From Resume Mishaps to Public Slanders, We Failed Forward at PR Summit

PR Summit: Failing Forward

You can’t appreciate the ups without the downs, the A+ without the F-, the success without the initial failure. We’re human – we make mistakes. Whether you’re a student or the CEO of a company, you’ve made them. What matters is how you channel that momentary defeat into an opportunity to learn, grow and fuel your redemption.

On October 1, we gathered at the Ace Hotel, the perfect raw space, to have a candid, open and honest discussion about the fumbles, mistakes and embarrassing moments of our careers. But the discussion didn’t end there, it led to the subsequent skills, capabilities and confidence we’ve garnered as a result. As we all know, no career path is linear or perfect.

Give a Round of Applause to Our Speakers! 👏

But let’s face it, failing isn’t necessarily fun even if it provides a platform for growth. Failing can be an obscure journey to find the buried treasure. We appreciate our speakers and panelists for accepting the challenge to share their screw-ups with a room full of strangers:

  • Jason Clark, Actor, Comedian, General Manager, Arcade Comedy Theater
  • Dr. John Hull, Professor of Psychology, Bethany College
  • Dan Sprumont, Lead Digital Experience Owner, Highmark Health
  • Lily Whorl, Fellow, Red Havas
  • Stacey Federoff, Communicator and Public Relations Graduate Student, Point Park University
  • Hollie Geitner, Vice President, Culture & Brand Ambassador, WordWrite

Tweet Ya Later

Here’s what some of our attendees had to say about their experience at PR Summit:

 

 

 

 

 


Always Fail Forward

For anyone who missed PR Summit: Failing Forward, check out some of the takeaways brought to us by Dr. John Hull:

  • Recognize that failure is an expected part of life; we all fail.
  • We need to separate failing at doing something from feeling like a failure when things don’t go well.
  • Fear of failure is not all bad – it may, in fact, help us improve our planning, thereby reducing the chances of failing.
  • We really can’t do just anything we set our mind on. To think this is to predispose ourselves to failure – and maybe even learned helplessness.
  • Anticipate the optimism/pessimism cycles inherent in working on long-term projects. Early overoptimism can lead to unnecessary failure.
  • Recognize that the way you do something isn’t necessarily the best way for everyone to do it. Your method may succeed for you, but not necessarily for others.
  • Remember self-efficacy and self-image, and how self-protective we are. We need to recognize that, even though we all think we are above average on most things,  sometimes we are, in fact, responsible for failure.
  • Organizational climate matters. A more collaborative (collectivist) climate is generally more supportive than a competitive (individualistic) climate, and can lessen personalizing failure.
  • Let some time pass before confronting failure. Most of us are more likely to be objective rather than self-protective if we wait a bit; in the long run, that will help.
  • Avoid self-handicapping. Give it your best shot – but understand that sometimes even your best shot won’t be good enough.


Thanks again to our 2019 PR Summit sponsor!

Researchscape International is an agile survey-research consultancy and SaaS firm delivering PR surveys, omnibus surveys, automated reporting tools and other research-related services to marketers and agencies. Its surveys are frequently used to drive thought leadership, support content creation and help grow organizations’ public profiles. Custom surveys support product launches, crisis communications, customer satisfaction and more.

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