Hello
PR fellows
I
hope you are all enjoying your internship and getting the most of it. For my
part, I reached the end of my placement at IMS. I spent 24 days which were rich
in experience not only relating to PR but I had also a great human experience.
Application
of theories
One
of the major purposes of this unit is to apply the theories learnt during the
past three years to real life. For instance, since the very beginning of our
studies we learnt about the significance of communication through Grunig’s
four models of Public Relations. More information on the models can be accessed
on http://www.managementstudyguide.com/public-relations-models.htm. At IMS, the
two-way symmetrical model is encouraged among employees themselves. This model “enables
negotiations with the public, allows the resolution of conflicts and promotes
mutual understanding and respect between the firm and its public” (Grunig's
Four models 2013). The aim is to ensure that employees understand what it is
all about, its relative importance so as to be able to apply it effectively when
communicating with clients while encouraging good employee relations. Moreover,
through several projects I learnt the real value of research.
Relevance
of theories to my Internship
Nevertheless,
I must admit that in general I recognised that what we learnt are only mere
guidelines. For instance, I will share an experience regarding event
organisation. We organised a dinner for one of IMS’s clients and the guests
were supposed to arrive at 7 pm. However, most of them came at 6 pm while we
were still completing the setting of the room. It was quite disturbing, but I had
to guide the guests while still finalising the setting. From this, I learnt the
prominence of being able to master several things at a time. What we learnt in
class is how things should go in general but it does not include unanticipated
events that could disturb the initial flow of the event. Thus, I also learnt
the importance of considering such possibilities to try to avoid them since the
very start and to have a plan B in case it still occurs.
Another
experience that I gained is the relevance of proactivity. At IMS what they do
is instead of waiting for a client to come to them they make a market research.
Based on it, they approach potential clients that they believe need to increase
their visibility. They want to lead by being proactive instead of reactive.
My Final Word
I realised a number of things while being at IMS
namely the significance of communication, flexibility, polyvalence and
proactivity to cite a few. Therefore, my final word for future PR students will
be to enjoy their internship, to grasp this opportunity to develop networking
as well as improving essential skills that will help them as future PR
professionals.
For my part, it may be the end of my placement but it
is undoubtedly the start of a long journey in the PR domain.
Reference
Grunig's
Four models of Public Relations. 2013. IML. Accessed April 19, http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall99/westbrook/models.htm.
2 comments:
Hello Sandra,
Wow!! You seem to have had a great experience during your internship and learned quite a few things.
I just wanted to comment on how your company seems to strongly promote the two-way symmetrical model of communication among the employees themselves and how it brings a lot to them.
I believe that internal communication is a vital aspect of how an organisation operates, not only does it sustain an organisation overall functions but it also paves the way for better communication skills with external parties, and most important of all clients.
Being able to create and sustain a culture of understanding, respect and proper communication is essential for any organisation. Having such a culture in a company creates a positive environment and outlook which in-turn helps connect with customers and external parties.
But beyond that, I believe that PR practitioners, more than anyone, should adopt this culture in their personal/daily life and not just in their work environment.
Being a PR practitioner, we should incorporate and apply what we learn not only in our Work but also our Life.
So that’s it.
I am sure you will do fine in the future,
And I wish you the best for your upcoming chapters.
Hi Sandra,
I'm really glad that your days at IMS as an intern turned out to be rich in experience. I guess we've all been applying our PR knowledge during our internship by putting all those theories into practice. Just like you, throughout my internship, I realized that what we've been taught at university during those 3 years were mere guidelines. As I have mentioned in one of my posts (http://pr393reflectiveblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/pr-should-be-experienced-not-just-taught.html), only a portion of what I've learned at university becomes useful in the workplace because most things in PR have to be experienced and to support that claim, I'll quote you: "what we've learnt in school does not include unanticipated events that could disturb the initial flow of the event." As a matter of fact, in my post, I came up with a list of certain things that I didn't learn and experience at university and one of them was working without a proper brief which was challenging. This internship was like the whole package for me because not only I applied my PR knowledge which I've acquired at university but also learned and experienced many new things. Again, I want to thank Curtin for introducing that internship unit which I consider to be one of the most rewarding and helpful units. Thanks to PR 393, the big and daunting PR world that awaits us sounds less intimidating.
Wishing you all the best for your future endeavors :)
Much love,
Houmaira.
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