It's the reality of everyday life, we wake up, get dressed and brave the cold (rain, snow, etc) to get into our cars and begin our journey to work.

Whether you have a five minute commute or an hour battle against angry beeping horns and tired fellow drivers, you can be more productive.

There are opportunities to improve your public relations skills with every push of the pedal.

Continue reading to learn how your morning commute can improve your public relations skills.

Get in tune with your public speaking skills 

Turn on your radio. Whether you prefer political talk radio or are a die-hard Beyoncé fan, listening to a variety of radio stations is a great way to hone in on different types of public speaking.

In PR, public speaking can make or break a business proposal or define your critical first impression. Observe how the hosts interact with morning callers and introduce topics for discussion. Compare the eloquence of each host and take note of how they change their tone of voice to make a point.

You can learn a lot about improving your own skills by listening to broadcasters.

Plan your trip and navigate the roadways

These days, I wouldn’t dream of getting into my car without a GPS to navigate my way or help avoid bad traffic or closed roads. The same can be said for PR.

Create a plan of action for yourself and your clients to navigate your way through the steps of success and avoid lulls in your work.

For road trips, we fill up our gas tanks so we don’t hit “empty” and make it to work without having to call a tow truck. In PR, setting up meetings with clients frequently throughout the process ensures that you’ve got the gas to keep going and keeping the clients budget on track.

Respond to road signs and pay attention to other drivers

You can never be too careful driving to work. The same can be said for PR.

We slow down or speed up depending on the signs, stop when we hit a red light and flip our turn signal on. Obey the signs from the industry about what your client needs and react accordingly.

We communicate with other drivers to ensure that the roadways are safe. As a PR representative, you must communicate with the client to understand what they really want and ensure you are exceeding their expectation. This makes a smooth path to success.

Be sure to keep windows of communication between you and your network of contacts open as well, you never know when you’ll need to call on them.

Fuel yourself

We’ve got the gas part down, but what about fueling your own body? For myself and most others, we can’t make it through the morning commute without swallowing half a gallon of coffee.

In PR, it is essential to fuel yourself with the necessary connections and networks to success. Add clients to your list that will push your company forward and generate more interest from potential clients.

Fuel yourself with great connections that will expand your business.

 Developing your PR skills and learning new strategies is important as times change. Read our ebook on how to market to the Millennial generation.