Many weeks ago I wrote a post titled, "What Does Public Relations Mean to Me?" and I explained how I came to know and breathe the world of PR.
Now, after a full year of devotion to this major and some course specifically teaching me the ins and outs of this industry, I could probably recite what public relations is whether it's regarding its benefits to businesses or the difference between PR and marketing in my sleep.
I still strongly stand by my original, basic definition of PR I wrote in my first post, "Public relations is a career field that can include so many different personalities and skills while expanding into so many other interests from medical to sports to non-profit to government. If asked to define PR, I would simply state that pubic relations is promoting your passion."
This semester specifically, I have learned a lot more about the technical sides of PR in my course PR Writing than anything else. I feel like I could whip out a press release, social media content calendar, ghost quotes, speech, boilerplate, media pitch or all of the above pretty well. It's been exciting to learn just how essential PR is in client relations not just to the public but internally or to different media sources as well.
One of the best things I love about public relations is that it is EVERYWHERE!!! There are many instances the public does not realize how PR weaves in and out of almost every area of business. Even when there is a crisis like an inappropriate tweet from a worker or a sexist poster at a university that causes a student outrage...it all involves PR and maintaining the company's image...the brand.
I will close with this: let's just say once you put on the PR goggles...there's no taking them off.
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Senior Speeches
This evening I attended my university's communication department's senior speeches. This is where all senior Comm majors are required to give an eight to ten minute speech on around a certain theme with no notecards or visual aids. This is my second time I attended senior speeches; I once went the fall semester of my freshman year...it was terrifying.
The idea of giving a memorized speech with scholarly citations on not-so-easy topics at 17...welcome to college Rach.
However, after almost completing now two years of college and taking a higher level communication course called Professional Communication (you have to give 5000 speeches, some memorized) I feel like I can do anything. The memorized speeches don't seem so scary any more, I actually feel a bit excited. You see, this school year I have given tons of speeches, presentations, introductions, conclusions, awards, ran meetings...you name it. I would also say that 90 percent of these occasions were pretty much memorized...so ten minutes my senior year with a whole semester to practice? As Michelle Tanner would say, you got it dude.
One of my favorite moments of this event actually surprised myself though. It was the moments when I student giving their speech got hung up on a word or may have forgotten their next word, but then they took a second, got back on track, and finished strong! That moment of struggle, fight, then overcoming and being successful made me want to stand up and cheer after each speech. And you know what? Just by the looks on the faces around the room during these moments, I believe my peers and those attending felt the same way. I couldn't be prouder to be in this department.
The idea of giving a memorized speech with scholarly citations on not-so-easy topics at 17...welcome to college Rach.
However, after almost completing now two years of college and taking a higher level communication course called Professional Communication (you have to give 5000 speeches, some memorized) I feel like I can do anything. The memorized speeches don't seem so scary any more, I actually feel a bit excited. You see, this school year I have given tons of speeches, presentations, introductions, conclusions, awards, ran meetings...you name it. I would also say that 90 percent of these occasions were pretty much memorized...so ten minutes my senior year with a whole semester to practice? As Michelle Tanner would say, you got it dude.
One of my favorite moments of this event actually surprised myself though. It was the moments when I student giving their speech got hung up on a word or may have forgotten their next word, but then they took a second, got back on track, and finished strong! That moment of struggle, fight, then overcoming and being successful made me want to stand up and cheer after each speech. And you know what? Just by the looks on the faces around the room during these moments, I believe my peers and those attending felt the same way. I couldn't be prouder to be in this department.
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