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12 Top Tips For Professionals Just Starting In Communications

Forbes Communications Council
POST WRITTEN BY
Expert Panel, Forbes Communications Council

From the outside, communications seems like a dynamic, fast-paced, and rewarding field. While the industry is indeed all those things, there are a lot of pitfalls that newcomers don't immediately recognize as drawbacks.

If a newbie has a mentor to guide them through their onboarding process and the first few months at an agency or communications department, then things might work out well for them. In the case of those that don't, companies enjoy throwing newcomers into the thick of an ocean of turmoil and seeing how well they swim.

Twelve experts from Forbes Communications Council offer some advice for new professionals in the field to avoid sinking when they're in this situation.

Photos courtesy of the individual members

1. Remember To See The Big Picture

Some days will be great for some clients and bad for others. Or, if you are working in-house, some departments might be singing your praises while others want more exposure. Remember to see the big picture and keep focused on long-term goals. - Blish Connor, Blishful Thinking

2. Test, Analyze, Adjust, Repeat

I recommend finding your voice and fine-tuning your message. Effective communication is a process! Keep writing, presenting, podcasting, blogging and most importantly, observing people's reactions. Pay attention to feedback (e.g. social shares, comments, likes), and then optimize your approach. Don't let perfection get in the way. To quote Nike, "Just Do It" and keep doing it. - Stacy Sherman, Schindler Elevator Corporation

3. Become A Jack-Of-All-Trades

For new marketers, I suggest they get their feet wet in various types of marketing and communications. Learn about different channels, strategies and tactics. As you advance in your career, you may gravitate toward one area and focus your expertise there. But, when you're just starting out, don't get locked into any particular area. The breadth of experience will provide more options down the road. - Tom Wozniak, OPTIZMO Technologies, LLC

Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?

4. Seek Out Feedback

One thing that you can count on as a communicator? Everyone else weighs in on your work. The best communicators seek out feedback and welcome other people's thoughts and ideas. On the flip side, you'll often get unwanted feedback or work hard on something that never sees the light of day. If you can accept criticism with grace and use it to your advantage, you'll go far. - Kate Barton, Clearview Advisory

5. Create Allies, Friends And Partnerships

Nothing great has ever been done alone. Create a sphere of influence or a tribe that you can trust, work with, connect with, bounce ideas off of, etc. All great things happen working with other people. Be a person that others can go to and be open to going to others. Be your authentic self and you will attract the people that you are meant to be around. Allow yourself to be pushed to big things. - Ellicia Romo, Peoples Mortgage Company

6. Have A Strategy To Guide Your Work

It is easy to jump right into a job and address the low-hanging fruit or put out the immediate fires. Take some time at the beginning of a new role and create a long-term strategy for what you hope to accomplish, and how you plan to accomplish it. It will save you so much time and energy in the long run and you will have a much larger impact. - Charlie Terenzio, Newswire

7. Create Value In Everything You Work On

When you're fresh on the job, it may seem you get handed the trite, boring tasks nobody else wants to do. We've all been there. Instead of lamenting the value of your work, work to create value in everything that hits your desk. Even crafting an internal email about a mandatory refrigerator clean-out in the company kitchen is an opportunity for your copywriting skills to shine. - Melissa Kandel, little word studio

8. Listen, Watch, Know Your Audience

As a professor, I get to work with a lot of great students who will be entering the profession. My advice to all of them is to listen/watch others with more experience and to always remember who your audience is. To effectively communicate, you must know/understand your audience. And finally, learn from those who were there before you. - Heather MacLean, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of New Brunswick

9. Develop Your Empathy Skills

Any communication piece needs to fit into people's minds. So you need to know what's there. Empathy is key -- understanding and seeing your audience's point of view. Never assume they are like you. You need to "listen furiously" and ask questions so you understand their "why," their fears and desires. Only when you understand them, can you start speaking. - Hugo Macedo, Unbabel

10. Ask Questions

Don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions -- even if they seem obvious. Part of the role of communicators is to help both unpack and then “translate” whatever the business is trying to pitch or sell or deliver into a message that is relevant, timely and compelling. If you can make that happen, you are well on your way to success! - Niamh Whelan-Reiter, Avanade

11. Be Transparent

Transparency is king. The communications industry is constantly bombarded with ideas, opinions and a wide variety of conflicting messages. Nothing causes more damage to messaging than deceit and fine print. If you want yours to stand out above the rest, honesty and brevity are the way to go. If you have nothing to hide, your clients will have no reason not to trust you. - Jeff Grover, Best Company

12. Learn To Pair Data With Emotion

New marketers and communicators should learn how to understand and humanize data. While the industry is moving full speed toward data-driven programs, it is important to remember that you are communicating with humans who have human emotions. If you can successfully marry the two -- data and emotion -- you will have a successful career for years to come. - Marija Zivanovic-Smith, NCR Corporation