The Learning Curve

The Public Relations industry can be critical, its professionals must develop a thick skin to survive.

Along with the substantial amount of coffee consumption, we must be willing and able to accept constructive criticism; after all, that’s how we learn from our mistakes and grow as a professional.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s never easy to hear criticism – especially on a campaign or project that was excreted from my heart and soul.

Like all my work, created from planning to execution, copy and design, including measurement and tracking – one would say that it is my baby; therefore, criticism is occasionally hard to swallow. There are a couple things that I practice however, to ease its effects.

Growth

If you don't know that you did something wrong, or slightly not right, you would never learn from it. Even the best PR professionals receive criticism about their work, but it's not meant to be demeaning nor shameful.

When you first start out, it takes time to get use to it but know that it will help you grow into the professional that you are meant to be.

Ask Questions, then clarification

It's OK to be wrong, if you don't make mistakes - you'll never learn and making mistakes is going to happen.

When something that was done incorrectly, ask for clarification and ask to see a hard or soft copy of the mistake so you can make sure that you're not going to repeat it. Plus, if it's a fact, it must be backed up.

Take responsibility, and fix it

There are two rules in public relations, something that we learn in the classroom but have more difficulty putting it into practice - apologizing. 

When mistakes are made, apologize, take responsibility, and move on to fix it.

More often than not, it doesn't warrant that kind of action - most critical items must go through management before they get released to the public, so you may only have to accept document or design changes, but the theory is still the same.

Adapt and Overcome

Overcoming this aspect of the profession takes time, and practice - but rest assured that you will develop your own practices for easing the stress that comes along with it.

Public Relation, and all its greatness, can be a very rewarding career if you stick it through.