Career-boosting PR tips presented at Port St. Lucie Business Women meeting

Leigh Woisard and Port St. Lucie Business Women president Devon Dwyer

No matter how successful they are in their chosen professions, members of the Port St. Lucie Business Women were eager to hear Leigh Woisard present PR Tips For Boosting Your Career at their April meeting held at Tutto Fresco in St. Lucie West.

Woisard says she has a passion for helping women who struggle with confidence and an aversion to self-promotion. “Don’t be like Marie Antoinette!” she says. “When Marie Antoinette, a queen of France known for her luxurious lifestyle, was told by court advisers that her subjects were starving, the response attributed to her was, ‘Let them eat cake,’ a declaration that resulted in a disdain for her.” But, says Woisard, it is now generally believed that the queen never actually said that. “What if Marie Antoinette had taken charge of her career image?”

Woisard emphasizes the importance of managing your career narrative. By taking control of your story, you let people know your value. As a result, there is no confusion about you. To accomplish this requires a degree of self-promotion, which women tend to shy away from. “Women often limit their success by letting their work speak for itself, but then will feel stuck and passed over when they don’t receive a promotion or project assignment,” says Woisard. “You are handicapping your career when you don’t think strategically.”

She asks, “What do you want to be known for? What is the one thing you do better or different from every other person doing a similar job?” Are you a strategy expert, a creative idea generator, a motivational leader, or a relationship builder? Maybe it’s your style and how you approach projects that are differentiating.

Once you identify your professional asset, build your career narrative around it. “Focus on repeatedly telling and selling your one thing,” advises Woisard, because consistency and repetition are key. “Every decision you make at work is an opportunity to showcase your one thing.”

By following her advice, you will help your co-workers and bosses have a clear impression of you. “You want others to think of you when a promotion or project arises. It's a game of association.”

There are numerous ways to promote your one thing, such as social media posts and sharing your expertise as part of a presentation at staff meetings. “Take every opportunity to associate yourself with your one thing so that when others think of you, they automatically think of your one thing quality.”

Generate buzz about yourself. “There is only one thing worse than being talked about . . . and that’s not being talked about,” she points out. Build authentic relationships through networking. Woisard suggests seeking sponsors who are people of influence who share a common interest in your one thing and will say good things about you and your talent. In turn, do something beneficial for these people, such as sharing research, articles or advice related to your one thing.

“Take control of your career narrative, engaging in purposeful self-promotion to build your visibility and tell the story you want to tell,” says Woisard. “Don’t be like Marie Antoinette!”

Woisard has a 30-year career in communications, consulting and public speaking. Most recently she served as senior vice president of corporate public affairs for Cox Communications, the largest privately held cable/broadband company in the United States, prior to moving to the Treasure Coast in December 2022. You can reach her at 404-822-7398.

The Port St. Lucie Business Women is a 42-year-old, 501 (c) (6) non-profit professional organization dedicated to promoting the interests of businesswomen and serving our community effectively. For more information, visit PSLBW.com. Follow their Facebook page for updates about events, programs and community involvement.

Treasure Coast Business is a news service and magazine published in print, via e-newsletter and online at tcbusiness.com by Indian River Media Group. For more information or to report news email staff@tcbusiness.com