Principles of Public Relations Course Reflection

Business Morning

This summer I took Principles of Public Relations with Professor Applequist at the University of South Florida. While the course itself was only six weeks long, I feel I have learned so much about the field of public relations. I have learned what I want to do in the future and more about where I fit in the field.

Public relations is a management function that maintains a mutually beneficial relationship through two-way communication between the company and the publics. There are many elements and components of public relations. Public relations practitioners do counseling, research, media relations, issue management, marketing communications, special events and more.

I think the field is fast paced with several tasks needed to be accomplished simultaneously. Also, I think the field requires passion and responsibility. I definitely think these things are good are I enjoy responsibility and being busy.

I am glad I learned the six essential abilities PR professionals need to have. These six abilities are writing skills, research ability, planning expertise, problem-solving ability, economics competence and expertise in social media. This lesson has stood out to me because I now know it is important to have these abilities when looking for a job after I graduate.

I enjoyed learning about the differences between a corporate PR job and a job at a PR firm. I also enjoyed learning about the approximated entry-level salary of $37,000 and the history behind public reltions. I found the RACE acronym to be particularly helpful when trying to understand the four essential steps of an effective public relations campaign. RACE stands for research, action, communication and evaluation.

I believe I want to have a career in either event management or marketing communications. I think the marketing internship at Moffitt will give me great experience in event management. I was originally drawn to the internship because of my love for being simultaneously organized and creative. I also find marketing communications interesting as I love to write press releases, feature stories, brochures and other articles.

I am glad I learned so much from this class. I have now gained more confidence and excitement for my future career than ever before. I give a special thanks to my Professor for teaching the class extremely well and for going above and beyond for us students.