As public relations professionals delve into the reality that the media landscape they once knew very well is evolving due to increased digital and social media components, identifying opportunities to fine-tune skills you already have and building on those skills with professional development and key learnings has become the way of the future.

This week’s PRSA “Friday Five” post — an analysis of the week’s biggest public relations and business news and commentary — explores some great “how-to” and “top” tips that are aimed to help keep any public relations pro’s game sharp. We look at how improved focus can win over clients and colleagues in various social situations, provide tips on how to improve your writing and offer ideas on how to land your pitch in the right hands. Here are some pointers that can put you on the right path to improving your communications performance.

How To Reverse Your Hard Wiring For Distraction (Fast Company)

We all know that charm and charisma go a long way in creating genuine relationships with customers, clients and even our own colleagues. Charismatic behavior can be broken down into three core elements: presence, power and warmth. Have you ever felt, in the middle of a conversation, as if only half of your mind were present, while the other half was busy doing something else? Do you think the other person noticed? Although many of us try to fake presence or pretend like we are listening, others can easily pick up on our body language. This means they know when our presence is lacking, which can be perceived as inauthentic. Fast Company’s Olivia Fox Cabane offers three simple techniques to boost your charisma in personal interactions, and discusses why, on occasion, our brains find it difficult to remain present.

Continue reading " Friday Five: Keeping PR Pros Sharp — Tips and Tools of the Trade "

Last week, an opinion piece in Entrepreneur magazine by Dallas Mavericks owner and business mogul Mark Cuban asserting that startups “should never hire a PR firm” got the PR world buzzing. That guidance is part of Mr. Cuban’s “12 rules for startups,” which is featured in his latest book, “How to Win at the Sport of Business: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It” (Amazon.com review here).

Rule No. 11 states:

“Never hire a PR firm. A public relations firm will call or email people in the publications you already read, on the shows you already watch and at the websites you already surf. Those people publish their emails. Whenever you consume any information related to your field, get the email of the person publishing it and send them a message introducing yourself and the company. Their job is to find new stuff. They will welcome hearing from the founder instead of some PR flack. Once you establish communication with that person, make yourself available to answer their questions about the industry and be a source for them. If you are smart, they will use you.”

PRSay reached out to Mr. Cuban to get his take on why he made this statement and for further insight into his thinking on the role and value of public relations.

PRSA: What prompted your assertion that startups should “never hire a PR firm”? Do you see PR firms and PR professionals not providing the right kind of value for entrepreneurs?

Mark Cuban: It’s not really about what PR professionals can and can’t do. It’s about prioritizing the use of limited resources available to a startup entrepreneur.

It is rare that an entrepreneur fully understands what is involved in putting a PR professional in a position to succeed. In order to be successful with a PR firm, [an entrepreneur has to] dedicate a lot of time to educating them on the startup. It requires quite a bit of time to interact with them and to make sure everyone is on the same page, and it requires quite a bit of follow up to create results. Although time is a critical resource in a startup, these aren’t even the biggest problems for most entrepreneurs.

The biggest issue is that very often, entrepreneurs, particularly those in their first startup, are looking for ways to offload responsibility for elements of their business that need to be core competencies of the entrepreneur.

If there is one element every entrepreneur/CEO must take responsibility for, it is sales. If you start a company and you don’t take full responsibility for selling your product or service right when you start, there is a good chance you are going to have problems. As the person at the top, you need to always be selling.

Continue reading " Interview: Mark Cuban on PR’s Value for Startups "