Cindy Ronzoni

Huff believes relaxed teams win - that's true for PR too.

No Job Is Worth Stressing Over

Since the best PR practitioners are those who can land a major media pitch, I thought it was fitting that today’s topic was a result of a Wall St. Journal article I read this morning about the thong-wearing first baseman of the World Series San Francisco Giants Aubrey Huff. The article did get my attention because it was about a thong-wearing MLB player, but the “undies” issue was not what sparked my interest. It was this quote he provided.

Huff said, “I never really heard of an uptight team that wins.”

Huff’s statement is true in so many regards and applicable to many professions.

You can’t argue with the fact that people do their best work when relaxed. I know I do, don’t you?

With that being said, in the public relations field it is extremely valuable when a person is pitching that the pitch should be in a cool, even tone as opposed to a fast, rapid fire, loud breathless ramble. The latter is usually conceived as one of a desperation. And that’s not good for you or the reporter or the client you are representing.

STYLE COUNTS

We’ve all been thrown pitches that we are not familiar with from time to time. This often happens when we’re helping out a co-worker who has a giant list of calls to make, and therefore, we innocently “pitch in.” We have been prepared with a script of what to cover and we make our calls. And usually, on these calls, we may come across as yes “reading a script.” This isn’t good either.

And as I’m writing this I saying to myself that I must remember this tip as well. The best service you can provide your client/company is when you are comfortable with what you’re communicating and can do it in a relaxed manner. Even though you may have over 100 calls to make by noon – each call needs to appear fresh, enthusiastic, unique, interesting, etc. You need to present an up beat tone throughout the entire phone process even when you hear that dreaded beep meaning that it goes to voice mail. If it goes to voice mail, it’s a long shot if it will be get heard – but your chances of having a reporter listen to it greatly increases if you have a vibrant, welcoming pleasant tone.

How do you do in this area? Are you relaxed when you make your best sales? Or do you sometimes let the stresses of your job pressure your performance?

I think Huff’s on to something here. This calm attitude sure worked for his team in the first game against the Texas Rangers. The Giants clobbered them 11-7.