![]() By Meghan Caprez Last week, four members of PRSSA Kent ate lunch with Beverly Warren, Ph.D., president of Kent State University. President Warren offered this luncheon as a bidding item for PRSSA’s Homecoming auction last fall, and it sold for $1,000. PRSSA Kent allowed each of its members the opportunity to apply to attend the luncheon, and the Chapter’s professional advisors selected four individuals who applied. I was lucky enough to be selected, alongside PRSSA Kent President Gabrielle Woodard, Vice President of Fundraising and Community Relations Erin Zaranec and Web and Social Media Manager Zabrina Hvostal. Hosted and catered in President Warren’s office, we talked about everything from the Bateman Case Study Competition to the day President Warren’s Twitter account was shut down. Here are 10 of my favorite things that happened during (and after) our luncheon:
On behalf of our entire Chapter, I’d like to say thank you to President Warren and the 10 individuals who bet on this item during our Homecoming auction last fall. Your generous donation was greatly appreciated by those of us who were able to attend the luncheon and those of us who attended PRSSA National Conference this fall. We would not have been able to send 14 of our members to Atlanta without you. Thank you!
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![]() By Hanna Moore What will make your résumé stronger? How do you deliver a memorable PowerPoint presentation? What should you include in an event plan? These questions and more are answered during Public Relations Tactics, one of four skills courses in the PR Kent sequence. As you will learn throughout the sequence, you need to develop goals, objectives, strategies and tactics when creating a public relations campaign. In other PR classes, you begin with your goal and work your way through objectives, strategies and tactics. In this class, you focus on tactics and learn how to strategically plan and implement them. PR Tactics builds on the foundation of skills and information you gain in other courses in the sequence and teaches you how to craft messages, presentations and creative visual materials. After taking this class, you will know how to give a spokesperson interview for on- and off-camera interviews, plan special events, give presentations and with visual support and write an effective public service announcement. You will be able to better understand when one tactic should be used over another. PR Tactics also includes a personal branding component that will show you how to market yourself using an elevator pitch, a resume and LinkedIn profile, practice interviewing and other networking techniques that integrate your on and offline presence. The class includes a combination of in-class and outside work, and there is one group project. Many of the deadlines for assignments will overlap, so it is important to plan out your time so you do not fall behind. The presentations and plans you write for this class can be included in a portfolio to help you land an internship or job. By the end of the class, you will have a better understanding of how to use tactics to meet your ultimate goal, whether it is your personal goal, your corporation’s goal or your client’s goal. To succeed in this class:
![]() By Latisha Ellison If you’re a freshman public relations major, you’ve probably heard from upper classmen that PR Case Studies is the make or break class for PR majors. That’s a pretty daunting thing to hear, but don’t fear—I’m here to ease your stress! Let’s break it down: 1. What do you do in Case Studies? a. In Case Studies you will be assigned a group with four to five people, have a client and put together a public relations case study for that client. In three phases, you will conduct research, create objectives, strategies, tactics and a budget. This is probably the first time you will really understand what public relations is, how it works and how you fit into the equation. 2. Is working with a group as hard as I’ve heard? a. NO! Truth be told, every group is different, but you will always have members who do more than others or vice versa. The bottom line is: try to love your group and fix problems ASAP. You need your group because you will be spending many hours in the library perfecting each phase and everyone needs to participate. If you are noticing issues with members in the beginning, nip them in the bud or you will not have a good experience. 3. Which professor is best? a. You’re in luck because you can’t go wrong here! All are amazing professors, and we are lucky to have them in the PR sequence. They all have a lot of experience that you can learn from, and while their teaching styles may differ slightly, there’s simply no bad choice. 4. How can I be successful in this class?
![]() By Nicole Zahn What exactly is public relations? What do you do? Who do you work for? What made you chose the public relations path? These are some of the questions I am asked on a regular basis by friends and family. To make it simple, I usually respond with “You’re the face of an organization to gain positive public perception for that company,” which leads to many replies of oohs and ahhs. However, public relations is much more than gaining public popularity. For students unsure of where this field can lead them, public relations can be defined, described, and demonstrated throughout the Principles of Public Relations course at Kent State University. The Principles of Public Relations course is a foundational class required for students majoring and/or minoring in public relations. It provides a basic layout and understanding of the public relations profession. One of the first topics learned in this course is what exactly a PR professional does:
If you are unsure about the path you want to take in public relations, do not worry! The Principles of Public Relations course is a great start to figure out if public relations is for you because it lays out the general foundations and basics of what public relations is and what a public relations professional does. Be a strong writer, have an open mind and don’t be afraid to be different because that is what this field is all about. ![]() By Lauren Biertempfel Being a part of the PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition is probably one of the most rewarding things for young public relations professionals. Bateman gives great chances to grow as a professional, expand a portfolio and put the knowledge learned in the classroom to work. Bateman is time consuming and fast-paced, and worth every second that is put into it. For any student who is in Bateman, or wants to be, I have a few tips from my personal experience that will help you successfully survive Bateman. 1. Be prepared to invest a lot of time: Bateman is time consuming. You will spend long nights in the library with your team conducting research and creating your plan. If you go into the competition with the intention of investing a lot of time into it, you will do great! 2. Learn to love your team and leave the drama behind: Your teammates will become your best friends, the people you text at 2 a.m. when you get an idea for the cover of the campaign or come up with new tactics. You do not get to choose your team, but keep in mind that you were all placed together for a reason. 3. Grammer is important! Yes, I did that on purpose. The judges will notice and deduct for grammar errors. Make sure your casebook is flawless both visually and grammatically. Your casebook will be printed and kept as an example for years to come 4. Become best friends with your client: The more comfortable your client is with you, the more they are willing to work with you. It may be difficult to get them to open up at first, but adapt to their needs. Remember that this is a competition, but your plan should resemble your client’s ethics and morals. 5. Be creative and have fun! Bateman is one of the best experiences you will have in college, and it is a great asset to your resume. It is so easy to become stressed with the workload, but you and your team will balance each other out. This is your chance to show what you know, so be creative and have fun with it! |
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