Being employed as a PR practitioner you are expected to prove your capabilities as such. The thing is, as opposed to what you may think, you are rarely compensated for demonstrating what you are expected to demonstrate when performing your task as a PR practitioner.
This is why it is always good to master few other skills to aid you reach your personal goals or at least the goals of the company for which you are working. For example I am very confident talking in front of crowds but little did I know that I would be a bit shy at first talking on the phone. That was something new to me. Of course as anyone else I had plenty of conversations on the phone but the things is this time it was about selling booths to exhibitors, booths at high prices which was even too expensive for me to afford and my goal was to sell them to potential exhibitors and make them see value in them.
I am slowly starting to be good at it though slow at start. Many thinks that when given a job the tasks will be always finite and the same. This is false and especially in Public Relations as even though there is a routine, that establishes itself after sometime, there can always be surprises.
The other day my boss's pc had a problem. None were able to fix it and my boss was loosing patience since that same pc was THE PC on which everything was done and with it all contacts were lost as they were stored in a file. Without entering into too much details I recovered the files at the end of the day and that after attempting to call IT services who just advised to buy a new program. At the end of the day my boss was happy to have saved money and so was I to have helped her. I am thankful to be a "techy" guy otherwise the whole day would have gone wrong unless buying a new pc which was one of the alternatives at the start but since I like challenges I just opposed it and did my best to find a solution which paid off.
Thanks for reading !
Thierry
4 comments:
I found it so funny that you brought up how daunting it is to speak on the phone, I too felt the exact same way. You wouldn't think it would be a scary task as talking on the phone is such a day-to-day task.
When I first started my internship, I used to write down a script and write exactly what I was going to say because I was too nervous to trust myself to speak without assistance.
It's funny the little things that can really put you on edge. I am sure in a few years time when I have been working in the industry for a while and be able to look back and laugh.
Good luck with the rest of your internship, I am glad I wasn't the only one experiencing pressure over the smaller things!
:)
Kimberley
It is so strange that when you are put in to a 'real life' situation you forget everything that you know. It doesn't matter how basic the task, that first time you need to do it is scary.
I remember the first time I had to pick up the phone and call someone during my internship - I procrastinated for a long time before I finally built up the courage to dial the number! Of course I was fine, speaking on the phone is a task I mastered years ago, but that first phone call was one of the shakiest I have ever made.
I guess it is all about trusting yourself and having faith in the fact that your studies have actually taught you how to do the tasks you need to complete.
Unfortunately it's only by doing the tasks that you can learn that.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your internship!:)
Alyssa
Yes! i loved your blog post! I'm normally such a confident person, but when i was put on the phones to answer calls i freaked out! I felt as though everyone in the office was listening to what i was saying. After about 5-6 phone calls i felt more comfortable but I'm still so nervous that I'm going to tell the person on the other line the wrong information because so much is always happening at my work place!
Wow ladies thank you so much for your replies. I never really written blog posts before. Was scared of being criticized etc. That's why I really like this unit as it forces you to go out there in a way, all responses were really much appreciated and heartfelt :)
I am glad you guys related to it ^ ^, sometimes certain people were rude to me on phone but I learned through my mentor not to take it personally.Oh and Hannah I get you about thinking everyone is listening to you, my boss would correct each phrase of every intern haha.
I wish you all best in studies and future PR work and would be great to connect on LinkedIn or other network. You guys are great! Thanks again for reading!
Thierry
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