Diversify
As I was waiting for my turn to speak, I wondered what I could possibly say that would be insightful to a room full of senior public relations professionals. The question: What do you do every day that helps you in your PR work? Some talked about making lists, setting goals, re-prioritizing, following trends, news, and scholarly work. Others centered themselves, drank coffee. Since I'm not working right now, what could I possibly say? When it came my turn to speak, I nailed my thoughts down and said, "Diversify my reading." I explained that I read about things I don't know, to which I've never been exposed. We can glean so much from other disciplines, and often we learn things that can apply to challenges in our own organizations.
For several months, I've been preparing for interviews at organizations that do things I've never done before. Each cover letter is a practice in applying my experience to a new field. Each interview involves imagining myself in a role I may never have the privilege of filling. I admit, there are times when I haven't been able to see how my background applies. I've wondered: If I can't see it, how can I expect them to? Other times, I've been frustrated by organizations that can't connect the dots. I realized today that, in some cases, I myself haven't connected the dots.
I joined the Capital Region PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) a few months back to keep my skills sharp and do some networking. When you're not "practicing" every day, your competence suffers (or at least you feel it atrophy). I've really enjoyed having the time to sit at the feet of masters and learn from their wisdom. I realized today that I have experienced many of the things they describe; I just haven't framed it in the same way.
I've been through strategic planning processes and put feet to them. I've organized a page full of random thoughts into an action plan, with deadlines and assigned tasks. I've experienced plans that sat on a shelf and went nowhere, and I've experienced plans that moved forward and served as a catalyst for great change. Many of these experiences were gained working in a church. Yet, I listen to these professionals who are working at universities, agencies, large non-profits, health systems, for-profits... and I realize we are all dealing with the same things, just framed differently.
On my way home from this morning's PRSA session, I reflected on how "full circle" today feels. Allow me to explain.
Back in high school, I subscribed to a magazine called Omni. It was largely a science publication, with a heavy bent toward the imaginative. One day, I read an article about the environment, complete with statistics on deforestation and its impact. Within the week, I was presented with a writing topic at the Regional UIL Ready Writing contest on this same subject. Prior to reading that article, I would have known nothing of interest to contribute to this essay. But because I had diversified my reading, I had statistics and anecdotes at the ready. The resulting essay qualified me for the state contest.
Years later, I wrote my capstone thesis for my undergraduate studies around the theme of various disciplines and their impact on the study of human communication. Even then, I was seeing the value of diversification. Psychology, sociology, education, business... all of these disciplines contribute to our study of communication. Some of the greatest minds in rhetoric were not rhetoricians, but philosophers (like Aristotle). Communication theory was developed by mathematicians, psychologists, political scientists and historians. It only stands to reason that being a student of diverse disciplines would make you a better communicator.
Every day, I'm discovering new and interesting things about the world. I've been doing some captioning, which has exposed me to teachings on everything from jiu-jitsu to becoming a stellar salesperson to understanding computer code to being an entrepreneur. Each interview I prepare for, I'm learning new things about foundations and health care and advertising and history and aging and education. I'm thankful to have the time to read outside my box.
Today's lesson: Be a student of the diverse.
For several months, I've been preparing for interviews at organizations that do things I've never done before. Each cover letter is a practice in applying my experience to a new field. Each interview involves imagining myself in a role I may never have the privilege of filling. I admit, there are times when I haven't been able to see how my background applies. I've wondered: If I can't see it, how can I expect them to? Other times, I've been frustrated by organizations that can't connect the dots. I realized today that, in some cases, I myself haven't connected the dots.
I joined the Capital Region PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) a few months back to keep my skills sharp and do some networking. When you're not "practicing" every day, your competence suffers (or at least you feel it atrophy). I've really enjoyed having the time to sit at the feet of masters and learn from their wisdom. I realized today that I have experienced many of the things they describe; I just haven't framed it in the same way.
I've been through strategic planning processes and put feet to them. I've organized a page full of random thoughts into an action plan, with deadlines and assigned tasks. I've experienced plans that sat on a shelf and went nowhere, and I've experienced plans that moved forward and served as a catalyst for great change. Many of these experiences were gained working in a church. Yet, I listen to these professionals who are working at universities, agencies, large non-profits, health systems, for-profits... and I realize we are all dealing with the same things, just framed differently.
On my way home from this morning's PRSA session, I reflected on how "full circle" today feels. Allow me to explain.
Back in high school, I subscribed to a magazine called Omni. It was largely a science publication, with a heavy bent toward the imaginative. One day, I read an article about the environment, complete with statistics on deforestation and its impact. Within the week, I was presented with a writing topic at the Regional UIL Ready Writing contest on this same subject. Prior to reading that article, I would have known nothing of interest to contribute to this essay. But because I had diversified my reading, I had statistics and anecdotes at the ready. The resulting essay qualified me for the state contest.
Years later, I wrote my capstone thesis for my undergraduate studies around the theme of various disciplines and their impact on the study of human communication. Even then, I was seeing the value of diversification. Psychology, sociology, education, business... all of these disciplines contribute to our study of communication. Some of the greatest minds in rhetoric were not rhetoricians, but philosophers (like Aristotle). Communication theory was developed by mathematicians, psychologists, political scientists and historians. It only stands to reason that being a student of diverse disciplines would make you a better communicator.
Every day, I'm discovering new and interesting things about the world. I've been doing some captioning, which has exposed me to teachings on everything from jiu-jitsu to becoming a stellar salesperson to understanding computer code to being an entrepreneur. Each interview I prepare for, I'm learning new things about foundations and health care and advertising and history and aging and education. I'm thankful to have the time to read outside my box.
Today's lesson: Be a student of the diverse.
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| Image credit: pixabay.com/users/ivanpais-1257286 |
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