Topping up the PR grad: can we do it all?
March 6, 2007 by Gary Schlee
Public Relations — lots of varied activity, plenty of creative tools to use. That’s the beauty of it. But, when it comes to preparing students in PR postgrad programs that are less than a year long, it’s a curse. The goal is to expose them to all the needed skills and knowledge. The trick is: what’s needed?
In the 70s it was video, in the 80s it was desktop publishing, in 90s it was the Internet. Now, with the emergence of social media, we once again face the task of shoehorning more new tools into a tight curricula without tossing away too many basic skills.
If all of our graduates ended up working in PR agencies, it would be easier. But they also end up working in government, in charitable associations, in businesses, in hospitals, in event management firms, in professional associations, in foundations, in unions…. And each of these sectors has a different take on what skills and savvy are needed. To address them all is to reduce curricula to a superficial survey: a bit about everything, a grasp of nothing.
Nor is the PR education crock pot limited to a look at tools. There are also skills in writing, planning, research, measurement, social interaction, office politics…. Potential employers probably want to see grads who have strength in all of these areas. That simply isn’t going happen. Care to weigh in on where you’d like to see the priorities placed?
11 Responses to “Topping up the PR grad: can we do it all?”
Good question, Gary. I’m not an agency person; I’m an independent practitioner. To me, the most important skills for people entering a comms role in government, non-profits, agencies, etc., would be: writing and speaking talent, analytical ability, and people skills. The rest can be learned.
I’m looking forward to others’ comments.
God, Donna and I are equally slaves to Bloglines.
The key is, as Donna suggested, the big-picture skills. Give students the ability to strategize, to quickly assess a situation for its risks and opportunities, to listen to others, to use what other say to develop their strategies, and to evaluate performance, and the tools will take care of themselves.
The other key, of course, is writing skill. Whether it’s Web content, the classic (or is that outdated) news release, a speech, a brochure, or anything else, chances are that the students of today, just like the rest of us, will need the writing skills to speak authentically and authoritatively in the voice of their organizations.
Without writing skill and strategic skill, the best technician in the world is worth less to an organization. Or is that worthless?
Yes the tactician (sp?) vs strategist debate. Though not much of one, yet, as I’ll weigh in in favour of turning out strategists. My view is that whatever may be lacking tactically can be picked up on the fly while having the opportunity and time to step back and learn strategy while in the trenches is tough. Both are necessary, granted, but perhaps strategy primarily and tactics secondarily.
I should also point out that, without naming which, I’ve noticed and I suspect others have too, that certain PR programs turn out one over the other.
Either way, I don’t envy the difficult spot you’re in Gary.
Thanks for the weigh-in, Donna, Bob & Alan. Your thoughts are very welcome. There certainly is the strategy vs. tactics conundrum to this juggling act, Alan. I think most programs strive to provide both – it’s the balance that varies. There’s no doubt analytical and strategic thinking are critical to success. What’s interesting to note is that many organizations looking for a new communicator often call for that ability, but then hire based on tactical strengths. Maybe it’s big-picture vision getting trumped by short-term need.
Hi Gary and fellow commenters,
Allow me to post my two cents from a current Seneca College student’s perspective. I just got off the phone with a young woman deciding between two post-graduate PR programs, so this shouldn’t be too hard.
I couldn’t agree more with Gary about some organizations looking for a strategic thinker but hiring based on media releases or feature articles in the portfolio. Not that I’ve been hired yet, but I have completed a PR internship and have met with enough PR folks to have a general idea of what is important on the whole.
The other day in my career management class, we talked about the importance of “soft skills”: the big picture, people skills mentioned before me. Yes, strong writing skills are crucial, but it’s the stuff we learned when we were kids that have a lasting impression on our careers. This includes sharing, fairness, patience, and whatever else mom and dad taught us. The Conference Board of Canada’s Employability Skills 2000+ document highlights the critical skills needed in the workplace: fundamental skills (communication, analysis, etc.), personal management, and project management. Download it out here: http://www.conferenceboard.ca/education/learning-tools/employability-skills.htm
Every organization has a unique way of laying out their news releases, filing clippings, and even eating lunch. We must go with the flow of the corporate culture and hope that our skills will transfer. Understanding transferable skills, in itself, is a useful skill.
I think a lot of students are being proactive about their education. They are complementing their classroom experience by reading influential blogs or meeting with experienced professionals. For that reason, I can’t stress enough how important those informational interviews are to my professional growth. Thank you to those with whom I’ve met and have supported my quest for “the right fit.” I’m well on my way to finding it.
Perhaps, Cathy, you’ve touched on one of the particularly valued skills: the ability to “go with the flow”! Thanks for dropping by the Class.
I’m looking for personality, broad knowledge of the world and a can-do attitude–creative, thoughtful people that measure twice and cut once.
Skills-wise, I’m looking for media knowledge, news judgement, online experience, good grammar, punctuation and structure to their writing.
Most importantly though, I’m always judging fit. Any new hire will need to join an existing team and fit in.
Fit and chemistry. So critical to employers; so hard to teach!
I recently received a call from a very senior communicator concerning what I’ll call a “lapsed soft skill” on the part of a student who contacted him via telephone. (Not one of our CC+PR students.) The irritant? The caller spoke so quickly and indistinctly he couldn’t make how who was calling and what she wanted. When they did connect, she misunderstood what he was saying and hung up on him. So, simple things like professional telephone manners (including NOT using a cell phone in a crowded student lab to make calls), speaking slowly, clearly and confidently go a long way to creating a positive first impression. Also, I’m always suprised at the nubmer of young students who introduce themselves as, “Hi, I’m Kimmie” or “Hi, I’m Ted” without supplying their last names, in professional situations. Shows a definite lack of maturity and sophistication.
Phone sense 101. One of my favourites, Christine, is students who make no changes to their voice mail messages that are full of hip inside patter meant for their friends. A potential employer on the receiving end who isn’t having second thoughts can only assume they’ve dialed a wrong number.
Christine, your description of the VM message gone wrong made me think of an additional suggestion–students should indicate at the front end of the message their academic institution or other personal affiliation that has perhaps prompted the call. I’m more likely to call back if the individual is affiliated with a related academic curriculum of which I’ve played a part (or of which I’m at least familiar), if she or he is a student member of CPRS, etc.
After all, journalists do it all the time…as a recent example, I may not have recognized the name left in the VM message (said clearly, as was the phone number), but I certainly was familiar with Radio Canada International. (And you can bet I returned that call very promptly.)