Communicating

For my practicum I am working with GCSU University Communications and I am gaining invaluable experience. I am learning the value of developing strong client relations. I have been working with the Old Governor's Mansion on several different articles. By developing a good rapport with the Mansion has made writing the articles a millions times easier. In a world where email and Facebook rule communications it is still important to actually talk to people. By actually talking to your clients you develop a working relationship with them. Email works well for quick questions, but I have found it incredibly valuable to actually meet with people first.

Communication is constantly changing. Phone calls, email, twitter, mail, and texting have made communication easier, but it imperative to not lose the personal connection in communication. Nothing beats meeting face to face.

Being Aware

I love how my classes connect. In my advertising class we recently discussed social responsibility in a corporate buisiness. Any large corporate business that wants to be successful needs to be socially responsible. Our society is socially aware. Environment, community involvement, and global awareness have all become vital entities of running a business successfully. Public opinion of a company plays a huge role in the financial success of a business. Do companies promote their social responsibility because they want more business or is it because they genuinely care about being socially responsible?

One of the companies that I greatly admire is Gap Inc. Their work with RED product is well promoted and beneficial. Gap claims that, “it is not a charity. It’s a new way of doing business.” Gap outsources to Africa and they want to give back. The RED product gives back by giving half of the proceeds from the RED product to The Global Fund. By focusing their efforts in Africa, a place in which they outsource, it shows that Gap views social responsibility on a global level. They are not just taking what they can and giving the bare minimum, but they recognize a need and are doing what they can to meet that need.

The question remains, why are companies socially responsible? The truth is that social responsibility does help the image of a company, but it also helps the community. All efforts to be socially responsible have to be approached from a Public Relations angle. Public Relations and results run hand in hand. In relating to the world a company must understand that social awareness is key.

My Skills as a Growing Public Relations Professional

Davefleet.com has a list of "14 Key Skills & Attributes For New Public Relations Professionals." After reading the list I assessed my Public Relations Skills and found my strengths and what I need to improve on.

Writing: Writing is one of my strengths. I enjoy communicating in writing. I have gained a lot of experience in writing for Public Relations. The ability to write is one that will never leave me and the need for people to write in Public Relations will never fade either. I want to continue to build my writing skills and experience.

Communication Skills: I am continuously trying to expand my communication skills. Often I come across as quiet, but I learn about people by listening to them and asking questions. Listening is a lost art of communication. I believe that my listening skills will greatly benefit me in the Public Relations arena because in order to be a liaison you must truly understand what people are saying and listen to their needs.

Attention to Detail: I have great attention to detail in the work that I do. I take pride in the work I am do and I become a perfectionist about details. I am a firm believer that editing is an unending process and it is still something that I need to improve on.

Media Relations: I am gaining experience with media relations. The media is a great ally to a PR practitioner. It is imperative to develop a good working relationship with the media. In Writing for Public Relations I learned how to develop a media list and through my practicum I am learning how to host the press for an event. I would like to gain more experience with media relations.

Proactiveness: I like taking action. If I don't know how to do something I want to learn how!

Work Ethic: I am not a work-a-holic, but it is important to give my best to everything that I do. I am a passion and goal driven person. I develop a passion for what I am working towards no matter how small it is, then develop goals and work hard until it is done. Developing a passion for everything that I do is key!

Blogging: I am learning about the world of blogging RIGHT NOW! I still have a lot to learn about blogging, but I hope that by the end of the year I will be a avid blogger!

Microblogging: Microblogging is all new to me at the moment, but I am a willing learner! Twitter is my first experience with microblogging and I am quickly learning the ropes!

Social Networking Tools: Almost all college students I know are experts on Facebook. I would like to get more familiar with other social networking sites.

Social Media Ethics: This is something that I would love to learn more about. Social media is such a huge part of PR and I think it would be beneficial to explore the ethical issues.

There are several more technical skills that I need to develop and understand from davefleet.com's list, like coding and SEO. I hope that I can learn more about these in class before I graduate. I also look forward to continuing to cultivate all of PR skills throughout this year!

Why Pick Public Relations?

In high school I designed a fundraiser for my school to do a rock-a-thon that benefited the Children's Miracle Network. It started out as a small idea for our school to get involved in the community. In order to raise the maximum amount of funds we contacted local newspapers, radio and televison station. We went on an extenisive press tour publisizing the event. When the rock-a-thon rolled around we had incredible participation from our small school and from the community. This was my first experience with how Public Relations works. It opened my eyes to the kinds of careers you can pursue in PR. I choose to pursue a degree in Public Relations because it gives me the opportunity to make a difference. Public Relations gives me the tools required to communicate anything to anyone. PR gives me the opportunity to serve people. It is an exciting field to pursue because the opporunities are so vast. I would love to work in Non-Profit Public Relations, but I'm excited about to pursue an expansive career in PR and I can't wait to see where it takes me.