7 PR lessons from Thanksgiving dinner

The season of giving thanks with family and friends—and stuffing our faces—offers important reminders for public relations professionals.

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It’s a common feeling when PR pros look at their to-do lists.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, and to help ease that anxiety, here are seven lessons PR people can take away from the holiday dinner.

1. Plan your menu

Grocery lists are key for your pre-Thanksgiving trips to the store, otherwise you’re rushing to find the grocer that’s open on Turkey Day just hours before your guests arrive. And you had better know who’s bringing what to dinner to confusion table. (Don’t want three Jell-O molds.)

Similarly, PR professionals need to draft plans for their various strategies, whether it’s the launch of a new product or a looming crisis. That way you don’t forget to include contact information on a media advisory or forget a key step in your crisis communications strategy.

2. Avoid going at it alone

Assuming you can cook an entire huge Thanksgiving dinner (and have the dishes turn out as pretty as they are on Pinterest) is simply not logical. Neither is thinking you can singlehandedly implement every part of that next big client promotion nor achieve glowing results.

As painful as it might be for some of us, delegate tasks and ask for help so you won’t lay awake late into the night wondering how it can possibly all get done in time.

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