Marketers and communicators need to broaden their skill set to better support their clients, argues Rita Carolan, the Communications and PR Manager at HLB International, the top 10 advisory and accountancy firm.
When working in public relations or communications, it’s easy to focus solely on your area of expertise. After all, creating engaging stories, managing stakeholder relationships, and protecting brand reputation are demanding tasks on their own.
Yet, exploring new disciplines outside your usual scope can be incredibly beneficial, both personally and professionally. I’ve seen this in my own career through the training opportunities offered by my employer, HLB International.
HLB’s people-first approach encourages investment in upskilling so that its people worldwide can thrive now and in the future. This philosophy encouraged me to step beyond my comfort zone and broaden my knowledge to enrich my work in PR and communications.
One of the main benefits I’ve discovered from doing training outside the traditional scope of PR and communications is how it empowers you to better understand why you’re doing what you do.
It’s not uncommon in PR to be given directives or briefs that don’t fully articulate the purpose behind an initiative. When you broaden your skill set, you give yourself the tools to approach projects with a wider lens, enabling you to connect the dots between strategy and execution. Pursuing professional development in other areas also broadens your knowledge, making it easier to have deeper, more meaningful conversations with stakeholders.
Whether you’re engaging with the leadership team, clients, or cross-functional colleagues, your ability to bring an informed perspective to the table strengthens your credibility. It’s not just about adding new angles to your expertise; it’s about showing stakeholders that your advice is rooted in a holistic understanding of the business and its goals.
Advisory mindset
One of the training programmes that recently left a mark on me was Mindshop Advisory Fundamentals.
Mindshop is an HLB strategic partner to enhance our networks advisory mindset through a host of training and resources. This course explores the mindset and skills needed to adopt a true advisory approach. Rather than staying in the comfort zone of “communicator,” this course encouraged me to think in terms of adding value through strategic advice.
Previously, I approached stakeholder conversations as opportunities to communicate a particular message or gain approval for a campaign. After this training, I found myself asking deeper questions like, “How can I help this stakeholder achieve their overarching objective?” While my words were once focused on specifics like press releases or media campaigns, I started viewing my role as one of helping stakeholders solve broader problems. This ability to act as a trusted advisor will no doubt enhance my reputation in the eyes of HLB clients and internal teams alike.
Client experience – Why listening matters
Another course that proved valuable was training with another of HLB’s strategic partners customer experience consultancy, MCorpCX, Client experience101-Leveraging Client Experience to become more human-centric.
This course examined the principles of creating exceptional client experiences, from active listening techniques to designing interactions that feel personal and purposeful. It championed the idea that every touchpoint matters, which is something I hadn’t deeply reflected on before.
The skills I learned here wove seamlessly into my PR and communications responsibilities. For example, rather than simply sending stakeholders updates for the sake of maintaining engagement, I began tailoring correspondence in ways that made clients feel not just informed but truly involved in the process. Whether it’s a stakeholder meeting or a client report, recognising the importance of experience at every interaction fundamentally shifted how I approached relationship-building.
Building bridges between training and PR
You might wonder how training in these fields directly ties back to communications. For me, it created an invaluable bridge between technical skills and emotional intelligence. PR professionals often deal with complex, high-pressure situations were getting someone’s buy-in or managing conflicts can become critical. By honing skills like identifying root causes or practicing empathetic listening, I’ve been able to craft narratives and strategies that resonate better with my audience. More importantly, it has given me the confidence to approach projects as a partner, not just an executor.
Likewise, being exposed to broader business methodologies allow you to align PR campaigns with company-wide strategies. Every press release, social media campaign, or stakeholder interaction can start to rely on a solid foundation of business context—not just PR intuition.
Stepping beyond the boundaries of a traditional PR role is an investment in your professional growth and the value you bring to your role. Training offers perspectives that strengthen your ability to answer critical “why” questions, engage meaningfully with stakeholders, and look beyond immediate deliverables to the bigger picture- and to a more fruitful career in the long run!
Rita Carolan is the Communications and PR Manager at HLB International. She is responsible for external and internal communications, promotes the organisation’s brand and reputation, and generates thought leadership on key business issues.