What are Jackson Spalding co-founder Glen Jackson’s main tips for communicators who want to succeed in the coming year? Focus on your values, remember your priorities and stay committed to excellence, he tells Doug Simon in the latest “PR’s Top Pros Talk” video interview.

Keeping the lines of communication open at all times is a must in today’s fast-changing marketplace, Jackson says. “With our teams, we have realized that we can't overdo it on the communications front. So, we are extremely committed every day to staying in touch with our people and calling them and setting up times to see them.”

Jackson Spalding is also in the process of rolling out its 2025 vision as an agency, and the pandemic has provided an opportunity to “tighten the screws of that vision and really get ready to roll out.” Not surprisingly, “conversations about racial justice” are a big part of that vision.

In addition, “the digital emphasis is going to continue to grow in our industry,” Jackson tells Simon. He sees a “hybrid work environment,” in which leaders need to balance the working-from-home environment with the eventuality of workers returning to the office.

What’s not going to change? “The true definition of public relations,” which for Jackson is “communicating with clarity and integrity to the critical audiences you want to positively impact over time.”

He also says “three words that end in the letter Y” will really matter in the year to come: empathy, transparency and clarity. “When organizations can reflect empathy and continue to do that with their people, be transparent with them and their clients and all their audiences and also be clear, that's going to be extremely important.”

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Interested in taking part? Contact Doug Simon at [email protected]

D S Simon Media helps clients get their stories on television through satellite media tours and by producing and distributing content to the media. The company also produces live social media events.