Take a Seat: The Journey Begins

Wow, I can’t believe it’s over! This course has given me a deeper understanding of what it means to have an entrepreneurial mindset and develop better public relations skills. I was given numerous opportunities to brainstorm ideas for the Strategic Communications (STRAT COMM) Department at Old Dominion University. One of our professors being the executive director of STRAT COMM was a great resource for my classmates and I to conduct public relations work for the school. In this course I was able to exercise public relations skills through writing press releases.

My class and I were able to conduct marketing research for the Barry Art Museum’s membership drive to sustain funding. I was also able to better my multimedia skills through developing content for the universities’ social media platforms and collaborate with my peers on how to get students involved on-campus by engaging with them on social media.

Many of my public relations skills stemmed from serving on the e-board of Old Dominion’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) organization. In my entrepreneurship and public relations class, one of my professors also serves as the advisor for ODU’s PRSSA organization. He suggested e-board members take this class and made sure to mention it was not going to be easy. In fact, he emphatically expressed how difficult the course would be. Our former PRSSA Vice President also prompted us on how difficult this class was. Upon attending, I thought I prepared my mind for this course; I was in for a rude awakening. 

I enjoyed the flexibility of our curriculum. We were given tasks and objectives, but if a time sensitive project arose, we jumped on it! This allowed me to gain a better understanding of what it means to think on your feet in the PR industry.

A major project my peers and I were assigned was brainstorming ideas and developing content for the Barry Art Museum. The Barry Art museum was gifted by both Carolyn & Richard Barry – prominent figures in the Hampton Roads community – who wanted to provide an environment that played an integral role in Old Dominion’s education, research, and contribute to community outreach missions. President Broderick strongly suggested our class help with outreach efforts for the museum. My group wrote a press release, providing the research we accumulated on the museum, as well as information we found interesting. I was honored to be one of the first people to contribute to the museum’s membership drive, especially considering how this not-for-profit foundation was built to enhance our education. 

I was able to better my multi-media skills by developing content for the universities’ social media pages. This tied into my professors informing my class on the evolution of technology and how technological advances have shifted the way people communicate with others. Specifically, they told us a story of a journalist that would write long pages of detailed articles in newspapers. Now, information is accessible to us with the click of a button, thus altering our attention span. They mentioned how long detailed articles, although well written, wouldn’t stand a chance today.

We also discussed the Strategic Communication department changing the length of their videos when executing promotions on ODU’s website and social media pages. My professors used the example of YouTube videos. When watching YouTube, there’s usually an advertisement that shows before a video that gives people the option to ‘skip ad.’ Myself and everyone in the class agreed that we always skip ads on YouTube. Typically, if a video is longer than five minutes, I won’t even click on it. STRAT COMM recognized that most people do this so they started posting two to three minute long videos, then one minute long, and now 30 second videos.

More people will be prompted to watch a 30 second video versus a one to two-minute-long video. Learning how to make connections and finding ways for people to stay engaged in content by telling a story really helped me develop a social media game called #WhereAmIWednesday. This guessing game allowed me to create posts of different locations on campus to generate a discussion with ODU’s Facebook followers on where the image was located. I learned that creating a discussion, staying up to date with trends, and being aware of demographics when sending out newsletters, press releases, and marketing on social media are key when operating in the field of public relations.

The work our class did was difficult and often challenging. On many occasions I became overwhelmed with balancing this course with my other courses – working in a group also had its challenges – yet it was a great experience! It challenged my thinking by allowing me to develop creative communication strategies. It challenged my time management skills by having to meet tight deadlines. I also learned the importance of maintaining open lines of communication with team members by coordinating our schedules and choosing the best times to meet for the assigned projects. I believe these skills helped me develop a wholesome work ethic, even more so, it helped me develop employer-valued skills before graduating college.  

I had the opportunity to interview one on of my peers to get an idea of how their experiences differed from mine in this course. Here is what the both of us had to say:

1. What has been your favorite part of this class so far?

Mine:

There is never a dull moment. There is always a story to tell, a conversation to start and people to build relationships with. My favorite part of this class so far is having opportunities to do PR work and develop skills for an actual establishment – ODU. I’ve taken many undergraduate courses that I saw no benefit of how it would positively impact my career. Taking this course gives me real experience in the industry and enables me to work alongside people who share similar interests.

Theirs:

“So far, I have really enjoyed the different challenges that have come up. Every unit has been unique and rewarding. I like having to adapt to different assignments and being able to brainstorm with my fellow group members has been wonderful. I would have to say though, that my favorite part of this class so far has been getting involved with ODU on a meaningful level. Learning more about the day-to-day operations of the Strategic Communications and Marketing Department has been interesting and provided me with a clearer picture of what it takes to be in this type of business environment.”

2. Is there a certain assignment or module in this class that has been particularly difficult? Why?

Mine:

The PR module presented challenges for me. Pitching multiple ideas and writing stories that are news-worthy, engaging and relevant is not easy. This really tested my time-management skills and ability to think on my feet – which is so necessary in the PR industry. On the first day of my Entrepreneurship and PR class, my professor asked the question, “What does it mean to have an entrepreneurship mindset?” I didn’t know how to wholesomely answer this question – but oh boy do I now! The challenges of holding myself accountable to complete tasks, maintaining effective communication among group members/co-workers/peers etc., and having little to no time to procrastinate is what it means to have an entrepreneurship mindset – doing PR work has taught me this.

Theirs:

“For me, the hardest part of this course has been the group work. It is amazing to have classmates who have a unique perspective. Learning from them and being able to improve my work with their assistance has been great. It is sometimes difficult to get everyone on the same page, especially when we aren’t meeting on a weekly basis as a class. As far as assignments go, I have found the research aspect of this class to be the most challenging. I suppose I didn’t know how much individual research goes into being a marketing/public relations professional. I don’t necessarily know what I assumed was going to happen, but I learned quickly that I was going to have to take my own initiative to get to know our client on a meaningful level. Now that I know how important research is to creating promotional materials, I will make sure to be as knowledgeable as possible about my clients in the future.”

3. What advice would you give to the next group of students who decide to take COMM 494?

Mine:

DO NOT PROCRASTINATE! This is not the type of class where you can wait until the last minute to complete an assignment. You. Will. Suffer. Collaboration is so important. If you do not enjoy working with people – retreat – this is not the class for you. Make sure you communicate with your professors if you are struggling. They are placing you through training to give you an idea of what ‘real life’ PR work is like. It’s safe to say they know a little ‘sum ‘sum about what’s expected in this type of career. Lastly, be a sponge. Ask questions. Be creative and strategic about what you will be able to do with the skills you learn in this class after graduation.

Theirs:

“I would advise them to take the class very seriously. Not only is the workload substantial, the benefits and experience this class provides are hard to top – there is no other class like it. I would also recommend getting to know your group mates outside of the classroom. Working collaboratively like we do in Entrepreneurship and PR gives you an opportunity to learn from others in a way no other classes will. Embrace that opportunity by getting to know people who have a different background and perspective than you. Most importantly, have fun! Take a moment to appreciate the amazing opportunities and inside access this course gives you.”

I had the luxury of curating my portfolio for this class due to me being a part of the LeADERS academic program at ODU, which allows students to engage in more hands-on learning experiences — much like this course! Since I already had a portfolio, much of what was required of me was already done. However, maneuvering items on Word Press versus Wix has its challenges. Initially, I used the Wix platform to highlight my experiences during my internship. At the time, I had no idea there were people I could go to for eP help. Recently, I met with an eP assistant to get a just of how to organize my portfolio through Word Press. I ended up adding sub-pages to my Entrepreneurship tab to highlight my course projects and program reflections; blogs. Choosing this option allows me to personalize my blogs to this course since I plan to use this platform as a professional portfolio beyond ODU.

My idea of having an entrepreneurial mindset is that of creativity and free-thinking. I understand there are logistics involved on the relevancy and reasoning of thought, yet having this mindset in an existing organizational structure has its pros and cons. A pro is being focused on a specific task and expectations. There are certain requirements and standards that need to be met to fulfill the goal(s) of an established organization. A con would be the everyone seeing through different lenses. Thoughts, wills and emotions are all uniquely intertwined within every individual and what I may deem to be a great idea may not be one for others.

I plan to develop better organizational and strategic communication skills in taking my Entrepreneurial and Public Relations course as I work towards a career in events planning. Knowing this, I feel will help me develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Also, unless there are drastic changes in the economy by the time I’m 30, I’ll most likely be working for the rest of my life, so I may as well work for myself. The more I engage in PR related activities, such as: writing press releases, conducting research on trends, and making connections with individuals within my field of study, the more I hope to build my skills and document my experiences on this platform.