By Alima Atta
Just what does it take to be a good PR person? I have been asked this question so often in so many different ways – what exactly do you do? What skills do I need? What course can I take? My answer is this - PR qualities are innate; they are instinctive. You can develop them but I firmly believe that it would be difficult to learn to be a good PR person.
Is it really possible to acquire good, effective writing skills? I believe good writers have the ability naturally. Does everyone have powers of persuasion? No, some people couldn’t sell a beer in a brewery. Is everyone organized and structured? No. Some people thrive better in chaos but a PR person can’t. They bring order to chaos. Imagine something or someone you are passionate about. Imagine your zeal when you talk about them; how animated you become. Now imagine someone who can do this about anything and everything. This is what an excellent PR person strives to do – and believe me, it is not easy to.
You have to be a communicator – whether it is through writing or speaking. You have to be approachable and amiable – not always easy to do. You have to be in the know – who’s who, where to go, who is doing what. It can be tiresome because you find your mind working overtime and all the time. You have to be a good assimilator; someone who can think on their feet and bring ideas together. This is the reason why you have to be the kind of person who is interested in information and acquiring knowledge anyway – so that this type of life is the norm to you.
If you do have some of these attributes then you can acquire some of the others and turn yourself into a PR Consultant extraordinaire. Hope this helps!
