After a month working at FSB Marketing, I came to
realize the importance of having a PR person in a company instead of just
having a marketing person to market the product or brand.
While a marketer will be able to design
strategies to create brand awareness, visibility and increase sales volume
there will be the important element of mutual understanding lacking.
A PR person is there not only to
communicate the company`s values and image to the different stakeholders but
also to communicate the views of the stakeholders to the company.
This point is important when dealing with
NGOs which is what I have been doing lately. I got to meet with around 5
different NGOs in the past month and of course each had a different agenda. So our
collaboration with each of them had to be designed in a way that would benefit
both parties. This mutual benefit cannot exist unless there is a two way flow
of communication since it is not about just telling them what we want to
achieve but instead to work together to achieve their goals and ours together.
People that work for the company will
usually only have the interest of the company in mind and may forget to even
inquire about those of the NGO. However, we as PR practitioners have the
required training to negotiate by keep a continuous two way flow of information.
This was not only true for NGOs, but for
nearly all the other people that the company have or initiated a relationship
with. Whether it was briefing a designer or recruiting a model for an advert,
this two way communication model had to be maintained to ensure that both
parties were adequately informed and satisfied with the collaboration.
So while the importance of good writing
skills is often stressed in the PR industry, we must not forget the other soft
skills that are required for the negotiation part of this career path.
These skills are mainly being able to
listen to the other party, understanding different point of views, keeping an
open mind and also communicating this information to the other party in the
correct manner.
As PR practitioners we are the
intermediaries through which all the information passes and it is our job to
always ensure that the right information is absorbed and then conveyed
correctly.
Whether you are working for a corporate or
a communication agency let me know if there are instances when you felt like
this mediator role was really prominent.
Also if you are having trouble putting the two way symmetrical communication model in action, have a look at this: http://www.academia.edu/1475647/Pushing_the_river_upstream_two-way_public_relations_and_how_to_do_it
Also if you are having trouble putting the two way symmetrical communication model in action, have a look at this: http://www.academia.edu/1475647/Pushing_the_river_upstream_two-way_public_relations_and_how_to_do_it
Keep enjoying your placement,
Vaneeda.
