everyday public relations

Saying no has always been hard for me. There are a ton of possible reasons why this is true. I’m a girl, I had a crazy childhood, my mother is domineering, I’m a southerner, a people pleaser……etc.

Whatever the reason, being able to confidently say no to a superior is an important skill. It is not your boss’s job to know every mundane detail about how busy you are and every project you have on your plate. They see the end results and do not know, or care(most likely) about how that end comes about as long as you continue to smile and be productive.

So what happens when you are overloaded, stressed out and about to fall over from lack of food and the boss walks in 10 minutes before you are supposed to thankfully leave for the day and says, “oh by the way, can you present to the board tomorrow morning? You will need to talk for 20 minutes about the efficacy of using rubber suction cups on disentangling right whales” or some other highly complicated subject that is totally out of left field.

Now what?

On the one hand you are flattered that the boss obviously has a large amount of faith in your abilities. On the other, it is boy scout night, the baby is sick, your homework is behind and you haven’t spent any alone time with the hubby in weeks. You simply do not have time to do the research needed.

Obviously this seems like a silly premise, but I promise you there are people everywhere who know exactly what I am talking about. And I am not alone. I posted a poll on LinkedIn asking professionals everywhere how they say no. (You can take it to and I will post the final results right here next week. )

Know what I have found out so far? Girls are more likely to make up an excuse, rather than say no. Come on girls!!! That is exactly the wrong thing to do. Very few of us are good liars and in most cases, the excuse will come out sounding flimsy. Not a great career move.
So how DO you say no to the boss? Here is what I have learned so far. Put these tips to use and they just might gain you a little respect as well as help you build your confidence in the work place.

1. Tell yourself everyday that you are a good employee and are worthy of having respect and adequate notice from the boss.

2. When given a task that you simply can’t do, do not lie, make excuses or just suck it up. Your boss is human too, (at least most of them are). They have a life and a career and will understand, if you are up front and honest.

3. Most requests are simply that,a request. Unless you are in national security, you rarely receive orders. You can explain why you can’t complete the task, but even that is not always needed. For the most part, he or she will simply go on down the line to the next person.

4. Have a back-up colleague in the office. It is so nice to know when someone has your back. Keep up with what each other is doing and then when you can’t help your boss, be able to suggest someone else who can. (Just know that they will do the same)

Remember, there is no reason to be continuously stressed and overloaded because you are afraid of what your boss will say. If you are doing your job to the best of your ability, then there should be no problem with turning down a request every now and then. Your boss will respect you for standing up for yourself (great career move).It will make you more confident, and more productive, as your work will be higher quality if you are concentrating fully on 3 projects instead of rushing to complete 5.

So how do you say no? Take the poll .

So I am watching television tonight and there is this ad calling for people to donate their used phones, you know to be refurbished and then donated to various charities, primarily groups that support battered women. Well I am all for thee idea of it all of course. I am a total green freak and always looking for ways to reduce my impact on this great planet of ours. Maybe that is why I feel so strongly about passing on this word of warning.

You truly do get what you pay for in almost ever instance, with FEW exceptions. I know this but still purchased a refurbished phone, blinded by the absolutely obscene amount of money I would be saving and the thought that I was doing good by not adding another gadget to the local landfill.

Well it took less than a few HOURS to realize something was up, but I did not want to admit it to my husband, especially after all my bragging about the money I’d saved. After getting stranded and not being able to get a call out in the middle of a busy area (read: plenty of damn bars so I should have a signal), I admitted that maybe the refurbished model was not for me. I took it in to my local store and even though they gave me credit for buying the phone, I couldn’t help but notice the smirk when I mentioned it was a refurbished phone. The sales lady all but told me, well….you get what you pay for. So I paid through the nose and got a  better phone. So what is the point of this rant?

How can they justify giving phones that more than likely do not work to some of the most vulnerable people in our population, those that have been abused or victimized????

Are they not the ones who would need the help, i.e. a signal in a desperate situation??

I know we have the technology to do better for these women, so if they are going through what I went through, well lets just say I will not stand idly by. We can do better and therefore we should.

Anyone else want to weigh in?

I read a post recently that really hit home. I started my blog for a school assignment and thanks to a wonderful teacher and mentor, I got “hooked” on blogging.

As a public relations undergrad, having a PR blog made sense, but as I grow and move on with my career (and my life) it has become harder and harder to come up with new and interesting posts regarding to public relations. I am much more interested now in how one can apply the tactics and strategies learned in PR and apply them to the rest of…well life.

I never wanted a super corporate PR position, preferring to do something a little more low-key and certainly more fulfilling (in my opinion only) in my quest to save the planet, or at least contribute to that end. (My regular readers are well aware of my hippie upbringings and dedication to social causes, but if you are new check here for some older entries to get you better acquainted.)

I love to write, and I love to blog, but I have so much more going on that I am thinking that I need to take a step back and re-evaluate my blogging purpose. I lead a very busy life and find it harder and harder to cram in the time required for a decent and thoughtful post every week. (my goal is to post every Tuesday.)

I want to help others, and I want to help the world and I honestly feel that my ability to and love of writing is my gift, given to me for the specific purpose to use for doing what I crave, helping others.

I have considered changing topics, hosts, themes, you name it. Something needs to happen, I just can’t put my finger on it. I am not ready to lay down the old pencil just yet, so don’t worry just yet.

So on that note, be on the lookout for some new and interesting changes at Everyday Public Relations. Come back soon.

Here are a few tips as well as some great posts that provide a ton of need-to-know information for the newbie blogger. Enjoy!

1.The Urban Muse - 10 tips for new bloggers and 5 terms every blogger should know

2.blogbloke - Best blogging practices

3.Brazen Careerist – great site for all Gen Y’ers who are trying to get out there and make a name for themselves through blogging. The founders, Penelope Trunk and Ryan Healy are quick to answer questions and are a wealth of information.

4. TeachingPR (my blogging mentor and a great reference besides!) Always great info for new bloggers that are into all aspects of the PR world.

5.Do a guest post – I recently did one of these for a fellow brazen blogger. They are a great way to get your feet wet as well as a way to write about things that may not necessarily fit within the confines of your particular topic.

Got more?

I’d love to hear ‘em. Post a comment and share the wealth!

Probably one of the best PR and advertising campaigns of all time: Smoky the Bear.

I am a big supporter of prescribed fire. But you have to admit that this one image did more to set back the natural progression of species (plant and animal) evolution than most any other campaign in history….except maybe the cigarette campaign that convinced women that smoking was a sign of “Independence”……that is a hard choice….

Anyhow, I got to thinking, what are other campaigns that have been hugely sucessful? I am throwing this question out to all my fellow brazen bloggers as well as my new PR comrades. What are the best campaigns of all time, what sticks in your mind?

Let me know and I will include it in my next post!

SSHHH…….

I am a very luck individual, meaning that I am fortunate enough to have one of those jobs that I actually enjoy, even look forward too.

I know how rare that can be for young people so I do not say this lightly. When I was hired I can honestly say I was thrilled and looked forward to a long career with the agency. Since that time, I have had some of my idealism dampened but I continue to look forward to the everyday anticipating what I will learn while coming to the realization that this job may not be my final resting point.

I have however learned a few things on the job these last seven months that will no doubt continue to help me navigate my way through the world of PR for years to come, whether or not this job becomes a long term career or not. I share these things with you in the hopes that you will perhaps have a slightly smoother path than the one I took through the world of government public affairs.

There are some things you should NEVER talk about at work. There are just some topics that no matter how well intentioned you may be or how close you think you may be to a co-worker, you will lose in the end, and sometimes it can even mean your job. This isn’t rocket science and by no means NEW, but some people need the refresher.

1. Religion – This should be a no-brainer for most. There is just too much volatility and too many people who will not think twice about arguing ‘till they are blue in the face to convince you just how wrong you are.
2. Politics – some people can’t even live in the same household and discuss politics, so it makes sense that this should be off limits at work.
3. Personal Finances – Do you really want people to know just how broke you truly are? In my opinion whether you are wearing designer shoes or scrounging to buy a soda, the only one who needs to know what is in your wallet or bank account is you.
4. Sex Life – I don’t care how hot you think you are, nobody in the office wants to hear about your escapades between the sheets, whether it be your husband or wife or whoever. There is nothing worse than becoming the office slut or player. You might think you are cool, but I guarantee people are either laughing or disgusted whether they say anything to your face or not. Bragging about your after hours excursions will not gain you any points with the boss or anyone else that actually matters so do yourself a favor and keep mum while within the confines of the daily grind we call work.
5. Personal Medical Maladies – Yes you may have legitimate issues you need to make your supervisor aware of but that is not the kind of thing I am referring to here. I am talking about the things such as ulcers and migraines and chronic fatigue that may make the powers that be a tad bit nervous about your ability to do your job. Unless your issue seriously compromises your work flow, keep it to yourself.

Are there other taboo topics in the work place? There are certainly many things you don’t learn in college, but after nearly a year in the work force are there other things we should just know by now? Of course, but these are the main ones I have discovered since stepping into the crazy working “real world” of PR. Have a thought or want to add one to the list…post a comment.