Eavesdropping Across Spectrum: PR, Social Media and Strategy

My mother always told me that eavesdropping was rude and un-ladylike. Cue Southern belle.

Imagine my surprise when I had a journalism assignment in college to eavesdrop in a public place - and write down the dialogue. The point of the assignment was to absorb, then convey the passion and emotion at whatever level, between the people discussing. You also became more in tune to the type of people you were listening in on.

So why is eavesdropping an essential skill in the PR field?

Social Media
Face it. You’re only as great as the people you converse with. You might be brilliant with executable ideas, but if no one is listening? It’s not beneficial.

If you aren’t challenging yourself on a daily basis and constantly operate in a comfort zone? You miss the point of learning through social platforms. Find those that are discussing an interesting topic and absorb what they are saying. Research the terms mentioned and the tactics discussed. Write down your own thoughts, and when you’re comfortable, ask questions and interjet opinion.

Strategy 101
Eavesdropping isn’t always cut and dry – or you listening in on a conversation between others. It can be reading body language and how a person approaches an issue. Words don’t always match actions.

In the business setting and during strategy sessions, you have to be in tune to those around you. Strategy is a team effort. If you don’t have the buy-in, it will never get off the ground. Focus on the energy of the room and build on it.

Traditional Public Relations
Eavesdropping is a bit different for the traditional setting. Besides the reasoning discussed above, it’s reading the trades, daily newspaper and major newspapers. Get to know who you are pitching – what stories are being picked up, the style of writing and if their is consistency in author.

A typical PR person will set aside time for both online portals and hard copy papers. Many read the hard copy on their smart phones. Research is a critical skill in this field.

So, what else would you add? What types of eavesdropping are beneficial?

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Colin Alsheimer

I just wanted to say - I had the EXACT SAME assignment for my screenwriting class in college. It was supposed to help us improve our dialogue scenes.

I like your ideas here... as far as types of eavesdropping that are beneficial?

I think I have to agree with many of the other commenters - social media listening is a great way to eavesdrop, for a variety of reasons. But I also think that reading body language, and getting team buy-in is important too. As a marketing professional, you have to be able to understand the ebb and flow of group meetings and strategy sessions. It's often subtle, but it's there, and if you want to advance any of your ideas - you have to be able to read it.
Jessica Griffin

It's funny, a PR friend updated her Facebook status a few weeks ago that said: "I mean an important part of my job is to Facebook stalk" I nervously laughed at that. Partially because she admitted it and I know as PR professional I do it too. Maybe not so much on the Facebook level, but with Twitter and a lot of social media outlets today, they make it easy.

In my opinion, as PR professionals our #1 job is to build relationships. And we have to do it at an exceedingly faster pace than most professions. To do that and to be the best you almost need to know information before anyone else does. I think that is really where "eavesdropping" comes into play. So much of social media today has made this easier and even more effective. I dare to say its what makes this profession exciting. :)

Great post!
Catherine Patterson

I love this! I was just commenting to someone on Twitter the other day, "Sorry for butting in, but I noticed you guys were talking about..." etc and they all said, "No need to apologize, commenting/engaging is what Twitter's about!" I guess I forget things like that sometimes... in my mind I think it's not polite to interrupt and butt in to someone else's conversation, but in other settings, like Twitter, it can be OK.

Since I know you're in PR too and this blog post clearly has a PR focus, I think I'd add (although this could fall within the third one) research. I haven't read the comments yet, and there are plenty, so I'm not sure if someone else has already mentioned research, but it is so important in our industry. However, I think it's one of those things that gets overlooked. Whether it's firsthand or secondhand, I think both methods of research can be considered "eavesdropping." So you conduct a survey and review the results-- that's pretty much eavesdropping, right? Or you conduct online research-- that can be considered eavesdropping, too, I think.
kmskala

Is it eavesdropping or simply paying attention and staying afloat of trends/happenings?
laurenfernandez

Eavesdrop was more of a euphemism, but the average person doesn't 100 percent pay attention. Their mind drifts and they don't focus on their surroundings. We position ourselves so much into silos that it makes it difficult to observe and learn.
Jamie Mitcham

Twitter is my favorite forum to "eavesdrop." It's where I learn trending topics in the field of PR, personal/student branding, breaking news and more. It's important to tune IN to the thought leaders in these fields, and learn where you can improve in your practices.

Aside from Twitter, it's just as important to "eavesdrop" on your company, clients and personal brand. The more you know, the more proactive you can be when dealing with the everyday and the unexpected.
laurenfernandez

I like your point about company doings - sometimes even conversations that might not be applicable to you will be beneficial in the future. Know your company or agency, and learn the ins and outs. Make friends with the receptionist - she hears everything.
Ashley Messick

I'm sure it is very similar in the for-profit world but I know in the non-profit world it's also important to eavesdrop on what other organizations in your same field are doing. Especially in a tight economy donor dollars are stretched very thin. It's good to stay on top of what other people are talking about that we aren't ... and why.
GoKTGo

I'm really bad about eavesdropping in public :/ I never mean to, I just feel like people like to talk really loud when they're around me! haha

Also, people really like to tell me their life story as soon as they meet me...

BUT either way, I do think there is value in it, whether it's intentional or not, because you are getting to know people's stories and their hearts and as people who are supposed to be "relating to the public" these are absolutely things we need to understand!

After all, if you don't know your public and what is going on in their lives, then you can't tailor your content to meet their needs! :)

-Katie

ps - Oh man, on Twitter it's super hard not to eavesdrop...especially when you're following all of the same people that other people are talking to...BUT I think that makes for some of the funniest conversation :)
laurenfernandez

You just have that face - the one that's open, honest and people feel comfortable right off the bat. I get it too. :)

"After all, if you don't know your public and what is going on in their lives, then you can't tailor your content to meet their needs! :)"

Exactly.
mikeschaffer

So...we aren't talking about the time their were holes cut into the walls of the Philadelphia Eagles' cheerleader locker room, right? That is definitely a form of evesdropping :)

In all seriousness, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Study what people you respect are doing and cherry pick the ideas and concepts you like - then - and this is key - merge them with your own thoughts to create strategies based in convention but flavored with your unique talents.

For PR, if you don't know what's going on with the media you are pitching, you are a day late and several thousand dollars short. It's not evil to check someone's Twitter updates or Facebook pages to find commonalities. It's not evil to pay close attention to what they are covering. Just don't hack their Outlook calendar. Much like the cheerleader peeping tom evesdroppers, that will land you in jail!
laurenfernandez

Haha, no.

I like your point about building on what you hear - own it in your own terms. Make strategies built around other ideas, and use your own as well.

Research is key in this field - which is why it's so important to be up to date with what the media is doing. Know your audience when you pitch - you can cater your style of writing to theirs to start building on that foundation.
Danny Prager

My favorite "eavesdropping" is on Twitter conversations. One of the most powerful aspects of Twitter is the way it brings great minds from all over the world into the same conversation (potentially). I love watching conversations happen between thought leaders, 140 characters at a time.

I always end up learning a lot. Definitely agree that eavesdropping is an important skill for any PR professional to have. Thanks for the post.
laurenfernandez

Agreed. I find that I learn a lot from watching interactions, then discussing it with both the people chatting and those that I converse with on a daily basis.
Tim Jahn

I love this too. I've been introduced to many great people this way, and also become a part of some really insightful conversations. For me, this is one of the big strengths of Twitter.
laurenfernandez

I'm with you on that one. The conversations and insight, both from ones I've participated in and observed, serve as a vital utility in the scope of things.