PR Tips
I truly feel like anything is possible when you have a spirit of creativity in your workplace. It’s one of the reasons I love public relations.
It’s also one of the reasons I started Symbiotic. Because being a publicist is anything but a solitary job. We work closely with our clients, colleagues, reporters, and other media and professional connections. I’ve learned just how significant a role collaboration plays in business. I’m talking about real collaboration — not just networking, not just meetings — actually working with a team of people to get the job done better.
These benefits aren’t specific to PR. They will grow the integrity and potential of your business from the inside out.
We could probably come up with a new way to collaborate in every work setting, with every unique group of people, and every type of job. These are some of my favorite ways to collaborate.
We tend to listen to people who think like us. We miss out on powerful perspectives and important opportunities because we get stuck in our own ways of thinking.
Being open to feedback, advice, and input from colleagues and teammates can create a lot of opportunities for understanding and growth. You might get a perspective that illuminates an awesome possibility and shapes your next steps.
Bring your questions to a bigger table. Don’t perpetuate the boring hierarchy where the person at the top of the chain makes all the big decisions without paying any attention to the wisdom of others. But creativity and possibility are sparked when we widen our circle. Who are you listening to?
Rarely do brilliant ideas come without support, inspiration, or some kind of connection. Be someone who listens and cares and appreciates your collaborators. Make sure everyone feels heard and appreciated for their contributions. Celebrating all the voices in the room means everyone is more likely to speak up when they have a good idea.
Shaping a culture of collaboration leads to ample benefits for your biz. I’m especially fond of the ways collaboration supports creativity. Here are some of the most meaningful impacts on my mind today.
Listening to more voices means the brilliant minds and imaginations of those people — informed by their distinct personalities and all the experiences of their lives — are contributing to your perspective. And more imagination yields more brilliant, out-of-the-box, game-changing ideas for you and your business.
At Symbiotic:
I love to keep my mind open by connecting with tons of different people. Even if they aren’t looking for PR, I learn so much just from chatting with passionate and curious entrepreneurs. It pushes me to get out of my comfort zone and think creatively.
Building relationships within and around your business grows the likelihood of natural understanding between you and your colleagues, customers, and the public too. Day-to-day meetings, emails, and big projects all go more smoothly.
At Symbiotic:
I like to set up times to ensure I’m in regular communication with my team and address questions as they come up. We’re building a culture of openness so feedback and suggestions aren’t a huge deal but part of our everyday communication. It keeps us moving so we don’t get hung up on misunderstandings at work.
We know professionalism is valuable in its place. But it takes a back seat when it comes to being a human at work. Because of the integrity of my work relationships, I don’t have to keep artificial barriers between me and my clients. I can be myself — a caring, passionate, and open-minded person. The folks I work with know this is the real me, and it builds comfort, familiarity, and confidence in our relationship.
At Symbiotic:
Meetings at Symbiotic tend to be very straightforward and mutually friendly. There’s no fuss, no bs. We are real so we can make sure we’re all on the same page and get things done. We save time and energy and honestly just enjoy the work more.
Collaboration at work isn’t just good for business. It’s good for me.
While it’s more common to be talking about workplace culture, mental health, and wellbeing at work these days, it takes energy to evolve culture in a positive direction with these things. We have some work today, but I know it’s worth it on so many levels.
I love these benefits of collaborating and building this naturally creative environment at work:
I know the people I work with. We care about each other and know what’s important to each other. And I am surrounded by colleagues and collaborators who offer me support in the day-to-day.
It feels impossible to imagine but following these suggestions and collaborating this way actually alleviates a lot of the internal dialogue and pressure that comes from working alone, carrying all the burden on your own, and feeling solitary at work.
If the workplace is healthier overall, it’s a healthier environment for me. It makes a huge difference.
Needless to say, these lists are game-changers for Symbiotic. I’m so proud of the grace this PR agency has in navigating challenging situations. I love that our team is naturally creative and gains inspiration from working together with our clients. I have high hopes for future workplaces that are collaborative and creative too! Wink wink!
If you’re looking for public relations support that jives like this, give us a shout. You already know we’re excited to connect.
.jpg)
