{"id":7950,"date":"2017-04-17T08:00:28","date_gmt":"2017-04-17T12:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=7950"},"modified":"2018-08-20T14:55:13","modified_gmt":"2018-08-20T18:55:13","slug":"succeed-when-you-dont-have-natural-talent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2017\/04\/17\/succeed-when-you-dont-have-natural-talent\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Succeed at Something When You Don’t Have a Natural Talent for It"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
Photo courtesy of creativecommons.org.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You spend hours on a test and get a lower score than the person who hasn\u2019t cracked open the textbook all semester, or run daily at the gym only to be beat at the race by someone who rarely practices. So why can some people get by on natural talent, but you have to put in all the effort? The reality is, most people don\u2019t get to where they are without a vast amount of practice \u2014 and failure. My fellow classmate, JaCey Yonke, and I teamed up to share our greatest communication weaknesses, and how we sharpened those into skills.<\/p>\n

Abby<\/strong>: While I\u2019m naturally adept at communicating, my weak spot is listening. I found myself leaving conversations wondering what the other person even said. I knew this would cost me connections if I didn\u2019t address the issue immediately. The key was developing a formula for listening, and then practice, practice, practice. Below are a few tips to improve your listening skills.<\/p>\n

1. Learn from good listeners<\/strong>. My friend Tiah never interrupts, and she asks probing questions about topics she learns the other person is interested in. The more time you spend with good listeners, the better listener you will become.
\n2. Ask questions about things you want to listen to<\/strong>. If you zone out chatting about the weather, then don\u2019t chat about the weather. Try to find a similar interest you have with whom you\u2019re talking. This way, you\u2019re not only listening, but forming a real connection.
\n3. Make eye contact<\/strong>. Specifically, put down the phone. People often scroll through their phones when they\u2019re bored, and if you\u2019re refreshing your Twitter feed while having a conversation, you\u2019re not going to leave a good impression. Setting your digital devices aside is polite and will demonstrate that you\u2019re engaged in the conversation.
\n4. There\u2019s a difference between listening and waiting to speak<\/strong>. When you realize you\u2019re focused on what you\u2019re going to say next, shift your focus back on the speaker. Humans are intuitive creatures. We can tell when someone just wants to talk over us. We don\u2019t like it.<\/p>\n

JaCey<\/strong>: Writing hasn\u2019t come naturally to me. I get distracted easily and struggle to write well about topics I\u2019m not knowledgeable about. Public relations professionals need to be able to write well, so over the last few months I\u2019ve created some techniques to overcome the fear of writing. Below are a few tips to become a stronger writer.<\/p>\n

1. Find a proof reader<\/strong>. Finding a willing writing mentor to point out places you struggle the most is the first step to becoming a better writer. You also can check out their own work and learn from their style.
\n2. Try out a blog<\/strong>. It\u2019s a forum where you can write often about things you\u2019re passionate about. This is also an excellent opportunity for future employers to see your writing focus and style.
\n3. Use your AP Stylebook<\/strong>. If you don\u2019t have one yet, go buy one.
\n4. Write often<\/strong>. As Stephen King put it, \u201cIf you want to be a writer, you must read a lot and write a lot.\u201d
\n5. Take chances<\/strong>. Trust me, writing for a blog such as Progressions isn\u2019t an easy task for myself. However, with a little encouragement from my friends, I\u2019ve found that this is a challenge I\u2019m capable of facing every time I pick up a pencil (figuratively, of course).<\/p>\n

Everyone\u2019s got a weak spot. How will you get past yours to succeed?<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Abby Reimer is a senior at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Eau Claire. Whether she\u2019s brainstorming creative ways to give her writing an edge or networking with potential employers, she is always active in communication and passionate about her public relations career.<\/em><\/p>\n

JaCey Lynn Yonke is a senior public relations major and marketing minor at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Eau Claire. She serves as the vice president for the UW\u2013Eau Claire PRSSA Chapter. On a regular day, you will find her drinking a caramel macchiato while writing content for one of the many social media accounts she runs. She stresses having a career built on transparency, ethics and personal brand.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You spend hours on a test and get a lower score than the person who hasn\u2019t cracked open the textbook all semester, or run daily at the gym only to be beat at the race by someone who rarely practices. So why can some people get by on natural talent, but you have to put in all the effort? The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1617,610,2689,75,30,121],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7950"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7950"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9123,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7950\/revisions\/9123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}