During the Interview Tips

• Look at the interviewer, not at the television monitor. Pretend that you and your host are the only people in the room and that you are sitting together having a friendly conversation.

• Try not to jiggle your legs, and never chew gum. Also, if you sit in a chair during your interview, don’t rock back and forth and if you stand, try to be still. And, avoid dramatic gesturing with your hands, although some gesturing to make a point or convey your enthusiasm is fine.

• Don’t talk too fast or swallow your words, and avoid speaking in a monotone. Be conversational. Your tone of voice will either help engage viewers in what you are discussing or cause them to switch to a different channel.

Text 6. Ethics and Public Relations By Terence Fane-Saunders Chairman and Chief Executive, Chelgate Ltd

There has been a lot of talk recently about corporate ethics. But what about the ethics of the public relations industry? What should a professional do, or refuse to do?

In many companies, the greatest ethical pressure on public relations professionals comes from management misunderstanding of the role of public relations. If you believe it exists to present the company in the best possible light at all times, then deception (to deceive – to make someone believe something that is not true in order to get what you want) and media manipulation are going to be pretty necessary parts of the public relations tool-bag.

But if you believe our task is to create and build positive, productive relationships, the game changes. Any worthwhile relationship is founded on trust. And in any relationship, if you habitually lie, mislead, cover up or manipulate, the relationship is a dead bird.

So what should our standards be? What should we do and not do? Here are a few from my personal list. If you have suggestions to add, e-mail us. We'd like to hear from you.

We don't lie.

We don't withhold (=refuse to give information) facts if we know that by withholding them we actually mislead.

We don't buy favours. If a media trip is primarily a " pleasure, fun" for the journalists, rather than a chance to see and learn, then that is buying favours. And we don't.

We don't refuse to take on a responsibility. We are responsible for the information we provide. " Well, that's what I was told" isn't good enough. If we have reason to doubt the facts, we check and check again.

We don't make promises. And when we do make them, we keep them. And if we don't keep them, we admit the fact and put things straight (=deal with the problem). And if we can't be straight, we quit public relations and start selling Time Share. What would you add?

Text 7. How to Effectively Promote Yourself by Mark Macias

If you're to be an effective promoter, one of the most important products to promote is yourself. Mark Macias details how to use your very best public relations skills at networking events for your own good.(Networking is a the practice of meeting other people involved in the same kind of work to share information, support each other, create, or act upon business opportunities).

Public Relations is a skill that not only applies to the media. It applies to social situations, especially at networking events where your image is everything. I attended a local Chamber of Commerce networking event last night and like every other entrepreneur, I went there to mix, mingle, find leads, make sales and create new money. It’s the driving force behind every successful business owner, as well as promoter. The quicker you master these skills, the faster your business grows.

Roughly 150 people were at this NYC event. I’ve been to hundreds of journalism and PR mixers but this business crowd was different. Unlike journalism conventions -where reporters sit back and observe- this Chamber of Commerce mixer was packed with Type-A personalities. Every man and woman was focused. No one waited for the right moment. Everyone quickly took even the smallest chance to do or say something.

But the longer I mingled with New York City’s entrepreneurs, the more I realized how image matters in business – and not just on TV or in the papers.

As Senior Producer with CBS, I have more than a decade of experience working with publicists from all over the country. I understand how some publicists get it, while others need a new career. Every journalist will tell you a good publicist makes the job easy. A bad publicist turns it into a hard task.

It was no different at this Chamber of Commerce networking event. The best entrepreneurs made the art of networking seem easy. The more awkward leaders made the event painful.

It got me to thinking: public relations skills also apply to networking events. If your networking skills are off, you might be doing much damage at these mixers.

Here’s a quick rundown on how to apply public relations skills to any networking event.

The best publicists listen and interact. The worst publicists talk to you and ask few questions. The best publicists know how to drive conversations. The worst publicists can drive a train into a house and they won’t even see it coming. They aren’t in control of themselves or their ideas. When you’re networking, notice your words and how you use them. Drive the conversation with open-ended questions that lead to your intended goal. Learn how to grab information by guiding conversations, as opposed to talking to others.

Make eye contact. This is a common sense rule, but many people at this networking event failed to make consistent eye contact. It was like they were afraid of emotionally connecting to me, or perhaps they were hiding something. If you have difficulty making eye contact with others, practice in the mirror. A sociology professor from college demonstrated this to my class, and it works. I do believe the eyes lead to the soul, so don’t be afraid to reveal a part of yourself at these social events. You’ll survive.

Dress the part. The best male publicists know when a touch on the elbow is appropriate and how long to hold on during a handshake. It doesn’t mean you need to express your sexuality like a porn star, but it does mean you need to be aware that connections are made through the sensory of skin. Use it to your advantage, but make sure you study this sociology before you start feeling up elbows. And be conscious of what you choose to wear that morning. I met some business professionals who looked like they stepped out of a 1970s Kmart catalogue. I don’t want them to advise me on creativity. If you’re expressive or creative, you will likely express it in your clothes. I’m sure it sounds not very much serious, but the reality is when you’re networking at these events, we base our perception on reality. And your reality is what you’re wearing at the moment.