"Getting Things Done: The Art Of Stress Free Productivity"

As a public relations student and an incoming public relations practitioner, I have learned a lot about the public relations strategic process and the role it plays in an overall business. In David Allen’s book “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity,” he discusses his five phases of natural planning. The first that came to mind when hearing his list was the public relations strategic process. While written similarly to a textbook, the book gives productivity suggestions based off of personal experiences rather than factual industry information. By making the connection between Allen’s five phases of natural planning and public relations strategic processes, I feel as though the material I have learned in class will stick with me throughout my career.

Allen’s five phases of natural planning include purpose, vision, brainstorming, organizing and next steps. While he suggests this is the natural process for material planning, it can also be used in campaign and project planning.

Purpose is a topic discussed often and in-depth in the industry. Building a company’s purpose acts as a leading guideline for everything the company does. According to Allen, it answers the ‘why’ question and provides direction. This is the beginning of the pr strategic process, and both agree that it allows an individual or business to have a viable path for goals to follow, eventually meeting the purpose.

Vision outcome is all about creating a successful path to the goal. This is similar to the strategies and tactics areas of the pr strategic process. In Allen’s mind, this means having a clear image of success in order to discover and utilize the correct resources to get an unknown outcome that matches the set goals.

Brainstorming and organization are important throughout the entirety of all types of decision-making processes. Allen breaks it up to show the importance of brainstorming and the most effective brainstorming methods that lead directly towards organized next steps. According to Allen, it answers the ‘how’ question. By focusing on creating a large quantity of ideas instead of great quality ideas, a natural organization will form once you start to narrow down and identify components, sequences and priorities. In the pr industry, the first idea that comes up may seem like the best, but it may not be the most valuable to the firm or client.

Lastly, next steps is the bridge between planning and project implementation. It allows individuals to see what ideas are possible, how they can achieve them, what resources will be needed, and what actions to take next, either more planning or project action.