October 2008
Public Relations: Not As Simple As You Had Thought...
By Leo H (Me!)
Class of August 2007
Public relations (PR) which is considered a new industry by many people, has now evolved and grown in importance for many organisations. This is a fact. Sadly, PR is ignored by many organisations, even by big corporations that play a very important role in generating growth in the economy.
First of all, let us try to understand the definition of PR and its role in an organisation. Many people, even scholars, find it hard to interpret and define PR. Until today, countless definitions have been generated to help people understand this industry and the nature of a PR practitioner's job. In the end, only a few of them-particularly the ones that meet the academic requirements-are adopted.
Many are unaware that public relations was once called publicity or even simply known as "an act of hype". It is believed that PR started when human beings began to communicate and influence each other. Case in point, Ivy Ledbetter Lee who was recognised as one of the earliest-if not the first-PR counsellor who managed to improve the Rockefeller family's public image in the face of many labour issues. By using his many tactics, Lee managed to turn the negative aspects of the situation into positive ones.
From what I had learned (and am still learning), PR is not "go tell a story" and should not be handled in an ad-hoc manner. My lecturer taught me that PR is about RACE (research, analysis, communication and evaluation), but I did not actually realise the true meaning of each element then.
Allow me to elaborate. Many people think that research is a waste of time, but if you do not do the research first, you may well be wasting even more time, planning and scripting things that you may not even use. Research, in brief, is for one to understand the issues or situations that need to be addressed. So, even a little bit of research will help. It is a process of collecting information which may lead to insight into what one did not know before, such as identifying your audience, pin-pointing problems and defining messages, and to a certain extent, preventing crises from happening.
Only then can one proceed with proper planning to achieve the stated objective-in other words, getting the answer to the question: "how do we achieve it?" This involves mostly strategy, tactics and budgeting to achieve the said objective. Next is communicating the message to the appropriate audience, by drafting a suitable message and working on the best way to communicate it through, i.e., to execute what has been planned.
We do not, however, end the PR process by just executing the communication. We evaluate the whole process, assessing it in an unbiased and neutral way, in order to know where to improve. It is like working on an art piece-one needs to know where to add and when to stop. With each project, we need to know what went wrong and which area to improve. Through assessment, we gain more in-depth knowledge that we can use later.
After working in the industry, I finally grasped the meaning of the four elements of RACE when I whispered to myself, "Oh! How true..." I never fail to remind myself that I am there but not quite there yet; but this is a good thing and it means more room for improvement.
When I related my experience in the industry to one of my acquaintances, he asked me, "Isn't it boring to be in this industry and repeat what you do?" His remark did not surprise me. One may not understand what we PR practitioners do, but it never appears to be repetitive for me. Perhaps, the process might be long, but it is never repetitive as each and every project and campaign have different requirements and they always challenge your limits to ensure that the communication efforts work for the organisation or clients.
PR presents a logical and sensible solution for delivering all communication requirements by addressing issues faced by the organisations that we represent so that our clients can grow and prosper. And on top of everything else, all this has to be conveyed strategically and in a well-planned manner to achieve the stated objectives. One has to be well prepared, body and mind (and maybe even soul), in order to take up this ever challenging and stressful role of a PR practitioner. Well, for me, it is the passion that drives me to go further. It took some time for me to realise this, but I am happy that I did.
At the end of the day, I go home with a smile on my face, in cheerful spirits and feel contented with what I had achieved, and everyday is a brand new day. Things are much easier now, for sure, with so much support and encouragement from my superior and colleagues. Needless to say, teamwork makes things happen.
About the writer
Leo H, completed his degree in Public Relations in 2007. His strong interest in communications spurs him to further his studies. He also has experience in the hospitality and retailing industry.
He is actively engaged in many talk and dialogue sessions conducted by students to create awareness and a better understanding of the diversity of PR and communications in Malaysia. (P/S: If you still dunno who that is... Hint for you: That's me!)
Showing posts with label Public Relations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Public Relations. Show all posts
Monday, November 24, 2008
Overcoming the FEAR of Public Speaking and Presentations
Overcoming the FEAR of Public Speaking and Presentations
Picture this: you walk into this room where 15 people wait in anticipation of your presentation, and they include some of the top management who are your potential clients, You are there to present a pitch.
Or imagine this, you are waiting outside a room for an interview, and if you nailed it, you are hired!
Now, the little voice in your head starts asking these questions:
"What should I say?"
"What will they ask me?"
"Am I truly prepared?"
And your body starts to shiver and your hands are sweating. Without realising it, you are breathing heavily, and guess what, you have butterflies in your stomach...
Sounds familiar?
It is safe to say that everyone has his fair share of this scary experience. This is FEAR - Fear of presenting and speaking in front of a group of people. Although some naturally do not possess this fear, most people do, including me.
Lucky you, it is good that you have this FEAR! If you can turn this into something positive, eventually you will be able to overcome it. Do you want to know more? Read on...
The solution is the word FEAR itself, discover how the word can help each of us, to conquer our very own fear.
Find
First of all, find out what causes you to be afraid. Yes, facing reality is the point. One must be able to learn to overcome fear by admitting one's weakness. By understanding your fear, you can overcome it. Start by asking yourself some questions, "What am I afraid of?", "How can I then overcome it?", "What can I do to make this presentation better?", "If this does not work, what will happen?"By doing this, you actually realise that you will be able to find answers to it and this process can help you to identify both problems and solutions. Just be positive.
Evaluate
At this phase, you weigh the pros and cons of the solutions and come out with the best answer to overcome the problems. At the same time, you will be able to realise how you can actually improve your presentation or how you can present yourself at the interview. Take for example, realising that your fear is that your presentation is too long or boring. Try making it short and brief, fill it up with some visuals that can help your audience to understand it better. Practise KISS (keep it short and simple). You may also be afraid that you may make some blunders during the presentation (who does not anyway?). Address it immediately, "I am sorry for the mistake, it was unintentional", and move on with the presentation.
Act
When you are aware of your fear and have solutions to it, ACT on it immediately, do not wait. If you have a trembling voice or merely afraid that you may forget some key points during presentation, the best solution is to practise, even with the slightest time given. If you have more time, practise in front of a mirror. As you are talking, look at yourself in the mirror, and when you are comfortable, move on by presenting it to your friends or family members. Have more interactions with them. In this way, you will be able to learn how to control your audience and, at the same time, control your trembling voice.
Response
In order to be able to help yourself to improve your presentation skills and interactions with your audience, do not be afraid of getting feedback and response from your audience. Your audience knows best, as they are the ones who are listening to you and will be able to give feedback on your presentation. Take note of all the feedback, regardless of whether they are negative or positive. Fine tune and improve on your weaknesses with a positive mindset, and keep those good points of yours.
The next tip is to understand your audience. This is crucial, so as to make sure that all the key messages are clearly understood. One must know whom they are speaking to. By knowing who they are, you will be able to be more prepared, be it contents of your presentation, or presentation style, intonation and even your length of presentation.
If you are speaking to a large crowd of children, make sure there is a lot of informal interactions and interesting visuals as they lose interest very quickly. If you are speaking to your superior, avoid using strong words, like "in order to improve our performance in the next fiscal year, let's do this...", instead, use words that are polite, formal and less dictating, such as "we may explore a few ways to improve our performance in the next fiscal year", "please feel free to suggest in this discussion" and "we may start with the first suggestion which is..."
There are many ways to improve and enhance one's presentation and public speaking skills, but there is no express way to do it. Lame as it is, practice makes perfect, and I could not agree more with Micki Holiday in his book, Secrets of Power Presentations, "know your stuff, know whom you are stuffing, and know when they are stuffed." With this in mind, the next time you are preparing for a presentation, what better way to remind yourself than to use this tip: Be prepared, know your audience and stop when necessary, without overdosing them with too much of information. As they always say, "just nice will do!"
Nothing is more important than to practise and be prepared. Nothing beats that. Everyone has his or her first time. I had mine. Enjoy and happy presenting!
Picture this: you walk into this room where 15 people wait in anticipation of your presentation, and they include some of the top management who are your potential clients, You are there to present a pitch.
Or imagine this, you are waiting outside a room for an interview, and if you nailed it, you are hired!
Now, the little voice in your head starts asking these questions:
"What should I say?"
"What will they ask me?"
"Am I truly prepared?"
And your body starts to shiver and your hands are sweating. Without realising it, you are breathing heavily, and guess what, you have butterflies in your stomach...
Sounds familiar?
It is safe to say that everyone has his fair share of this scary experience. This is FEAR - Fear of presenting and speaking in front of a group of people. Although some naturally do not possess this fear, most people do, including me.
Lucky you, it is good that you have this FEAR! If you can turn this into something positive, eventually you will be able to overcome it. Do you want to know more? Read on...
The solution is the word FEAR itself, discover how the word can help each of us, to conquer our very own fear.
Find
First of all, find out what causes you to be afraid. Yes, facing reality is the point. One must be able to learn to overcome fear by admitting one's weakness. By understanding your fear, you can overcome it. Start by asking yourself some questions, "What am I afraid of?", "How can I then overcome it?", "What can I do to make this presentation better?", "If this does not work, what will happen?"By doing this, you actually realise that you will be able to find answers to it and this process can help you to identify both problems and solutions. Just be positive.
Evaluate
At this phase, you weigh the pros and cons of the solutions and come out with the best answer to overcome the problems. At the same time, you will be able to realise how you can actually improve your presentation or how you can present yourself at the interview. Take for example, realising that your fear is that your presentation is too long or boring. Try making it short and brief, fill it up with some visuals that can help your audience to understand it better. Practise KISS (keep it short and simple). You may also be afraid that you may make some blunders during the presentation (who does not anyway?). Address it immediately, "I am sorry for the mistake, it was unintentional", and move on with the presentation.
Act
When you are aware of your fear and have solutions to it, ACT on it immediately, do not wait. If you have a trembling voice or merely afraid that you may forget some key points during presentation, the best solution is to practise, even with the slightest time given. If you have more time, practise in front of a mirror. As you are talking, look at yourself in the mirror, and when you are comfortable, move on by presenting it to your friends or family members. Have more interactions with them. In this way, you will be able to learn how to control your audience and, at the same time, control your trembling voice.
Response
In order to be able to help yourself to improve your presentation skills and interactions with your audience, do not be afraid of getting feedback and response from your audience. Your audience knows best, as they are the ones who are listening to you and will be able to give feedback on your presentation. Take note of all the feedback, regardless of whether they are negative or positive. Fine tune and improve on your weaknesses with a positive mindset, and keep those good points of yours.
The next tip is to understand your audience. This is crucial, so as to make sure that all the key messages are clearly understood. One must know whom they are speaking to. By knowing who they are, you will be able to be more prepared, be it contents of your presentation, or presentation style, intonation and even your length of presentation.
If you are speaking to a large crowd of children, make sure there is a lot of informal interactions and interesting visuals as they lose interest very quickly. If you are speaking to your superior, avoid using strong words, like "in order to improve our performance in the next fiscal year, let's do this...", instead, use words that are polite, formal and less dictating, such as "we may explore a few ways to improve our performance in the next fiscal year", "please feel free to suggest in this discussion" and "we may start with the first suggestion which is..."
There are many ways to improve and enhance one's presentation and public speaking skills, but there is no express way to do it. Lame as it is, practice makes perfect, and I could not agree more with Micki Holiday in his book, Secrets of Power Presentations, "know your stuff, know whom you are stuffing, and know when they are stuffed." With this in mind, the next time you are preparing for a presentation, what better way to remind yourself than to use this tip: Be prepared, know your audience and stop when necessary, without overdosing them with too much of information. As they always say, "just nice will do!"
Nothing is more important than to practise and be prepared. Nothing beats that. Everyone has his or her first time. I had mine. Enjoy and happy presenting!
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