PR Studies

Are we mavericks? (to the tune by The Killers)

In an intriguing aside as he presented findings from the PR2020 research, Dr Jon White described PR practitioners as 'marginal, and often mavericks'.

By marginal, he did not mean marginalised. He meant operating at the margins - a reflection of the 'boundary-spanning' role with one foot in and one foot outside the organisation described by James Grunig.

But mavericks? The popular image of PR practitioners is as smooth company men or women with finely honed networking skills. Students will find the concept that PR people can be mavericks hard to recognise.

Jon White described how the PR practitoner often operates alone, giving advice to senior executives that is often contrary to other professional advice they receive. Let's say your company is being prosecuted for polluting the environment. The PR advice may well be to plead guilty, accept one day's bad headlines and work hard to improve environmental protection. But a lawyer's advice would probably be to contest the charge in the courts because a 'win is a win'. (Any PR student should be able to see that you can win in court but lose in the court of public opinion.)

In this context, the advice from PR is out of the ordinary, and it takes a maverick to stick out their neck and defend this position.

(I wear the badge with pride. My first consultancy boss Mike Copland described me as a 'maverick' almost twenty years ago. It wasn't meant as a compliment, but I still take it as one.)

 

#commschat: the role of learning

I'm leading a #commschat Twitter discussion later on the theme of learning. What can academics learn from practitioners? What can practitioners learn from academics? How do we all keep up, let alone try to keep ahead?

Let's start by addressing two stereotypes.

Professor Ivor Y Tower

Professor Tower is intellectually impressive (a towering force?) and proud to be known on the international sociology circuit. Though he has made his name as a public relations scholar, he's disdainful of the practice because it's too compromised by money and by imbalanced power relationships. So he prefers to create perfect models of how public relations should be practised.

Though easy to mock, there is an argument in favour of pure academic research. If nothing else, academics should be free to 'think the unthinkable'. In this regard, they are similar to monks. Though their thoughts are impractical, it's better for us all that some people are dedicated to an otherworldly pursuit of perfection.

Alan Bluff-Practitioner

Alan has traded off his deputy editorship of the local newspaper and still has a good list of local clients for whom he provides media relations and crisis management services. He's recently become a fan of social media, but is proud to say that he's never had a day's training let alone pursued a qualification in public relations. Why would he need to when it's all just common sense? He has similar views of the CIPR and other professional bodies. And as for PR degrees, don't get him started. He left school at 16, began as a runner on the local newspaper and worked his way up from there.

Alan is a characteristic figure. He's not unintellectual, but rather anti-intellectual: one of life's perpetual outsiders. The challenge he faces is to update his twentieth-century business model, which he's trying to do by becoming a social media advocate. He certainly represents the past, but does he have a future?

Hopefully our discussion will go beyond stereotypes and reveal that curiosity and a desire to learn are a requirement of all successful PR practitioners.

My thoughts on references and recommendations

I'm often asked to write references - and now so many are on LinkedIn, recommendations too.

I'm willing to help, but if you're thinking of asking then here's how you can help yourself first. Here's what I need if I'm to write an informed and positive reference or recommendation:

• I need a clear recollection of you, and something memorable to write about. (This sounds like my memory problem, but there are several things you can do to help me.)
• I would hope to have had some connection with you since we worked together, or since I taught you. (I'm not asking for Christmas cards - some connection on social media should be sufficient. I love career updates and even maintain a blog to record your achievements.)

Smart students already view their lecturers as potential mentors, not just as teachers. But most don't yet realise that although we may only have limited power (of awarding grades), we may have surprising influence in terms of workplace recommendations and connections.

On the day we learn about record levels of youth unemployment, I would like more students and graduates to appreciate this mentor role and get over the pupil-teacher relationship.

It's never wasted (only connect)

It's so easy to have regrets, usually over the things we didn't do. But nor is there necessarily a right way, or a correct sequence, for gaining experience. Here are some of the jobs I've held before working in public relations that I still draw on today in my university teaching:

• Special needs carer. We're all different, we're all unique and there's something special in everyone. You just need time to find out what it is.
• History teacher. Experience of school teaching is valuable in the lecture theatre. I even called on a lesson learnt in a difficult client presentation. The new boss of my main client was talking audibly to a colleague as I presented. How to respond? I did what always works best to quell unwanted noise. I stopped talking and waited.
• Typesetter. Not quite hot metal, but the system pre-dated Apple, Microsoft Windows and visual displays. Learning a code language early on means that HTML has never seemed too scary. Acquiring the principles of typography and visual design was a valuable lesson.
• Researcher. It often seems that everything is just a Google or Wikipedia search away. Gathering accurate facts in the world before the web involved patience, persistence and perfectionism. I was surprisingly good at it.
• Editor. This is the most underrated and most valuable skill of all. How to spot dull copy? How to transform it into something readable? How to cut 1000 words down to 200 while keeping the meaning?

Back to earth. Back to reality.

There's a feeling of 'back to school' this week. But that's not the reason for the jolt.

The reality check is the decision to fold the Media Guardian supplement (and Education and Society supplements too) into the main paper. Clearly, this is a commercially-driven decision taken because of the migration of job advertisements from print to online (and elsewhere). Decades ago, before the world of the web, each Monday's Media Guardian had page after page of job ads and was the place to find a whole range of graduate opportunities. Times change, and so does technology.

The second jolt relates to this first one. Here's a very lucid perspective on the issue of unpaid internships from an MSc Marketing student. The phrase that leaps out at me is this uncontentious-looking one: 'I’m 23 and aspire to a career in advertising'. Only connect. The Guardian loses its well-established Media supplement  because of the migration of classified ads online. Then ask some questions about the future of display ads and print media.

Yes, but surely broadcast ads have bounced back in the past year. Perhaps; but what's the wider picture? The future of advertising isn't in advertising. It's in creating ideas, delivering compelling communications, fostering communities and managing digital campaigns (as this student is already aware). In other words, the future of advertising looks very like public relations...

Hopefully smart graduates are alert to this. Hopefully their lecturers and textbook authors are too. But I very much doubt that university marketing and management teams are when they offer courses that appear to promise glittering careers in glamorous twentieth-century industries that evoke a Mad Men world.

Bump. Back to reality.

There may be trouble ahead

We have a problem. There's a perfect storm approaching for students and universities. Oversupply of graduates is meeting a shrinking jobs market just when the cost of higher education is about to jump.

What's a young person to make of this? They should shop carefully and decide whether and when higher education is the right decision for them. Education is priceless and the opportunity university brings is valuable. But it's not about the degree certificate alone; it's about the journey. Where should you begin your journey (which city, which university)? What should you study?

Students will have to become more businesslike, starting with 'brand me'. Most are already holding down one or more paid jobs while studying, and should gain credit for their work outside the classroom where it adds to their independence and employability.

What's a university to do? We have to prove our value in a crowded and competitive market. Value starts with staff and buildings but extends to alumni and other networks. What have former graduates gone on to do? What do they say about the course? What do employers think of our graduates?

There's more to education than money and more to degrees than careers. But we can't ignore the cost-benefit analysis that young people and their parents will be conducting.

I anticipate a shift from 'full-time' education of 18 to 21 year olds towards different patterns of adult education, workplace learning and continuous professional development. None of this is new, but there will be renewed impetus from 2012. University buildings will need to be occupied for more than half a day for half the week and half the year.

I also anticipate a shift in emphasis from producing employable graduates to developing entrepreneurial young people. This is exciting - but very problematic for business schools. Would an entrepreneurial young person be better advised to invest £50,000 in their business or in their education (an approximate cost of tuition fees plus living expenses over a degree course)? It depends...

A suitable candidate for company graduate schemes is likely to be a conventional team player. The successful  entrepreneur is likely to be a stubborn, thick-skinned individualist. Which personality type suits the classroom better?

Then there's a cultural problem. Mass higher education has worked hard to reduce failure and so operates in a fail-safe culture. Innovation requires lots of experimentation - including much failure. Since failure is the necessary flip side of success, we will need to learn to embrace it. Risk will need to be taught as a good thing, not as a problem as now.

Trouble ahead? If I think as an entrepreneur, I see plenty of opportunity in education. In the meantime, we're celebrating another batch of graduates next week.

Photo by digitalkatie on Flickr (Creative Commons)

Graduateness without a degree (21 by 21)

I spoke to a class of sixth formers about university this week. They, remember, will be the first group having to fund fees of up to £9,000 a year if they choose to go to university.

I told them that except for a few specific professions (like medicine), a degree is still not an absolute essential - but gaining 'graduateness' will be vital for their future success. (I told them I wanted them to go to university, but even more than this I wanted them to want to go.)

The challenge now is to articulate what I mean by graduateness. To kick this off, here's a list for discussion of '21 things to achieve by age 21' - suitable for graduates and non-graduates alike. What would you add or change?

21 by 21

21 things to have achieved by age 21

Citizenship

• Have raised money for a good cause
• Have campaigned in an election or for a cause
• Have written to your MP
• Have a track record of volunteering

Media literacy

• Have had a letter published in a newspaper or have appeared on television
• Have your own blog or personal website
• Have a following on social media (eg 500 Facebook friends; 100 Twitter followers)
• Can name your five favourite novels (and say why you've chosen them)
• Can discuss and explain the day's news headlines

Entrepreneurship and independence

• Have started your own business
• Have gained demonstrable team-building and leadership qualities
• Have lived independently and learned to budget
• Have cooked a meal for six or more

Global outlook

• Can speak a foreign language
• Have lived abroad (not just visited on holiday)
• Are sensitive to cultural and religious differences

Personal achievements

• Have the expected grades and qualifications - plus something extra
• Must have sound basic literacy (spelling) and numeracy (counting) skills
• Endurance (eg have run a marathon; have walked 100 miles)
• Can explain your passion for sport/fashion/celebrity/music etc
• Have in addition to this some notable musical, artistic or sporting skill, or an unusual hobby

Am I too unambitous? I can think of some current first year students (who may be 18, 19, 20, or 21) who have already ticked off most of this list.

University lecturers: the three tribes

Inspired by re-reading a popular piece of social anthropology, I thought I'd proposed three types of university lecturer. I'm aware that many practitioners are curious about - even envious of - our working lives, so this portrait may provide some useful clues.

I've studied at two universities, taught at four and visited many more in an external capacity, so these portraits are composites rather than depictions of individual colleagues.

Here are my three tribes.

One: the research academic

The popular picture of the absentminded professor could not be further from the truth. Members of this tribe are single-minded in their pursuit of the truth through fundamental research.

They descend (in approach; not genetically I hope) from the desert fathers of early Christianity, and share many ascetic qualities with them: you'll find a disproportionate number of marathon runners among this tribe.

They differ from the 'media don', an attention-seeking bon viveur who is far from ascetic. But in our discipline, I've never encountered this type. I suspect they're all still working as consultants.

Two: the multitasking manager

This is a familiar PR type. They can manage multiple projects and keep tabs on many concurrent relationships. In their home lives, they're often parents. At work, they're good process people as they keep on top of the (electronic) paperwork. If there's a drawback, it's that they'd rather be managing a course than teaching a class, the function of the third and final tribe.

Three: the teacher and mentor

This tribe is primarily focused on the process of teaching and learning. Their domain is the classroom. While this would seem to be central to the purpose of universities, it's not for the ambitious as pay and promotion do not come from routine classroom teaching (the older universities often delegate this to research students or teaching assistants). Their job satisfaction is similar to that of a school teacher, with whom they share many frustrations. Yet they have the compensation of being sought out for many photographs on graduation day.

Is this you?

In truth, these three tribes are not mutually exclusive and high achievers must combine aspects of the researcher, manager and teacher roles. But I hope it's clear that each role calls on a different part of the brain, and different levels of emotional and academic intelligence. It's very rare for one individual to do them all equally well.

Why Sundays are still special (in PR)

On the face of it, there's nothing special about a Sunday. It's just another shopping day; just another day of professional sport.

Sunday is a religious holiday for just one of the world's three great monotheistic religions - and in this part of the world only a minority attend church regularly.

Yet a Sunday is still valuable as a punctuation mark in a busy, monotonous week. It's a pause; a semi-colon (like that).

When PR people were primarily media relations advisers, the better practitioners knew the value of announcing news on a Sunday. The 'Sunday-for-Monday' story was well-established practice, since Monday's newspapers are being produced from quiet newsrooms today and there's less competition for space in a Monday paper.

Something similar is going on in the blogosphere. It's a quiet day, so a good time to get noticed (or to get ahead of the pack by preparing for the week ahead).

Here are three blog posts I've noticed today. What's more, they're all reflections on milestones in life from three different ages of man (and woman). Leading with the youngest first:

• Jazz Chappell has life ahead of her, and I hope to help not hinder by highlighting her exceptional early promise.
• Wayne Burdett is in a tougher place having graduated in a recession and during a period of public spending cuts. He's charting his challenges in finding worthwhile work and I hope the process of blogging will help (it should be cathartic, at least).
• Shonali Burke wishes herself a happy birthday and provides a photo gallery of her serene-looking progress through life.

(I've not met any of these three, but feel I'm getting to know them through social media).

New year, PR career

I seem to have been busy giving careers advice recently.

I've also been discovering several new student and graduate blogs and enjoying learning about your journeys through life.

The careers advice is so consistent that I've decided to curate and aggregate the best advice for those embarking on a career in public relations.

There are three steps: join in at whichever point you feel you're at.

Step One: Before

Here are some things to be doing before you put in any job applications for paid, permanent work.

• Do some PR for brand you. Are you blogging? Are you on Twitter? What does your social media profile say about you? Are you developing an online portfolio?
• Listen and learn from these role models (three students and a graduate): Michael White, Clare Siobhan Callery, Lauren K Gray, Ben Cotton. (One thing you'll immediately notice is that they're all proficient in WordPress. Another is they mostly own their domain names).
• If you don't have a PR qualification and you don't make it directly onto a graduate scheme offering training, then you should consider a professional course. These start with the CIPR's Foundation Award, which Karl Booton has just gained.
• [Update] Come along to this free seminar in Leeds on 3 February: How to break into PR

Step Two: During

Interviews vary, but there are certain things you should consider, and questions you should be prepared to answer:

• It's about them, not just about you. What do you know about them? What questions do you have for them? Why would you like to work there?
• It's about the wider world: What are you reading? What are the headline news stories? What are this year's new trends?
• It's about a profession: What is public relations and why are you suited to PR work?

Take note of Michael Higham's advice on applying for graduate schemes. And note Ben Cotton's list of 2011 graduate schemes.

Step Three: After

It's a mistake to think you've finished learning once you've graduated. You need to start all over again (and at a much higher level of intensity). Don't believe me? Listen to Justin McKeown:

'Pay your dues. When you are first starting off in a career in PR, you really need to ring fence a few years just for gaining good, hardworking, unglamorous experience. Get your head down and slog, rather than thinking about the glory.'

And take note of Katy Jameson's lessons from her first few weeks in a graduate job.