One of my favorite lectures to date was analyzing Sally Hogshead’s speech, “How to Fascinate.” As a college junior, I perform the tedious motions of student life, attending class and doing homework. Like a robot, I struggle to break the mold of conventional routine. However, watching Hogshead speak on how to capture the attention of others in a professional sphere has been most beneficial, leaving a lasting impression. As simple as it sounds a YouTube video was influential in my education experience. If you have a chance to watch Hogshead’s speech, I highly recommend it.
In public relations, your image is everything. I found the “How to Fascinate” video useful because I learned to harness my strengths to my advantage. Learning my personal triggers, trust and passion, I feel confident walking into the workplace. There are seven triggers, Hogshead described, and it’s important to recognize co-workers and clients identify with various ones. Learning to adapt your personal strengths to serve a client is vital for success. Not everyone is like you. Like a chameleon, a practitioner must understand to be flexible in different situations.
Before starting a public relations job, you must understand yourself in order to shine. My favorite message Hogshead stated was, “Make people fall in love with your ideas.” Public relations practitioners are not just representing a client’s brand yet are simultaneously representing their own. Positive personality and individual brands are crucial to ensure success in the field.
Working with my client, the New Century Scholars Program, I applied the skills I learned throughout my communication studies experience. I developed new skills as well, which cannot be taught in the classroom but gained from experience. Even casual meetings with my client required perfection. Stumbling into my client’s office would reflect negatively on the personal brand I wished to convey.
Attention to detail is required to provide successful, relevant material for one’s client. I needed to be a strong listener; I had to hear their concerns before I heard my own. When you are working with a client, they become your first priority. Further realizing the effort I placed in the campaign influences the perception of my client on the SMU campus.
Having the CEOs of both Power PR and Jackson & Flagg PR speak with our class projected where the public relations field in Dallas is headed. Utilizing tools like Cision and Vocus to target media, pitches and press releases are catered to specific reporter’s needs. The internet and social media platforms are vital in communicating to publics. It’s exciting to observe the changes in the field right before my own eyes. With the decline of traditional media and rise of social, it behooves incoming practitioners to study trends and remain current with new platforms. I seem to find myself learning new tools and online skills every day— and students are supposed to be ahead of the curve.
I am beyond excited to begin my summer internship with Obsidian PR in Dallas this summer. I look forward to jump starting my training in a public relations boutique. Working with a variety of clients requires time management and organization skills. With Obsidian PR looking to break into the Dallas market, I anticipate a fast-paced environment, which I am eager to engage.
Early in the semester, we discussed how our relationship with our client will further our career. The portfolio I developed working with the New Century Scholars Program serves as a great talking point during interviews. Believe it or not, I showed Obsidian PR my work with the New Century Scholars Program during my interview. The semester long project has taught me strategies to success which I hope to apply in the professional world this summer.
Four years ago, the chilling photos of an abused woman surfaced throughout the media world. Bruised, beaten, and distressed these images jolted an upsurge of angered, concerned responses by the public. 21 year old pop star Rihanna admitted her boyfriend, musical artist Chris Brown, brutally attacked her. Unable to fight back, Brown held her in a headlock as this young woman became the victim of yet another case of domestic violence in this country.
kimberly grace 