The need for simplification sadly still exists for juniors and more experienced professionals alike, says Vikki Chowney, editor of Reputation Online

One of the most embarrassing, gut-wrenching stories I’ve ever heard was to do with kissing. Not watching-your-parents-with-a-shudder-lip-locking, but something far more outrageous.

Back when I was studying fashion PR at university (an industry I later discovered to be entirely unsuitable for me), one of my tutors relayed the tale of the worst pitch he’d ever been in. Of course, there’s probably artistic licence at play here, but there was something about the weary look on his face, well used to facing the embarrassment this story produced, that made me believe him.

Picture the scene: you’re part of a PR agency and you’ve roped into a pitch you’re not really prepared for, but you’re young and you want to do your part. That was my tutor, my attentive, very intelligent, but probably slightly naïve friend.

He sat through the presentation, mainly in silence, then stumbled his way through the ‘bread & butter’ skills section he’d been asked to present. He covers responsive news-jacking, reporting and releases. The same old stuff.

‘Deliver only the most valuable information – not a confusing stream of noise’

One of his seniors then started to talk about digital work. It was early days back then, and though the agency he was with had a solid understanding of what would work, it was a pretty basic proposal.

The question and answer time came and went, and as the team got up to leave, relief took over. At the point at which he apparently half-heard a conversation begin about the complexities of PR pitches, his brain seemed to melt down. He heard the head of sales for the company in question say, ‘It’s always better to just kiss’.

Apparently, he then felt a sudden surge of excitement: the possibility that he could contribute something positive to the pitch having been relatively inactive throughout, combined with an assumption that his boss had been discussing the ‘handshake or kiss’ dilemma so apparent in the world of PR. His Italian upbringing kicked in, and he took the client by the shoulders, kissing him on the cheek.

It’s fairly obvious what happened next. The head of sales was in fact referring to the phrase: ‘keep it simple stupid’, which many PRs often overlook when they don’t really know what they’re talking about. In the minds of many, an overly complex and confusing set of graphs, intricate diagrams or something quite frankly mind-boggling acts as a smoke screen for a lack of awareness of what’s really going on.

I smile when I think of this story now, and to be honest, I don’t really care if it’s true or not – it served its purpose when I worked as a young PR executive. I listened fiercely for fear of making the same mistake, and tried desperately to strip things of fluff and bumph. A hard task for someone who once used twenty words when one would do.

The need for simplification sadly still exists for both wide-eyed juniors, and more experienced (but often more arrogant) professionals alike. I’m now starting to see this become more prominent from a client’s perspective. Many social media monitoring, reporting and aggregation tools are now shifting to become managed feeds, stripping back to deliver only the most valuable information – instead of a confusing stream of noise. For those attempting to cover up the cracks in their knowledge with endless data, be warned: you can’t hide forever.