Word of Mouf

The way one presents themselves in everyday life, and not just in a specified professional setting, can determine the success or failure of one's professional life.  If one is careless in how they treat others--is rude, careless or ignorant, it can severely injure his or her reputation.

People remember what you say, especially those nasty things you wish you had not said.  Also, everyone, of all ages, gossips.  Some might say they do not engage in gossip but let's be real, everyone does a little bit.

For the past four summers I have worked as a counselor at an overnight camp, and had such a great experience doing so.  I loved my campers and I have made lifelong friends from around the world.  However, working 24 hours a day seven days a week for eight weeks surrounded by the same group of 150 staff can create some tension and drama.

In such an enclosed environment, rumors and gossip spread like wildfire, and a person's reputation at camp can be destroyed in minutes.  Working at a summer camp may not seem like a professional environment  but it is still a job and at times one must be professional and not goofy.

At a normal day job, everyone goes home at the end of the day, gets a break from each other  and can lead their own separate lives.  At an overnight camp, the staff live, breathe, eat, sleep and poop together.  There is no break.

If one person messes up, gets in trouble with their supervisor or makes a bad choice at night after the campers are in bed, everyone knows.  By the time the director would make an official announcement to all staff about a situation, everyone would already know who did what and what happened as a result.

This past summer, my co-counselor and I had some fun with the word-of-mouth concept, that everyone remembers what you say.  We made a big poster in our cabin labeled "Word of Mouf," for our campers to write funny things others had said, a mural of their summer.  Our 15-year-old campers loved this, and wrote down all their inside jokes and funny moments.

For our campers it was a fun way to remember jokes and hilarious, silly or crazy things they or other campers or staff had said.  However, as we get older, we remember more and more, particularly those things that should not have been said.

Especially in such a relaxed environment like an overnight camp, it can be easy to let your guard slip and not act professional.. But seeing as everyone remembers everything, and when it comes to connections and the "real world" outside of camp, the same reputations carry over, which can be beneficial or detrimental.

In public relations or communications, a word of mouth reference can be someones strongest advocate, or their worst nightmare.  Always treating others well and trying to put your best foot forward can give someone an excellent word of mouth reference.  Connections and who you know are essential parts of networking, especially in public relations and communications.