"Don't judge a book by its cover!"
How many times have we heard the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover”. Although most of us recognize and appreciate the truthfulness of this metaphor, more often than not we find ourselves judging people on the first impressions they make on us. Even if we sincerely try not to place judgment on people based on their clothes, weight, height and hair etc… it can be difficult not to cast a negative judgement upon them. In the PRCA training session I attended at Hill and Knowlton last week on ‘Communication Skills for PR Professionals’, Emma Ewing, the trainer, gave a fantastic example of her experience where ‘the scruffy guy’ had been ignored by various individuals who, by judging his appearance, associated him with little to no value or importance. Only once they discovered that ‘the scruffy guy’ was a well known influential business man did they all scavenge for the chance to speak to him.
In the business world, first impressions are vital. How others conceive you will determine the influence you have on them. In the training session Emma spoke expertly about how to make a good impression on others by making yourself assertive, whilst also discussing the importance of building rapport as a significant networking skill. She stressed on the use of body language as an important tool to establishing rapport with others. During her activities I watched how two people reached rapport only once they found a common interest to discuss. It was interesting to see how this quickly became evident in their use of body language which swiftly became more relaxed and naturally mirrored each other as the conversation developed.
What I took to be most valuable was to always ask to “summarise and clarify” because you would rather get it right first time, than spend ages deliberating on whether this is what you were meant to be doing and get it wrong. I think people working in more junior roles would find this valuable as they may be scared or intimidated by their seniors who speak quickly, using closed questions which do not allow others a moment to talk. I like to ask a lot of questions, it’s my way of learning and making sure I am fully aware of what needs to be done. I have learnt that you need not be embarrassed by this as long as you ask with relevancy for clarification. It demonstrates you are a good listener and are keen to complete a task properly and efficiently. People value work to a high standard and accuracy – this will always hold true.
I repeatedly assayed (current word of the day) myself throughout the training session to pinpoint my weaknesses which I can strengthen. It was also highly interesting as an intern to listen to the issues other PR Professionals are facing at their place of work. I was well aware that many of these issues being discussed I was yet to experience, and some I never will. I am a confident individual and normally I don’t find it hard to engage in conversation with people, but there will be instances throughout my career where the skills Emma discussed will become invaluable to me.
PRCA Awards 2011
On Friday to say the phones went mad is an understatement. Katie and I were rushed off our feet non-stop answering calls and taking entry submissions for the awards. As Friday approaches (the second and final deadline for the 2011 PRCA Awards) we are preparing and awaiting a rush from the ‘last minuters’ (LOL!). Remember the deadline is at 5pm – no more entries can be submitted after that time. If you want to ensure you can enter, it might be a good idea to do so now!
We also had to say “So long farewell” to Reda Haq who is about to embark on a career at Cohn & Wolfe. Bye bye Reda L. Cat organised a beautiful lunch for her which the company attended. Everyone was very upset as Reda has been at the PRCA for 3 years and was great friends with everyone.
| Bank Restaurant in Victoria |
I hope you have enjoyed this week’s blog. If you have any comments or would like to tell me your thoughts please feel free (use of open questions). I am going to be attending a campaign master-class at Cohn & Wolfe and attending the PR Census Launch this week.
See you in two weeks
Kourtney Shaw
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