Skip to main content

HOW BEING INTROVERT HAS HELPED MY PR CAREER

The Mind of an Introvert
After reading this piece by Nicole on PR Daily, I couldn't help but give her thumbs up for interpreting me and many PR pros I know. There's nothing like a quiet environment for a true PR pro and I haven't met an extrovert PR practitioner yet. I've been meaning to post on social media (and now I will) that I can't be a successful PR professional and be a 'showster', triggered only when you're on stage and in before the camera; your place is perpetually backstage. I learnt that by personal experience.

What triggers performance for me is between the drawing board and the execution stage, boundaries inclusive. I delight in planning on my own, asking for inputs from others next, rehearsing on my own, rehearsing with the team, allocating tasks and then supervising performance. It's played out most in the PR events, music concerts and others that I've planned and managed. Trust me, once more, there is nothing to the PR pro like HIS OWN SPACE.

If you're in a relationship with a PR manager, you must learn to give him his space. It's cost me relationships severally; although, ironically, my friends are all still intact. Your good nature will keep your friends, but your introvert tendencies would jettison your relationships; anything intimate suffers first. I think that people (especially the women folk) like to love a thinker, but not to live with an introvert. Good luck to their search. Lol. It's more like the following image I found on Twitter today, with the caption:

"You want a hard man, but you want him to cry at your wedding".
Now, please read from Nicole, a communications manager with FinTech in Toronto called RateHub.ca.

Why Introverts Make Great Publicists - By Nicole Laoutaris


I’ve just made a career shift from a large organization to a small tech company. After years on a PR staff of 10, I’m now the solo communications representative.
Startup culture requires you to take initiative, work on multiple projects at once, be assertive, innovative, creative and ready to handle change at any moment. This has been a most challenging environment for me because I’m a textbook introvert.
Yet, I’m thriving. Why?
I recently read Susan Cain's Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, a passionate and persuasive look at the value of the introvert. She examines how and why American business culture prizes the extrovert, and she uses social, psychological and scientific research to explain the difference between the two personality types.
The traits and characteristics of an introvert are so valuable to communications and PR. I’m good at my job because I’m an introvert, not in spite of it. Inspired by Cain’s book, I’ve outlined five traits that make introverts better publicists.
1. We prefer listening to speaking
Whether your job requires you to deliver your key messages, or prepare someone else for remarks or an interview, this skill is vital for communicators.
To properly respond to your audience, you have to hear them first. Introverts assess a situation carefully and think before we speak. This allows us to present a succinct message, and stop talking once that message has been delivered. We do this naturally and can train our spokespeople to do it too.
2. We are amazing at solving complex problems

Introverts are more likely to be motivated by diving deep into a project for hours on end. So much of our role is based on research, problem solving, foresight and preparation. We are more likely to ask “what if” and assess every possible outcome of a situation.
Whether we’re in crisis mode or are planning our next campaign, being analytical and thorough are cornerstones of a top-notch strategy.
3. We are keen observers; we are the canaries in your coalmine

Introverts are acutely aware of the world around them. We will spend time in meetings watching the body cues and reactions of those around us. Because we’re not busy talking, we’ll pick up on non-verbal communication.
Careful observation can reveal important clues about the tone and reception of your message. How useful could this be if your main role is internal communications? Consider, for example, the value in surveying staff while your CEO delivers a speech at a town hall and what that could reveal.
4. We are great writers

Remarks. Press releases. Pitches. Tweets. Emails. Copywriting. Blogs. Articles.
All of these require great writing. Most communications-style writing is persuasive and succinct. Because we think things through more carefully, observe our world and love to work through complexity, we are able to synthesize detailed or dull information into a compelling messages for our audience.


5. We prioritize our socializing
I expel significant energy socializing and I need to recharge afterward. So I carefully select the events and meetups I’ll attend, which helps me better manage my energy and my time. This makes me a more efficient networker. It might take me a moment to think about what I’m going to say and to whom, but I’ll be sure to speak to the right person in the room. Teaching yourself how to use this to your advantage can make you a superstar in your community.
Hire an introvert
I don’t need to be the loudest person in my office to succeed as a publicist. I need to listen to what my audience is saying, write persuasively without errors and consider risk before I take action. I’ll see problems before they arise and I will manage them—and my time—effectively. Maybe your next hire should be an introvert.
To hear more about Cain’s research, including her arguments about why creativity and productivity will be squandered if we don’t tap into the power of the introvert, you can find her book online, and check out her TedTalk here.



That about sums it up for me. I'll stay an introvert as that works best for me. My list of projects and clients is increasing even as my country begins to smell approaching Economic recession. Find an incomplete clientelle list here

Uduak Umo is a Lagos/Uyo based Chartered PR Consultant and Public Interest Researcher. He is also a Music Director. Follow him on Twitter at @umo2013

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

DEAR SME, YOU NEED THE WHATSAPP-FOR-BUSINESS APP

WhatsApp has launched the latest service for Business owners, WhatsApp Business App that is available in US, UK and gradually rolling out to other countries like Italy, India, etc. WhatsApp business app is free to use and currently available from Google Play Store to download on Android devices. THE REGISTRATION INTERFACE Before you start to create the profile for WhatsApp Business, please be aware that the WhatsApp Business is considering as a separate entity. There is no connection between your WhatsApp personal account, with this business account. You can register WhatsApp account with a business number or your existing WhatsApp personal number. If you use your existing personal number for Business registration, your personal WhatsApp profile will convert to the business and all contacts will import to your business profile. At this moment, this app is available for Android users only. Please go ahead and download the WhatsApp Business App from Google Play. You have to enter

What Every Brand Should Include In Their Social Media Guide

 A social media style guide is connected to your brand voice. You want your brand essence to be showcased on social media and other marketing platforms for better brand recognition. Social Media Guide A social media style guide can offer your team concise information about publishing posts, so there’s less room for error. It will also make it easier for you to train new employees. That, in turn, will save both parties time. The less time you waste, the faster you’ll reach your social media goals. In creating your guide, you need to understand what to include in it in the first place. Here’s a list of important elements: 1. Consumer persona: Creating the consumer persona of your target audience is an important exercise for any business. The consumer persona is an exclusive collection of data about your target audience. Including a detailed consumer persona in your social media style guide will allow your team to understand the audience they’re targeting. That will help them customize s

Website Designer Buys Tech Company For $6.8M

Today, we read the story of a Website design company that pulled out $6.8M to buy a tech company and we were blown away with a huge 'WOW'! WordSphere, a website development firm out in California forked out the mad sum of nearly 7M to buy DrupalWare, a tech company known for its software solutions. According to  Stewart Johanson, from WordSphere's  Public Relations department, t he package paid for includes the DrupalWare website, a portfolio of 164 active clients, 6 super specialists, an excellent reputation of delivering top-quality services to clients, along with the entire DrupalWare brand. The 6 specialists acquired immediately transfer into WordSphere's senior DevOps team. Note that DrupalWare's clients include such billion-dollar brands as Pfizer, Tesla Motors, the City of New York and other Fortune 500 companies. Users of its services include names like - wait for it - Nokia, ebay, MacDonald's, The Australian Government, and Havard University, with other