Member of
The world is fast paced – that is something we hear, see, and experience every day. Change and evolution are part of work. Professionals in the communications field, are probably the ones most affected by these developments.
Every new day brings with it new ways to communication, new mediums to explore, new approaches to try, new communication tools add up to the list – and this goes on. Now not only are communication professionals expected to know about all these changes, they’re required to master them and use them in their work.
Being someone in communications and PR, we try to keep pace with these things, but also, if you are one of us, or have ever been, I am sure you ask yourself these questions. How can I know it all? Is it possible to know of all developments? Will I be able to stay on the top of the game? How will I be contented at the end of the day?
In this context, everyone has a strategy. Some people fix up a time to browse and learn every day. Others are smart enough to learn as they go. Yet others decide they will tie up with bigwigs in the industry and follow them on social media.
For me, my secret weapon to deal with the ever changing professional world is reading. In order to curtail the madness, I choose to read. And I don’t read as a burden, I read when I feel like taking a break from my daily routine.
One quote that has inspired me is – “The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss
Whenever I am in a fix, when things don’t work out, whenever there is a difficult task to deal with, I go back to reading.
Work, work, work, work! The song by Rihanna is an everyday story for many of us comms professionals. So how do you change it to work, fun, play, work, fun, play? This remains one of the biggest challenges! The best way I think is a shift in attitude and adding elements of learning and exploring.
I’ll share an example from my experience. In terms of social media platforms, I had a hard time understanding which of them my client should be on. I also had to figure out the right content to be sharing on each of them.
So I decided to give it a little thought. I sat back and realized that I don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time. It is about going back to basics and handling challenges one by one. It is about understanding who you need to reach out to and what the purpose is for doing all that you have planned. When you ask these questions, you are able to plan.
A lot of exploration, learning and reading is required to move with the pace that the world is moving today. Share. Working in isolation is never productive and hence organizing brainstorming sessions, spreading knowledge, and working as a team are the best ways to learn. It is always a two-way street!
Lovelyn Rodrigues is Account Manager at Cicero & Bernay Public Relations, an independent PR agency headquartered in Dubai offering new-age public relations consultancy to the UAE and across the MENA region. | www.cbpr.me