside the person in the other cubicle—is that person someone you want to be in the trenches with? Or will you fantasize about punching him after 2 months?   

In the tech world, there are common tasks that test your willingness to get your hands dirty. It’s  a “coffee run” or a seemingly never ending source of data that needs to be inputted into a spreadsheet. It’s something that every intern will and should have to experience. Don’t groan, don’t eyeroll, and for godsake, don’t mess up.

Be willing to do any job, but elevate yourself to the point where you’re trusted to do any job. What’s been stereotyped as a demeaning “intern task” is an exercise in teamwork and, depending on the complexity of the order, attention to detail. Be the person who gets coffee AND thrives in your role.       

In that same vein, I would be remiss to not call out to the employers who are reading this: there is a wealth of opportunity for you to learn from your intern and for your intern to learn from you. I was incredibly fortunate to intern with a company that recognized the value of giving interns an opportunity to earn their stripes and take on meaty projects. Interns don’t have to just be coffee runners and spreadsheet fillers, if you nurture their hunger and talent, you’re able to get a great sense of the type of full-time employee that will be. Hiring and onboarding an intern who has a deep knowledge of the company and a proven willingness to learn, saves you both time and money. And that’s just good business.

SamanthaSubarSamantha Subar is a Global PR Manager at Spredfast. She appreciates good sushi and data stories. Preferably combined, if possible. Connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn.