Do Public Relations Professionals Really Need to Understand Business?
Public relations oftentimes isn’t a straightforward curriculum program from one university to the next. More often than not, public relations is taught with a focus in communication instead of a business foundation. To a public relations student who has a communication based coursework, business can seem like a whole separate language from what is taught in the classroom. When the classroom transitions into a career setting, students oftentimes wonder, how much will these two worlds intersect when it comes to real world application?
Being a student that switched majors from accounting to public relations later into my college career, I felt as if I was at a disadvantage by taking a lot of business classes as my electives in college. But as time moved on, I’ve realized that these choices in electives are what can set you apart. As a public relations professional, it is essential to understand how your goals and objectives will align with your organization’s general business objectives. Yes, you need to understand the basics of business.
Learn the basics of each department
Throughout your career, the importance of communicating with all departments of a business will unveil. There is a lot of value of walking into a position with a basic knowledge of all aspects of the organization and how their goals can connect to yours. Public relations is a management function and from this perspective, it is important to have a common understanding between all departments of a business. This, of course, doesn’t mean you should have a degree in all areas, but having a general understanding of the basic principles can be helpful. In a time of crisis, it could be helpful to save those 20 minutes of explaining from your legal team on their perspective of the crisis when a little research could give you enough background beforehand.
Formulate your objectives with the organization as a whole in mind
Measuring success can come from different perspectives from different parts of an organization. Evaluating if a goal is met from a public relations perspective can be measured by a variety of different metrics. Although, taking the time to coordinate with different sectors of the organization may help create a seamless plan to assist all departments in achieving their goals for the next quarter. The plan that you make should be appropriate with what is going on in every department. Take the time to have those conversations about where the company should be heading in terms of their relationships with all stakeholders, it can spring forward not only for your progress, but progress for the organization as a whole.
Prioritize Continuous Learning
When it comes down to it, no progress is made by getting too comfortable. In a field that is ever shaping and faces new obstacles on a continuous basis, we must prioritize getting ahead even when it may not be necessary. Whether you’re a student or not, learning should be a foundational priority always. By expanding your knowledge about new policies, technologies, and different departmental changes, you’re putting yourself and your organization forward. Take the time to sharpen your skills and be the one to ask those necessary questions.
Whether you are at the beginning of your education or are looking to sharpen your skills later in your career, prioritizing lifelong learning is essential to being the type of employee that any organization would be looking to hire. Take the extra steps to learn about all of your organization’s departments and formulate your work toward the betterment of all the parts of the organization and see how much further you can project your organization’s success. Besides, a little extra knowledge never hurt anybody.
About Alexis:
Alexis Smith is a senior at Grand Valley State University studying advertising and public relations. She is a member of PRSSA at GVSU as well as an Account Associate for GrandPR. Alexis has a passion for all things consumer PR, internal communications and graphic design. When she has a free moment, you’ll likely find her exploring Grand Rapids restaurants and concerts.