Colleen O'Connor September 23, 2021 | 09:18:50
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Better Internal Comms Tips For PR Teams

As PR professionals, we are meant to be experts in communication. We focus on choosing the right words, where to substitute more meaningful or original turns of phrase, and how to deliver messages that make an impact. Sometimes, especially within public relations teams, we strive to make our external communications to journalists and executives look nearly perfect, while we use shorthand internally. Messages can be lost or misunderstood. 

Internal communication should be as important as external comms. If PR team members are feeling a disconnect, consider the following tips for better internal comms.

Use tech tools for meetings

Admit it – we have all zoned out on Zoom calls! Two useful tools to liven things up are Loom, a video recording service, and Huddles on Slack. Loom allows teams to share their screen to review a document and record a video offering feedback. Users can view this video as many times as necessary, ensuring they don’t miss any direction from team leads. In addition, we at Crenshaw have been enjoying Huddles on Slack. Simply connect with your colleagues on your team channel for a quick voice call. No phone numbers are needed as long as you have a Slack account; it will automatically connect you to your team. It’s a great way to debrief after a client meeting or to handle questions with a smaller group after a larger session. 

Define roles

Often among PR teams, you will hear the phrase “titles don’t really matter here.” While this may be true for many (including ours), the roles should still be defined. If you have junior staff doing tasks that more senior team members could be doing on one project and a completely different situation on another front, there will be a disconnect. While PR people do like to give junior team members occasional high-level tasks to challenge them, it helps to create an internal document outlining roles and tasks, such as “Kate is the day-to-day contact on the launch project, while Ben oversees all media activity and Eva records all activities for reports.” Keep it updated, share within your team and have it handy when new team members join so the transition will be smooth.

Create a (virtual) open-door policy

As someone who is very social, even 18 months later I am struggling by not being in an office space 100% of the work week. It was so easy for team members to pop in and out of conference rooms to sit down and talk through announcements that needed more media attention, new business brainstorms, and everything in between. Having team members scattered throughout the country can make that a bit trickier. Team leads should set aside time either weekly, bi-weekly or monthly to let junior staff members connect with them one-on-one to discuss any issues both professionally and personally. Sometimes in WFH there is a thin line between work and home life. Create a space for candid and informal conversations – sometimes they can be better than formal meetings. 

Cut down on emails

According to a recent study of email inboxes, the breakdown of important vs. unimportant incoming email was 42% to 58%, meaning today’s typical inbox has shifted toward more noise than before. This number may be higher for PR teams who are essentially glued to their emails. Inboxes can get messy with unnecessary emails,  which affect time management and organization. Take a few minutes out of your team’s day just start mass deleting any emails you don’t need. If you haven’t opened that newsletter in weeks, maybe it is time to unsubscribe from it. Encourage people to use collaboration tools, like Google Docs or Slack to track progress on  projects. Leave inboxes as clean as possible so messages from executives or media are never missed. 

What are some tips and tricks your PR team uses for better collaboration and communication? Let me know on Twitter @colleeno_pr

One thought on “Better Internal Comms Tips For PR Teams

  1. Today, the process of internal communication and obtaining results directly depends on digital technologies. Therefore, the involvement of such instruments as you described, I think, will have a great effect on connections and will ensure transparency of work processes

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