The one sentence summary

Decent PR needs curiosity, message and motive integrity, empathy, agility, crisp, clean, complete sentences, and not believing you are expert in everything.

WHAT THE BOOK SAYS 

  • This is a handbook for the skills needed to succeed in public relations today.
  • The PR fundamentals are: curiosity, message and motive integrity, empathy, agility, writing crisp, clean, complete sentences, an ability to work together, understand data and analytics, story telling, measurement, and not believing you are expert in everything.
  • PR has no boundaries. At some point or another, it includes anything that could happen to, or in, a business.
  • Think attraction, not promotion: gentle collisions allow brands to explain their position.
  • Creativity: logic is fine, but people don’t think logically – they think emotionally.
  • Don’t just listen – really hear and include. Resilient thinking takes a lot of effort, and a considerable amount of inclusion.
  • Words are our currency: avoid jargon, and develop a lexicon. Good words are everywhere – find ones that resonate with stakeholders.
  • Inspire to change behaviour: offer hope and a practical roadmap for turning hope into a trial process that can be repeated and so leads to habit.
  • Embrace change by asking: why not? Stretch yourself, and find someone to ‘bug you’ into action.
  • Never forget, it’s business: learn in detail the sphere a company operates in, and all its workings; build relationships and have a line of sight to business objectives; keep learning.
  • Perfection is overrated, but do aim for a PR strategy aligned with business objectives, well-informed recommendations, flawless documents, solid evidence, and high levels of integrity.

WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT

  • There is a section at the back called messages from the masters where you can grab quick advice from those experienced in PR, and a quick review of what’s next for PR.
  • There are some decent quotes:

“Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and work.” Chuck Close

“Nobody knows anything.” William Goldman

“Original doesn’t mean good.” Bo Burnham

WHAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH

  • It depends what PR experience you have. Experienced observers might find it a little basic, but those new to the industry will regard it as an excellent and up-to-date primer.