We are half way through National Non-Smoking Week in Canada and you can bet that the few remaining smokers out there are holding their breath (no pun intended) until the week is over. I know this because up until a couple of years ago, I was one of them. How I loved my cigarettes!!! First thing in the morning, last thing at night and about 18 times in between, my love affair with cigarettes raged on. It was the realization that their control over me was total and wholly malicious, each one another nail in my coffin, that made me find the strength to quit for good.

Much is said about the health risks of smoking, but it was only upon quitting that my eyes were opened to the subtle but powerful public relations and professional consequences of lighting up.

You Stink - I know this is not news to non-smokers but I can tell you that smokers have no idea exactly how much they stink and how noxious the fumes are to others. Doesn't matter if you smoke outside, on another block, or 20 kms away, the stuff clings to your clothes, skin, and hair. Trying to cover it up with sprays, lotions, and scents just makes it worse. Like bathroom sprays,, the effect is simply lilac scented #(&$%!

P.R. Consequence: Nobody wants to be near you. They will not want to sit beside you, have you in their car, share a meal with you, or introduce you to prospects.


You are Discoloured - Weird I know, but true. Smokers have yellow nails and fingers, sallow or gray complexions, and ashes or burn marks on their clothing. Some even have a brownish streak in their hair, directly where the plume of smoke would rise.

P.R. Consequence: You look unkempt and sickly. It's one thing to look like you just rolled out of bed, it's quite another to look like you just rolled out of the morgue. This does not fit the robust, youthful, and powerful image that attracts prospects and instills confidence.


Your Jonesin' is freaky - We've all been there. Spending time with someone who is climbing the walls for a fix of their fancy is stressful. The eyes dart, fingers drum on the desk, words get shorter, and tempers flare. One imagines that the afflicted is going to spontaneously combust if the fix is not administered. I was one of the worst - Family, friends, and colleagues, I'm sorry.

P.R. Consequence: You make people nervous and edgy. Pretty much diametrically opposed to the P.R. precept of facilitating communication. Your moodiness, impatience, and nervous energy stops collaboration, conversation, and healthy human interaction in its tracks. Desperate to rid themselves of this overbearing aura, people will encourage you to "Just go have a smoke."


You Interrupt Workflow - I can just hear the chorus of rebuttals now. "I work extra hours to make up for my smoke breaks", "I always wait until there is a natural break in the workflow". Um yeah, for the latter, please see the point above and for the former, please recognize that it's not all about you. If you work in a collaborative environment, you have a team that depends on you.

P.R. Consequence: Brainstorming, break-out sessions, conference calls, webinars, even just plain old meetings all require you to be present, engaged, and focused. Escaping for a quick smoke or throwing a tantrum so that you will be encouraged to do so is counter-productive.


People May Think Less of You - Oooh, I know, it's like a kick to the gut. I get it. Regardless, it must be said. You might be brilliant, hard working, an upstanding citizen, and morally and ethically superior in every way. If you smoke, many people will judge you on that first. Some common perceptions about people who smoke: low class, unintelligent, unsophisticated, unhealthy, slovenly, lazy, weak. There's more, but why continue?

P.R. Consequence: That's patently evident. Smoking casts a shadow over all of your wonderful attributes and skills. It gives a false representation of who you are as a person and leads others to interact with you in a less than favourable way assuming that they choose to interact with you at all.


Public relations is about representation, reputation, relationship, and communication. Smoking erodes each of these by alienating others and making you appear less than you are. It's bad P.R. and it's bad for business. Mostly though, it's bad for your body, your heart, and your mind, and if you are still engaged in a lover's waltz with cigarettes, I encourage you to step away and change the tune.