Finals season is upon us I am one semester away from graduating with my Masters in Communication and Business Leadership. I wanted to share some of the key lessons I have taken to heart this semester in order to better serve my audience and myself.
1. How to make an idea stick
There are a couple of key ways o make someone remember an idea, but two I think are the easiest for anyone to apply. Tell a story and surprise you audience. If you can get your message across with a story that catches your audience by surprise you have them hooked. They may not remember all of the specifics to the story, but they will remember the overall point being made and be able to share it with others.
2. ’No’ is the start of a negotiation, not the end
We often hear the word ‘no’ and assume it is a final answer. What I have learned is people say ‘no’ for a number of reasons, they may need more information or not yet be ready to agree. Most ’no’s’ are actually a ‘maybe’. Understand why someone is saying ‘no’ before walking away from a negotiation. There might be a simple solution to change that ‘no’ into a ‘yes’.
3. The ROSTIR Method
When running a PR campaign, the most thorough method to complete is ROSTIR (Research, Objectives, Strategies, Tactics, Implementation, and Reporting). This method places an emphasis on the planning aspect of a PR campaign so that when I comes to implementation the majority of the work has already been done. ROSTIR takes a goal for the campaign and narrows it until there are tangible tactics that will accomplish that goal.
4. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses
Graduate school has been more group projects than tests. While I love not having to take a test, group projects can be difficult to navigate. This semester has helped me to understand how to better work in a group setting. Sometimes it is not about splitting up the work evenly so the work just gets done. It is about each person taking on tasks that will allow them to utilize their strengths. Each person brings a unique set of skills to the table, use them!