The globe-trotting CEO of Ketchum Europe shares five traits of great PR pros around the planet
Traveling the world as a senior partner and European CEO of one of the world’s largest public relations firms, I’ve been able to study how PR is practiced in every corner of the planet by many of the best and brightest people in the business. Despite many cultural differences, it is apparent that success in this profession is highly correlated with five traits. Wherever you are, if you want to be a communication professional, here’s what you need to know.
How to Listen
Most people “listen” by waiting, sometimes impatiently, for their turn to speak. You can’t hear when you are thinking about your next bon mot. Only by listening – listening fearlessly and absorbing what you may not want to hear – can you really understand what’s being said, and why. The better we listen, the better we advise.
How to Tell a Story
Few buzzwords are hotter now than “storytelling” and few concepts are more poorly understood. Great stories do three things: they describe a problem in an engaging way, they show a resolution, and they teach a lesson. Whether interviewing, pitching a story, or selling a proposal, be clear, concrete and concise. Be the “enabler” in solving the problem, but not the main character. That role – the hero role – belongs to the receiver of the story.
Know How to Count
You don’t need an advanced accounting degree to succeed in PR, but you do need a few business basics: how to read a spread sheet, a cursory understanding of statistics, and an idea of how your agency/employer makes money. From there, you’ll also want to understand the business models of your clients or customers.
How to Be Social
No, you don’t have to be the life of the party, but you must enjoy people – we facilitate human communication – and you must know how to use the various channels of human communication, foremost being social media. There is no such thing as ‘traditional PR’ anymore. It’s all social, all the time. You must understand how ideas, feelings and information move from one node to others across different social networks. Experiment with different platforms. Find your own voice. And expand your influence.
How to Be Generous
Finally, today’s successful PR professional is profoundly generous. The same is true for today’s leaders, so if you are early in your career this is a great trait to develop. Be generous with ideas, time, energy and contacts, and do so with real enthusiasm for solving problems and helping others succeed. PR is not in service to itself, but rather to making the world a better place by improving the connections between people. If you don’t believe this – that PR can change the world for good through economic growth, social change and personal fulfillment – you’ll be a lot less successful than if you did.
David Gallagher is a senior partner at Ketchum, chairman of Ketchum London and CEO of Ketchum Europe
