PR Studies

Notes from a short speech

[Here are my notes and links for a short welcome talk to first year PR students]

Congratulations etc.

This is a great time to be studying public relations.

1. Private sector recession followed by public sector cuts
2. Good time to be at university before fees rise and/or places contract
3. You'll be studying a young and fast-developing area (trade publication PR week has just celebrated its 25th anniversary)

Public relations is now a high profile business (in the last century, it was invisible alongside journalism and advertising, say). But is this high profile necessarily a good thing?

Back to reality... There are opportunities out there for those who can study, work hard, gain experience and keep on learning. 

Look how Leeds Met PR graduate Graeme Anthony is trying to find an opening in London. He's using his skills and creativity to do some personal public relations. 

And three Leeds Met PR gradutes from 2007 have just been shortlisted for Outstanding Young Communicator Awards in the CIPR PRide awards: Katherine Shenton (photo) in the North East; Amy Bullard and Lorna Gott in East Anglia.

New job, no news

'Never go back' has always been a useful motto - as well as a statement of the obvious given the inexorable passage of time.

So why am I disregarding it and returning to my old lecturing job at Leeds Met? Well, I do so a bit chastened, but with some relief. I also do so humbly, knowing there were some good candidates in the running.

I've had a mixed time since leaving full-time employment almost two years ago. 2009 was a difficult year that ended in disappointment (let's just say that the timing wasn't right for me at the University of Gloucestershire). 2010 has been busy and challenging (how many university lecturers work flat-out in August, including several weekends?), but the highlight was leading a summer course for high-achieving graduates studying with Johns Hopkins University.

The cash flow has been acceptable - but as a freelance you live with uncertainty and the constant threat of famine. I hope not to lose sight of my instinct to take on new challenges despite returning to the payroll.

'Not exactly a team player' was a damning but truthful comment made of me in a graduate interview I attended long ago. Despite this, I value loyalty. I've continued working for Leeds Met despite 'leaving' and I'm immeasurably grateful for their loyalty to me. I value the contact with students and graduates too (another two-way street as I often find myself writing references and giving advice).

Opposite of exotic

Before the resumption, I'm taking some days' leave (holiday would be a misleading term). One of the side-effects of being married to a travel writer is the decision over holidays: we often choose not to go far.

Next week, we'll be on a small island off the north west coast of Wales, living in a house without electricity, running water, internet or even a phone signal. There are no shops, few people, no roads. Nothing. Our holiday is about the absence of things. This may sound strange, but until recent decades most of humanity has lived like this. Many of us in western societies could benefit more from the absence of things than from yet more surplus.

Gail recommends it highly. Perhaps I'll find another reason to break my 'never go back' motto.

Advice to graduates: don't be hopeless

Students are about to graduate with record debts and into a challenging jobs market. I fear many will be unprepared for the challenges ahead. Why?

Bill Sledzik and Todd Defren have been offering some overdue tough love to a millennial generation that has had it easy up to now and which has a strong sense of entitlement and of their abilities. Yet as Sledzik writes:

"Everyone isn’t above average in all they do. And in real life, only the winner gets the trophy."

So is it a hopeless situation? Not at all.

The best public relations graduates are still highly sought-after. Read about Katy Jameson's experience here (and note that I welcome more graduate tales for Behind the Spin).

Then there's the comparison with others. Journalism graduates, say. Note how this advice (8 things college journalists should do before they graduate) is applicable to PR graduates. To summarise:

1. Create an online portfolio
2. Blog
3. Network
4. Get a new wardrobe (this is less applicable to PR graduates, in my experience)
5. Clean up your social media profiles
6. Talk to your professors (we have networks too)
7. Band together
8. Have a plan B

Here's a prediction. Whatever the outcome of the election, there will be fewer places at university and the fees students pay will be very much higher in future. You'll soon be looking back on a golden age of carefree and low-cost living. If it can also help you to a good graduate job then you'll be well placed.

Cold feet: my difficult year

This is awkward, embarrassing even. I'm often asked by students and graduates to be a referee and frequently find myself giving careers advice. Yet I'd not recommend anyone follow my path.

My decision of a year ago to leave a big course in a big university for a small course in a small university (well, 'small is beautiful' right?) has not proved to be a wise one in hindsight. Or, if wise, then circumstances have not proved auspicious. So I'm leaving (again).

My final teaching week ended on a high, with one group delivering some strong work - and then joining me afterwards for drinks (see picture). Other groups presented ideas for a 'safe, sensible, social' anti-binge drinking campaign at police headquarters, with the winners receiving concert tickets donated by pub chain JD Wetherspoon.

Meanwhile, I've been glad of some continued involvement at my old university - and distance has changed my perspective. It was a pleasure to join the team's seasonal celebration last night, and I'm impressed by the way many students are developing.

On other fronts, I've been kept busy as a specialist CIPR Diploma tutor (online and face-to-face); I'm looking forward to leading a summer school in Italy for an American university next year, and I will soon have some capacity to take on more private training and consultancy work.

I've traded security and status for uncertainty and independence - and the arrangement may suit me. But I realise it's not for everyone. 'Do as I say, not as I do'.

But there is a lesson in this for everyone. We live in a surprisingly small world and the most valuable thing we can accumulate is our reputation. The lesson is to never burn your bridges and to treat everyone with respect. I'm writing references for students now, but who knows when I might need their references and recommendations?

Georgia on my mind

I spoke remotely to a class of students at Georgia Southern University yesterday. Despite some technical difficulties, we had an interesting discussion about trends in international public relations.

In follow up, one of the class - Sarah Wilson - has asked me four good questions which I'll attempt to answer here.

1. What do you do to keep current on PR trends?

I'm a member of our professional body (the CIPR); I read books on and around the subject; I blog about PR and read PR blogs; I talk to practitioners and students; I teach practitioners who are studying for a PR qualification; I attend conferences; I'm a member of PROpenMic.

If I had to pick just one of these, books are still be best way to gain a deeper understanding of a subject.

2. How has PR changed since you entered the industry?

The principles haven't changed in 20 years - but the practice has changed a lot (though it still has some way to go). Looking back, for many years I didn't do public relations - I simply did media relations (and most of that was press relations).

PR has changed as the media landscape has evolved, most notably with the emergence of social media.

But as Sir Martin Sorrell suggested, there are other factors too: the internationalisation of business, the importance of internal communications ('change management'); the agenda around legitimacy and corporate responsibility; the rise of activism.

In summary, looking back I'd say I provided an important tactical tool to my clients. Yet public relations advisers are today in a position to provide key strategic advice.

3. Do you believe that marketing and advertising are encroaching into public relations (eg through relationship marketing)? If yes, please give an example. 

This question is hugely significant to people who work in public relations and to public relations academics - since the future of the discipline is at stake. But I suspect it's of less interest to clients.

There is no question in my mind that certain promotional techniques have been losing effectiveness in our short-attention-span economy. Public relations - either through editorial endorsement or through other forms of third party recommendation - has been a beneficiary from the relative decline of advertising. Yet marketing is not standing still and relationship marketing, viral marketing, word of mouth marketing, social marketing, cause-related marketing etc are all ways in which marketing is seeking to colonise part of the space historically occupied by public relations.

I suggest you need to separate out the purpose for which PR is being used. If it's being used to promote sales, then this is a marketing function and PR needs to find its niche in the marketing mix (the traditional exclusive domain of marketing PR has been media relations, as discussed earlier).

If the purpose of PR is to ensure the organisation's social legitimacy (and thus its long-term survival and success), then I view this as the domain of public relations (or corporate communications), not of marketing. Your question asks about case studies - and clearly there's a need for these to demonstrate to others that public relations can play this more strategic role. Among academics, Charles Fombrun has done most to articulate the field of corporate reputation management and to provide tools for measuring corporate reputation.

The case study I would have talked to you about yesterday, had there been time, is a contradictory one. It's the award-winning PR campaign for Queensland Tourism ('The Best Job in the World'). It's contradictory because the winning team is a Australian advertising agency, CumminsNitro. PR may be a powerful tool, but there's nothing to stop others learning some lessons.

4. What three tips would you give to someone just starting in PR?

One. Start with your own public relations. Join networks and put energy into your chosen networks. Look to get known and take note of your Google search rankings.

Two. It's good to be open-minded and capable of learning - but you'll get hired for being passionate and expert. So look for a sector to specialise in. (As Weber Shandwick's Colin Byrne tells graduates, it's better to know everything about something than something about everything).

Three. Be curious and keep learning. Don't be afraid to ask!

How to lose jobs and alienate bosses

Facebook's not just for friends: careless talk costs jobs.

I'm not able to verify this, but it's reportedly from the UK - and there's mention of a P45, the official document received at the end of a period of employment.

Even if it's made up, it contains enough truthiness to be a valuable lesson in the porosity of social media. And the boss (on Facebook late in the evening) gains praise for his swift, humorous and decisive response (though he's acted without recourse to HR and the usual procedure of written warnings).

Life, liberty and the pursuit of work

This is personal. While I wanted to write it ('I write therefore I think') I'm not necessarily so keen on you reading it.

(Here's how to do it well: a graceful statement showing how to move from one job to another.)

In my case, I'm leaving one job for several, and it's happening over an extended period. Had I been primarily motivated by money or by status, I'd certainly have stayed put.

Money first. Don't assume because it's not a motivator that I don't need it. I'm a borrower not a saver, and am still anxious about money most of the time. It's just that money doesn't go higher for me than the base 'food and shelter' level in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. It's not an end in itself; my self-esteem is not at stake. That said, will I have food and shelter should I live to be 90? Will people close to me be adeqately provided for should I die at 50 (it happens)?

Status next. This is very easy for me. I'm just not bothered at all about titles or name plates above office doors. They're not a motivator - especially in a world where it's easy for an individual to express an identity outside their organisational role. Again, I recognise that my attitude can be self-defeating. I was surprised at how many times I was approached by head-hunters when I was the (interim) PR manager for a very well-known software company. Others were evidently drawn to the title; titles are magnets attracting attention, fame and fortune even. But still I'm not motivated - I suspect because of the ties that bind.

So what's my driving force? In a university, I'm surrounded by people who respect left-side of brain reason (and sometimes undervalue emotional factors). For me, decisions about the future have to be emotional and intuitive because the future is largely unknowable.

One factor is longevity. Six years in one role feels a long time for me (it's longer than I've worked for any other organisation). Organisations provide security and community; they should provide constant new challenges. But they can also constrain the spirit in ways that have people longing for retirement.

Then there's the question of size. We often cite numbers of employees as an indication of success (on the assumption that big is best). It sometimes is - but look what happened to the dinosaurs. Evolution suggests that smaller organisms were more adaptable in times of change.

Change is happening (it always has). Again, its effects are unpredictable, but I can point to some trends. The years of easy growth in mass higher education are coming to an end, but education and training will play an even more important role across a working lifetime. Technology is a factor - both in delivery and in challenging the legitimacy of organisations. That more than anything was the message in Clay Shirky's Here Comes Everybody.

I have form. I left my first PR consultancy job after five good years and spent the following ten as an independent practitioner. I'd joined a small, specialist independent - Aeberhard and Partners which became A Plus Group during my time there. Subsequently it was known as Brodeur, then Pleon and now it's being merged with Ketchum. I'm sure this growth strategy brought benefits, but I knew that I was better suited to the early phase of this business.

Now for two breakthrough moments. The first was the advice from someone close to me to stop looking for jobs and to start looking for work. Good advice in a world in which jobs are becoming scarce but work is always abundant.

The second was the search for role models. When I think of the people I admire occupying a similar space in the PR educational ecosystem, many of them operate outside of institutions and job titles. They have work, but not necessarily jobs. They comfortably operate across the boundaries between university education, consultancy, professional qualifications and training - and they write books (and blogs) too. I greatly admire (for what they do and for the way that they do it): Michael Bland, Paul Noble, David Phillips and Heather Yaxley (to name just a few, in alphabetical order).

This is a long preamble to stating that I'm leaving a full-time job at Leeds Metropolitan University for a part-time job at the much smaller University of Gloucestershire. For the university part of my week I'll be teaching and supporting undergradaute students; for the other part of my week I'll be educating professionals towards the CIPR Diploma qualification. There should be time for other unpredictable educational, consultancy or writing projects too.

Happy Independents Day!

Wake up call to students and graduates

Perhaps you need grey hairs to know just how bad it is out there (I have lots of grey hairs). What's a graduate to do in these circumstances?

One ploy is to take what's offered and stick it out for at least a year (on the 'bird in the hand' principle). Another ploy would be to spend the next year gaining a postgraduate qualification, or travelling, or working voluntarily. Anything to differentiate your CV from the many others graduating in a recession.

What should a second year student do, faced with the option of a placement year or returning earlier to complete their studies? Take the placement year option. Here's the amazing thing: I hear there are more vacancies than there are students chasing these CV-building opportunties. I don't believe it!

I also hear there are opportunties at Publicasity in London (for a summer intern and for a graduate or year placement student); just as Wolfstar in Leeds is on the lookout for new talent. These two have something in common: they're looking for students with social media expertise.

All those wasted hours on Facebook and YouTube could prove to be your big career break. Only someone with grey hairs could think 'I don't believe it!'

What works when you want work?

Universities are producing record numbers of graduates just when the economy can no longer absorb them, it appears. The credit crunch will turn into a career crunch for some.

I don't have any easy answers to offer: I suspect that we're experiencing a shift from working for large organisations towards smaller players, from secure employment to more flexible arrangements. This can be painful for some, but open doors to others. Graduates, I feel, should be better equipped to respond to change and uncertainty than non-graduates. We'll see.

But help and advice has never been so available to those seeking work. Much of this advice can be summarised in two points:

• Network. This involves connecting with and meeting people, and not just on Facebook. Explore PROpenMic, the professional social network LinkedIn and join professional bodies like the UK's CIPR. Allie Osmar tells how her Mentorship Connection initiative led directly to a job offer for one person. Sadly, her career's taking off so the Mentorship Connection is no longer being supported.
• Stand out. This has always been a competitive industry and it's not getting any easier, so you need to be an outstanding candidate. Sometimes this involves paying attention to detail and doing the basics well. In a thoughtful essay, Harold Burson argues that 'writing quality has been diminishing for half a century at least' and that 'the young job seeker who demonstrates writing skills is immediately differentiated from others'. 

  UPDATE: Richard Edelman offers seven tips for graduate job seekers.

The selfless meme

In response to Adam Lewis's request at Flawless Buzz:

1. What is the one piece of advice you would give to someone entering the world of PR?

Find a way to add value. If you're a consultant, what can you uniquely offer your clients? If you're working in-house, how can you become a key member of the team?

This may sound daunting, but it's simple common sense really, and especially important in a recession. The need to add value should make you recognise the importance of specialising - sooner rather than later in your PR career.

2. The favourite part of your job?

Helping others to succeed. This may sound like an educator's evasion, but it was also true when I worked in PR management. I liked nothing more than recruiting talented people and helping them to succeed (often soaring ahead of me in the process).

3. Why did you decide to go into PR?

Nothing unusual here. I had a great magazine job with lots of international travel. But I was losing money just to get to work so needed to increase my salary. I'd seen many PR people in action and had an idea of who I'd like to work with. Luckily, the consultancy at the top of my list took me on. Within weeks I was advising a leading software company whose products I'd recently been reviewing. Within months, I was offered an in-house role with this company - which I turned down.

I perhaps should add that I was in my late 20s when I took my first PR job, and was helped by having some experience of journalism and the IT sector. Perhaps that's how I was able to add value from day one...