Hear that applause? In PR, It’s Our Client Who’s the Star on Stage

By Reid Schwartz, Vollmer Public Relations Austin

When I was in high school, my main aspiration was to become an actor. I participated in a number of theatre groups at my school, including an acting company, a show choir, school-wide musicals and many more. These groups rehearsed for hours on end on school nights and weekends until our performances were ready for an audience. This meant juggling our school work and social lives for the sake of the show – and, by extension, a brilliant performance.

Once I reached college, it didn’t take long to figure out that I wasn’t going to fulfill my dream of becoming a star, and that I would need to focus on a career path other than theatre. I switched gears and focused my attention on communications – a path that not surprisingly required just as much “rehearsal.”

In the public relations world, we are often asked to serve as spokespersons for our clients, be it for a new product or service, for drumming up interest in an upcoming event, for managing a crisis situation or for presenting ideas to potential new clients.  In all scenarios, we are ultimately responsible for our clients’ “performances” in the outside world.

My experiences on stage ultimately influenced my decision to choose a career path with regular opportunities to present to large groups of people. When you’re on stage, shyness is strictly forbidden, or you’ll surely be booed off the stage. If you don’t know your lines, the show will inevitably fall apart.

I’ve seen so many parallels to what I’m doing today. If I’m standoffish and not proactively working on behalf of my clients, they don’t receive the “applause” they deserve. Similarly, I need to know my lines by heart. If I’m not well versed in my clients’ products and services, when a tough question is thrown my way, how would I look as a professional?  How would my client’s brand be perceived?

So, in the current role in which I have been cast – as Account Coordinator at Vollmer Public Relations – I know I’m ready for whatever comes my way. I have enormous support from my directors and “fellow cast mates.” I know all of my lines, and I’m ready to take the stage!