A comment by Marc C. Whitt on a LinkedIn post led to me reading his book When In Doubt, Make Applesauce! and a wide ranging conversation about public relations practice.

When in Doubt, Make Applesauce!: Core Habits of the Masterful Public Relations Professional is a book about the character and reflexivity of public relations practitioners. It’s a mix of autobiography, reflection, and insight by Marc C. Whitt.

Marc generously shares his wisdom as both a teacher and practitioner over four decades. He has a professional perspective of public relations practice and firmly believes in the value of public relations and practitioners as a force for good.

We caught up to discuss some of the issues arising from his book. In a wide ranging conversation we discuss the potential of public relations to contribute to organisations and what makes a good public relations practitioner.

Along the way you’ll learn how to network, the build personal resilience, and why the press release is far from dead.

Stephen: You keep us waiting to explain the title. The anecdote about your mother making apple sauce when she needed time out comes at the end of the first chapter. What do you do to build personal resilience?

Marc: Resilient is not merely a habit for public relations professionals to embrace, but for anyone, regardless of their professional calling. But for the purposes of my latest book, When In Doubt, Make Applesauce!, I focus on eight core habits the masterful public relations professional must embrace and include resiliency. As I state in the book, from time to time, each of us who are called to serve in the public relations profession takes shrapnel during our careers. When we are in the middle of a storm, we must be battle-tested, not battle-worn. Therefore, we must learn how to become resilient.

We should never stop learning and growing in our habit of being resilient. That’s why we must continually work our resilient muscles. In my nearly 40 years in this work, I have learned through various experiences to practise the habit of resiliency. This does not mean we build a protective force shield around us, hide in a cavern, and wait for the storm to pass, or construct a drawbridge and moat to keep invading forces from attacking. Instead, we must practice the opposite, and that’s not always easy to do, is it?

I have learned over time to make it a daily habit to practice and apply 13 traits I identify in the book to embody becoming resilient. Those traits are:

1. optimistic,

2. confident and courageous,

3. self-aware,

4. seek a mentor or two,

5. willing to learn, then rejuvenate,

6. maintain a good sense of humour,

7. flexible and adaptable,

8. count your blessings,

9. don’t burn bridges – rebuild them,

10. seek solutions,

11. trust your gut instincts,

12. remain sociable, and

13. schedule “me time.”

No one can be 100 percent resilient. After all, we’re human – we have real emotions and genuine feelings. But when we sincerely apply these traits that I have identified and apply them to our daily personal and professional interactions, we can indeed strengthen the very fibre of our ability to be resilient. 

Stephen: You’re very upbeat and optimistic about public relations practice. How do you respond to critics who claim that it can equally be applied as a force for good or bad to corrupt the public?

Marc: I’m incredibly upbeat and optimistic about the public relations profession! The masterful public relations professional understands the enormous value of living a personal and professional life that reflects the highest standards of moral conduct and ethical behaviour. Most of us want to start our public relation careers on the “right foot.” We desire to perform our work excellently with plenty of zest and zeal. We are eager to learn and absorb all we can about and from our new employer, make new friends, meet new people, visit new places, exercise our creative muscles, and demonstrate our talents and skills.

We hope to eventually garner respect and appreciation from our colleagues, clients, and peers by doing these things, which build our credibility as public relations professionals.

Call me an eternal optimist, but I am a realist, too. I firmly believe we are very much a force for good. Please consider the eight habits of a masterful public relations professional I present in the book. Each of these is based on the merits of being productive, indispensable, honest, ethical, genuine, authentic, creative, and of service – all of which reflect the finest characteristics of humankind. We are, by calling, relationship builders. We help spark ideas and forge relationships that will better society.

True, there are very few in our profession who have sometimes taken advantage of the ability of public relations to influence others. As a result, their business practices and approaches are questionable at best and unethical at worst.

We in public relations practice must continue to do all we can to protect and defend our reputations as professionals. After all, we must always strive to be good apples!

Stephen: You cite Abraham Lincoln as a role model communicator, but you fail to list listening as one of his notable characteristics. Is this an oversight, and what do you believe are the characteristics of an exceptional communicator?

Marc: With only little formal education and growing up in humble environments, Abraham Lincoln not only stands as a political giant in American history, but his ability to connect with audiences as a master storyteller and persuader are most worthy of our examination. That was why I included a brief section about Lincoln in my book.

Even though I do not specifically note his fine skill in listening to his constituents, I do believe it is the underlying theme that weaves through Lincoln’s ability to effectively tell stories and persuade his audiences.

After all, only a masterful communicator who is an exceptional listener can:

• be authentic,

• know their audience,

• make a genuine connection with people,

• excel at being a masterful storyteller,

• provide the facts,

• offer plain, simple logic, and

• be persuasive and deliver the message honesty, clarity, and simplicity.

 As I noted in that same chapter that led into the section on Lincoln, I wrote this:

“Masterful public relations professionals must always seek to simplify the complex, speak or write to their audiences’ understanding, listen and absorb, and master the ability to have meaningful, engaging, and uninterrupted conversations.”

Later in that chapter, I share how the masterful public relations professional must excel at genuine conversation and note that to “do so, one must first be “all ears” and willing to “listen to the other person.”

So, we are in complete agreement! Listening is key to being a masterful communicator.

Stephen: Networking is another important attribute of a professional communicator. How do you recommend starting a conversation in both a physical and virtual sphere?

Marc: Networking and building relationships with others – whether in-person or virtually – come naturally for the masterful public relations professional. It’s second nature for them. Nothing is forced or awkward when conversing with such a master. They understand their audience and surroundings and connect accordingly.

Public relations always has been and will continue to be about the relationship-building business. It’s the backbone of who we are and what we do.

Almost instinctively, the masterful public relations professional understands how and when to connect the right idea and opportunities to the right people or pitch the right story to the right journalist at the right time, in both in-person and virtual environments.

They maintain productive relations with colleagues and peers near and far through frequent in-person and virtual communications, including video, web and audio conferencing and social media platforms.

With that said, how do we start that conversation, you ask. You begin with simple conversations.

During our simple conversations, we learn a lot about the other person: their likes and dislikes, their dreams and aspirations, their curiosities, business goals and opportunities, family and hometown, memorable moments in life, interpretations of the day’s news headlines, favourite athletic teams and music, and so much more. A natural rhythm begins as we become better acquainted with the other person.

We go from being an awkward couple on the dance floor to becoming trusting “dance partners.” We move our initial encounters from the networking phase to a deeper, richer, more meaningful phase of relationship building and cultivation.

The masterful public relations professional understands and knows this process well. Moreover, they recognise and appreciate that skillful networking leads to making additional connections. And intelligent relationship building and cultivation lead to exchanging ideas, information, and opportunities.

Stephen: Our shared belief that public relations practitioners have an opportunity to influence organisational strategy and decision making led to our initial introduction and conversation. Could you please summarise your argument?

Marc: Stephen, you and I share several beliefs and philosophies regarding our profession – most certainly, concerning the opportunity public relations practitioners have to influence organisational strategy and decision-making.

As our profession continues to garner more tremendous respect and appreciation among corporate C-Suites and clients, we should push ourselves to what I believe to be the ultimate professional level in public relations – the masterful public relations professional. We all recognise that greater demands and expectations are being placed on those of us who practice public relations. In recognition of that, I contend in my latest book that we should advance ourselves to this masterful level.

Achieving the masterful status in our profession should become our North Star – our guiding light. Those who are masterful are our profession’s cream of the cream of the crop. They embrace and practice what I believe to be eight core habits. These essential core habits of a masterful public relations professional:

1. unquestionable character and integrity;

2. effective and strategic communicator;

3. exceptional relationship-builder and networker;

4. “big picture” thinker and bold doer;

5. master of the mission and brand;

6. embracer of lifelong learning and available communication technologies;

7. servant leader; and

8. resilient.

Stephen: There’s a related point that the tactical execution of public relations is also critical to practice. You lead a strong defence for the press release. Why do you believe calls for its death are untimely?

Marc: As I noted in the book, several in our industry have limited the opportunities the warhorse of our work – the press release – can still offer. Several have announced its demise, claiming it has outlasted its function and usefulness. I respectfully disagree.

In my opinion, the press release still matters and helps to open opportunities with:

• journalists and media relations efforts

• customers and consumer relations

• external constituents

• internal constituents

In addition, press releases deliver:

• relevant, timely news, data, business announcements, and developments

• relevant, timely content for websites and online publications

• relevant, timely information for external constituents

• relevant, timely information for internal constituents

• enhanced exposure

• repurposed content for podcasts, blogs and marketing communications

• support for a brand’s storytelling efforts

The masterful public relations professional appreciates life for the press release beyond its immediate earned media value by maximising the various ways its content can effectively and strategically communicate with people through earned, owned, and paid media opportunities.

From where I am – long live the press release!

Stephen: Service is an unfashionable personal attribute in modern society. Why do you believe it is important for public relations practice?

Marc: Service should be at the very core of what we do. It should represent the heart of public relations practice. It must be our branding promise and reputation as we serve others.

The masterful public relations professional embodies this to become a servant leader. It’s a personal commitment – a calling, if you will – to place oneself at the back of the line while serving the needs of others first. And in today’s world, where incivility, rudeness, and me-first seem to rule the day, the idea of becoming a servant leader looks rather radical. We in public relations – regardless of the roles we hold – have this incredible opportunity to make a difference in our world, one person at a time.

Stephen: Learning and development is a golden thread running through the book. Do you think qualifications and professional development should be mandatory in public relations practice?

Marc: Lifelong learning is a choice we make, a personal commitment to stretch our minds and expand our world. It’s a continuous process from the cradle to the grave. It’s a promise we make to ourselves. And when fully embraced, lifelong learning is a worthy, life-enhancing, and even life-changing habit for each of us.

We cannot force people to learn. We can, however, provide them with countless professional development opportunities that will excite, encourage, and invite our colleagues to remain eager learners for life.

Stephen: The book includes your mother’s recipe for applesauce, but once you’ve made the sauce what’s your favourite use?

Marc: You must have contacted my mom by asking this! I enjoy her applesauce as a side dish, served with chicken or pork dishes. It’s the best!

When in Doubt, Make Applesauce!: Core Habits of the Masterful Public Relations Professional
Marc C. Whitt
Independently published
November 2022