PR People Need To See All Sides Of An Issue

What makes a good communicator?

Writing skills, definitely. The ability to quickly understand complex topics, certainly.

But I would also argue that one important skill PR people must possess is the ability to see all sides of an issue ... to be comfortable in the "gray area" and able to function in ambiguity.


100 percent certainty

All day long we deal with people who view the world with 100 percent certainty that their way is the right way.

You see this manifested particularly in politics -- Republicans are connected at the hip to their party and its decisions, people, outcomes, etc.; Democrats to theirs. Few people are able to see the good -- or bad -- in both parties.

Few can say, "Well, I'm a Republican (or Democrat) but I don't think this is right."

Yet isn't the ability to see all sides of a problem the key to finding successful solutions and developing necessary compromises?


My way or the ...

It's the same in business. Many businesspeople are 100 percent committed to their way of thinking even if they are correct just 50 percent of the time.

It's our job to step back and analyze issues and situations from all sides. It's our job to put ourselves in the shoes of customers and other stakeholders and try to understand their thinking and motivations. Not to gain an advantage over them, but to reach common ground with them.

It's our job to speak for those who might not have a voice in the conference room.

Let the lawyers, accountants and engineers deal in certainties. That's their job. We must deal with the uncertainties ... and we must be good at it.

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