PR Pros Hear Voices

Outside our profession if people say they hear voices, its time for a straight jacket and men in the white coats. But it is just the opposite in our profession. Experienced  pros –hear voices—the words, tone and volume of our clients.

When we sit down to write a press release, speeches or social media posts for our clients, we need to hear the voice of our clients and be able to curate the proper narrative for them. We acquire that voice by being in meetings with client principals, listening to them on phone calls, and even reading what they have written and communicated in the past.

Effective communication is predicated on our being able to take their words, massage them into crisp messages, but always doing so in their voice, not ours nor someone else’s.

The message here is that for PR pros to do their jobs effectively, they need access to the principals of the companies they serve. No disrespect to well meaning client contacts and others in the organization who try to serve as intermediaries, but there is only one way to capture that voice, and that is through direct contact.