Loving the Olympics & Paralympics

I’m particularly excited about the Olympics and Paralympics this year as Steve and I are actually attending the Paralympics in September to support my client and friend Chris Hunt Skelley MBE who will be competing in his sport of judo in Paris. 

The Olympics started on 26th of July, and they run through to mid-August, then there’s a hiatus for a couple of weeks before the Paralympics start on the 28th of August. Over the last few decades – since 2012 when we attended the Olympics at London 2012 – we’ve enjoyed the Paralympics even more than the Olympics. 

This may seem odd given that I’m not at all sporty, have never enjoyed participating in any kind of sport, I’m not a team player or competitive in that way. Yet these games show us so many things which apply to other areas of life – resilience, determination, grit, team work, attitude to success and failure. Sometimes it also shows up other less attractive qualities but overall it’s a testament to the joy of the human spirit. 

Here are ten ways in which to weave the Olympics or Paralympics into your story-telling for this month and in September. This helps to make you visible, relevant and topical at a time when a subject has global relevance: 

1. Athletes often work in teams, and part of the success of those teams is down to each person in the team knowing what the collective goals are and understanding their individual strengths and weaknesses. This needs to be done with empathy and clear communication – which is exactly how it works within a business. Can you talk about your business as a team and how it works, or maybe sometimes doesn’t work?
2. Resilience is another very important thing for athletes to have.  In the world of sport there are many setbacks, maybe in terms of injury, or just an ‘off day’ – however, being able to bounce back from failures is what makes the difference between those athletes that go on to win and survive and those who give up. This is exactly the same for businesses. Having the resilience to be able to cope with problems and finding ways to get around them and be able to bounce back is incredibly important. Is there a sports person you can use as an example to talk about?
3. Crisis management is something that many businesses don’t plan for, but in terms of PR, it is something that is important when you’re in the public eye.  Look at how some athletes have dealt with crises. They have to stay calm and focussed – clear-headed – another important lesson for business. Also learn from those where things go wrong. 
4. Building a strong mindset to achieve success. Often in the field, sports people have to adapt to very quickly to changes; conditions in the weather; their opponents doing unexpected things or the spectators doing something that impacts on their performance (think of the cyclists in the Tour de France when spectators get in the way of the riders). Something else that regularly happens in business – we never know what is going to be thrown at us.
5. Thinking creatively under pressure. Most sports teams have strategies that they plan when going into a competition. However, so many things can change – you can be thrown a literal curveball at any time. Being able to think creatively, under pressure will help them cope and win. This is very transferable to business.  Being able to think creatively and outside of the box is a huge bonus.
6. Self-belief/awareness. Your business is unique because of you, so if you accept your unique talents, skills and role in the business and truly believe in yourself and your ability to take your business to the highest level that you want, then you are doing exactly what many athlete’s do – learning to compete with yourself and be the best you can, working on your individual growth.
7. Helping people unexpectedly. There have been many examples over the years where athletes have helped their competitors over the line –often at the expense of losing their place in the race. This shows their empathy, and gains them accolades for their act of humanity – and they are always remembered for this act. How has your business helped others?
8. Have you ever worked with an Olympian or a Paralympian?  Has your business supported them in any way? Have you sponsored an elite athlete?  Tell your story and tell us why?
9. Have you been to the Olympics or Paralympics?  Share your experience; what did you enjoy most?  What was the most surprising take away for you?  I’ll certainly be doing this myself. 
10. Have you ever been involved in sport at that level?  What did you do, and how has that impacted on your life? What made you give it up or move on to other interests? Or is sport still very important to you? 

If you would like to talk to me about how I can help you with your PR, please contact me on: