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What Are The Seven Characteristics Of People Who Are Suitable For Public Relations?

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A spokesperson has a wide range of duties, including goal setting, planning, and media support. A spokesperson who acts as a bridge between companies and society. What are the characteristics of a person who is suitable for such a spokesperson?

In this article, it will introduce the seven characteristics of people who are suitable for spokesperson and what to do if they do not meet the aptitude.

First thing you should know "What is expected as public relations"

What is expected as public relations depends on the phase and issues of the company. The feature is that the necessary movements change depending on the situation, such as policy planning, increasing awareness, shareholder response, and internal public relations. In either case, it can be said that public relations are expected to communicate and coordinate with related parties with a high sense of ethics.

Seven characteristics of people who are suitable for spokesperson

What are the specific characteristics of a spokesperson?

Here are seven characteristics that are common to those who are producing results as a spokesperson, taking into account the skills required for public relations work.

Characteristic 1. High information sensitivity

The first characteristic of a person who is suitable for a spokesperson is “High information sensitivity.”  It can be said that this is a characteristic that is especially important when making a plan.

Information sensitivity increases by being interested in specific information and collecting, organizing, and outputting information by yourself. Consumers who have high information sensitivity on a daily basis, such as searching for words that interest them in conversation, getting inspiration from everyday scenes such as advertisements, and thinking about the reasons for fashion and the reasons for reporting by other companies, etc. There is a tendency to put out a project that receives a response from.

Characteristic 2. You can see things from a company-wide perspective

The second characteristic of people who are suitable for spokespersons is “You can see things from a company-wide perspective.”

Public relations work has a strong influence on management, so it is important to look at things from a company-wide perspective.

A spokesperson has the opportunity not only to formulate measures with the management, but also to respond to interviews as a spokesperson for the management when dealing with the media. Looking at things from a company-wide perspective while considering where the company is heading, what the challenges are, and the degree of urgency and importance will lead to public relations activities that are directly linked to management.

Characteristic 3. Altruistic

The third characteristic of people who are suitable for spokespersons is, “Be Altruistic.”

Corporate social contribution has become an unavoidable management issue, and companies that only pursue their own profits tend to be weeded out. The same is true for spokespersons, who need to be able to think and act for their employees, for the company, for society and stakeholders.

If you place too much emphasis on your evaluation of your work, you may end up with a means such as media exposure. Personally, it can be said that many of the spokespersons who are producing results tend to be altruistic, as many people like to be happy or grateful for their contributions.

Characteristic 4. Thorough details

The fourth characteristic of people who are suitable for spokespersons is “Stick to the details.”

Public relations work involves a lot of coordination work, grammar proofreading, and office work, and it is necessary to ensure that the details of the work can be thoroughly implemented.

In addition to establishing a system such as double check, in the case of proofreading, it is necessary to thoroughly check every detail while devising ways such as checking again after a while and printing. Information that is released to the world in an official form is directly linked to the trust of the company, so pay close attention to the numbers and sources, and be careful if there is any discrepancy with the information provided in the past.

Characteristic 5. Light footwork and good at socializing

The fifth characteristic of people who are suitable for spokespersons is “Light footwork and good at socializing.”

It can be said that building trust and relationships with people is essential in public relations work.

A spokesperson who regularly communicates with management and builds relationships with employees and media personnel. It is also important to exchange information and build friendly relationships with competitors' spokespersons.

Participating in industry gatherings and communities of spokespersons gives you new encounters and learning, which is advantageous for those with a light footwork and sociability.

Characteristic 6. Patiently following the goal

The sixth characteristic of people who are suitable for spokespersons is “Tirelessly.”

Because it is difficult to see the results and evaluate the public relations work, it is necessary to set goals with the parties concerned, review the goals and measures, and repeat PDCA and continue to pursue the goals patiently.

The effects of public relations activities, including attitude change, are extremely difficult to measure.  It can be said that you can play an active role.

Characteristic 7. Multitasking and the ability to judge and execute priorities associated with it

The seventh characteristic of people who are suitable for spokespersons is “Good at multitasking.”

Public relations work has a wide range of occupations, so tasks tend to be in progress at the same time. If you have multitasking abilities such as prioritizing according to the issues of the company and proceeding with the work while deciding not to start, you will be able to proceed smoothly.

Experience of other occupations that can be utilized in public relations work


Some people are not currently spokespersons, but are aiming to become spokespersons in the future. What kind of occupational experience can you easily utilize when working on public relations work?

The skills required for public relations and the universal skills required as a business person often overlap, so any occupational experience will be useful. Among them, the content is relatively close to the public relations work. Pick up the experience of occupations that are easy to play an active role as an immediate force.

a. Human Resources

The first type of job that can be used in public relations work is personnel affairs.

HR strategy, personnel system, evaluation system, education and training system, and the adoption of plans, often influence a high degree of business to management personnel . It has a high sense of ethics and is characterized by having much in common with public relations work in that it performs accurate work while multitasking.

In recruiting activities, the point of attracting job seekers and communicating the attractiveness of the company overlaps with the media approach. When changing jobs from personnel to public relations within a company, personnel who have a lot of relationships between management and employees on a daily basis can build relationships with employees and grasp internal resources, so we will not overlook unique human resources. It is easy to encourage the cooperation of, and you can expect to be active as an immediate force.

b. Sales

The second type of job that can be utilized in public relations work is sales.

The ability to grasp the needs of the other party and promote behavior change, which is necessary for sales , can be diverted to public relations planning and media approach.

Many active spokespersons only respond to inquiries from the media, so those with sales experience who have achieved sales targets have the power to develop new media, and other companies can approach it. You will also be able to build connections with media that you didn't have.

c. Designer

The third type of job that can be used in public relations work is designers.

The designer 's thinking process , which analyzes user behavior and designs usability, is effective when planning in public relations activities. Just as it is difficult to measure the effect of attitude change through design, it is difficult to measure the effect of public relations activities. It can be said that there is something in common in the process of patiently pursuing goals and repeating improvements.

Design skills will also be of great help in creating stakeholder materials such as press releases and fact books to make them easier to read and to convey the characteristics of a company or service in an easy-to-understand manner.

d. Customer Success

The fourth type of job that can be used in public relations work is customer success and customer support.

Since customer success is always aware of the opinions and trends of end users, we can expect planning that is close to the customer.

When changing jobs within a company, it is an advantage that the latest user trends can be communicated to media personnel, the story is persuasive and the information granularity is increased, and information that is useful to the company can be transmitted. Customer success, which works closely with the service development side, can also convey the background of the company's product development, so it can be expected to play an active role as an information staff member.

e. Marketing

The fifth type of job that can be used in public relations work is marketing.

In order to increase awareness through the press, we plan while taking measures such as collaborations and campaigns in consideration of news characteristics such as time and timing, so marketing skills are exactly the skills necessary for public relations.

Many people are in charge of both public relations and marketing, and many companies develop products from a public relations perspective, so public relations and marketing have a high affinity, and it is a job experience that works well when conducting public relations activities.

How to deal with weaknesses and play an active role as public relations

You can see that the public relations work has a wide range of occupations and the required skills are diverse.

On the other hand, even active spokespersons are constantly conducting trial and error while supplementing their lack of skills. You don't have to rush if you don't meet the characteristics listed above. Even if it does not match the applicable item, it is okay if you proceed while compensating for the weaknesses.

How should we specifically cover our weaknesses? Let's check the concrete measures.

a. Not good at communication → Carefully engage in deep relationships

If you're not good at socializing with many people, such as at a party, don't overdo it and work with media people who are already involved. Let's make a relationship by repeating polite relationships.

Even if the number of people in charge who can be contacted by putting KPIs for exchanging business cards and acquiring interviews increases due to too much focus on media development, the contact information becomes unknown due to the movement of the media person in charge, and if the contact is lost, it will be overturned. You may be introduced to us after selecting the necessary media for your company and then having a deep relationship with them. Let's get to know the other person well and build trust while having a deep relationship.

b. Not good at detailed work and adjustment → Utilize tools

If you are not good at detailed work and careless mistakes are conspicuous, use tools and prepare a system. Let's focus on that and cover the weaknesses.

Start by grasping the weak points, utilize necessary tools such as schedule management tools and grammar proofreading tools, and set up a double check system with the cooperation of the company, etc. 

c. Not good at multitasking → Create an environment where you can concentrate by dividing roles

If you are distracted by multitasking, divide the roles with company members. Create an Environment where you can concentrate.

Multitasking is often required in both cases, so if you are not good at prioritizing, ask for help in prioritizing even across departments, divide the time and concentrate on one task, and the workplace each time. It's a good idea to create an environment where you can concentrate by making changes.

What are the skills and abilities required of a spokesperson?

A spokesperson is required to have general-purpose skills as a business person, but among them, the skills that he / she wants to acquire are "writing ability", "presentation ability", and "information gathering ability".

Conclusion

Many of the people who are suitable as a spokesperson are altruistic and good at socializing, and can be said to have high information sensitivity while looking at things from a company-wide perspective.

Since the amount of work in public relations work is large, it is necessary to proceed with tasks while prioritizing them, and patiently pursuing goals will lead to success. Some of the required skills are similar to general business skills, so you don't have to worry too much about your aptitude.

For a spokesperson, the feeling that there is a company or service that you want to spread is the most important. Even if you are not good at communication, detailed work, adjustment, and writing, you should be able to get results by using tools, getting help from people around you, and repeating activities that make use of your strengths while establishing a system. Just as active public relations are undergoing trial and error, you may find a way of public relations that is unique to you by carefully addressing issues.

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