BECAUSE it connects and touches many people’s lives, the communication profession has many parallels in other fields of endeavor. And PR pros will be amazed how they can find common ground in unlikely places.
But game shows? In an article in prnewsonline.com, Ilena di Toro relates how amazing and fun for her to be part of Jeopardy, a game show she watched as a teenager. Yet her time on the show also demonstrated a likeness to her professional practice of public relations at Debbie Goetz Media Connections.
Here, she shares with us the common lessons that can be learned from both in Jeopardy and PR: Lessons Learned:
• You can’t control what happens on a game show or in PR, but preparation helps you to meet any challenges you may face.
“A communicator has to be ready for anything,” says Di Toro. “This is where preparation comes in—creating accurate press releases and preparing the client for media interviews.’
Everything said, it is best to be prepared—do research, improve on your writing, and strengthen your relationships with media and shareholders.
• When Final Jeopardy came along, Di Toro made a lucky guess. Luckily it was correct and won the game. The same can be said about public relations. You’re in luck when you get a response from a reporter within minutes of sending out information about your client.
In the course of her game, Di Toro landed on a Daily Double, which she luckily answered correctly. When Final Jeopardy came along, she again made a guess, which luckily was correct and she won the game.
“The same can be said about public relations,” she says. When a lucky break comes along, it feels great, but “luck doesn’t take the place of due diligence, and it’s nice when preparation meets opportunity.”
• When things aren’t working the way that you want, make adjustments, if possible. Not getting the traction on the pitches you are sending out to media? Change the wording of the email, subject line, or call your contacts.
Di Toro recalls that during the second game, another contestant had a much better Jeopardy game than she did. In fact, “he dominated the entire game, built a substantial lead and was able to win, despite the fact that no one knew the Final Jeopardy question.”
Looking back, “it would be nice if due diligence always led to positive results, just as it would be nice if I won my second and subsequent games.”
“Both in public relations and on a game show, things don’t always work out the way you want.” When this time comes, its best to rethink, regroup, and re-strategize.
All in all, she says that being on Jeopardy was a lifetime experience she will always treasure. And while working in PR can be similar to working on Jeopardy, the ultimate prize for PR professionals is “seeing our how our efforts positively impact the organizations we work for—and that’s priceless.”
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the UK based International Public Relations Association (IPRA), the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications of SM, is the former local chair.
We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.