trendSpotting Report
Priscilla Roberts

Priscilla Roberts knew from a young age that she was destined to work in the industry that bears her initials. Born in a pink house in a small town (guess which state), she was armed only with a BA in English from her local community college when she took her first gig in public relations. Never one for the spotlight, Priscilla has been the force behind many of PR’s power players, and her penchant for providing real-world advice makes her new gig ideal: She’s the trendSpotting Report’s advice columnist extraordinaire. We’re proud to have her!

Now’s your chance to get your questions answered—and nothing is of off-limits. Priscilla will happy withhold your name, if you prefer. Send your questions to editor@RLMpr.com with “Priscilla” in the subject line.

And now, meet Priscilla!

Dear Priscilla,

Everyone I meet in PR talks and talks. Why is there a tendency for pros in your field to converse in 30,000 feet terms—and use buzzwords that are all over the map? I get it. They read Fast Company. Why can’t I get real, no BS counsel that might not make me feel good but sure will my banker? Am I a fool for wanting media talkers to be chatting up some reality with me?

Signed,
Love Lost & Tongues Wagging

Dear Wagging,

Your Mama did not raise a fool and your powers of observation are sure as heck keen. This is PR—not brain surgery nor rocket science—and there’s no need or excuse for communicators to use anything other than English. Oh, and if you’re getting communication that feels like a template, it probably is, and you should reject it. Send it back in pieces—literally. Here’s a secret, darling:

PR folks don’t mean to annoy you when they use buzzjargonterminology. For many of them, they at some level think it legitimizes PR. Unfortunately, it has the opposite effect.

The cure? Don’t accept BS or boilerplate or something not sent to you personally. Constantly ask for explanations of what he/she means. If you don’t get it, ask someone else. Remember you’re not tethered to any one PR counselor. If you aren’t sure whether advice you’re getting makes complete sense, run it by someone outside your business—sibling, dry cleaner or a server at the local coffee and pie shop. They will tell you, even without tipping.

Dear Priscilla,

I work at a PR agency and client commitments mean I’m on the road frequently. While I have a BlackBerry, I’m careful to make sure my Out of Office message is turned on when I’m away. I’m always torn between a factual message and one that provides the information and is in fact clever or funny—or both. What do you recommend I do here?

Yours,
Reluctant Road Warrior

Dear Reluctant,

Follow just one rule when composing our OOO message: Keep it simple, sweetie or KISS. The purpose of this message is to tell correspondents that the e-mail is with you but you will not see it immediately. You should also give them an alternative form of contact in case their message is really urgent and let them know when you will be back and receiving. The best OOOs look like this:

Thank you for your message. I am currently out of the office, returning on Tuesday, January 16. I will be checking e-mail periodically and will respond to you as soon as I can. If you need immediate assistance, please contact Susan Smith at susan@company.com or call her at 212-555-1212. Have a good day.

There’s no need to share the gory details of why you’re out, where you are, or which side is being cut open. Those are just irrelevant. Also, if you are not checking e-mail while you’re away this must be clear (why aren’t you checking it in this day and age?). If you feel compelled to sign the message—not necessary, but acceptable—use your full name, title and company name, and no X’s or O’s please!

Having gone through the season of days off, I received a lot of OOOs. Most were so long I forgot why they sent them. Some were out of date; after returning from outside, please turn the OOO off. One was an adorable greeting that mentioned Thanksgiving when it actually was Christmas. Many were sweet—one let me know that the contact person left in charge is single—and lots wished me merry times. I appreciated those that got to the point and didn’t waste my time with cuteness—or silly errors left unchecked.