5 ways parenting and PR skills are intrinsically linked

Three years ago my focus switched from PR to parenting, and just like that my imposter syndrome unleashed itself. I had no idea if I was any good at being a parent (there’s no job description!) nor did I think I had the skills to return to my job after maternity leave. Baby brain has a lot to answer for. When asked about returning to work, I’d joined the majority of Brits (56%) that downplay their achievements to others, in the belief I wasn’t up to scratch. 

But "waittt" (uses Mr Tumble voice). When I did return to work, I soon realised that belief was utter nonsense. The PR skills I’d honed over the 15 years prior to becoming a mother, had stood me in good stead for parenthood… and actually made me a better communications professional. Here’s why I think parenting and PR skills are intrinsically linked:

1. The art of networking 
All those years of attending networking events full of people I didn’t know and getting them interested in what I had to say, really paid off when it came to attending baby classes and meeting other parents. The idea of 12 months without much adult conversation spurred me on to build out those connections. I honed my elevator pitch; usually my background and birth story (see importance of stories in next point!) followed by open questions and recommendations of what I’d found useful and may be beneficial to others. 

Eye contact and a friendly smile can go a long way when you’re a lonely first-timer. As my network grew, this evolved to creating online groups so we could all ask questions, knowledge share and arrange playdates. I’ve made some good friends thanks to using that inner confidence garnered from years of taking the first step at networking functions.

2. Being creative and mastering the art of storytelling 
Creativity and storytelling are essentials for the PR toolkit, but also for entertaining your little one and building rapport with others (see networking). Thinking outside the box (often to curb a tantrum) becomes second nature. In PR we build a narrative that sticks in our audience’s memory, to create an experience and get buy in to our idea.

Parenting is no different. I often tell the story of a dinosaur that eats kids smelly socks and the only way to stop him/her is to have a bath. Cue my dinosaur impression and chasing my daughter upstairs to the bathroom. She loves it and knows the story inside out. It also means we don’t have push back at bath time!

3. Knowing your audience
The most important rule of PR. Know your target audience. What do they want to hear? What do you say and how do you say it to get the best outcome? In the workplace this can be knowing someone’s personality and how they like to be communicated with. 

I’ve worked with managers who love to chat things over with a cuppa. I’ve worked with MDs who just want top-line bullet points and don’t want the small talk. Toddlers can be no different. When the red mist descends on my threenager, I switch to my ‘you’re being challenged by the C-suite’ mode. It’s all about tone of voice, clear call to action, active listening and reading body language. Remaining calm, firm and being on my daughter’s level helps diffuse challenging situations.

4. Being organised
As a PR professional having great time and project management skills are a must for that campaign to fly or for that press release to land well.

Parenting follows a similar vein. It’s about thinking two steps ahead and precision planning to get the best out of your little darling. I recently arranged a third birthday party for 30 toddlers plus adults. This involved coordinating the best time to hold the thing (so we didn’t have cranky toddlers!), arranging the venue, sending the invites, booking the entertainment, sorting party bags, tracking the invites / dietary requirements and setting the whole event up (with a little delegation to willing friends and family). Thankfully the event was a success and I hold it up there with some of the great press events I’ve organised in the past (albeit with less fizz!).

5. Being digitally savvy 
As a PR we use our analytical skills when seeking the next story or evaluating a campaign. That could be combing research data or unpicking social media statistics.

When it comes to parent admin, those analytical skills and tech know-how come in extremely useful. Whether that’s navigating the nursery app, understanding medicine dosages or figuring out the tax-free childcare system and its thresholds, the ability to cherry-pick the information most relevant to you is vital (and for your sanity).

Thank you for reading!

Kat Trinder MCIPR is deputy chief wordsmith at Wordsmiths Unlimited and Awards Writers.