Keeping Busy...

My Thanksgiving cards project is completed, just in time for the holiday. The cards turned out wonderfully and they have all been labeled, stamped and sent on their way. Due to my part-time schedule I don’t always have the opportunity to see a project through, and once you do it’s a very gratifying feeling.

Last week I worked with Eisbrenner Design Group to create an ad for one of our clients. Although you aren’t actually designing the ad yourself (which is a good thing for me) you offer feedback and make sure it fits all the requirements for the publication. Even though it was a small project, it just goes to show you what a wide variety of experiences you would have as an intern here.

I can’t believe it’s already Thanksgiving! Just because it’s a three-day week doesn’t mean there won’t be lots of work to do though. One of the nice things about interning here is that even when you might not have a lot of projects, there is always something you can do to learn more about public relations. You can work on mock projects, meet with co-workers about their experiences in public relations or read PR related publications to learn about what’s going on in the business.

Always Learning, Always Growing

The past few weeks have been very busy, full of new projects that are all leading the way to a better understanding of agency life and public relations.

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to sit in on a client meeting. This was a very interesting experience for me because it gives you a better understanding of the client – agency relationship. It also taught me more about certain aspects of the agency, such as message coaching, where we sit down with a client to create a message map that clearly outlines their key messages. This provides us with a consistent message to use in everything we do. Although you may not take an active role in the meeting, sitting in on a client meeting is an excellent way to absorb tons of useful information about public relations.

I was also able to sit in on professional development session, which happens every Thursday. Speakers from a variety of backgrounds come into the office and talk about topics that help the agency grow professionally. A few of the past speakers have included a motivational speaker, journalists and representatives from a market research company, all to help us provide better service to our clients. Due to my class schedule this was the first one I was able to attend, and I found it to be very beneficial.

“To be on a quest is nothing more or less than to become an asker of questions”

In relation to the quote above, we are all on our own sort of quest, and asking questions about anything and everything you can is the best way to get where you’re going. One of the most important lessons I have learned in my time here is the importance of asking questions.

Put simply, questions equal knowledge. When I get back a press release full of edits, what good does it do me to simply make the edits? Instead, I want to know why I need to make the edits.

The aspect of asking questions can be applied to almost every part of the internship. Ask your co-workers about their previous work experience, what projects they are working on and what their suggestions are about getting into the PR world.

You’re not going to learn much if you sit back and let everything happen around you. You need to step up and get involved. Ask away…