If you're not interested in the world around you, please don't pursue a career in public relations or communcations...really, I BEG YOU.
How often do we hear "I want to be in PR because I'm a 'people person'?" Really? If that's why you think you'd be good at this profession/vocation/career - STOP. STOP RIGHT THERE. Stand up and leave the room, because that has nothing to do with it.
The BEST comms people are the ones who are actively interested in the world around them - the ones who read and listen and watch to see how different people act, react, consumer, comment -- so that they can connect the dots from what those people care about to the company they represent (from the inside or the outside).
Because if you can't find relevance you can't tell a story that is remembered or retold. Nothing we do in PR or Comms is in a bubble -- we control VERY little. So if we don't understand -- and can't talk about the dynamics of the people we seek to influence, we will have very little success.
So read -- read a lot. To different points of view, in different media, from different types of people. Be interested -- it's interesting! you won't be disappointed.
And then connect the dots....
if you aren't interested enough to find out how to connect the dots, I have a few other careers for you to pursue.
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