Comments on: Can PR programs be all things to all people? http://classact.prblogs.org/2008/10/11/can-pr-programs-be-all-things-to-all-people/ A forum about Public Relations education in Canada Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:33:32 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Brandon Carlos http://classact.prblogs.org/2008/10/11/can-pr-programs-be-all-things-to-all-people/comment-page-1/#comment-697 Brandon Carlos Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:31:45 +0000 http://classact.prblogs.org/?p=100#comment-697 Gary, My beef with Ann's article is this: why are PR skills still being equated to effective pitchs, getting the news release out, churning out that media list (i.e. MEDIA RELATIONS!). PR is so much more than media relations. But that is another mountain, to be climbed another day. The reality is this: much of what is taught in a PR classroom needs to be perfected through the internship process. As you point out, how realistic is it to roleplay scenario's with 40+ students (even our mock press conferences took weeks to organize and present). At the end of the day, the issue is not the classroom, but the number of practitioners dedicated to mentoring their interns. How many agency interns do you hear of who spend their entire 8 weeks making coffee and doing clippings? This business is about learning through doing, and a great responsibility lies in the mentoring process. Gary,

My beef with Ann’s article is this: why are PR skills still being equated to effective pitchs, getting the news release out, churning out that media list (i.e. MEDIA RELATIONS!).

PR is so much more than media relations. But that is another mountain, to be climbed another day.

The reality is this: much of what is taught in a PR classroom needs to be perfected through the internship process. As you point out, how realistic is it to roleplay scenario’s with 40+ students (even our mock press conferences took weeks to organize and present).

At the end of the day, the issue is not the classroom, but the number of practitioners dedicated to mentoring their interns. How many agency interns do you hear of who spend their entire 8 weeks making coffee and doing clippings? This business is about learning through doing, and a great responsibility lies in the mentoring process.

]]> By: Gary Schlee http://classact.prblogs.org/2008/10/11/can-pr-programs-be-all-things-to-all-people/comment-page-1/#comment-694 Gary Schlee Fri, 17 Oct 2008 02:56:28 +0000 http://classact.prblogs.org/?p=100#comment-694 Great to hear from you, Ann. Your comment about compensation struck a chord with me. I've always felt (as did our program advisory committee when I was teaching at Centennial) that it's important to reimburse interns when they bring value to the organization. Many workplaces (some corporate, many not-for-profits and nearly all entertainment orgs) tend to view student interns as slave labour. Clearly, a successful internship is based on realistic effort and expectations by all three parties: the student, the supervisor and the university/college. Great to hear from you, Ann. Your comment about compensation struck a chord with me. I’ve always felt (as did our program advisory committee when I was teaching at Centennial) that it’s important to reimburse interns when they bring value to the organization. Many workplaces (some corporate, many not-for-profits and nearly all entertainment orgs) tend to view student interns as slave labour. Clearly, a successful internship is based on realistic effort and expectations by all three parties: the student, the supervisor and the university/college.

]]> By: Ann Subervi http://classact.prblogs.org/2008/10/11/can-pr-programs-be-all-things-to-all-people/comment-page-1/#comment-693 Ann Subervi Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:50:16 +0000 http://classact.prblogs.org/?p=100#comment-693 Gary, thanks for your thoughtful response to my post. More internships are clearly needed, but agencies and corporate PR departments need to focus on structuring their programs so that they are meaningful. They also need to do a better job of financially compensating interns. Many qualified students can't afford to take an unpaid internship. At Utopia, we pay our interns on an hourly rate. The longer they're with us, the higher the rate. We also require them to attend PD events with our staff, and put together a "look book" of their work for future interviews. Too many interns are thrown to the wolves with no direction, no pay and no true responsibility. I absolutely agree with you, better internships make better employees. Gary, thanks for your thoughtful response to my post. More internships are clearly needed, but agencies and corporate PR departments need to focus on structuring their programs so that they are meaningful. They also need to do a better job of financially compensating interns. Many qualified students can’t afford to take an unpaid internship. At Utopia, we pay our interns on an hourly rate. The longer they’re with us, the higher the rate. We also require them to attend PD events with our staff, and put together a “look book” of their work for future interviews.

Too many interns are thrown to the wolves with no direction, no pay and no true responsibility.

I absolutely agree with you, better internships make better employees.

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