‘Teamwork makes the dream work’ is an old saying that we are all so familiar with. Yet during stressful times, we might forget how essential it is to stay in contact with our teams. Working as a team ensures that everyone does their very best with every project or with current or new clients.

Being able to bounce concepts off from one another and evaluate each other’s strategies will allow the business to succeed, especially during the current pandemic. No matter if you are introverted, extroverted or somewhere in between, communication is key!

media update’s Talisa Jansen van Rensburg takes a look at why teamwork is vital for PR pros during the current lockdown.

No matter if you are a team of three or three hundred, it is time to up your teamwork. Here’s why:

1. Working together prevents mental block

Most, if not all, PR professionals are prone to getting a mental block as the work they do involves a lot of creativity. This block could occur when creating content for clients, pitching new ideas or creating social media content for their clients’ brands. This means that there are a lot of instances where the creative juices might stop flowing. 

By working from home, most of us settle into a daily routine — this is the new way of life for us all (at least for now) — and routine is the biggest enemy of creativity. 

Because PR pros are so used to being busy, falling into a  routine will slowly but surely allow creativity to start disappearing: enter teammates. Picking up the phone or setting up a quick Zoom meeting with your team to bounce off ideas and talk about completely random things might just allow those creative juices to start flowing again. So, be sure to be there for your team — you need them more than you know. 
If you find that your teammates are under a lot of pressure or extremely busy, you can always read Five ways to overcome a mental block for some tips on how to break out of the block.

2. It’s better for their mental health

Many people have never been too open to the idea of talking about mental health at work, but with times being uncertain and extremely stressful, it might be the time to start sessions where teammates discuss their emotions and what is bugging them. 

With the media industry taking a bit of a hit and events being canceled, or placed on hold, it could make some PR professionals really worried. PR pros are extremely social creatures — they meet up with clients, attend events and even do press talks — so being cooped up at home with no one to talk to can definitely make them go ‘stir-crazy’.

It’s because of this that PR professionals need to start hosting weekly chats where they can talk it all out with one another and share ideas on how to stay away from negative thoughts that could lead to depression during this time. There is no use in you doing well at home while other teammates are suffering working from home;  with a team, it’s “Injury to one, injury to all.”

3. They can learn a thing or two 

There is not one person who knows everything there is to know about an industry. Regardless of the amount of years you’ve been working in PR — there is always something new to learn. 

And, the best place to learn is, you guessed it, your very own team! Working together and sharing knowledge with one another is a vital part of creating a strong and successful team.

The media industry is ever-changing, which directly impacts the PR industry. Being at home means less communication with the outside world, but this doesn’t mean that PR pros should miss out on what is currently working in the media industry and what is not. 

PR teams need to stay in constant communication with one another f as each person holds information that the other might not be aware of.

For example, you might have found a great new way to pitch press releases to the media, something that everyone can benefit from if they would just communicate! 

Why do you think teamwork is important in the PR industry? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Now that you know why you need to work as a team, start communicating by sharing these Seven emotional trigger words every PR should use in their next PR pitch. 
*Image courtesy of Pixabay