Importance of Keeping Your Word

Commitments are a very crucial part of any personal or professional relationship. When giving your word, it’s important to follow through. If you choose not to meet your commitments eventually you will lose credibility and integrity.

Recently, I’ve been planning an event with the Public Relations Student Society of America and there has been some struggle getting everyone on the same page. Everyone has clearly delegated roles in the planning and execution of the event, as well as distinct deadlines for when each task is due.

By signing up to be on the executive board of PRSSA, my teammates and I made a commitment to the organization, the advisors, the members, the university, the alumni and the other teammates. When commitments aren’t kept, everyone is let down and the organization suffers.

Therefore, I believe making and keeping commitments are what makes a person reliable and responsible. It allows others to trust you and lets them know you respect them. I personally strive to meet every commitment I make and wish more people would think before giving their word.

Just so you don’t make the same mistakes as my fellow PRSSA members, I thought I would share a few of my tips on how to keep your word:

1. Don't commit to something you don't think you can do or don’t want to do.

2. Look at your schedule and put the task in perspective before saying yes. If you know you won’t have time in the long run to finish the task, say no!

3. Always take notes on what you said you were going to do.

4. Follow up with the person you made the commitment to. Even if there isn’t much progress letting them know you’re still on their radar will reassure them that you haven’t forgotten about the task at hand.

5. If something comes up and you can no longer keep your commitment, it’s your responsibility to cover the task until the appropriate measures are taken to get the task accomplished.

Remember keeping your commitments determines how people perceive you, so choose wisely before saying yes to your next commitment.