We are important because we are mediators

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 

Keep enjoying your placement,

Vaneeda.