row with the tides and give your career a boost
Did you know that the half-life of a skill is just five years[1]? The skills that served you well five years ago may only be half as relevant in today’s professional environment. And five years from now the skills you are using right now will be old school too. This data point hammers home the importance of ongoing professional education and skill development on the individual level, and the importance of staying current on approaches to moving your business forward on the company level.
In the field of public relations, digital sources overtook traditional print newspapers [BM1] as the nation’s primary news delivery vehicle a few years ago. Today, according to the Pew Research Center, just 7% of the U.S. population prefers to get its news from print or radio while 86% get their news online.[2] That stat alone sheds a great deal of light on how easily misinformation can be disseminated via the Internet.
As PR practitioners it’s our responsibility to adhere to journalistic principles as we craft stories that advance our messages while being relevant to the things people care about. PR and marketing professionals who can identify trends and prepare for the future have the best chances of setting their companies up for success. Doing so enables PR professionals to help companies by meeting audiences where they are.
From advances in AI to video streaming to micro-influencer marketing, it’s clear that the digital communications juggernaut is driving the future of how we receive, and believe, information. Content is king not because humans want to be informed, though certainly many do, but because even more than that, we are neurologically wired such that information received repeatedly tends to travel through the same route in our brains, over and over, strengthening our belief in the repeated information and making it more difficult for alternative information to be considered.[3] That’s why people tend to trust information delivered by sources (including brands) that affirm their beliefs and why fact-checking alone will never halt the disinformation train. When presented with facts, cognitive dissonance causes some people who believe misleading ideas to perceive the truth, in fact, as fake!
While PR pros may not be able to tackle all the disinformation on the Internet, we can continually monitor trends to build and leverage trusted relationships given the rapid acceleration of social and digital media. Nowadays almost every client has a digital strategy of some kind. Understanding how to seamlessly integrate information channels we use today with the necessary skills of tomorrow is more important than ever for a successful and rewarding communications career.
Don’t wait for an invitation to row with the changing tides. There are many ways to proactively seek out ongoing learning resources. These include:
1. Taking advantage of low cost or free skills training via online sites like LinkedIn Learning, or join a professional organization that offers publications, webinars, and courses such as the Public Relations Society of America, the American Marketing Association, or the Digital Marketing Institute.
2. Reading industry publications such as PR Week, PRSA Newsletter, or PR News.
3. Join social media groups dedicated to sharing and discussing emerging topics and trends.
4. Perusing a short list of blogs chock full of information from industry thought leaders, such as Respona, Richard Edelman’s 6 a.m. or Bulldog Reporter.
5. Taking a colleague from another discipline to lunch to learn how they do what they do.
Learn as much as you can and bring that learning to your job every day. You, your colleagues, and clients will be impressed by the knowledge and insight you bring to the table.
[1] The Half-Life of Skills - HR Daily Advisor (blr.com)
[2] 86% of Americans get news online from smartphone, computer or tablet | Pew Research Center
[3] Why do we believe in fake news? A journey into the cognitive layers of disinformation | SOMA Disinfobservatory
[BM1]Is it social media overtaking traditional newspapers, or is it more broadly a change in consumption of news via digital devices verses print? The PEW article says that 68% of Americans get their news from online news websites or apps and 53% from social media. But when we look at the younger generations (age 18-29), 42% get their news from social media (compared to 28% from news websites or apps) whereas older generations are less likely to get news from social media.
