In association with JBH, Hannah Butcher presented this slide deck to the audience of a webinar in July 2020. The presentation centred on skills used in helping relationships, and how these could be applied to work within digital PR and marketing.

1. How to apply core counselling skills to digital PR
@HannahFButcher
presents

2. About Hannah Butcher
Hannah is the Director of Belong Digital Ltd. She’s also a mental
health nursing in-training, and a mentor to fellow digital
marketers.
She’s part of the Diverse Speakers collective, a member of
Women in Tech SEO, and writes about mental health and autism.
This year she completed a counselling skills diploma, and is
marking 10+ years experience in the marketing industry.
@HannahFButcher

3. Counselling skills.
Digital PR.
What?!
@HannahFButcher

4. Let’s rewind to earlier this year:
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5. Fave mug
Counselling skills workbooks
Extra reading materials
Copious note taking
Sitting on a cushion

6. (I passed my diploma. Yay!)
@HannahFButcher

7. “How is this relevant, Hannah?”
@HannahFButcher

8. @HannahFButcher
Both counselling
and digital PR
are built on
relationships

9. @HannahFButcher
Without them,
you can’t make
progress :(

10. Why counselling skills are useful in
digital PR
@HannahFButcher
So, let’s look at

11. “Certain ways of
communicating alienate us
from our natural state of
compassion.” - M Rosenberg
@HannahFButcher

12. Cooperative communication and
fostering compassion are important
parts of many ‘helping relationships’.
@HannahFButcher

13. “Compassion involves
showing a profound
awareness and
understanding of
suffering, and taking
steps to relieve it.” - P Gilbert
@HannahFButcher

14. We can apply the same compassion to
sources of distress, a form of mental
strain.
@HannahFButcher

15. @HannahFButcher
Distress in digital PR?
Yep.

16. @HannahFButcher
Distress in digital PR?
Yep.
Non-linking citations
No-follow links
Limited pick up
Missed deadlines
Wider news agenda
Budget restraints
Imposter syndrome

17. This is when compassion is needed.
@HannahFButcher

18. (Both self-compassion, and compassion
to others. We are all important!)
@HannahFButcher

19. We will show more compassion through
core counselling skills.
@HannahFButcher

20. What are core counselling skills?
@HannahFButcher
Um, Hannah...

21. “They are skills
that make the
client feel valued.”
- The Skills Network
@HannahFButcher

22. They are used where people need help
and support.
@HannahFButcher

23. But, using counselling skills is not the
same as giving advice!
@HannahFButcher

24. @HannahFButcher
Unconditional positive regard
Genuineness
Empathetic understanding
Active listening
Questioning
Paraphrasing
Reflecting
Summarising
Challenging
“OK, Google. What are the
nine core counselling skills?”

25. @HannahFButcher
Unconditional
positive regard
Genuineness
Empathetic
understanding
“OK, Google. What are the
three core conditions?”

26. Who can you use these skills with?
@HannahFButcher

27. Your team.
@HannahFButcher

28. Clients.
@HannahFButcher

29. VIP
Clients.
@HannahFButcher

30. Sources.
@HannahFButcher

31. Journalists.
@HannahFButcher

32. Creatives.
@HannahFButcher

33. Developers.
@HannahFButcher

34. Copywriters.
@HannahFButcher

35. The entire SEO crew.
@HannahFButcher

36. The benefits of building better
relationships?
@HannahFButcher

37. “You’re not a
counsellor or
psychotherapist,
but you can show
care and concern.”
- G Hasson & D Butler
@HannahFButcher

38. Many of us don’t actively think about our
conversations; they just happen.
@HannahFButcher

39. This means that our words may
unintentionally cause conflict, confusion
or total apathy.
@HannahFButcher

40. Advising:
@HannahFButcher
“I think you should…”

41. One-upping:
@HannahFButcher
“That’s nothing; wait’ll
you hear what happened
to me.”

42. Educating:
@HannahFButcher
“This could be a
positive experience if
you just...”

43. Consoling:
@HannahFButcher
“It wasn’t your fault...”

44. Story-telling:
@HannahFButcher
“That reminds me of
the time...”

45. Shutting down:
@HannahFButcher
“Cheer up. Don’t feel
so bad.”

46. Sympathising:
@HannahFButcher
“Oh, you poor
thing.”

47. Interrogating:
@HannahFButcher
“When did this begin?”

48. Explaining:
@HannahFButcher
“I would have called,
but...”

49. Correcting:
@HannahFButcher
“That’s not how it
happened!”

50. @HannahFButcher
It’s like,

51. And we’re probably all guilty of this!
@HannahFButcher

52. @HannahFButcher
If we become aware of
our habitual reactions
and responses, we can
create more flow and
understanding.

53. @HannahFButcher
Flow: to proceed
or be produced
continuously
and effortlessly.

54. More about the core conditions...
@HannahFButcher

55. Unconditional positive regard
@HannahFButcher

56. “I accept you
as you are.”
@HannahFButcher

57. For a person to be able to grow and
achieve their potential, they need to be
valued for themselves.
@HannahFButcher

58. (Particularly important if you are a
people manager!)
@HannahFButcher

59. Normally we tend to judge others
according to our own beliefs and values.
@HannahFButcher

60. @HannahFButcher
An example
at work...

61. @HannahFButcher
A copywriter
named Ted D
voted leave.
A digital PR
named Bud D
voted remain.

62. @HannahFButcher
Can they work
together?
YES! Using
unconditional
positive regard.

63. Practice activity
@HannahFButcher
Over the next week, have conversations with people you
like and dislike. Then analyse whether you have, or
could develop, unconditional positive regard for them.

64. Genuineness
@HannahFButcher

65. Be authentic.
@HannahFButcher

66. Without genuineness, it is difficult to
build trust in your relationships.
@HannahFButcher

67. This skill is a desire to help a client find
the solutions to their problems; not
solving the problems for them.
@HannahFButcher

68. @HannahFButcher
An example
at work...

69. @HannahFButcher
Client: “I’d like
you to PR this
boring news
item plz.”
Bud D: “SOUNDS
AMAZING!”

70. @HannahFButcher
Obv, zero
coverage.
Client: “I’m sad
and confused.”

71. Could you ask questions to the client to
guide them towards a better solution?
“What kind of coverage would you be looking for?”
“I’d love to hear more about other projects
happening in the business.”
@HannahFButcher

72. Empathetic understanding
@HannahFButcher

73. The ability to
try and
understand
what the client
is feeling.
@HannahFButcher

74. @HannahFButcher
“It is frustrating for
someone needing
empathy to have us
assume that they want
reassurance or ‘fix-it’
advice.” - M Rosenberg

75. Advising:
@HannahFButcher
“I think you should…”

76. Empathy is different from sympathy.
@HannahFButcher

77. Intellectual understanding can be a
blocker for empathy.
@HannahFButcher

78. This happens when we connect people’s
words to our own theories, rather than
their point of view.
@HannahFButcher

79. “I just want more digital PR
success…”
@HannahFButcher

80. Can you take time to listen to those who
need to talk through their issues?
@HannahFButcher

81. Have you empathized with your journalist
contacts?
@HannahFButcher

82. @HannahFButcher
Distress for journalists?
Yep.
Job security
Freelance competition
Multiple publications
Real life examples
Trusted sources
Public judgement
Irrelevant pitches

83. You may not need to ‘fix’ their problems,
but they can see you as an ally.
@HannahFButcher

84. (Surely a much better title than
“annoying PR”, right?!)
@HannahFButcher

85. Relationships take time, but I’m bear-y
confident in your new skills.
@HannahFButcher

86. Thank you for listening (like, really listening).