Chapter four, Building a Collaborative Culture, starts off by talking about how important collaboration is. Collaboration can be extremely useful, especially in the field of public relations. When collaborating with others, everyone has to be willing to center "the focus on culture and the importance of shared ideals." (Hall and Nussbaum-Beach, p.58). Everyone has to work as a team.
Next, the book talks about relationships coming first. Throughout this book, we have learned how vital relationships are! This chapter emphasizes the fact that relationships need to be maintained in order to be successful. An important aspect of professional relationships is establishing trust. "Trust, empathy, and reciprocity bond members together in any community or social setting." (Hall and Nussbaum-Beach, p.60). As a public relations student, I have had to create trusting connections with my professors and internship bosses and it has given me many advantages. Trust creates great relationships whether professional or casual.
Another important aspect of relationships is creating collegiality. This can be difficult to achieve due to constant change. "These relationships are characterized by conversations, practice, problems, and solutions" that can be held or discussed to help your place of work overall. (Hall and Nussbaum-Beach, p.63). If you’re going to be working with people in the workplace constantly, you must have a friendly relationship. This then allows you to share visions about work projects. Many relationships are created by working in groups. Therefore, sharing points to come together is vital. As a public relations professional, the main purpose of my job is to maintain relationships with business communities, if I can’t create relationships then I will never succeed in the field.
The chapter also talks about needs being at the forefront of relationships. All issues and needs must be discussed as soon as they rise to avoid further issues. Many issues can be created through technology communication. A lot of messages can be misinterpreted. I personally have seen this as an applicant for a previous internship. Online, the employer seemed great but then when we talked in person I didn’t feel as comfortable because of the body language. All in all, relationships are extremely important in any field!
Nussbaum-Beach, S., & Hall, L. R. (2012). The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age. Solution Tree Press.
Great write-up, Faith! I really enjoyed reading your summary and think you gave some great examples from the text. Building strong relationships and collaborating are two key processes in the world of public relations. I mean, what even is public relations without strong relationships? It's right there in the name - relations!
ReplyDeleteHi Faith, I think your future profession as a public relations professional is one of the most important professions in terms of knowing the important of collegiality. Having the ability to form and sustain relationships in your field is definitely crucial to your success. I also liked your example of how an employer seemed friendly online but in person, their body language was off. I think having in person relationships is much more important and are much stronger than any relationship formed and held entirely online. As a future physical therapist, I am lucky that all my relationships will be in person in regards to my clients but I may have quite a few online relationships with different orthopedists in the local area.
ReplyDeleteHi Faith! Something I actually also find interesting about building interpersonal relationships is that the more you trust within your work place the more comfortable you feel to grow in that environment as well. I think it's really nice when you feel comfortable enough to share ideas or be able to back up others and encourage them as well.
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