The PR professional of today in 2011 and beyond is definitely a mix and combination of various roles. The days of just doing research or just practicing are really over – especially with what is currently going on with the global and domestic economy. We have to have the skills and knowledge in how to effectively conduct research and understand the theoretical foundation that drives our strategies, messages, and tactics in public relations efforts and campaigns, while also creating a balance between the academic workplace and professional practice. We also have to have the real-world skills and knowledge in making sure that we are aware and current about what is going on in the field, trends in terms of both agency and consulting practices, and learning from best practices and case studies involving PR campaigns that we can review and implement into our own campaigns.
A balance between the worlds of PR today is a necessity – not a choice. The PR professional today needs to have these skills, knowledge, and experience in the current business environment.
One of the things that of course is an option for a public relations professional is to offer their skills as a consultant on specific specializations and skills in the field. Whether it is designing a creative campaign through advertisements and multimedia or conducting research or to brainstorm ideas for possible ideas for integrating emerging technologies into various campaigns and for clients.
Over the past several years, I have done a bit of this myself during my time in the PhD program here at the University of Tennessee. From working with CEOs in an executive forum specializing in Industrial Manufacturing about Social Media and Corporate Communications to Social Media and Public Relations efforts (specifically for Crisis Communications) for government agencies and programs to consulting about how to integrate mobile technologies into campaigns involving academic publishers. These are just a few examples of some of the projects that I have worked on.
What is the overall benefit of consulting for PR professionals? There are many wonderful opportunities that consulting can bring to a PR professional that helps them bridge both research and application of these practices together:
- Becoming a Life-long learner: Being on top of what are the current trends, research, and application of emerging technologies does make the PR professional continue to be a student for life and grow their knowledge base and skills set.
- Establishes reputation as a person to go to for a specialization: Creating relationships in both circles in public relations allows great networking opportunities and connections that can help establish a professional reputation on the particular area of specialty in the field. This can be done at academic conferences, professional conferences and presentations, and networking opportunities to name a few.
- Presenting knowledge to range of audiences – both off and online: What is great about consulting is the fact that you have the opportunity to share your research and insights with other individuals that are not necessarily in your specialized area, but are open to hearing your perspective and thoughts about the situation in which they are facing at the moment. From conducting Skype interviews to guest lectures to traditional meetings and phone conferences / webinars – all of these are opportunities to present your insights based on your specialization to others.
- Adapting practices, skills, and knowledge across disciplines and professions: Consulting allows the PR professional to branch out like in an agency setting to bring their knowledge and expertise to various industries and professionals. In both research and practice, we are becoming more of a networked society where we all have to be aware of what others are doing and how our perspectives and experience can help others. Being aware of these possibilities can open new opportunities for PR clients and accounts.
So, the question is – how do you get started with consulting and gaining a reputation for it? It does take time, hard work, and dedication – but what is key is making sure that 1) you are active in both the research and professional community 2) you are bringing an understanding of both research and application of PR to the table 3) you are creative and innovative within your specialization area in the profession – and willing to share this with the online community and discuss what you have done with a social media resume 4) you have actively managed your presence both online and offline and 5) you have a very strong expertise in the area you are consulting in – whether that is in crisis communications or social media – you have to understand the fundamentals of PR before engaging in consulting in emerging technologies for example. These are just a few things that I have learned over the last couple of years in terms of consulting others in terms of social media and public relations practices, specifically with crisis communications.
In summary, consulting also is a wonderful opportunity for PR professionals to take what they know in terms of research and previous experience, and apply them in a specific situation where they can 1) learn from the experience 2) gain feedback on their findings 3) create and generated an engaging dialogue with client that could potentially raise new questions and issues and 4) brainstorm ideas for future collaborations. Plus, consulting is another role that PR professionals in 2011 have to take into consideration and integrate into their professional reputation and identity to stand out in the PR community.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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