Back to school: Never underestimate the value of professional study in PR
To mark the CIPR’s involvement in Learning at Work Week, five comms leaders explain how lifelong learning has helped them thrive in the public relations industry
It’s day three of our special Learning at Work Week takeover, in which we explore the value of professional study on personal and professional growth. Today we’ve asked five PR leaders to explain how studying for a professional qualification has helped them to navigate an ever-changing communications landscape and the advice they’d give to others thinking of doing the same.
Hilary Berg
Managing director, One Planet Communications
Studied with PR Academy from 2009-2012
I owe a lot to the team at the PR Academy, where I started out 16 years ago. With their support, I went on to become one of the CIPR’s first cohort of Chartered practitioners, completing a master’s in PR and communication for Social Change.
One Planet Communications is a specialist advisory business made up of sustainability and social change specialists. We help organisations integrate purpose into their strategy, create positive social and environmental change, and tell their stories to inspire action.
My career has taken me all over the world, from South African townships to the rainforest in Borneo, community courts in Brooklyn and villages in Bangladesh. I have always been a very curious person – I think the best communications professionals share that trait – but they opened up a world of fascinating theory and insight that brought huge practical benefit and credibility to my work. They also taught me about the importance of evidencing my arguments with sound thinking and data.
And I am still learning – I have just finished my second course with the Cambridge Institute of Sustainable Leadership.
Andrew Copson
Chief executive, Humanists UK
Studied with PR Academy in 2008
As a student I learned clarity and concision: the ability to write and present persuasively are skills that have been invaluable in every context, whether internally to my team or externally, they are skills I use every single day.
Humanists UK is the national charity working to advance a humanist worldview. We support and represent the interests of non-religious people who seek to live ethical lives on the basis of reason and humanity. Learning how to tailor messages and understand different perspectives equipped me to navigate the extremely diverse range of stakeholders I now have.
At an organisation like Humanists UK, it really is all about the message – we are promoting certain ideas, beliefs, and values in order to achieve change – and what could be more relevant to that mission than good communications?
My advice would be to master the basics of good writing and speaking, because these are the building blocks not just for a career in communications but more widely (and they are surprisingly hard to find when recruiting!)
Amanda Little
PR and communications director at VetPartners
Studied with nesma from 2021-2022
Studying for professional PR qualifications gave me a deeper understanding of why we do what we do and made me a more confident PR director. Instead of relying on existing skills, instinct and practical experience, I am able to back up my decisions with relatable theory and knowledge.
VetPartners is one of Europe’s largest veterinary groups, with veterinary practices and animal healthcare businesses all over the UK and Europe. I oversee internal and external communications for VetPartners and its veterinary practices and animal healthcare businesses, raising awareness of our identity, values and culture.
I am also responsible for crisis communications, providing counsel for our senior leadership team and ensuring they are prepared for media interviews. (My 26 years as a journalist was also invaluable because it gave me a strong news sense, storytelling skills and inside knowledge of the media.)
I’d always advise others in PR to choose a company or organisation with a great culture and that lives and breathes its values. You’ll be representing that company and you can’t promote something if you don’t fully believe in it.
Esther Nekesa Mabonga
Senior communications officer at the University of Nairobi
Studied with the University of Nairobi Accredited Teaching Centre from 2022-2024
The PR and communications industry is evolving and becoming more and more interesting by the day. It is worth your time and effort to learn and empower yourself because you become multi-skilled and you can practise those skills all over the globe.
As a communication officer within the directorate of corporate affairs, I help to maintain the corporate brand image of the university. We lead in planning, developing, evaluating and implementing communication and public relations strategies that present the organisation to the public, clients and other stakeholders.
After I finished school, I established a publishing agency called Vibrant Creations. I found myself practising PR by default but did not have the right words to communicate the value I brought to the organisations that I worked with.
Through study, I have learnt the value of PR and communication in an organisation and realised that we should not only communicate the management’s decisions but that we should be part of the decision-making process because we understand the stakeholders and clients of the organisation best.
My advice to others in the industry would be to embrace the need for research, understand your target audience and your organisation’s values and objectives and you will have a vibrant career.
Alex Malouf
Senior director, media and PR, for a giga-project, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Studied with PR Academy from 2013-2024
I’m never going to stop learning, so I don’t think of myself as being a student in the past tense. I work on a transformational project that is building communities and developments within the Kingdom. I lead media engagement and am tasked with telling the project’s story and explaining its benefits to a range of stakeholders, both nationally and internationally.
I’ve been in communications for over two decades. What I’ve learned is that our profession is constantly changing, and we need to keep up with these changes if we are able to do our work well.
I’ve benefited tremendously from CIPR’s diplomas and from the excellent teachers at the PR Academy, and I always push my teams to go and start new courses and keep pushing themselves to grow. And remember, there’s a community of communicators out there, so build your networks and learn from others through associations like the CIPR.
My advice to others thinking of studying would be to enjoy the ride! You are working in a profession that is meaningful, exciting and which will give you a sense of purpose and satisfaction. Invest in yourself, keep learning and keep sharing your story with others.
Discover how a CIPR professional qualification could advance your career in PR and communications and register your interest to find out more.
From Monday 13 to Sunday 19 May 2024, the CIPR is taking part in Learning at Work Week. Hosted by Campaign for Learning, this week-long event aims to highlight the power of learning. The CIPR has a host of activities to help PR professionals to learn, develop and grow.