When most of us in public relations began our careers, we were given “the talk.” You know, the one about how we must learn to steel ourselves against the routine and often ruthless rejection from journalists who won’t give us the time of day, or who just don’t have any time in their day to give us. “If you don’t have a thick skin, this job isn’t for you” is a common refrain.
There’s a lot of truth to that notion, and if a “no” from a reporter is enough to knock you off your game, then perhaps PR really isn’t a sustainable long-term career option. However, there is a certain kind of sensitivity that can be a tremendous asset when your job is to communicate on behalf of brands to the general public. Being attuned to what sounds right and feels right can make all the difference between developing resonant, meaningful messages and coming across as completely tone-deaf.
Sensitivity is too often misunderstood as frailty or timidity. But because sensitive people are so clued into the subtleties of life, they’re often the most outspoken when they perceive a problem. When I say sensitivity, I’m not referring to the characteristic that makes people fold at the first sign of critique. Instead, I’m talking about an innate attention to nuance. Sensitive people have an eye for detail, an emotional intuition and a sixth sense for the potential consequences of words and actions.
There’s a name for people with this quality: a highly sensitive person or HSP. Psychologist Elaine Aron, who quite literally wrote the book on such individuals, estimates that HSPs comprise some 15 to 20% of the population. Another psychologist, Sherrie Campbell, asserts that HSPs are “the world’s greatest innovators” and “the people you want running your businesses.”
“Because their thoughts, ideas and experiences tend to be richer and more profound,” she writes, “they are gifted with a greater insight into what makes the human being feel enough to be moved.” That ability is invaluable in PR and in communications more broadly. It’s the spark that ignites winning campaigns and convinces new business prospects to work with you. It’s the thing that made fictional ad man Don Draper win every pitch.
In my own work experience, I’ve had the words “too sensitive” lobbed at me a time or two. Sensitive as I am, there was a time when I perceived it as an insult, a mark of a personal failing. But as I’ve gotten older and more confident, I’ve grown to wear my sensitivity as a badge of honor. It’s the part of my personality that makes me so attuned to clients’ needs. It’s the small voice that says the way we’re presenting survey findings might not sit well with our intended audience, or worse, might invite backlash from certain constituencies. It’s the intuition that something might be going on with an employee that’s keeping her from delivering her best work.
This self-reflection has carried over into my staffing practices. My most valued employees are, of course, those who produce results – but beyond that, when I think about the traits I need as I put together a team, I’m careful to include at least one colleague who has this innate sensitivity. He will be the one to note when a campaign idea feels “off,” or when we’ve staffed a project in a way that puts an undue burden on a particular team member who may not speak up for herself. He will be conscientious in his dealings with clients and journalists, understanding what will catch their ear and what, conversely, will turn them off. He will be the one to notice a popular sentiment on social media and say to the team, “That’s what we need to tap into with our next pitch.”
Again, HSPs are not shrinking violets; they’re the perceptive, intuitive people who notice more and feel more deeply. Like all successful business people, they need to learn to accept and grow from constructive criticism without getting mired in self-doubt. But they’re endowed with the skills to do so because they notice when their efforts are eliciting negative reactions from others, and they’ll find creative ways to tweak their approach and do better next time.
When you think about your staff, think about those team members who play devil’s advocate rather than go along with the whim of the group. Think about the ones who anticipate unintended consequences and examine the subtleties in language. They’re not just being difficult: These people are your and your clients’ eyes are ears, and they’re the ones who may save you from flubs and even PR crises. Consider putting them in charge of the agency’s – or the client’s – Twitter account.
The corporate world and the PR agency environment in particular have room for many personality types. We need outgoing bulldogs who can get on the phone and sell a pitch within 30 seconds. We need introspective types who can produce brilliant thought leadership articles. And somewhere in that mix, we need to make room for and cultivate the highly sensitive persons who make our work more conscientious, more nuanced and more resonant with the public.
