Effective Communication Requires Discipline, Practice and the Ability to Listen

As professional communicators, the majority of us spend our waking hours communicating with others, but not in a meaningful manner that makes us successful communicators. Effective communication requires discipline, practice and most importantly, the ability to listen.

The following six-step approach to effective communicating should help you streamline your thoughts, words and actions and help to become a more effective communicator in the spoken, printed and electronic communication world.

1. What is your purpose for communicating? Define it. Are you only sharing information? Or do you need action? If so, what action and by when? Or, do you have intent, such as a call to action?

2. Respect for your audience. Are you being clear and concise? Are you avoiding industry jargon that may confuse your recipients? Are you pushing information, i.e., “selling and telling” or pulling information, i.e., “asking and engaging?” For example, do you give others a chance to join your conversation? Do you listen? Do you want to listen? Do you really hear?

3. Simplicity. Is your message easy to access? For instance, can people simply skim your email messages to find the key information, or are they faced with a “wall of words” that they have to sort through? Are your messages timely? Do people know how to get in touch with you for more details or where to go for more information? Are you making sure you’re not contributing to the problem of more information overload? (Twitter?)

4. Be a credible source. Are you portraying through your oral and written communication that you are to be believable and trusted? Are you doing what you say you will do? Consistently?

5. Provide value. Are you communicating the topic in a way that appeals to people’s interests? Are you giving them just-in-time information that will help them do their job or solve their problem? Will they know how to act on the information?

6.Have fun. After all, communication is about exchanging ideas, learning new things, meeting new people. All of this should be fun. If communication ceases to be fun, then you are not effectively communicating. Start having some fun today.

P2R Associates Presented with Two IABC Renaissance Awards

LIVONIA, Mich., June 23, 2009 – P2R Associates today announced it received two prestigious Renaissance Awards for its informative and engaging www.p2rassociates website redesign. The IABC Renaissance Awards are sponsored by the Detroit Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC/Detroit).



The Renaissance Awards program recognizes excellence in communication in all functional areas including strategic communications management, corporate communications, public and media relations, marketing, writing, design, advertising and multimedia. A wide variety of Southeast Michigan corporations and agencies participated in this year’s judging.

“We are honored to be recognized for our internet work,” said Gordon Cole, president, P2R Associates. “These awards are a further confirmation of our team’s creative talent, hard work and commitment to our clients and their strategic communication goals.”

This year’s P2R winning campaigns include:
- Award of Merit - Electronic and Digital Communication
“Perception to Reality” Web Site Redesign

- Award of Merit - Interactive Media Design
“Perception to Reality” Web Site Redesign

IABC Renaissance Award entries come from corporate marketing and communication departments, advertising agencies, PR firms, design shops, production
companies and freelancers. Winners were selected in 20 categories spanning three communications divisions including Communications Management, Communications Skills and Communications Creative.

The Renaissance Awards are in addition to one Automotive Public Relations Council - Excellence in Automotive PR Award, two Hermes Creative Awards for web design and eight MarCom Awards presented to P2R earlier this year for a range of integrated strategic public relations and marketing communications programs, crisis communication strategies and print and broadcast publicity achievements. P2R’s industry award total this year stands at 11.

“P2R is a small, aggressive agency that produces measureable results and these awards make that point,” said Cole. “Our trademarked e³ Process™ results in break-through communications that are aligned with business objectives and focused on sustaining success,” he added. “We build on a solid foundation – efficiently and with the right tools. I’m really proud of the work our team has done.”

About IABC/Detroit
IABC/Detroit is one of the largest chapters within the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). IABC is a global network of more than 15,000 communications professionals and the only multidisciplinary professional association dedicated to both internal and external communications. For more information about IABC/Detroit, visit Detroit.iabc.com.

About P2R Associates
P2R Associates is an award-winning, strategic public relations and brand communications firm serving a diverse mix of international, national and local companies in a range of industries. With special expertise in business-to-business communications, P2R has represented clients in the automotive OE, Tier 1 and aftermarket, high-tech manufacturing, construction, consulting, defense, retail, design, engineering and exhibit and event management. Headquartered in Livonia, Mich., P2R provides clients with strategy-driven tactics, superior service and measurable results.

For more information about P2R and its e³ Evaluate, Engage, Empower™ process,
visit http://www.p2rassociates.com/.

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Is PUBLIC RELATIONS a Bad Word?

With so much newspeak in use for the term marketing communications, I am beginning to wonder is the term public relations is actually a “bad word.” Does it scare people off? Do people really know what public relations practitioners do? Do they care? Should they care?

Does strategic communications straddle the line between public relations and marketing? How about– integrated brand communications – closer still?

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately and it occurs to me that a most people don’t know the difference between public relations and many other marketing terms we hear regularly. The interchangeability of terms used in today’s market is blurring the distinction, especially in the growing social media and blogging arenas.

Here is how I look at it, marketing equals sales strategy and support. Public relations equals positioning plus public relations plus professional writing plus media relations plus corporate communications plus events… virtually everything that comes between a company and its myriad audiences. Public relations then, is the integrator of the company, its brand and how that brand is communicated.

Public relations is the most credible communication vehicle to positively influence buyers and inform target constituents. It consistently provides the best return-on-investment of all communication methods. Public relations – or specifically, media relations in this example - is believable and highly credible because information is published in third party media and is written by journalists who research solid news to report. Now that is different from marketing in my book.

Back to my original question. Does the term public relations scare people off? Most people are frightened by things they don’t understand. Public relations is an unknown item, a scary term -- and scary is bad. So how do today’s public relations practitioners rectify this situation?

Well, as the phrase implies, practice. Put into practice the natural integration that effective public relations drives. Don’t be content with simply a seat at the table – bring a voice that integrates and coordinates all elements of a company’s strategic and tactical communication. Remember: public relations at its best, educates, informs and persuades. So practice, practice, practice.

Be informed - practice the art of researching pertinent information. Be articulate - practice the art of professional writing. Be knowledgeable -- know your many audiences, practice the art of good old-fashioned media relations and build effective relationships with all audiences. Be strategic – practice a strategic outlook and maintain a wholistic eye on your organization’s or client’s activities. Finally – recognize your strength. Effective public relations is integrated. It weighs all viewpoints, considers options and outcomes against long-term objectives and ensures the organization “speaks with one voice.”

Public relations alone is the natural integrator in any organization because it alone must weigh and carefully balance a company’s reputation, brand and perception across all audiences in order to move the “perception needle.”

Public relations then, is the conductor to the orchestra of a company’s total communications effort.