By Mary Beth West, APR

Several members of our team attended the February PRSA Volunteer Chapter meeting, where Gary McCormick, APR, Fellow PRSA – this year’s national PRSA chair / CEO and Knoxville-based Scripps communications exec – shared insights on the 2010 outlook shaping the public relations profession.

Among his recommendations on navigating social media relationship management, Gary urged the audience to consider developing “listening points,” not just talking points, in order to manage dialogue with diverse audiences who undoubtedly are calling the shots like never before.

To us, the idea of listening points draws upon an oldie but a goodie – the issues management playbook – whereby the PR team identifies and constantly monitors outside issues impacting, or potentially impacting, an organization’s world and that of its stakeholders. 

The process involves taking those issues and helping an organization stay one or more steps ahead, not just via messages, but via policies, procedures and behaviors that stakeholder groups view as the only legitimate evidence of where an organization really stands. 

Hence, the role of listening . . . after all, you can’t effectively advocate for an organization’s position if you’re deaf to the voices and points of view around you.  In equal measure, you can’t help guide an organization’s decision-making toward the best business decisions if management can’t (or won’t) hear, comprehend and hold some level of empathy for how stakeholder groups absorb the impact of those decisions.

Great case in point: the apparent lack of effective listening going on in much of the financial sector regarding executive compensation. 

Chapter President Susanne Dupes, APR, closed the meeting by announcing a $1,000 gift given to the UT College of Communication & Information’s public relations program in Gary’s honor, a gift in which our firm was proud to take part.  A terrific leader like Gary, who is keeping our profession’s best practices front-and-center, couldn’t be more deserving.