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 .

Today’s post was contributed by guest blogger, Milena Thomas. Thomas blogs about life, marriage, economics, and politics at Quiet the Thunder and Brazen Careerist. She is a wife, grad student in finance and economics, professional singer and voice teacher.

Enjoy!

I started blogging a little over a year ago, and I fell in love with it. Tiffany Monhollon of Personal PR describes blogging as, “unlike any other form of expression on earth…” Little by little, her sentiment has won me over. Blogging is incredible, precisely because it has expanded the ability for anyone to connect with total strangers, on a personal and in-depth level, on a wide variety of topics. How else would an Estonian man Google “is marriage overrated,” find my rant on the topic, and engage in significant discussion? How else would reading Penelope Trunk’s blog have led to fundamental changes in my thoughts about what a career can be, leading to quitting my job, and even meeting with her last week?

Blogging, and other forms of ultra-fast electronic media have expanded our communicative abilities, but I wonder if they have done much for expanding our minds. While I think it is wonderful bloggers need no credentials, it doesn’t do much for those who blog without authority or substance, and for readers who absorb their output at face value. I also think that attention spans have shortened, and the satisfaction from delving deeply into topics has been replaced by micro-blogging jollies on Twitter. I find that the internet sometimes becomes an echo chamber where the loudest and most obnoxious voices drown out others.

A few months ago, I naively decided to explore one of the most controversial topics of all time on my blog: abortion. I thought I was putting a unique spin on the subject, questioning whether veganism and pro-choice philosophies can truly coincide with one another. I also thought it sparked some healthy debate, but I quickly learned that most people either agreed with my views, or decried my existence. Still, I was determined to speak my mind and try to foster intelligent, rational dialogue. From that point, I embarked week after week presenting more hot topics for discussion. I was enthralled with the process. As soon as I’d release a post, it was like a blood scent was released into the blogosphere – the hounds came trampling and baying at the tree in which I quickly found shelter.

I don’t write about my experience to get sympathy for my politics, because I know there are plenty of my philosophical opponents hanging out in trees too. My point is that people can be nasty and narrow-minded. Things get ugly, personal, and communication shuts down – relegated to jabs and come-backs with no hope for resolution and understanding. The internet makes the hit-and-run attack so easy, and so difficult to defend. I have never experienced a salon, but I think luxuriating with friends, a glass of wine and a philosophical topic would be a wonderful way to spend an evening. I wonder if we can capture that as bloggers? I think so. Despite internet dogs on the prowl, there are plenty of wonderful commentators who show they are capable of civil discussion, even when it leads to disagreement.

As bloggers, I think we have a right to tenaciously tear apart ideas – not people. What are your thoughts and experiences on blogging and public discourse? How can we foster intelligent discussion on any topic?

A Simple girl at heart….

When I got into public relations all I kept hearing about was the corporate end of it…the marketing, the advertising, the “spin”, the ridiculously high salaries.That totally did not appeal to me but for some reason I stuck with the program and now I am glad I did. For this reason alone….Just because you practice PR does not mean you have to sell your soul to the highest bidder. Maybe I am not wealthy, but I feel good about what I am doing and that is good enough for my wallet and my family.

I work for the state, which means I work for very little, but you know what, I sleep pretty good at night knowing that I am using my skills and talents for good.

I claim to be a liberal. I am all for freedom of expression, freedom to choose my own form of worship, business and marital status. However, these days it seems that all I hear is whining about the Gen-Y and Gen X’ers not being involved, not doing their part. I happen to believe these claims are WRONG.

In addition I keep reading on various blogs and op-ed articles how young people feel they have no real voice. Even John Mayer (who I detest by the way) immortalized the sentiment in his line”they say we stand for nothing and there is no way we ever could “

I disagree.

I have a voice and I intend to use it.

I had a guest speaker in my grad school class today who was a great example of how the younger generation (and maybe the not so young generation) can make their voices be heard.

No matter what your political affiliation, you can be involved if you want to be. The opportunities are out there, if you just open your eyes a little bit. And maybe, go out on a limb a little to take a few risks.

Want to do more than just don a bumper-sticker? Here is the short list:

1. Volunteer - More than half of American citizens volunteer which equates to more than 100 million people donating more than 19 billion ours each year - Nonprofit Organizations (Holland & Ritvo 2008)
2. Vote In 2004 less than half of eligible voters actually made it to the polls. I think that is extremely unacceptable. How can we declare a need for change if we don’t participate in the process to effect that change?
3. Serve on a board - Stacey Kolomer, President of the Athens Clarke County Council on Aging gave an excellent talk today about why boards are important, the pains of being a part of them but the real impacts you can make within your community. Want to be heard?? Join a board and actually speak up for what you believe in. Even if you disagree aout the issues, at least you are making your concerns heard.
4. serve on a community committee - PTA, homeowners association, rotary club, whatever. For many of these groups there are no specific requirements other than you be committed and passionate about the cause. Want to spay and neuter every living dog and cat, there is a group for you, want to create a lending service for books on tape for seniors, there is a group for that too! A few quick searches can turn up a wealth of knowledge.
5. be a mentor - many schools, shelters, nonprofits and church organizations are in such short supply that I could spend a whole page discussing it (but I won’t). If you really want to help the next generation, who will by the way determine whether we become happy retirees or “soylant green” , find out about giving an hour or so of your time to the local Y or an after-school program that needs you.
6. Take the time to read the papers, read the online news or however you get your daily feed. Skip the celebrity gossip and the livig section (hard I know- I just love “Get Fuzzy” myself) but really pay attention and be aware of the world. There are so many of us who are simply oblivious….a sad state of affairs.

OKay. so by now you may know that I am not a McCain/Palin Fan, but at this point all I want is for today’s gen-y and gen-x individuals to really make a point to get involved. Go to a meeting, write a letter, do what our forefathers intended and create a real democratic republic.

To quote one of my favorite nonprofit groups “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.”

So get out there and do something darn it!

Peacefull….

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!