Guest Post by Lindsay M. Allen
For many professional communicators — myself included — our industry is something we take very seriously, doing everything in our power to maintain professionalism both in and out of work (and the rapid blurring/erasing of that line is a subject for another blog post in itself), even sometimes relinquishing our right to an opinion for the sake of professionalism.
Such a level of reverence for one’s profession, clients and colleagues strikes me as being unique to professional communicators, perhaps because diplomacy is — actually, let’s make that should be — at the heart of our profession.
Instead, what we sometimes find in our professional community looks more like this:
To someone who’s passionate about something — whether it’s a cause, a profession, a belief or something else — people who also are a part of that “something” but seemingly disregard all courtesy, convention and common sense associated with it can seem like real “A-Holes,” not unlike the ones depicted in the “Saturday Night Live” clip above.
There’s another, slightly gentler term I’ll use for the purpose of this post: “Punks.”
(source: Dictionary.com)
While the term “useless” in the list of definitions might seem harsh, it actually is quite fitting when you think about it. If your communication only serves to rile people up, disrespect people with whom you should be collegial, discount the ideas of others, or give the outside world a poor impression of your profession — especially if you intentionally aim for such responses when crafting your thoughts and words — your communication is useless.
Link-baiting. Name-calling. Disagreement simply for the sake of being a contrarian. Non-constructive criticism of others’ methods or ideas, either directly or passive-aggressively. Self-promotion through competitor-bashing. I’ve seen it all, even in just the last week or two, and it’s all punk behavior.
PR agency owner Rachel Kay (Twitter: @RachelAKay) recently posted a tweet that quite nicely reflected what I’m getting at:
Being a punk adds nothing to the conversation. Period.
But how do you avoid being an irreverent and, perhaps, self-serving, punk, yet at the same time avoid being a stick in the mud whose approach is as exciting as watching paint dry?
Be provocative.
(source: Dictionary.com)
For the purpose of this writing, the highlighted definition — “stimulating” — is most fitting. And, if you try, it’s not that difficult to be truly provocative without being a punk. Some tips:
• Be a contrarian with a purpose rather than a rebel without a cause (or a clue!). Take it from Mack Collier (Twitter: @MackCollier):
• We all were born with a filter between our thoughts and our written or oral communication. Utilize it. Considerations: Will what you have to say catalyze dialogue? Is it based on something solid, like research or personal experience? Will it make people think because it’s thoughtfully presented and offers a fresh perspective, or will it make people angry because it’s straight-up mouthy and incendiary? It’s all in the delivery. Says Ari B. Adler (Twitter: @AriBAdler) (as tweeted by Barbara Rozgonyi):
• Offer bold, new ideas, products or services without bashing your competition, instead focusing on the strengths of — and continuing to strengthen — what you bring to the table. Danny Brown (Twitter: @DannyBrown), who in my opinion has mastered the art of being a provocative voice of reason, recently blogged about this very subject:
• If a disagreement heats up, take it “outside” — that is, don’t let it play out publicly/online. Allan Schoenberg (Twitter: @AllanSchoenberg) uses this approach (as tweeted by Ari B. Adler):
So: Are you adding value, or are you just picking fights? Next time you go to start a conversation or contribute to one in progress, ask yourself this … and let the answer guide your action.
Lindsay is a Michigan-based PR professional with more than a decade of experience in journalism and PR, largely focusing on higher education and the entertainment industry. Recently downsized, she is freelancing and engaging in professional development while seeking her next career move. Follow her on Twitter: @LindsayMAllen.
“Being punk adds nothing to the conversation. Period.”
That’s kind of a punk rock statement.
I would say that a true reading of the concept and history of punk — in both art and corporate movements — validates its ability to start a conversation, provoke thought, and cause necessary disruption.
Who cares what you call it, though. Just do it.
I often wonder how a lot of these people are offline. Are they the brash “get out of my way, little man” type, or the arrogant “you’re below me, I don’t need to defer or offer respect” type?
There are very few arguments ever won through disrespect. Sure, you might win a battle but the overall victory is usually given to the person (or company) that took the higher ground.
I deliberately steer clients, friends and connections away from companies like this. They may have a great product – heck, they may have the best product – but business and ethics are far more important to me than a product that a competitor can offer as well, with better manners.
Good post Lindsay. People can agree to disagree, and even heated discussions have value, but being obstinate and acting like a punk are counterproductive.
Lindsay – like your take/twitter twist. Thanks for choosing my tweet. Ari had lots of great quotes and stats in his presentation. Happy to see he’s on here along with Allan. We all three spoke at the Ragan Twitter Bootcamp conference that day.
@wiredprworks
Thanks for the comments and conversation, folks!
Unfortunately, it looks like the Hulu video must’ve had a limited number of embedded plays, so it’s not working properly. So, here’s a direct link to it: http://bit.ly/aS6XM
There is a difference between being punk and acting like a “punk”.
In concept punk was a movement to break with conservative social norms, to break out of the traditional aesthetic and push boundaries, sometimes that meant being obnoxious, but towards the system.
To me, social media is very much a “punk” thing, in that it has forced people to re-evaluate the system and consider emerging alternatives to traditional methods. However, one does not need to disrespectful to accomplish the goal of forcing a little paradigm shift.
I agree that being disrespectful will most often get you nowhere, and that it is better to be provocative that obnoxious, but the punk movement has influenced not just music but culture in a lot of ways, some negative, but mostly positive.