Turning technical skill into real connection

Technical knowledge opens the conversation, but it never finishes it. A consultant working in science, technology or engineering must be comfortable navigating the detail while seeing the bigger picture clearly enough to explain why it matters. The language must be precise, the thinking structured and the output readable without simplifying or softening the substance. When that balance is right, the message travels further, and the value behind it becomes easier to recognise.

Expertise alone, though, will not deliver results. PR lives in relationships, and those relationships depend on trust. Consultants need to earn that trust by meeting the expectations of technical audiences and building credibility with those responsible for shaping coverage. A well-built relationship can create space for deeper conversations and more valuable opportunities, but it begins with showing an understanding of what each audience needs from you in order to convince them to listen.

Listening is one of the most underrated traits in consultancy, especially in high-tech industries. Great consultants ask purposeful questions and focus on drawing out the client’s goals, even when those goals are still taking shape. A strong campaign doesn’t begin with messaging. It begins with mutual understanding, shaped over time through open conversation and tested thinking.

And it is that connection that is important. Jessica Pardoe, a PR consultant in entirely different industry, working with business to consumer companies in the food sector, asks, “in an industry that’s saturated with tension and tautness, it’s important to have good relationships with journalists anyway, but just how important is it to make that effort? Well, very important actually. When I asked, ‘what would make you more inclined to open a PR email?’, 54.5% said a personal connection. So, it’s probably a good idea to grab a coffee with your local writers after all.”

Read the rest of the article on the Stone Junction website