Personal Public Relations

As a PR professional, we are often taught about how to create positive public opinion for an organization or a company. We know that you must present the organization in a positive way so that public will respond positively to your goals. In one of my classes my professor is adamant about us being mindful of our "personal PR". She tells us to act as if we are trying to influence public opinion about ourselves all the time. According to her, your appearance, your posture, the way you speak and the way you carry yourself. All of this has bearing on the public’s opinion of you.

Now, I understood where she was coming from but I wasn't sure how important this "personal PR" was. So, I did an experiment. I walked around for a whole day with my pants sagging all the way below my buttocks. It was a very interesting experience.

First of all, the first place that I stopped publicly with my pants sagging was a gas station. After I paid for my gas and was walking to my car, I was approached by another patron asking if I wanted to buy some weed. Not saying that this couldn't happen anyway, but I am certain that my personal PR created a more comfortable environment for him to ask me. The second place I went was Wal-Mart. This was a very uncomfortable experience, because older people looked at me with such disdain that I found myself pulling my pants up. Needless to say the experiment ended there.

I guess this story is just to tell you how your "personal PR" creates perception and behavior of the public that you come in contact with, so just be mindful. You should ask yourself if you want to be viewed as someone who wants to buy weed or get respect from those who have similar views to your current and future professors and the people who will and have signed your paychecks.