Nitwit seeks understanding of Media Relations & Diplomacy 5

[stormbind]

Hi all,

I have worked in IT for donkey's years and this has presented me with somewhat of an obstacle: Apparently, I lack PR experience. Well, duh!

Google has been little help in guiding me towards whatever it is I'm looking for, probably on account of me not knowing exactly what that is.

I would be grateful for any advice, or titles of informative text-books on the subjects of media relations and diplomacy.

Thank you for your time,

- Glen

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Memoria mihi benigna erit qui eam perscribam

 

[chiph]

You might want to start by seeing if there's a local chapter of Toastmasters in your area. They'll help you with public speaking, and not getting flustered when asked uncomfortible questions.

Chip H.


____________________________________________________________________
If you want to get the best response to a question, please read FAQ222-2244 first

 

[svanels]

I am afraid I don't understand what you are looking for.

What is your obstacle? dealing with people who don't know the difference between ip-adress and a hub?

Diplomacy?
Rule number 1, the boss is always right.
Rule number 2, don't tell the boss what to do. (Give him always two options to choose).

Steven van Els
SAvanEls@cq-link.sr

 

[Zelandakh]

Don't try to tell me what TCP/IP is. I know it is a cable"

Yes Boss.

Be thoughtful and think about what you are saying and how you would respond if someone said it to you.

 

[lionelhill]

Inside your inside, you need to know what's wrong, and admit it's wrong, in order to start changing it. Even if it's you that's wrong.

But outside, with other people, it's always best to find something positive and good to build on. People don't like being told they're wrong/doing something pointless. People in my culture (UK) don't even like you saying you're wrong (strangely), even though we spend half our lives demanding it of our leaders. Weird, that one.

PR and boss-employee relationships are often about extracting the positive thing from whatever's gone wrong lately, and building up a story that leaves everyone able to go on to do something better without repercussions.

 

[DoubleD]

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie is an excellent book. It helps the straight on "Facts is Facts" personality understand how to more effectively communicate with others.

I've also heard Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Richard E. Boyatzis and Annie McKee is a good book for improving communication. It's the next on my list of books to read.

I am what I am based on the decisions I have made.

DoubleD

 

[rosieb]

PR for IT:

Firstly - make sure you really understand what the business/organisation really needs.

Walk the floor - find out what people are doing, then look for ways to help them do it more easily. Ask them what they'd like - don't tell them how to improve things, make them feel in control.

Explain things in terms of what it means to users, tell them the benefits, to them, of what is happening.

Make sure everyone knows what IT is doing for them: "we're taking this server down to upgrade it... because it will allow us to..."

Make friends in all departments and chat to them about what you are doing (in broad, non-technical terms).

Often, when everything runs smoothly, people forget that it's only because someone is there making sure it all happens, they assume it just happens without human intervention. So you have to sell it. Get out and talk to people.




Rosie
"Never express yourself more clearly than you think" (Niels Bohr)

 

[stormbind]

Thanks Rosie!

Thank you everyone else, aswell, but I think Rosie is closer to.. something. What she posted sort of makes sense.

Can I ask where you acquired those ideas from? Are there any books that could help condition me: make me think in those terms all of the time?

It's just that I can immagine foretting your advice, and I would also like to expand on your ideas

There is one concern. I'm not clear on how to sell what an organisation is doing:

> Often, when everything runs smoothly, people forget that
> it's only because someone is there making sure it all
> happens, they assume it just happens without human
> intervention. So you have to sell it.

Years ago, I worked in IT Sales, but abandoned that career because methods were too aggressive: I started to see people as victims, not as customers. This probably hurt me more than it hurt them!

Sales experience has made me fearful of being too aggressive, confrontational, or rubbing people up the wrong way. Maybe I need a shrink, or maybe I need to learn diplomacy. Assuming the latter, is there any additional advice that could make someone more effective at "selling those forgotten issues that people are doing.." ?

Thank you, everyone!

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Memoria mihi benigna erit qui eam perscribam

 

[infinitelo]

You have already taken the first step: Question to yourself How do others percieve me? ... What rosie is saying is that when it comes to how people percieve you is not how you are when your working on a problem, but how you are in a casual enviornment. Walking the floor, and knowing how people work is a good way to know what is going on, but if they are unconfortable talking to you you will miss oppertunities to improve there interactions with the system. You will know you are doing well when people say "This is probablly a dumb question..." Thats when you will either improve there ability to compute or find really nasty bugs in the system. selling does not have to be that whole arm twinsting gut wrenching thing. Just knowing that you are accessable, thats what the people I work with want.

if it is to be it's up to me

 

[rosieb]

Stormbind

What she posted sort of makes sense.

Thanks, that's the nicest thing I've heard for a while.

Those were fairly random thoughts. I've worked in sales, marketing, product development and IT support. My experience tells me that IT is often seen as a bunch of socially incompetent, hygenically challenged, inward-looking nerds, only interested in playing with toys. And, often, rightly so.

I currently run an IT support section, and I'm probably certainly the least technically competent person there.

My feeling is that IT should be an enabling factor in an organisation, not a barrier. Remember that IT is a service not an end in itself.

All IT staff need to understand the organisation's priorities and to look at ways to help achieve them / improve things.

Selling / marketing IT is about developing relationships with users (or customers). Talking to them, making them feel that you are interested in their problems and want to help, then doing something about it.

I'm sure there are loads of books that will give you a formula, but nothing beats pure social interactions. If people trust you they will value your suggestions.

Oh and, just be yourself when dealing with people, most people are incredibly tolerant if they think you really care.

Rosie
"Never express yourself more clearly than you think" (Niels Bohr)

 

[svanels]

but nothing beats pure social interactions

I subscribe to that, especially in a time where everybody uses e-mail (full of weird acronyms), SMS and other gadgets, assuming that pressing the send button automatically turns the receiver cooperative.

Steven van Els
SAvanEls@cq-link.sr

 

[jaymaechtlen]

Sales-
In a seminar recently, the speaker recounted an experience-
He was making calls to sell a web-based training course.
He hated it; cold-calling, trying to sell people this "product".
He finally decided that he was in the business of helping companies by working with them to analyze their training needs and find how his service could improve their people.
He became a star salesman and enjoyed the work for a number of years before moving on...
cheers
Jay

 

[rosieb]

Yup, was called "needs satisfaction selling" I trained in that 20 years ago. Basic marketing / sales / PR , find out what people want - then provide it.

In the jargon, sell benefits - what's in it for me, not features - it's a 5 squillion MHz thingy with 10Mb of doo-dah and a multi-threading fufflepuff - unless that's what they want to hear...

Seems obvious, but it means you have to take the time to understand what your "customer" really needs/wants and to get them involved in the process.

Rosie
"Never express yourself more clearly than you think" (Niels Bohr)

 

[lionelhill]

... I'm nervous of adding anything after such a profoundly-sensible and four-star-rated posting, but:

quote:>Walk the floor - find out what people are doing, then look for ways to help them do it more easily. Ask them what they'd like - don't tell them how to improve things, make them feel in control.

Take the spirit of this, and not the letter. If you do know a better way to do something than what I'm suggesting, please tell me (but nicely)!

Recently I hassled a very long-suffering IT support expert about an Access data base query system, and was eventually summoned to see what he'd done, whereupon he handed over to a colleague who told me what I really needed was Excel pivot tables. I am so happy with the result. It fitted the spirit: it does what I asked for (albeit using a different medium). But they'd have wasted a lot of their time (and mine) if they'd stuck to the exact tool I asked for.

Suggestions starting "No, you're doing that all wrong.." feel different to ones that begin "Do you think it would help you if we..."

 

[ascotta]

I have a saying, and lord knows where I picked it up from.

I have 1 mouth and two ears, I use them in that ratio. When listening amke sure you hear what is being said. I always smile, perfectly pleasant until you have built a relationship with them. At the end of the day that is what it is all about.

PS It doesn't mean I suddenly turn nasty after a relationship has been built. By that point you will have revealed enough of you true self that they are comfortable with.

[blue]Arguably the best cat skinner around ! [/blue]

Cheers
Scott