While at PRSSA National Conference, I attended a break out session called "Building Trust and Inspiring Passion: Keys to Success in Both the For-Profit and Non-Profit World" with Joe Hice and Les Landes. This was my favorite session and I particularly liked Joe Hice's Golden Rules of Communication. These were not only great for public relations practitioners, but for anyone who communicates, which is everyone! Here they are:
1. Always approach people as the source of the solution--not the cause of the problem.
This is a great rule for anyone in any conflict resolution situation. Humans are quick to put the blame on someone else, but this offers a refreshing perspective on this situation. Approaching others to help solve problems will make conflict resolution much easier and will help keep negative feelings out of the mix.
2. The only terminal communication breakdown is disengagement--so keep the dialogue going.
Keeping your public involved and engaged is the best way to build relationships and start conversations. This is something we speak of often in our Social Media class, and something I've come to appreciate as a PR major. PR is about two-way communication, and if it doesn't involve both sides, it's not communication!
3. Communication is too important to be left in the hands of professional communicators, so share the know-how and build connections and relationships.
A brand will only be as strong as it's weakest representative. That said, we must share knowledge to allow everyone to communicate that brand in the best way. If connections are built by everyone in the company and all supporting that brand, relationships will be much stronger.
4. Be a champion of trust!
Joe described PR professionals as "Champions of Trust" instead of PR people. I loved this! I strongly believe if you don't have trust in a relationship, you have nothing. As communicators, we need to make sure we are building that trust between our target audiences in a credible, continuous and transparent way.
I will keep these four rules close as I start my career as a champion of trust!
These are all great tools of communication. My favorite was number 2 because the more you keep the conversation, you are essentially gaining more information. These are all awesome!
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