Five Must-Dos for Being Powerful PR Women

Being powerful PR professionals is never easy, especially for women. This evening, graduate students from S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University hosted a panel, PRogress SU, of four experienced women working in public relations regarding diversity and inclusion in PR. The panelists include Eboni Britt, the Public Relations and Communicatio Manager at Eastman Kodak Company; Dara Royer, the Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer at Syracuse University; Master Sargent L. Angel Ford, from New York Air National Guard and Anneliese Cassalia, a Public Relations Coordinator at Eric Mower. With years of experience, these four highly accomplished PR professionals gave mainly five must-dos on how to become a powerful PR woman.

• Make changes instead of just fitting in

Royer shared her own funny but inspiring experience: when she was asked not to wear heels, she found her tallest pair! We, as Public Relations professionals, work in PR to make changes. We’re not here to fit in. We’re not here to obey or comply. We are here because we love what we do and we want to “change the world.” To do so, we have to look further and take actions before seeing the changes.

• Raise your voice

It is essential to speak out your different perspectives and never hold back them. Every opinion matters and even a small idea has the ability to change the whole world. In addition, asking questions is also necessary since you would never know when you could learn something new. “You really should not be afraid to ask for help, especially if it’s going to get you where you want to be,” said Cassalia.

• Stand together and support each other

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women hold 61 percent of all PR jobs, but only 30 percent of all global PR agencies are run by women. C-suite is still dominated by males. As a result, we, PR women, as a group, have to empower each other and hold ourselves back. Being confident and encouraging each other, we can work together to show the world the power of PR women.

• Negotiate and fight for yourself

As we all know that even if we try to diminish the discrimination against women in work, the pay inequality still exists. Many females feel so grateful when being offered a job that they agree to any demand. “Women are raised to be polite and considerate. We feel like they are doing us a favor by offering us a job. But they probably need us more than we need them,” said Britt. “When I’m negotiating a salary, I negotiate like a white man.” We know our value, and there is no reason for us not to stand up and fight for ourselves. We deserve what our worth!

• Stay true to yourself

Being yourself is the easiest part while also is the hardest part. There is no need to change who you are when you get into work. Many people try to separate their work-self and nonwork-self, according to Lakshmi Ramarajan and Erin M. Reid’s research. It is important to define our personal brand that embodies our truest selves and embrace who we really are. Additionally, to improve ourselves, we also need to set a goal and try to make it. “It’s not what you say. It’s what you do,” said Royer. “Don’t just talk the talk, you have to walk it, too.”

Above are the five effective and essential suggestions on being powerful PR women. It’s glad to see more and more PR women stand up and fight for themselves, led by strong and passionate professionals just like these four panelists. Although there is still a long way to go, I believe in all PR females and our strength.