The Craft of Communication Former journalist shares advice for PR rookies
by Matthew Prosser Communications Director Longview ISD
C
oming from the world of journalism into the "dark side" of public school communications/marketing, I had a few built-in assumptions about what the work would entail. But it took walking in the well-worn shoes of a PR professional to understand how best to serve my district and my community.
Recently, I had lunch with a former colleague who was "switching teams," so to speak, and he was interested in any advice I might have. The first thing I told him was that the most important lessons would have to come on the job. There's no better teacher than experience. But with that said, I offered my top five tips for newbies that I will share here. It's business, not personal Most of the time, the difficulties you face are not rooted in personal animosity but are a direct consequence of a breakdown in communication on some level. The angry parent who peppers you with questions on Facebook isn't angry at you; they're angry about a situation. Address their problem, not their emotions. If you find a way to work out the former, the latter will take care of itself. You're never "off the clock" Most of you probably have that little phrase in your contracts: "other duties as assigned," and I quickly learned that it meant that I would receive random phone calls, texts and emails from staff and local stakeholders at all hours of the day. Weekends. Holidays. On more than one occasion I've had to step aside from a family function to take a phone call from an overzealous reporter looking to break a story. So, I've learned to set clear boundaries for my availability and understand which information requests truly are urgent. Stay ahead of the trends Years ago, I was the first reporter at my newspaper to have a Twitter account. Today it's considered compulsory. When I first began working in marketing and public relations, I would occasionally check out what other schools were doing, but these days I read multiple trade publications and network with others in my field. I may not
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Summer 2021 | www.TSPRA.org
