What happens when you gather more than 400 of the best communicators in a room and ask them to share best advice? It’s no surprise that you get really smart answers worthy of a blog.
At the Oct. 26 Platinum PR Awards Luncheon in NYC, PR News honored the top PR campaigns of the past 12 months and the teams behind them. The level of sophistication and creativity among the winning campaigns is a testament to the power of public relations and the advancement of our profession. (Check out the winners and see for yourself.)
Meanwhile, back on the awards stage, we asked award winners one-answer questions, such as what is the one skill that PR people will need going into 2016, and what one characteristic are you looking for in your next great hire?
Patterns emerged in the answers, and most noteworthy was a growing sentiment that PR and Marketing need to collaborate more – or at least start earnestly talking to one another. Being nimble and flexible were also mentioned often – perhaps a nod to the do-more-with-less even as things change at warp speed. The obvious skills such as being a great verbal and written communicator, knowing how and what to measure, possessing business/financial acumen were not mentioned because they are a given and also do not make for pithy sound bites when you're on stage in front of hundreds of peers.
We also asked the winners to name the social media platform or app they wish would go away. The majority answered Snapchat, which surely is all about disappearing but there’s no sign it’s going away anytime soon.
Here’s what your peers say are the most important characteristics and skills for PR pros going into 2016:
- Collaborating with marketing
- Resourcefulness
- Marcom skills
- Sense of humor
- Flexibility
- Positive Attitude
- Willingness to be nimble
- Creativity
- Multitasking abilities
- Ability to adapt
- Willingness to adapt
- Insatiable curiosity
- Ability to focus
- Adept at identifying new stakeholders
- Able to deal with volatility
- Embracing technology
Which top skills would you add to the list? Don't be shy!
-- Diane Schwartz