Wrapping-up the Studies

As this semester has come to an end, I have greatly enjoyed my investigations into the various fields of public relations. I feel as though this project has pushed me to network and reach out in the fields of communications for feedback on a career I am still learning to define. The wealth of knowledge I have received from these professionals have been overwhelmingly beneficial to my preparations in public relations.

Though this has been a great experience, I am still unsure what specific path I will take in the public realtions course but I don’t have the advice of many trusting professionals to take on in my decision making. The following are re-emphasized tips given to me by professionals in the field when considering PR as a study.

Things You Need to Know:

1.       Join a club or organization such as Public Relations Students Society of America (PRSSA). This organization will open up doors that the classrooms can’t. PRSSA brings in speakers active in the work force, as well as, allows opportunities for one-on-one communication with a professional and their field of work.

2.       Internships. Internships provide experience in the actual work field before completely cutting loose from the study books. This gives a more realistic portrayal of jobs in public relations as well as communications and shapes the processes that these businesses follow. Learning an individual business and how to do it efficiently is not taught in the classrooms. These internship opportunities are a great way to develop an eye for the real business world.

3.       Know how to write effectively. So many of the jobs in public relations require writing. Speeches, press releases, newsletters and editing skills are just to name a few. Knowing the proper formats and how to condense the writing is vital. I have had many references in the communications field suggest writing for a school newspaper. The Oracle, University of South Florida’s newspaper is always looking for people to write a new edition.

Overall, I have broadened my horizons in looking into the various PR fields. There are numerous options waiting and I can’t wait to see how they play out. I have now laid for myself a firm foundation for the various possibilities of public relations building blocks to stand.

Intertwining Public Relations and Non-Profit Work

Non-profit organizations take consistent promotion and advertising to gain money and support for the organization. With no visibility of the organization, money, donations and grants, the primary source of income, are not recognized and the organization suffers. Non-profit work is perfect for public relations pursuers for a number of reasons. I stumbled upon this article that gave 9 ways public relations personnel employ tactics for non-profit work.

Published by e-How contributor, the first process in combining both PR and non-profit work is communication-what a surprise. The article stresses both internal and external communication skills are pivotal for this correlation of the two.

The second is clear understanding of the company’s missions and work. This task is key in not only promoting a non-profit organization, but also in keeping everyone acknowledging the same goals for their community. Thirdly, writing out a plan is vital to keeping everyone organized.

The fourth and unique tool mentioned was planning a “media kit.” This involves having speeches and handouts promptly in order so that as a PR specialist, you are ready for whatever is thrown at you. E-How explains in detail: “Prepare your media kit and collateral materials. When you plan is ready to be executed, you will be ready with the press releases, fact sheet, collateral piece on your organization and any other reading material that will allow any lay person to understand your mission.”

Points 5, 6 and 7 discuss investigating local media and promoting the name of the organization one is involved. Gathering volunteers by indulging into the communities are another easy way to connect both public relations and non-profit work.

The eighth point of this how-to guide consists of outlining the communications and promoting them via media style: web-sites, public service announcements in print, radio and television.

Lastly, the article touches on measuring the success of the work completed and seeing the enjoyment of it come into fruition through the revenue and expansions of the organization.

There are numerous non-profit organizations searching for avid public relations coordinators that will contribute greatly to companies such as American Heart Association, Associated Humane Societies and Wildlife Conservation Society to barley scrape to surface of organizations.

Sources: "How to Conduct Public Relations for a Non-profit Organization." e-How Contributors. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2010.

Investigating the Role of Public Relations Manager

Lizz Holmes holds the position of Public Relations Manager for a retirement services and asset management firm based in Heathrow, Florida called The Newport Group. Holmes informs me that The Newport Group “specializ[es] in the creative design, funding, and administration of qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, as well as investment and fiduciary consulting services. Through its innovative and customized solutions, Newport is uniquely positioned to satisfy the distinct financial needs of employers and employees, and has done so for hundreds of the country’s largest and best-known companies.”

Holmes has held her employment at Newport for 7 years, while working in the communications field for 22 years. She gives me a little insight on the sorts of jobs she tackles daily: “My efforts center on increasing The Newport Group’s image and brand identity with key audiences. This can involve a wide range of activities including: working with reporters, participating in industry surveys and negotiating speaking opportunities for our knowledge experts.”

Intrigued, I asked Holmes for some advice as a student pursuing a role in public relations and how I might best equip myself for jobs such as hers. “Get as much real-life experience before you graduate,” Holmes advises, “even if it means working for free.” Internships are a significant way to dip into the massive sea of the communications field,- specifically public relations.

Holmes emphasizes that interning with a corporate organization has some benefits such as interacting with highly accomplished professionals. It may not provide as much hands-on work as interning with a non-profit organization would allow. “Non-profit organizations are always eager for savvy interns and such an internship will often offer more direct involvement with public relations activities than will a corporate internship. With a non-profit, you may be able to assist with media relations and to experience one-on-one meetings.”

Keeping up with the trends of public relations, is another piece of advice Holmes offered me. She recommended joining the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). This organization will keep students in-tune with the industry. She also recommended reading publications geared toward the public relations industry, such as the Bulldog Reporter.

Holmes’ position in the public relations field was a captivating twist to the other fields I have researched. I was very excited to receive her thorough feedback, as well as receiving insight on how to better prepare myself for another stream in public relations.

Public Realtions in Sports

“The explosion of media outlets bodes well for the future of public relations in sports.” -Jason Latimer

Sports public relations is one that is grounded in the same roots of all other public relations opportunities but is a different taste as well. “Sports PR experts coordinate the flow of information from teams to the press–and feed the public hunger for sports news items, team data and player information. They also play an important ‘promotional’ role in generating public interest, increasing teams’ visibility and filling stadiums with fans,” claims Jason Latimer, a man involved in sports PR.

This field has various sizes of PR teams that correlate with the size of the sports and the teams. Latimer states that universities and bigger organizations can have entire staffs devoted to the PR work, opposed to other smaller colleges whose staff could consist of one person. Responsibilities of this staff range from meeting with media, supervising events and delivering programs for games.

Those active in the PR business do a number of things to promote the goodness of the teams they sponsor. Latimer gives some examples of what a sports PR job entails: “College and professional PR personnel do everything from writing newspaper stories and press releases to organizing press briefings, preparing press guides and maintaining team historical files. They are responsible for responding to media and public information requests–and often for positioning difficult or sensitive news stories relating to teams or players so as to throw the most positive light on a situation.”

Latimer touches on the experience that would better qualify those interested in the sports PR. “Writing and communication skills are essential, and an interest in new media, Internet journalism and desktop publishing will be very helpful. Experience at school newspaper, radio and TV stations are helpful, as is a college degree in English, communications or public relations.” Seemingly so, sports PR does not stray far from home when it comes to grounding itself in the essential roots of communications: writing, networking and experience.

Sources:

Latimer, Jason. "Sports Public Relations Experts." Public Relations in Sports. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov.

2010.

Public Realtions at Walt Disney World

Today in my Mass Communications and Society class, my professor, Dr. Rick Wilber, brought in a speaker after we covered our public relations segment in class. The speaker was a public relations worker for Walt Disney World in Orlando and graduated here from the University of South Florida in the mass communications department. I turns out that it really is a small world after all.

Charles Stoval, the Public Relations Manager for Disney, spoke of his experiences as a student here at USF and how that best prepared him for the field he is currently working. He proclaimed his love for Public Relations Student Society of America and how much more it prepared him for the realistic world of communications.

He also encouraged writing for the school’s newspaper, The Oracle. He claimed this was a great way to gain experience in writing, as well as, receiving an understanding pressures of deadlines and looking for what feeds readers. He also encouraged students to tackle a great deal of internships, for that is what builds foundations of learning the PR business. Stoval claims to have had a number of them before landing in the highly revered Disney setting.

Stoval informed the class that there are 35 people working in the public relations department at Disney. These were then broken down into five groups: strategic planning, news, sports, international and social media. Stoval works on the strategic planning team, although, he focuses primarily on planning, meetings and budgeting on a day-to-day basis.

Stoval introduced an interesting project the PR groups are covering for Disney currently. Disney is in the process of building their newest addition to their cruise line: The Disney Dream. He showed us a video that exhibited the official float out of the ship. Here is the web link for the video and more information concerning Disney’s PR concerns: http://www.wdwnews.com/ViewVideo.aspx?videoid=115827&siteid=1.

With special events such as this, Stoval states there are many things that take place. Tasks such as press releases, photography and video footage as social media for blogging are all keys to covering successful PR work such as this. In this particular instance, Stoval’s roles are budgeting these expenditures and dealing with the media.

Pair With a Professional- Director of Communications, John Dunn

Through my visit to Public Relations Student Society of America, I signed up for a day where I was paired with a public relations/communications worker active in the field. I was paired with Tampa General Hospital’s director of communications, John Dunn. This was an experience I will never forget!

Dunn has been working for TGH for twelve years and absolutely loves what he does. He deals primarily with the internal and external communication, where he edits the newsletter weekly as well as editing the communication that reaches the employees of the hospital. “We have 6,500 employees here [at TGH] and we need to have clearer, fairly concise communication so that every level of employee can clearly understand what is being asked or being communicated,” Dunn explains.

One of the things I found most interesting about my experience at TGH was John’s knowledge on procedures that would be handled in times of crisis. Having been at TGH for 12 years, there is an obvious sense of competence; however, his keen eye for precision and assertive nature was characteristics that really caught my eye.

On my trip, Dunn gave me a tour of the hospital and his wear-a-bouts he maneuvers on a daily basis. We visited some conference rooms where meetings, an almost daily occasion, take place.

The most memorable location I saw was the helicopter landing station where we witnessed a helicopter brining in patient in critical condition. He informed me, as we watched the helicopter land, that that specific location is often an attraction for media reporters and such. Dunn’s job, in this instance, is to congregate the media in one location out of the way of the patient and emergency specialist but also where they can gather their stories. Dunn also claims to some-what “babysits” the reporters so that they are not wondering about the hospital attempting to retrieve their own versions of a story.

For further explanation on specifics on Dunn’s day-to-day job, read my Feature A story under the “feature stories” tab.

My shadowing experience was remarkable! I did have the opportunity to question Dunn on what advice he would give to students pursuing the communications route. He was very quick to encourage writing skills. In the communications setting, employees are often writing stories, newsletters and even speeches, so efficient writing is a must.

Dunn also encouraged actively pursuing internships as much as possible. Internships will allow students to get a feel for what specifically makes up the communications and networking systems. He suggested interning at TV stations and adapting to what reporters and anchors are looking for in a story. This will help students looking for work in the PR field gather a better understanding of what the media is looking and how to better handle encounters like Dunn does daily.

 

 

Picture Source:http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images.dogoodchannel.com/badges/tampa-general-hospital-foundation-tgh_found_color_thumb.jpg&imgrefurl=http://dogood.heraldtribune.com/nonprofits/tampa-general-hospital-foundation&usg=__ltURGQglQNYYsIcHeO9RX96NS-8=&h=137&w=200&sz=7&hl=en&start=22&zoom=1&tbnid=ZELLE17YBIH0CM:&tbnh=101&tbnw=147&prev=/images%3Fq%3DTampa%2BGeneral%2BHospital%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D525%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C342&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=1165&vpy=207&dur=186&hovh=109&hovw=160&tx=123&ty=87&ei=WuT1TOb4CcH48Abr0cDOBQ&oei=VuT1TL-TGIP98AbdgNGxBw&esq=2&page=2&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:22&biw=1366&bih=525

Public Relations Student Society of America

“When I first joined, I was just trying to figure out what “PR” even meant. I really wasn’t sure; I knew it combined creative aspects similar to advertising and marketing, but was somehow broader. It has definitely helped my develop my understanding of PR — its history and relevance in society — but has also given me enough foundation to start questioning and innovating.”-Ryan Hines, president of PRSSA

Public Relations Student Society of America, also known as PRSSA for short, is one of the first and major ways of taking steps toward a promising career in the public relations field. PRSSA is as stated a student form of the national and professional Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). This organization is not only discounted for students, but also advises students on the paths they should gear there studies towards in order to succeed in communications.

PRSSA’s MISSION : To serve our members by enhancing their knowledge of public relations and providing access to professional development opportunities; to serve the public relations profession by helping to develop highly qualified, well-prepared professionals (http://infocusdesign.net/prssa/?page_id=2).

This past semester was my first semester in PRSSA and I thoroughly enjoyed the couple of visits I attended. My hopes were to be a regular attendee but I had conflicts this semester. I did however, make one or two meetings and those I attended were so beneficial. My first visit was a promotion for “Pair with a Professional”- an early semester kick off to PRSSA. This opportunity excited me more than I expected. I was matched with the director of communications at Tampa General Hospital, John Dunn. I was very interested in the health profession prior to my mass communications studies conversion and this opportunity helped mesh the two well. I hope for more experiences such as this arise for me in the future.

I was able to gather some feedback from Ryan Hines, the PRSSA president, on what this organization has meant to him as a student, as well as, better preparing him for future endeavors in this profession. He emphasizes his connections with professionals in the field and how valuable it has been to his knowledge and growth in the study of PR. He also claims that PR is drastically different in the working field and PRSSA has allowed him to adapt to this form of work outside of the classroom.

When asked about his greatest advantage of being involved in PRSSA, he responded with the following reply: “With PRSSA, we always talk about all the networking opportunities and professional development. These are great advantages for any and all students, from every major. Public relations can be applied to virtually every industry, and I have learned just how so: from personal branding to design elements to virtual communication or interacting in-person, PR crosses all borders and relates to all people. That has been my greatest advantage: understanding that universal aspect of PR, and being able to apply this knowledge to the network I have established.”

I am so glad I have become involved when I did. I hope, for me personally, that I will have more time to be active next semester. This is a great way to begin paving the roads leading to public relations fields.

Picture Source: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://infocusdesign.net/prssa/wp-content/themes/iblog2/images/PRSSA_343.png&imgrefurl=http://infocusdesign.net/prssa/&usg=__Ynzxm_PFlGxteERh1sJdlqylezY=&h=100&w=422&sz=2&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=tFsPx-NNo5z6TM:&tbnh=32&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3DUSF%2BPRSSA%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D525%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=122&vpy=131&dur=275&hovh=80&hovw=337&tx=153&ty=59&ei=F9X1TKZbwrzyBp7FxcEH&oei=F9X1TKZbwrzyBp7FxcEH&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0

Pursuing Public Relations

When it comes to the topic of public relations, many ask what composes this field of study. “Public Relations”, the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia states, “[consists of] activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most favorable light.” Because of the connection to the public, a firm foundation in communication is vital. Literacy is key. Writing efficiently, tracking media, and reporting through an individual’s unique tone are a constant practice in the field of public relations; as well as, being a resource of knowledge.

Public relations is also a versatile profession. Consider fields such as sports, businesses, law firms, hospitals, and fashion that reach the public through media. Those who focus on public relations are contributors to this promotion: “A public relations specialist is an image shaper. Their job is to generate positive publicity for their client and enhance their reputation” (The Princeton Review). Opportunities working with non-profit organizations and event coordination also require the work of a public relations specialist.

To become a successful public relations specialist, there are important techniques that need acquiring. Glenn Selig, president of Selig Multimedia, gives insight of success in his brief tutorial on “Techniques of Public Relations.” Selig claims “techniques that make press releases look like news events or news stories are often the most successful for business.” Through his tutorial he also claims that making your work as a public relations resource look easy is significant accomplishment in attempting to put your name in the mass media industry (Selig). By exposing your credibility you enable a firm foundation for the future.

When considering public relations, focus on these three important factors; having a firm foundation in communication, considering the numerous job opportunities, and promoting credibility early on for a firmer foundation in a future career.

Sources:

Public Realtions. (2009, December 1). EBSCOhost [Columbia Electronic Encylopedia].

Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Public Relations. (n.d.). The Princeton Review.

Selig, G. (2009, January 28). Public Relations: Techniques of Public Relations. In Youtube.com.