Stoic Philosophy for Public Relations

Could sto­ic philo­sophy for pub­lic rela­tions work?

Based on the sto­ic philo­sophy for pub­lic rela­tions (PR), obstacles must be seen as growth oppor­tun­it­ies. In this view, hard­ships will be power­ful tools for con­quer­ing pub­lic opinion.

Here we go:

Zeno, the Cypriot Merchant

A few hun­dred years BC, a Cypriot mer­chant lost everything in a shipwreck.

His name was Zeno, and accord­ing to the legend, he walked into a book­store, broke and almost beaten, and searched for answers by read­ing philo­sophy. Some years later, he went on to lay the found­a­tion of Stoicism. 

A sto­ic believes we should take the uni­verse at face value. 

But Stoicism is also, in more ways than one, the oppos­ite of tra­di­tion­al pub­lic rela­tions and mar­ket­ing; we strive to influ­ence per­cep­tion and man­u­fac­ture con­sent by mak­ing people want more.

PR is often about big­ger, bet­ter, faster, and stronger.
More drama. More conflict.

What if Zeno was right — and we are wrong?

The Obstacle is the Way

The idea of a sto­ic approach to pub­lic rela­tions made me revis­it a book I read a few years ago, Ryan Holiday’s book The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumphs.

Drawing from sto­ic philo­sophy, Holiday argues that Stoicism isn’t just about endur­ing pain and adversity with per­sever­ance and resi­li­ence; it’s about allow­ing these obstacles to make you grow.

Then, a sto­ic PR pro­fes­sion­al would avoid reach­ing the masses with fire­works and platitudes. 

We must trans­form obstacles into oppor­tun­it­ies to suc­ceed with the Stoic philo­sophy for PR. The dif­fi­culty of your path must be your best tool for con­quer­ing pub­lic opinion. 

Could sto­ic philo­sophy work as a mod­us operandi for PR professionals?

Stoic Philosophy for Public Relations

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PR and Stoicism

I’m inspired by Stoicism — and intrigued by the idea of trans­lat­ing clas­sic­al Stoic vir­tues (wis­dom, cour­age, justice, tem­per­ance) and apply­ing them to pub­lic relations:

The Wisdom Pitch

“A Stoic is someone who trans­forms fear into prudence, pain into trans­form­a­tion, mis­takes into ini­ti­ation, and desires into under­tak­ing.”
— Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Tell PR stor­ies of how organ­isa­tions can be wise and over­come obstacles that have stopped oth­ers in their tracks. Convey PR mes­sages on how to apply wis­dom, know­ledge, and experience.

The Courage Pitch

“We can­not choose our cir­cum­stances, but we can always choose how we respond to them.”
— Epictetus

Tell PR stor­ies of brands that nev­er back down in the face of hard­ships that would des­troy oth­er organ­isa­tions. Convey PR mes­sages of how an organ­isa­tion can be right­eous even when storms are raging.

The Justice Pitch

“Concentrate every minute on doing what’s in front of you with pre­cise and genu­ine ser­i­ous­ness, ten­derly, will­ingly, with justice.”
— Marcus Aurelius

Tell PR stor­ies of how organ­isa­tions relent­lessly can strive for hon­esty and trans­par­ency — even when uncom­fort­able. Convey PR mes­sages about how all brands, without excep­tion, can rid them­selves of dis­hon­esty and incompetence.

The Temperance Pitch

“It’s not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, who is poor.”
— Seneca

Tell PR stor­ies of organ­isa­tions that strive for high­er val­ues in a world where all oth­er organ­isa­tions suf­fer short­sighted­ness. Convey PR mes­sages of organ­isa­tions pre­pared to abstain from short-term gains to make the world bet­ter for all.

Learn more: Stoic Philosophy for PR Professionals

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Growth by Enduring Hardships

The Stoic philo­sophy for PR pro­fes­sion­als could be a prac­tic­al approach. I like the idea of a PR pro­fes­sion­al who sees oppor­tun­it­ies where oth­ers only see obstacles.

I also like the idea of a PR pro­fes­sion­al who’s not striv­ing for short-lived fire­works but who strives to build brands of sub­stance. I like the idea of a PR pro­fes­sion­al who drives aware­ness through doing dif­fi­cult things.

PR Resource: The High Road Tonality

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The High Road Tonality

An organ­isa­tion is the poly­phon­ic sum of all its cowork­ers. Imagine tak­ing the most mature traits from each cowork­er and com­bin­ing them into one voice — the High Road Tonality.

• Openness. A mature organ­isa­tion under­stands that every­one must be allowed to express their thoughts and opinions.
• Fairness. A mature organ­isa­tion will see (and respect) both sides of a divis­ive argument.
• Strength. A mature organ­isa­tion is con­fid­ent in its chosen strategies and acquired abil­it­ies, not because they’re per­fect, but because they are grounded.
• Wisdom. A mature organ­isa­tion will take the time to explain com­plex top­ics without condescending.
• Humility. A mature organ­isa­tion under­stands that no one can have everything com­pletely figured out and that we all have learn­ing and grow­ing to do.

Learn more: The High Road Tonality: Don’t Be Pushed Around

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