What skills should a public relations professional acquire that would help him/her communicate a client’s message?

 

Public relations has changed significantly over the last few years. Even if you don’t buy into the idea that online communities and relationships are part of the public relations function, it’s hard to deny the rising importance of blogs, the gradual decline of traditional media and the impact that online conversations can have on brands. If you do believe that public relations should include these new activities, then there’s a whole new board game to be played.

Along the same lines, the skills that new PR grads need have evolved too.

Here are my thoughts on14 skills and attributes a new PR professional needs in today’s market.

Traditional Skills/Attributes

Yes, there’s a new game to play (in my opinion), but the old game is still there too. PR pros still need the basic attributes and skills that they’ve always needed.  Try launching something using social media alone and you’ll appreciate the gap that traditional media can leave if it’s lacking. So, entry-level PR professionals still need to be proficient at (among other things):

Writing – the cornerstone of a PR professional’s career. If you’re not confident about your writing skills, brush up. You’ll need them. Learn how to write a news release – study those produced by other organizations and practice for yourself.

Communications skills – I’m talking ‘small c’ communications here rather than the ‘big c.’ Learn to communicate more effectively with other people

Attention to detail – because nothing will drive your colleagues (and, if you’re unlucky enough for your work to make it there, your clients) mad like poorly-edited work. Proofread everything. Fact check everything. Hand things to your supervisor when you would be happy with them going to the client.

Media relations – you’ll probably be doing media relations throughout the majority of your career. You may not have had an opportunity to do it for yourself as a new graduate, but an understanding of the basics is certainly an advantage – what’s in a media list? What are the pitching best practices?

Proactiveness – if you don’t know an answer to a question, first try to research the answer. If you can’t find the answer, ask. Whatever you do, don’t just sit there until you approach the deadline for your work.

Work ethic – public relations isn’t a9-to-5 job. It shouldn’t take over your life, but the nature of the work is that sometimes you’ll have last-minute deadlines and sometimes you’ll have to chip-in to help others. There’s nothing worse for more senior team members than watching the more junior ones walk out of the door at5pm then having to stay there until9pm themselves. Put in that little bit of extra effort. It won’t be every day, but people will notice.

New Skills/Attributes

Alongside the regular attributes that I think new PR pros should have, I would add a whole new list of attributes related to the online work. Among these I would include:

Blogging - you don’t necessarily need to have one (although it’s a big plus), but an understanding of the importance of blogs and an interest in their use, is essential in my view.

Microblogging - it’s still an emerging technology, but I would argue that an understanding of microblogging tools (the primary one currently being Twitter)  is essential for new grads.

Social networking tools – Facebook, MySpace LinkedIn, Plaxo and more – there’s a plethora of social networking tools out there. An understanding of the leading social networks is desirable.

SEO - some parts of search engine optimization are quite technical, but others are very simple and require little technical knowledge. An understanding of the basics is highly valuable. This leads to my next point…

Coding - basic HTML, PHP, VBScript and so on are not critical skills, but I find them useful on a daily basis.

RSS, RSS Readers – I consider an understanding of RSS to be central to people doing any work in social media. For one thing, RSS turns monitoring multiple searches and sites every day into a manageable task. For another, it helps when providing recommendations to clients.

Blogger relations – understand the nuances of blogger relations.

Social media ethics – everyone has their own lines when it comes to ethics. Know where yours lie and how you feel about topics like astroturfing, ghost blogging, sock puppets and other common ethical issues (I’ve given my on astroturfing and ghost blogging several times recently).

It’s hard to find someone with all of these attributes. If you’re honest with yourself, you’re probably stronger in some of these areas than others. Figure out which areas are your weakest, and work on them.

I’ve probably missed a whole bunch of attributes here. PR pros, new and old – what would you add?

http://davefleet.com/2009/08/14-key-attributes-public-relations-professionals/

To be a successful PR professional, the following set of skills are essential ;

 

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

 

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

 

Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.

 

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

 

Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

 

Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

 

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

 

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

 

Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

 

Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

 

Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

 

Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

 

Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

 

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

 

Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.

 

Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

 

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

 

Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.

 

Management of Personnel Resources - Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

 

Operations Analysis - Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.

 

Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

I would like to vote for creative mind. Now we have high level of competition and good amount of PR tools. And only creativity can help you to be the best for your clients and make their business successful. 

Clear understanding of determined ideas, idealistic approach, convincing spectrum, problem solving attitude and consideration mindset

Any customer facing job , need you to be smart , prepared for any situation , analytical so you can understand your customer and how they think

good follow up and keep in touch with them even with no benefit at the moment keep them loyal

be honest and check the best not only for the company , they will have the impression that you ARE their person in the company

 

besides , presentable , smiley, professional (Not over talking or reacting ) ...... efficient  

A PR professional has to thoroughly know his "publics" before he talks to them!

1- Good general education and the proven ability to communicate well both in writing and speech.

2- An English degree will help

3- Will training in marketing, communications, and writing.

4- Knowledge of mass media and how they work also is relevant-many journalists make the switch into public relations.

i am agree with the answer of  Mariam Ramzan

More than any other skill, communication is one you will use every day when working in this field. You must be able to communicate your thoughts clearly and be an excellent listener. As a Public Relations Moral morality: Must be of virtuous virtue of: honesty, honesty and reputation in dealing with people, because these qualities provide credibility to public relations employee in front of the public To be social: Certainly, a career or rank like this needs a social individual by nature and is able to have good relations with people and thus can earn their trust and support Calm: In addition to being a social must be characterized by psychological stability and be able to be patient, and not to deal with others Appearance and decent talk Fast-paced: Good behavior in responding to changes, especially in times of crisis, must be wise in making its decisions quickly demanded Objectivity: not to be biased in behavior and to make judgments and conclusions, so that he is not satisfied with his personal feelings or special benefit Availability of listening skills: Yes, listening to a skill is as important as writing, reading, etc. The availability of writing skills means the ability to put information and ideas on paper clearly, succinctly and in good language, in addition to the skills of editing and familiarity with graphic arts such as photography, graphic design, etc. Learn about the company's policies and objectives, as well as the specifications of the product you produce, or the service you provide Carrying work pressure: Yes, like any work you can bear, but here comes the endurance not only for the number of hours and travel, but to sometimes mix and deal with people from another environment and culture in other dress, eat and talk Specialist, you also need to be socially aware while communicating. It’s important that you’re able to pick up on the slightest change in tone or emotion during a conversation. Additionally, you cannot let your own emotions color your message.

Develop key messages house, develop a PR plan, Accurate media list, market knowledge, accurate content writing and translation, strong media relations