• Fitness & Health
• Sport & Exercise Science
• Physical Education
• Strength & Conditioning
• Sports Medicine
• Sport Management
• Dance

Essential skills for sport PR practitioners

This is an excerpt from Sport Public Relations 4th Edition With HKPropel Access by G. Clayton Stoldt,Stephen W. Dittmore,Mike Ross.

Although the practice of sport PR is diverse, practitioners must possess certain basic, yet essential, skills that serve as the foundation for multiple competencies applied in the industry. Readers likely already possess some competency in these basic skill areas. Descriptions of these underlying skill sets and recommendations for ways students may further develop their capabilities in these areas follow.

Writing Skills

Although the channels through which information is carried vary from news releases to publications to blogs, the core competency remains constant: being able to write effectively. Writing skills cannot be developed simply by accessing educational resources. Instead, they must be honed through practice. Students interested in sport PR or even those who anticipate using writing skills in non-PR jobs should look for any opportunity to develop these skills. Writing for campus media can provide invaluable experience, as can volunteer work alongside sport PR professionals. Students should also consider taking writing-intensive college courses, such as those offered in many mass communication programs. The key element in each of these settings is that professionals or educators critique the students’ writing and offer suggestions for improvement.

Students looking to develop their writing skills can also access a variety of resources that provide insights on writing effectiveness. These can range from traditional handbooks such as The Elements of Style (Strunk & White, 2008) and The Associated Press Stylebook to software applications such as Grammarly and even artificial intelligence (AI), when used appropriately, as a tool for editing and improving copy.

Public Presentation Skills

Although sport PR professionals may not be called on to give speeches as often as high-profile coaches and organizational executives are, these professionals frequently moderate news conferences and other special events and serve as organizational spokespersons. Furthermore, they may be called on to coach other members of the organization, such as senior managers, coaches, and athletes, as they seek to develop their own public presentation abilities.

Like writing, public presentation skills require practice. Communication courses that focus on public speaking can offer invaluable experience, and the professional literature includes many books on the topic. In addition, professional organizations such as the National Speakers Association and Toastmasters International offer a range of services to support their members in advancing their public speaking skills.

Interpersonal Skills

Sport PR professionals who enjoy interacting with others and can quickly form social connections typically find that skill to be a professional asset. Some people’s personalities naturally lend themselves to success in this area; others may need to cultivate these qualities.

Courses in leadership or team building are often beneficial in building interpersonal skills. Many colleges have career centers that offer interpersonal skill assessments and services that may assist in the development of these critical qualities. Students and practitioners who continue to develop their interpersonal skills are also likely to gain improved PR acumen, since many of the relational dynamics affecting interpersonal relationships also apply to organizational relationships (Turney, 2019).

Technological Skills

All prospective sport managers, whether PR is part of their position or not, need to possess basic technological competencies in a range of areas, including common software applications (e.g., word processing, spreadsheets). PR professionals commonly need even more advanced technological skills. Social media skills top this list; the abilities to develop and share content and successfully engage others are relevant to nearly every facet of PR practice. It may not be possible to be adept in the full range of existing social media networks. Skill in using the most common platforms, such as Instagram, X, and Facebook, however, is critical. In addition, other technological competencies, such as basic coding, graphic design, and other digital skills (e.g., Adobe Suite), serve as good supports for PR skills.

While the scope of relevant technological skills may seem overwhelming, the good news is that resources are abundant. College courses pertaining to technological skills are common, and software providers such as Google and Microsoft also offer a range of training resources online, and many are free. In addition, books such as Developing Successful Social Media Plans in Sport Organizations (Sanderson & Yandle, 2015) are also excellent resources. Skill in the use of AI is now also critical to professional practice. The sidebar Artificial Intelligence as a New Tool in Sport Public Relations discusses these emerging technological opportunities.

Research Skills

PR professionals must be able to search out, understand, and synthesize existing research within their own organization or developed by people outside the organization. Such work requires data literacy—the ability to make sense of data and develop accurate and appropriate conclusions based on data. Common sources of useful information may include not only organizational records but also other information such as directory sources (e.g., a Google search on the Internet) or subscription-based data from data providers (e.g., Sports Market Analytics). Some PR professionals not only employ secondary research skills (i.e., using research conducted by others) but also engage in primary research activities. These may range from conducting polls or surveys to staging focus group discussions to interviewing.

As with the other skills discussed earlier, students and practitioners can benefit from a range of resources to assist them in advancing their research skills. Data analytics and research methods courses are common at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Online resources such as Hootsuite Academy provide training programs and related research tools. In addition, a wide array of research-related books and texts may serve as valuable resources. One such example specific to the field of sport management is Research Methods and ­Design in Sport Management (Andrew et al., 2020).

More Excerpts From Sport Public Relations 4th Edition With HKPropel Access

---