Think of keeping a journal. People don’t write their mundane daily tasks down in a journal (I woke up, got coffee, read the paper, fed the dog, went to work and came home). People write the highlights, they write the things that stood out in their day.

Here’s my point, we shouldn’t write something just because somebody said we should. Part of our job as PR professionals is to tell the client, our company or organization that “it isn’t newsworthy.” Mindless writing creates fluff in the messages and frustration in readers that wears them down to point that they stop making the effort to define between the two. We wear our own audience down and cause the very problems we battle with in our industries: keeping the reader/gatekeeper’s attention.

There’s a phrase in the movie Cold Mountain that describes this well: “They make the weather and then stand in it and say, ‘shit it’s rainin’” (I’ve always wanted to use that quote).

Fast writing, writing on command and writing to order are not contributions to the public or the industry. Sometimes knowing when to turn down a writing assignment for lack news/interest/emotions reasons is just as important as knowing how to write in the first place.

From love letters to science fiction novels, the writer starts with something they believe in, something that moves them so much that they want to put it down in writing to share with others. For each piece written, time must be devoted to believing in our own message, our own writing… and if we can’t seem to find the emotion in the message, then there are one of two problems:
1. We are not the right individual for that assignment.
2. It should not be written about, at least not yet.

The individual writer’s creativity is something that can change, defy and rewrite the rules. The blogosphere is a prime example of this––blogging has no rules. Some bloggers write for their audience, some for themselves. Both are okay, both serve a purpose. What I am going to offer are suggestions, not absolute must-haves.

I can think of only two attributes that, in my opinion, should be present for every blogger: have something to say and believe in what you write. Your blog posts are publications representing you. You can’t always know who’s reading and won’t always get the chance to defend yourself, so let it speak for you.

Unlike the work, school or sport environment, the volunteering atmosphere is unconditionally accepting, partially because it has to be, for lack of paying positions, but also because those are the type of people who volunteer. Nonprofit organizations and the people who work with them have to be open to diversity and welcoming of the inexperienced workers, because you take what you can get when what you need is time, free hands and minds and all you can give in return is the satisfaction of completing the job. What you get in return, though, is often more than you bargained for because the people who give their time and talent are also giving their heart and soul for the effort.

In the presence of a cause, a reason, everything becomes a little greater, a little more amazing. It may take a greater amount of time and a greater amount of effort for the few amount people to complete the task, but the outcome is also greater because in holds a meaning. I had a history teacher in middle school that always said, in a war, the side that won was always the side that had a cause; not the side with more weapons, not the side with more military, but the side that had a cause.

Sometimes people use small as an excuse for not having the answer, not having the connections or not making the money. Not so. Small may just be the best reason to start something. Whether it’s a small group of people need help or a small change needs to happen, small is the way it begins. Three people sitting around saying, “lets do something about xyz.”

Small means you may not know everyone, but the people you do know, you know personally. And that’s what it’s about: how well you know your clients, competitors, neighbors and friends.

My best friend has been my classmate since the third grade, for the majority of our life and school career (including college) she has been there. She knows me, she knows when I’m giving her an answer just to make her stop asking and when I’m answering because I actually know the answer. Knowing the people you work with can hugely improve your work environment and also the work you produce.

I think we often think of big business as cut throat and competitive and those who can survive it are “the best of the best.” Now, not that big business isn’t run by the best of the best, but I’m not sure small business isn’t either. I think this is where the glory of the almighty internet comes in. With viral marketing and word of mouth, the smallest efforts get acknowledged and get to grow.

“…Well, it’s alright to be little bitty
A little hometown or a big old city
Might as well share, might as well smile
Life goes on for a little bitty while…”

Alan Jackson, Little Bitty

As a PR student, I would like to think that the skills I am learning are exclusive to my degree, that when I get out into the field I will not be easily replaced by someone with another bachelors degree, however, I don’t think that. Logically, individuals who are the product of a PR program will have an advantage in the PR field compared to those who didn’t have specific PR training, but this does not mean that the skills necessary to do what PR people do are exclusive to the PR degree.

If we narrow the PR job market to only PR graduates, then we are narrowing the skill sets available to fill those positions. Because public relations is a field that can easily be interrelated with a myriad of other professional (and non professional) fields. For example a PR professional who works at a pharmaceutical company must not only have skills in writing, media relations, planning, etc., but must also have the scientific knowledge of that industry. In this case a graduate with a degree in chemistry who happens to have excellent writing and communication skills should not be excluded from the position simply because they didn’t receive a degree in PR.

Standardizing the field of PR in this way leaves no room for improvement or diversity. A classroom is not the only place to learn, for some, it may not even be the best place to learn. If PR really is about communication and relationships, then trying to make everyone learn and implement it in the same way removes the creativity from the field and from the professional. There is no one-way to communicate, there is no road map for navigating the media. PR is an art; like any other art it is not learned by rights and wrongs but by learning theories, histories and the basic elements… implementation is up to the individual’s creativity.

Yes, you guessed it, I’m going to give more advice for people to decipher, but of course I’d like to think my advice is different… a type of non-advice.

1. Jobs aren’t one size fit all. Just as you may not be the right employee for a company, it’s okay to walk into an interview wondering if they are right for you too just as they wonder if you are right for them.

2. Employers hire at all times of the year. Obviously there are key times to apply, however, they are not the only times. Everyone works on a different schedule. Just find the schedule of the places on the top of your list.

3. You are not going to get smarter sitting in the waiting room of an office. So while you are waiting, make the decision to stop worrying because you have already gotten past the hardest part. An interview is just another conversation, lucky for you, as a PR student, you are trained in conversations.

4. Know yourself; not just your strengths but your interests, your hobbies and passions too. Just because it is a Fortune 500 company, that doesn’t mean it is the company for you.

5. Because now it’s the real world. Because finding the job that you love starts now, so stressing yourself out to get a job that only brings more stress is no way to live and it’s no way to work either. Sometimes the job search may take longer than you thought, it may take more energy than you thought and you may have to ask for a lot more help than you thought, but know that there’s no one formula for job searching. Through the process you will learn how to improve and you will find a job that works for you, even if it takes a couple tries.

One of my favorite lessons from PR has been an implied one: the language and method of communication we use is only as advanced as our listeners.

There is proper etiquette that welcomes others into a conversation. Included in this etiquette is speaking/writing the “language” of the audience. Sometimes this means literally to speak their language, other times it is using a vocabulary they understand or even references/examples. If the audience doesn’t understand the vocabulary or doesn’t understand the reference, then they are lost and, in effect, have left the conversation.

People don’t always ask for further explanation when they are confused, it takes extra time and can lead to embarrassing situations, therefore, they sit; quietly lost. Does this mean we are all doomed to speaking down to one another in an effort to avoid being “too smart?” Obviously, no. Knowledge is power, but it can lead to Lex Luther just as easily as it can to Superman, so we have to be selective.

In an economy that is rapidly moving towards globalization, knowing who we are talking to is becoming increasingly more important. Leveling the playing field between knowledge bases involves a bit of teaching while speaking; letting the audience, whether they are Harvard graduates or twelve-year olds, in on the conversation is more important than using a fancy word or spouting personal experience to make them feel insignificant. Similarly, using too simplistic of terms can be just as insulting and become a waste of time.

Yes, this is a fine line, but it is one that becomes innately known as we spend time with our audience. It isn’t necessarily about research, it’s about people. In the small town I’m from, taking your dog for a walk by the high school will give you enough interaction with the town to know how to get their attention. As Emily said in Coping With PR, simple interactions and politeness can be the best rule of thumb.

Although I do not always agree with others’ views, I also do not agree that they they should be dismissed. Diversity brings new views, new understandings and insights for all. We will never understand exactly what others are going through or believe, but if we dismiss their thoughts as insignificant, then we will never learn or grow as individuals. Let others join the conversation by talking to them.

I recently got a call from a friend from high school. We have kept in touch to the point that we still call on birthdays, get together when we’re both in town and shoot each other a couple notes through Facebook. He called just for a quick question, wanting the view of an old friend who knew him. 45min. later our conversation had quickly expanded into analyzing life, commiserating about personal challenges and general catching-up. Blogging, IMing, Facebooking, and (dare I say) Twittering are not the same as real conversations. Hearing the stress or happiness in another’s voice, having the privacy of a one-on-one conversation without it being searchable on Google is still the most valuable kind of conversation.

When we are writing, we have to be grammatically correct, concise and clear. Sometimes, amongst all the brevity and accuracy, we lose the passion. Words are not what convince people to listen, messages are not what entice people to take action… emotions are. Emotions are not easily communicable through internet or even mail (snail mail). No, those emoticons do not serve as replacements for tone of voice, facial expressions, pauses, background sounds and the ever important “non-words” that are uttered in a real conversation.

I have gotten through many challenging math classes by simply sitting up front and looking perpetually confused to the point that the professor specifically asks me “do you understand?” Sometimes there are no words to describe an emotion or state of being, but we can see, hear and feel it just the same.

Despite the fact that we are PR professionals, sometimes a facial expression or long exhale can mean more than an entire blog. “Personal relationships still have a place in public relations,” Richard Bailey said in The Limits of Knowledge.

Things like Facebook, blogs and IM’s have become so prevalent that if someone isn’t “connected” online, they are disconnected in life. While these methods of conversation can say to audiences “I’m available 24/7,” they can also say, “Just read my blog to hear what I think, I’m too busy to talk right now.”

It’s great that we are more connected globally to more people, it’s good that we have access to more information and can have conversations in multiple forms, but in the process of doing so we cannot eliminate getting to know the people standing next to us. Not to sound like an advertisement, but I particularly enjoyed Seth Godin’s name tag suggestions, so start to get to know people outside the computer with name tags.

It’s an amazing thing that artists can do. Some artists paint what they see in front of them, others paint what they envision in their minds and still others paint what they “know” to be true. For example, I know that a pine tree is green, but against the backdrop of a sunset one evening I saw a pine tree that appeared to be solid black. In my mind, of course, I “knew” the tree to be green, but in front of me stood a black tree.

So, which interpretation is right: what I “know” to be true or what appears in front of me? What happens when actuality contradicts knowledge from previous experience? To switch gears, this dilemma can be expanded to people, more specifically reputations. The way an organization appears to its publics may be different then the way it actually functions.

Companies build images on their appearances, their reputations. Reputations are the product of peoples beliefs; we are what others say we are. This is where transparency plays a role with knowing the publics. If PR professionals don’t know what the publics think, they can’t publicize, maintain or refute the companies’ reputation. Furthermore, the PR professional must ask themselves, “Does my communication cause my reputation, or does my reputation cause my communication?”

PR professionals become the interpreters and the artists. We form the message, we decide to show what is or what appears to be. I don’t think there is one right answer to being transparent. There are different interpretations and what it comes down to is: what would the key publics expect us to do? How do we keep the trust that our publics have in us?