An introvert’s guide to getting Chartered

The world of PR is not an introvert’s natural habitat, believe me. 

As someone who was once forbidden from taking part in a sponsored silence event at school due to me being ‘already too quiet’, I sometimes wonder how I got here, working in a sector that requires me to be rather ‘peopley’ every day of the week. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, but the 13-year-old me would be gobsmacked. Especially if she knew I’d just spent a full day talking at length with industry peers about ethics, strategy and leadership in public relations.

But that’s exactly what I’ve just done. And the result? I’m now a proud CIPR Chartered practitioner.

So, if you’re a fellow introvert in PR (perhaps we need a support group?) and you’re considering going for Chartership, here are my top tips for the process.

Just book it

It may sound obvious, but you need to book your assessment day in advance and for me, this was the first scary step to overcome. 

I’d read about the day a lot. How you have to speak for hours in a group with complete strangers about your thoughts, opinions and experience and, to me, it sounded terrifying. My imposter syndrome was raging and I talked myself out of it for literally years. 

In the end, it was the CIPR’s monthly payment offer that persuaded me to do it. It felt less scary than paying for the assessment and booking a date in all at once. Instead, it allowed me to commit and say, “I’m going to do this over the next 12 months.”

I then booked it in for months away, carefully choosing a time when I knew I’d have more headspace, and that was that. No going back.

Remember – only you know how you prepare best

There are countless blogs, webinars and articles out there about the Chartership process and how best to prepare. I read them all, spoke to colleagues and in the end, found myself feeling rather overwhelmed. Some said don’t do too much prep, others said you must set aside hours and hours. 

The key, I’ve realised on reflection, is to remember only you know how you operate. 

Some people are able to rock up to a big presentation with zero preparation and absolutely nail it. Others however, myself included, will spend a silly amount of time getting notes in order, researching and revving myself up. 

So, after deliberating way too much about the how to prepare, I decided to trust in my own ways of working and approach it like I would any other major work meeting or event. 

For me, this meant I did spend many hours at my desk, reading the case studies in depth and formulating my thoughts and own experiences into concise notes I could reach for easily. 

But doing this, honouring my own personality and ways of working meant I felt ready and, most importantly, very comfortable with what I’d prepared for the big day.

Taking the floor comes easily on the day

One of the things I was most worried about happening on the day, was not speaking enough and not being able to get my points across effectively.

When you’re naturally quiet and, even worse, have a resident imposter syndrome gremlin in your head, it can feel daunting to put yourself in the spotlight and share your own thoughts and opinions. 

I had very real visions of being in a room of extroverts and losing my nerve, but I needn’t have worried. Every assessor was brilliant at ensuring we all got the chance to speak and at guiding us if we needed to give a bit more insight or to illustrate our points further. 

This, coupled with being in a group with two wonderful candidates whose insights I found fascinating, meant the sessions flew by and I ended up feeling empowered to speak, rather than too daunted to share my thoughts and experience. 

Find yourself a cheerleader (and be your own)

I’d initially planned not to tell anyone about going for Chartership, just in case I jinxed it, but I’m so glad I changed my mind and shared my plans with a few people. 

It meant on the morning of the assessment, I had voice notes and messages from loved ones wishing me luck and saying they had my back. These messages, combined with a motivational playlist I’d compiled to get my head in the game (would highly recommend doing this, too!) meant I went into the assessment feeling supported and raring to go. 

I’d also put in place a few of my own home comforts to have my own back on the day. This included stocking up on some of my favourite snacks for the day, pre-preparing my lunch (there’s a definite foodie theme here) and going for a walk before the assessment began, with said playlist blaring in my ears while I gave myself a motivational talk. 

And lastly, I placed a big post-it note on my laptop that said “talk about YOU”.

This is something that doesn’t come naturally to us introverts at all but is truly vital when it comes to demonstrating your own experiences and abilities during the assessment day and becoming a Chartered PR professional in your own right.

Chartered PR practitioner Kirstie Nickson is co-founder of Sidekick PR.