I took a group of students to London in May 2005, for a two-week tour of communication agencies, firms, and government officials. It was fantastic. I wrote this article for our Alumni newsletter, but it never made the cut. As so many of our readers are recent graduates, I thought I’d edit and share what I learned. I still feel, two years later, that it’s apropos. - Luke

“Look Right.” Two simple life-saving words are painted on nearly every crosswalk throughout London. As Americans cross the street, our first instinct is to look left first – since that’s the side from which our traffic comes first. In England they drive on the left side of the road.

So what?

So it means if you want to make it across the street without incident, you need to look right first.

I spent two weeks in England, leading a group of students on a PR tour of businesses across London. Our mission was to meet with journalists, CEOs, and professionals covering all aspects of the art and practice of relating to people.

“Look Right.” It seems like that could be a PR practitioner’s motto, too. PR strategically monitors and alters the environment for the benefit of the organization. But in order to effectively enact our strategies, we have to be able to see properly…or look right.

How do we find out what’s going on? How does one environmental alteration affect one’s company? How do we get people to listen? The people we met with had answers. The following is a compilation of intellectual gems I gathered from these professionals.

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There are many faster and fiercer species. Yet homo sapiens has successfully colonized the planet from the equator to the poles.

The lesson from evolution appears to be that adaptability is a virtue. Our assets are a large brain, good communication skills, an omnivorous diet and an opposed thumb that allows us to make and use tools.

Despite this, I’m going to argue that success and esteem come to those who discover their specialty, not to ‘jacks of all trades’. It’s apparent among medical practitioners and lawyers, so why shouldn’t it be true in public relations?

Your start point - as with these professions - should be a general mastery of the theory and practice. But financial returns will come to those who gain unique skills and knowledge.

There’s no escaping the law of supply and demand. Don’t let me put you off working in consumer public relations if you have a particular passion and flair for the work, but don’t expect this to be be best rewarded sector. Why? Because barriers to entry are low: many people are interested, and little specialist knowledge is required to make a start. For these reasons, I’ve noticed that pay (both in terms of salaries and consultancy fees) is below average and the hours are long.

By contrast, financial public relations and public affairs work tends to be better rewarded and competition for jobs and clients may be less fierce because fewer people and consultancies offer the necessary expertise.

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In a society where we are so caught up with getting ahead, obtaining more, succeeding in our careers, we often overlook the “little things.” Things that, if taken advantage of, can be more interesting and fulfilling than the big things we are constantly chasing.

In my 27 years in Public Relations, I have had the good fortune to travel, meet a lot of interesting people and do many interesting things. Here’s a few ways we can enjoy the “little things” that we are blessed with every day.

1. Characterize a business trip as a pleasure trip. In my profession, I travel on a regular basis. But it was only recently that I started enjoying the trips I took. I now seek out friends in my network in each city I visit. I also look for an out-of-the-way restaurant or unique aspect of the city I’m in. There’s great pleasure in eating a hot pretzel from a sidewalk vendor on Times Square!

2. No matter how far you’ve come, always be accessible. The executives I admire most are the ones that are most accessible. The CEO at my company is available to everyone in our firm, no matter what level. He works hard at this. This accessibility means a lot to our employees. Seth Godin answers his own emails. (IF you don’t know who Seth is, find out quickly, you will be blessed!). I know this for a fact, because he replies to mine!

3. Take a mental health day and do nothing. Why is it that we are always “planning” time off? Sounds counterintuitive to me! Take a day. Do nothing. Don’t plan anything that day; just do whatever strikes you at the moment. My wife and I recently took a weekend for ourselves, without anything planned. It was the best weekend we spent together in a long time. Mainly because it was spontaneous and not planned.

4. Say “thank you” more often. I touched on this in my last column. Thank you is a phrase that is both overused and undervalued. We sometimes say thank you automatically and don’t appreciate who we are saying it to. Next time, pause, make eye contact, and say “thank you for what you do” to someone helping you. I have developed this habit with airport security workers. It is a thankless job, to be sure. Brighten up their day by stopping and really expressing your thanks.

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Forward Podcast 24 is an interview with Gary Hayes, Director of the Laboratory for Advanced Media Production at the Australian Film TV and Radio School and also Head of MUVE Development at Project Factory. Click here to read Gary’s bio.

In the interview, Gary talks on the current and future roles that virtual worlds, such as Second Life, will play in brand engagement efforts. Gary has had experience with virtual worlds starting in 1996, and offers his predictions on how brand engagement can or will function in these virtual worlds in the future.

For more on virtual worlds, listen to Forward Podcast 11 - Emerging Trends in PR with Georg Kolb. Also, try and have a listen to Luke Armour’s hilarious podcast A Virtual PR Murder Mystery - if you listen to some of the best PR podcasts out there, you’re sure to get a kick form it.

Please leave any questions or comments to follow.

Technorati Tags: public relations, pr, forward podcast, virtual worlds, second life, brand engagement

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Forward Podcast 23 is an interview with Donald Alexander, Senior Lecturer, Public Relations, at Charles Sturt University Bathurst.

Donald shares his tips from years of experience as a PR educator on how to get the most from your PR degree. Prior to entering academia, Donald held senior public relations management positions in both the finance and manufacturing sectors. He has also managed consultancies in technology and general sectors.

Please leave any questions or comments below.

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 Forward Podcast 23 :: Getting the Most From Your PR Degree [13:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1561)

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