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Writer's pictureCaroline Koby

On that Pesky “P”: Marrying Social Anxiety and PR

By Thomas Hershberger


That little “P” has always terrified me.


The “P” in “PR,” that is. That “P” that represents “public,” and–for me–people in general.

I can admit it. You could call me “introvert,” “quiet,” a “thoughtful soul,” “hesitant,” “shy,” the “silent type,” and – if you know me well enough – “anxious,” or even “afraid.” You’d be right on all counts, and you’d hear no argument from me.


My name is Thomas, and I’m a sociophobe.


First step is to admit it, right?


I know, why PR then? Why choose a career field that demands constant interaction with others, that requires attentive maintenance of relationships, and that, above all, has that horrible, frightening word – “public” – smack in the job title?


Has he lost his mind?


Sure, I’m a bit odd (and proud of it), but I haven’t lost my head. I like to think I’d know it if I have…


He should be proud that he’s facing his fears head on!


I’ll subscribe to the idea that one should “do one thing every day that scares you.” For me,

however, that simply entails setting foot on campus, and mixing with the student population. I know, how brave of me to pursue higher education in a physical setting… Please, hold your applause.


Isn’t the pursuit of a career in PR quite the risky endeavor for “someone like me?” Why would any sane person willingly submit himself to what amounts to torture? Perhaps there’s an element of redemption to my pursuit, a need to prove to myself that I’m capable?

Yeah, I’ve heard all the theories, and I can understand them. My response? PR doesn’t have to be all that public after all, and – at any rate – it certainly isn’t my choice to be so frightened of my fellow man.


It also isn’t entirely my choice to find people so delightfully fascinating. I may not talk much, and I may occasionally need to be coerced into engaging, but that doesn’t mean I’m a bad communicator. When I’m not talking – and I’m not talking quite a lot of the time – I’m always trying to listen. I can learn plenty about those around me from the way they talk, how often they talk, from body language, from the company they keep, and through the nature of what they willingly reveal in casual conversation. Even if I’m not yet wholly comfortable with the process myself, I love the way humans interact with each other, and I love observing the consequences that result from their interactions.


That’s why I’ve chosen PR. It’s about the public. Yes, that terrifies me, but it also leaves me utterly entranced. It’s about more than just people, it’s about the relationships between them. What I love most about PR is the strategy in attempting to predict reactions. Messages must be considerately crafted down to each word, and the domino effect of each and every action must be plotted as precisely as possible. As if that isn’t enough to get the blood pumping, there’s usually a clock to play against too.


It’s the ultimate game of chess. People verses public, armed only with messages. Messages with the power to twist and bend those publics to a specific goal, to lead them to a client, or to incite a measured, reasonably predicted response.


The public, or different publics, can be entirely malleable entities. Publics can be things to be specifically targeted, to be independently influenced, or even to be pitted against one another.


Suddenly that little “P” doesn’t seem so frightening at all.

Perhaps it should even be frightened of me.

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