I was at a friend’s for dinner earlier in the week and she got me thinking. Ahead of turning 30 in June she’s compiled a list of key things she’s learnt. Not all are profound – see if a man has a strange name I will likely snog him as a reference point here – but they all capture her personality and spirit.

Whilst I’m the only one in my team staring down the barrell of the big 30, I decided to ask what were they key lessons they’ve learnt during their years in PR?

No matter how much planning you do, a news story could break that changes everything instantly

• Over promise at your peril. You’ll just look like a twit when you don’t deliver
• Never trust what you read in the newspaper…….
• Running in heels – it’s a metaphor for learning to act quickly and efficiently, but with relative grace and composure at the same time. Tricky to master, this asset is a trait of any PR (good) person, who will also get this balance right, even after wine
• If you’re pitching a rubbish story, it’s not the client’s fault – it’s yours. Great agencies aren’t full of ‘yes’ men
• Don’t tweet when drunk…especially if you’re Twitter feed is integrated to your LinkedIn profile
• Confidence. If you’re not, why should others put their trust in you?

What’s your biggest tip? Let us know by leaving a comment.