Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend PRSA ICON 2023 in Nashville, TN with Teak Media team member Cresonia Wong. A whirlwind three days in Music City included learning, networking, and more learning. From ChatGPT, building trust, DE&I, the future of leadership, and writing op-eds, there was no topic left undiscussed. We came back to Boston inspired to share new tips and tricks we learned.
Spend more time on idea generation.
In all communication, the idea is the most important component. The more time you spend on understanding the complete idea behind what you are trying to execute, the more successful you will be in getting your message across in a compelling way. When it comes to op-eds, this means a unique idea that provides insight a reporter may not have thought of before. As a public relations professional, it is up to you to raise the red flag or stop the process when you know something isn’t going to work. Save everyone the time and effort it will take to try to make an incomplete idea successful and put the energy in up front to build it out first or pivot if needed.
There are many tools to make your job more efficient and effective.
In the ever-changing world of technology, there are always new ways to get the job done that will make your life easier if used correctly. One of those tools that was discussed at length at PRSA ICON was ChatGPT and the evolving space of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The biggest takeaway from Ann Wylie’s presentation was to use ChatGPT as your assistant and always alter what it produces. Use it as a device to help pull statistics and research, and always cite your sources. Another helpful tool is Omnisend’s email subject tester, which rates your subject line and provides recommendations on how to improve it to get people’s attention.
Be authentic and transparent in all communication.
As Kim Clark said during her session on “Influencing Organizations to Say and Do the Right Thing in Social Justice Messaging,” you don’t have to do all the things – just do your thing. When you try to comment on everything or insert your voice into a conversation that doesn’t align with your mission or messaging, it comes across as inauthentic and too forced. One way to determine if you should contribute is using The DEPTH Model. Kim Clark described this method as:
- D – Deliberate: Do you have a clear, articulable goal for stepping out on this?
- E – Educated: Do you know all you need to know about it?
- P – Purposeful: Does it align with your mission and vision?
- T – Tailored: Is this an issue that you can move the needle on – uniquely?
- H – Habitual: Is this something that you have talked about before or intend to address going forward?
Walking the talk and leading with authenticity puts your organization and brand in a better position to be seen in a positive light as a leader in your space.
Over the course of three days and over 15 sessions, we learned so much that I can’t include here in one short blog post. Learning is exciting and inspiring. Everyone can continue to learn and grow in their careers. Take some time out of your day to experiment with ChatGPT, learn about the newest social platform even if you don’t focus on digital content, and attend virtual or in-person webinars/conferences to hear from the experts putting the latest and greatest tools to the test. There is always room to expand your knowledge, so you are able to fully support your clients.
