On September 27th, 2016, Sharon Christopher, former Deputy CEO of First Citizens Bank and now Leadership and Development Consultant, presented to an eager group of young PR Practitioners at the Public Relations Association of Trinidad and Tobago’s (PRATT) monthly meeting.
Ms. Christopher’s wealth of experience and insight from over two decades as an executive in the corporate world, has led to her being able to summarize her expectations for any PR practitioner into seven salient points.
Here’s her 7 Expectations of the PR Practitioner:
Professional and Technical Competency
In every work environment it is crucial that you display skills that make you an asset to the organization. By possessing the right professional and technical competencies you prove that you are able to handle just about any situation that is thrown at you (a MUST in any PR-related work space), and that you are on top of things. PR practitioners should constantly brush up on new developments in their field and stay abreast of new techniques and skills.
Innovation
How unique are the contributions you bring to the table? According to Ms. Christopher this is also a key expectation business leaders have on the PR practitioner. By creating a different look or feel for the organization you are in fact adding value, while proving you know all the right stuff.
Communication
PR practitioners must be verse at communication at all levels. Ms. Christopher emphasized the need for all practitioners to be able to speak effectively as an individual, and especially when called on to do so on behalf of your organization. PR practitioners should brush up on their presentation skills at intervals throughout their careers.
Taking responsibility for outcomes
As a business leader, Ms. Christopher seeks out practitioners who create solutions to issues and problems. It is imperative that they understand intimately the issues that could affect your client (or organization) and know what they should pay attention to before external agencies get wind of it. This understanding should lead to a comprehensive communications or crisis communications plan to mitigate any long term effect on the client or organization.
Have a strategic perspective
Having a strategic perspective to Ms. Christopher means being able to build a plan around things to be implemented before they need to be implemented. This means having an understanding of projects/plans that are critical for the organization and knowing it intimately.
Networking
According to Ms. Christopher, every PR practitioner should understand the power of networking. It is all about knowing who the key influencers are and discovering new ways you can meet with them. Another key element of this is finding ways for people to know you and updating the list of people you must know.
To illustrate this point, Ms. Christopher gave an example of a very spirited young professional who would call her office inviting her to lunch. She accepted his invitation and shared advice with the young man on his next career move. Message: You never know who is going to say yes to your offer, so reach out to them and network!
Honesty/Integrity
Protect the honesty and integrity of yourself, your client and your organization. Here’s the main reason why: “once you lie, it’s over!”. We live in a very small society, and as PR practitioners that world can become even smaller- with the possibilities of just about everyone knowing your name and your stumble the very first time you mess up.