Why curiosity is one of the most valuable skills in PR

Fertiliser wasn’t on my reading list this year. 

Yet over the past few weeks I’ve spent a surprising amount of time trying to understand the global market. The effects of war in the Middle East, especially around shipping disruption, stockpiling and commodity prices, all suddenly became highly relevant because of the opportunity it presented to a client. 

Thirty years into a career in communications, one of the things I enjoy most is immersing myself in subjects I knew little about only a week before. Working across a wide range of sectors means there is always something new to learn.

In the fertiliser case, it’s about logistics. Last week it was about dentistry, hydropower and social care. Next week it will be about construction, aviation and independent schooling. 

As someone who fell into journalism and then PR entirely by circumstance rather than design, it was many years before it dawned on me how important curiosity was to my career. Even so, I have neglected its full potential. 

Why curiosity matters as much as professional development

It is right that we improve the professionalism of our sector. It is important for establishing the credibility and authority we need to positively affect our working worlds.  

Compared to when I started – the era of faxing news releases - we have stronger qualifications, a culture of CPD, better research, more evidence and a growing body of knowledge. That matters, and we should continue to invest in it. 

At the same time, broader curiosity is another form of professional development that deserves just as much attention. 

In my experience, the clients and colleagues we most need to influence want us to talk to them about the business, organisational or policy problems.

Looking beyond communications

What does that look like in practice? 

If you’re working with a manufacturer, understand how exactly businesses in that sector make their margins. Learn where the pressure comes from in its supply chain. Find out which markets are growing and which aren’t. 

If you’re advising a charity, understand the evidence behind behaviour change in a fundraising context or watch back on the latest parliamentary debates. 

If you’re supporting a listed company, learn to make sense of the key financial reports: balance sheet, cash flow statement and profit and loss account. Read its competitors’ annual reports.  

If you’re working in the public sector, sign up for research updates from the Office for National Statistics, see if you can attend a think-tank event or take a couple of hours to observe a parliamentary committee meeting.  

These are just examples. The list of options could fill the entire article, as could the tips for how we fit these into our busy lives. 

And to be clear, none of this requires a PR professional to become an economist, an accountant or a policy expert. 

Better questions lead to better advice

However, I have found one of the most useful things I can send a client is nothing to do with communications: not because it contains the answer, but because it helps us ask better questions. 

Good advisers spend more time diagnosing problems than prescribing solutions. Understanding an organisation’s operating environment helps you identify where communications can make the greatest difference – and, just as importantly, where it can't. After all, if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail. Effective communications advice begins with understanding the problem, not assuming the solution.

There are countless ways to broaden your perspective. Read books such as Failed State by Sam Freedman or Material World by Ed Conway. Listen to Wake Up to Money on BBC Sounds or The Nudge podcast. Follow thinkers such as Richard Shotton, subscribe to research from organisations including Brandwatch and GWI, and make time for annual reports, industry analysis and competitor results. Most importantly, seek out ideas that challenge your assumptions. Read people you disagree with and attend events outside your usual field. The most valuable insights often come from places you weren't expecting to look.

The value of staying curious

There’s no direct reward for doing anything of this. What we’re all looking for is those times when we send a client or colleague an article they wished they’d spotted for themselves. Or moments when a conversation is going on around us but we’re able to pitch in with a valuable perspective. Or serendipitous encounters with our next hire or client when we least expect it. 

All of these start with curiosity that goes beyond the baseline of what we should be doing for our employers or professional development.  

Maybe my moment in the world of fertiliser has gone for now, but I know I’m already looking forward to growing into my next surprise subject (sorry!).

Stewart Argo, director of Lighthouse PR, initially worked with BBC Radio Scotland before moving into public sector PR with the NHS, Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the City of Edinburgh Council. He then moved into consultancy with Weber Shandwick and the BIG Partnership before founding his own freelance practice focusing on reputation management and strategy. Stewart is a CIPR Fellow. 

Further reading

Careers in PR – will you help build the pathways for the next generation?

How to kickstart your PR career: 10 top tips for success

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