PR pros often seek constructive criticism.
That doesn’t mean you should rag on your boss behind his or her back—it isn’t helpful. Instead, politely and discreetly find a way to circulate this advice around your office.
If you hold a senior position in an agency setting, get out your notepad. Here are a few things bosses in PR settings should refrain from doing:
1. Hovering while listening to phone pitches.
You want to see your employees in action and hear how they pitch journalists. Though that’s information you should want to know, you must be careful how you listen in.
One way to ruin any employee’s pitch is to hover near their desk. It’s the fastest way to make them nervous and turn them into a stuttering mess on the phone. I’m not sure Kobe Bryant could handle that pressure, and I know most young employees can’t.
EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATORS: Join our new LinkedIn group and get FREE tips and strategies to improve leadership communications.
The goal of a phone pitch is to get your prospect relaxed. Media relations pros should feel comfortable when pitching by phone. Having someone hover over or around their desk achieves the opposite.
2. Having employees pitch you.
At my first job back in 2000 at a small agency in New York City, I knew hardly anything about public relations. Despite that, I had a sales background and was able to burn up phone lines and pitch.
After about my first week, the company’s vice president said, “Why don’t you come in my office and give me your pitch?”
Wisely or unwisely, I shook my head and declined. I knew it wouldn’t work. It would have been immensely difficult to give him my pitch in the way I would on the phone with a journalist.
If you review the emails your employees are sending out, go for it. I highly recommend it. Do you want to review their notes before an important call? Review away! Just don’t ask them to re-create a phone pitch in your office.
3. Pointing to notes when an employee is on the phone.
That action could apply to any business, not just PR. In their effort to get me to say what they’ve written, I’ve seen several bosses write things down on a piece of paper and point to them while I’m on the phone.
Blood. Boiling.
Whether I’m on the phone with a journalist or a client, I do not need someone flashing notes in my face and frantically pointing to them with their pen or index finger. Chill out; the building is not on fire.
At this point in my phone call, one of two things is happening: I’m talking, or I’m listening. You’re asking me to shift my focus and read your notes. If I’m talking, I will lose my train of thought and sound like a bumbling fool.
If you flash these notes in front of my face while I’m listening, then I won’t be listening anymore. Congratulations, you’ve put me in a terrible spot.
None of these tips is rocket science; many are just common sense. Let's vow to do better.
Micah Warren is a PR pro and a co-founder of Large Media. A version of this article originally appeared on Muck Rack , a service that enables you to find journalists to pitch, build media lists, get press alerts and create coverage reports with social media data.
(Image via)from PR Daily News Feed http://ift.tt/2f8k2bM
No comments:
Post a Comment