EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.
Spring Internship 2015 Overview |Bravo Group
Introduction
Beginning the first week of February, I began interning at a public relations and advocacy firm called Bravo Group. Settled in the heart of Harrisburg, only a short distance from the Capitol building, Bravo is in a prime location to “bring energy and urgency to every campaign.” The Bravo staff strives to serve their clients best by integrating government relations and public relations expertise with a campaign-style approach. Due to advocacy and public relations expertise from leaders versed in the communications field, Bravo has established itself as a desirable organization across Pennsylvania with an impressive list of satisfied clients.
Due to its superb reputation though, I had to acclimate quickly to the fast pace of the work environment when multiple projects are assigned daily. Working under the direction and supervision of the account executive, Megan Earley, I quickly learned about the importance of building relationships and strategizing messages to best represent each client. Keeping the primary values of the organization in mind, I developed a series of learning objectives that guided my work with respect to Bravo’s mission.
The first learning objective I developed was to understand various public relations’ tactics and skills, including the development of a concise writing style using AP formatting. I planned to achieve this objective by shadowing staff members and asking them questions while they worked on projects. I also asked staff to assign me writing projects, and I gladly welcomed critiques from the publishing staff regarding my writing style.
My second objective was to develop transferable skills in researching, writing, critical thinking, and oral communication that may be applied in a professional work setting. I achieved this objective by observing staff interactions within the organization and externally with clients. I also received work that challenged me to think critically; nearly every day I had to teach myself a complex legislative issue that I had no previous knowledge of and then simplify it in a compelling way for audiences.
Work/Projects
As a PR/Communications intern, every day in the office looked different. I’ve had the privilege to work on a plethora of projects that integrated researching, phone communication, writing, editing, and organizational strategies, which are all essential skills for the positions that I aspire to hold in the future. Although I cannot provide substantial details about specific client projects, the type of project that I usually worked on was creating various components of a media kit.; particularly, I focused on writing press releases for Pennsylvania Beer Alliance and producing backgrounders for Pennsylvania Turnpike.
From backgrounders to press releases, newsletters, media advisories, and blog posts, I practiced writing in many styles. Transitioning from freestyle, informal writing in my blog posts to a factual, concise writing style for press releases was enjoyable because I learned that both styles are acceptable depending on the audience you are targeting. Much of my time at the internship was spent developing newsletters for Pennsylvania Catholic Conference and composing and sending out numerous media advisories on behalf of Commonwealth Connections Academy. Before the media advisories were delivered to their respective outlets though, I had to research and compile a long list of media outlets according to the location of the events. After the advisories were delivered, I followed up with all of the outlets on the list to affirm that they received the documents.
The first half of the internship also served as a networking experience. My supervisor, Megan, invited me to various networking events with clients at the end of the work day. I conversed with staff before energy practice and healthcare meetings, and I also worked alongside Bravo staff in order to develop social media plans, video content strategies, blog posts, and smaller research projects. Although the organization has three locations across the entire state of Pennsylvania, I collaborated with the other interns at the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh offices to share video content ideas and produce a social media plan.
During the second half of the internship, I devoted ample time to monitoring and utilizing social media platforms including LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, and Google Plus for clients’ maximum exposure to audiences. I helped Bravo staff complete detailed social media audits also. This work entailed researching social media sites and recording pertinent details such as content shared by the organization and frequency of posting. Due to the vast quantity of relationships Bravo has established with media and other external organizations, it was crucial that I documented media tracking for all projects using Google spreadsheets. For organizational purposes, I compiled multiple lists of desirable audiences, media outlets, media contacts, and many others according to the nature of the project.
Learning
The dynamic atmosphere of Bravo has been beneficial for my development as an employee in the communications field. I have gleaned much insight about public relations by observing staff members in the creative department, publishing department, public relations department, and government relations department. I have learned that although each of these groups operate as separate entities with their own job assignments, they also depend on one another to push the projects forward. This job has taught me the skill of working independently on projects, but then receiving assistance from other departments to complete the projects; being a member of a team is an important skill to gain, and Bravo has facilitated both group collaborations and solo projects over the course of the internship, which is ultimately a valuable skill to acquire.
My work assignments also taught me how to properly conduct research about complex and unfamiliar subjects and then effectively articulate that information to audiences. These assignments required me to extract the most necessary information from my research findings, and then summarize it concisely and accurately. This practice developed my ability to think critically and analytically, paying attention to both the smaller, important details while simultaneously seeing the overall picture of the story. Although I used common search engines to locate most of the research findings, I also learned how to navigate new software programs and marketing databases like Vocus Marketing Suite and My Media Info. With experience using these research databases, I hope that future employers will value my exposure to them, which I can further apply in the professional setting.
Beyond the scope of writing, networking, and researching, I spent copious time following up with media outlets as well. By frequently communicating via phone conferences, I developed phone etiquette skills with people within Bravo and with clients on executive levels. These calls honed my interpersonal skills and helped me learn how to convey confidence and professionalism nonverbally despite my initial fear to speak with newspaper editors and executives about complicated press release topics. Most importantly though, these phone conversations taught me how to manage multiple projects at once while maintaining a calm and positive attitude under pressure. Many times I had to finish my follow-up calls, which occasionally took hours to complete depending upon the length of the media list, and then turn over other projects within a short time period. Although it was difficult to manage multiple projects and quickly transition from one project to another, I learned how to prioritize tasks depending upon when they were needed by clients.
Future Plans
This internship has been pivotal in providing a realistic job preview of the public relations field. Even though I enjoy public relations work, I realized through the experience that I take more interest in marketing, fundraising, and event planning than public relations work. I love writing creative and direct, formal pieces, but I know that I do not desire to write all day every day of the week as a full-time position. Working at Bravo has shown me how much I love communicating with other people, so for my future job, I aspire to work at an organization that will require me to build and maintain relationships with people inside and outside the organization.
Preparation/Recommendations
Prior to this internship, I had only taken one public relations class, so I didn’t have much exposure to writing media kits and pitching ideas to clients. Although I think that more public relations classes could have prepared me best to adapt to the concise writing style, there were numerous courses through the Department of Communication that helped me succeed at Bravo. For example, I applied my ability to think critically and conduct thorough research from Communication Theory. Additionally, my Event Planning class helped me succeed in time management, juggling multiple projects simultaneously, and maintaining organization by using spreadsheets and media tracking documents. The last major-specific class that helped me prepare for this internship experience was Audio/Visual Newsgathering because I learned how to use new software programs that were unfamiliar to me. That class also taught me how to properly take notes during interviews and ask questions for clarification.
Overall, I felt adequately equipped with the basic skills necessary to do my job well. The only recommendation I have is to make classes more hands-on and applicational. For example, instead of simply planning all steps of an event, I would suggest that students have an opportunity to promote the event and then execute the event itself also. This way, students not only create the plan for the event, but they also execute it and experience the challenges of implementing a plan and thinking on their feet when crises arise. Students need to contribute to every step of the process, and unfortunately, many classes do not provide students the opportunity to see how all of these pieces fit together.
Spring Internship 2015 Overview |Bravo Group
Introduction
Beginning the first week of February, I began interning at a public relations and advocacy firm called Bravo Group. Settled in the heart of Harrisburg, only a short distance from the Capitol building, Bravo is in a prime location to “bring energy and urgency to every campaign.” The Bravo staff strives to serve their clients best by integrating government relations and public relations expertise with a campaign-style approach. Due to advocacy and public relations expertise from leaders versed in the communications field, Bravo has established itself as a desirable organization across Pennsylvania with an impressive list of satisfied clients.
Due to its superb reputation though, I had to acclimate quickly to the fast pace of the work environment when multiple projects are assigned daily. Working under the direction and supervision of the account executive, Megan Earley, I quickly learned about the importance of building relationships and strategizing messages to best represent each client. Keeping the primary values of the organization in mind, I developed a series of learning objectives that guided my work with respect to Bravo’s mission.
The first learning objective I developed was to understand various public relations’ tactics and skills, including the development of a concise writing style using AP formatting. I planned to achieve this objective by shadowing staff members and asking them questions while they worked on projects. I also asked staff to assign me writing projects, and I gladly welcomed critiques from the publishing staff regarding my writing style.
My second objective was to develop transferable skills in researching, writing, critical thinking, and oral communication that may be applied in a professional work setting. I achieved this objective by observing staff interactions within the organization and externally with clients. I also received work that challenged me to think critically; nearly every day I had to teach myself a complex legislative issue that I had no previous knowledge of and then simplify it in a compelling way for audiences.
Work/Projects
As a PR/Communications intern, every day in the office looked different. I’ve had the privilege to work on a plethora of projects that integrated researching, phone communication, writing, editing, and organizational strategies, which are all essential skills for the positions that I aspire to hold in the future. Although I cannot provide substantial details about specific client projects, the type of project that I usually worked on was creating various components of a media kit.; particularly, I focused on writing press releases for Pennsylvania Beer Alliance and producing backgrounders for Pennsylvania Turnpike.
From backgrounders to press releases, newsletters, media advisories, and blog posts, I practiced writing in many styles. Transitioning from freestyle, informal writing in my blog posts to a factual, concise writing style for press releases was enjoyable because I learned that both styles are acceptable depending on the audience you are targeting. Much of my time at the internship was spent developing newsletters for Pennsylvania Catholic Conference and composing and sending out numerous media advisories on behalf of Commonwealth Connections Academy. Before the media advisories were delivered to their respective outlets though, I had to research and compile a long list of media outlets according to the location of the events. After the advisories were delivered, I followed up with all of the outlets on the list to affirm that they received the documents.
The first half of the internship also served as a networking experience. My supervisor, Megan, invited me to various networking events with clients at the end of the work day. I conversed with staff before energy practice and healthcare meetings, and I also worked alongside Bravo staff in order to develop social media plans, video content strategies, blog posts, and smaller research projects. Although the organization has three locations across the entire state of Pennsylvania, I collaborated with the other interns at the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh offices to share video content ideas and produce a social media plan.
During the second half of the internship, I devoted ample time to monitoring and utilizing social media platforms including LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, and Google Plus for clients’ maximum exposure to audiences. I helped Bravo staff complete detailed social media audits also. This work entailed researching social media sites and recording pertinent details such as content shared by the organization and frequency of posting. Due to the vast quantity of relationships Bravo has established with media and other external organizations, it was crucial that I documented media tracking for all projects using Google spreadsheets. For organizational purposes, I compiled multiple lists of desirable audiences, media outlets, media contacts, and many others according to the nature of the project.
Learning
The dynamic atmosphere of Bravo has been beneficial for my development as an employee in the communications field. I have gleaned much insight about public relations by observing staff members in the creative department, publishing department, public relations department, and government relations department. I have learned that although each of these groups operate as separate entities with their own job assignments, they also depend on one another to push the projects forward. This job has taught me the skill of working independently on projects, but then receiving assistance from other departments to complete the projects; being a member of a team is an important skill to gain, and Bravo has facilitated both group collaborations and solo projects over the course of the internship, which is ultimately a valuable skill to acquire.
My work assignments also taught me how to properly conduct research about complex and unfamiliar subjects and then effectively articulate that information to audiences. These assignments required me to extract the most necessary information from my research findings, and then summarize it concisely and accurately. This practice developed my ability to think critically and analytically, paying attention to both the smaller, important details while simultaneously seeing the overall picture of the story. Although I used common search engines to locate most of the research findings, I also learned how to navigate new software programs and marketing databases like Vocus Marketing Suite and My Media Info. With experience using these research databases, I hope that future employers will value my exposure to them, which I can further apply in the professional setting.
Beyond the scope of writing, networking, and researching, I spent copious time following up with media outlets as well. By frequently communicating via phone conferences, I developed phone etiquette skills with people within Bravo and with clients on executive levels. These calls honed my interpersonal skills and helped me learn how to convey confidence and professionalism nonverbally despite my initial fear to speak with newspaper editors and executives about complicated press release topics. Most importantly though, these phone conversations taught me how to manage multiple projects at once while maintaining a calm and positive attitude under pressure. Many times I had to finish my follow-up calls, which occasionally took hours to complete depending upon the length of the media list, and then turn over other projects within a short time period. Although it was difficult to manage multiple projects and quickly transition from one project to another, I learned how to prioritize tasks depending upon when they were needed by clients.
Future Plans
This internship has been pivotal in providing a realistic job preview of the public relations field. Even though I enjoy public relations work, I realized through the experience that I take more interest in marketing, fundraising, and event planning than public relations work. I love writing creative and direct, formal pieces, but I know that I do not desire to write all day every day of the week as a full-time position. Working at Bravo has shown me how much I love communicating with other people, so for my future job, I aspire to work at an organization that will require me to build and maintain relationships with people inside and outside the organization.
Preparation/Recommendations
Prior to this internship, I had only taken one public relations class, so I didn’t have much exposure to writing media kits and pitching ideas to clients. Although I think that more public relations classes could have prepared me best to adapt to the concise writing style, there were numerous courses through the Department of Communication that helped me succeed at Bravo. For example, I applied my ability to think critically and conduct thorough research from Communication Theory. Additionally, my Event Planning class helped me succeed in time management, juggling multiple projects simultaneously, and maintaining organization by using spreadsheets and media tracking documents. The last major-specific class that helped me prepare for this internship experience was Audio/Visual Newsgathering because I learned how to use new software programs that were unfamiliar to me. That class also taught me how to properly take notes during interviews and ask questions for clarification.
Overall, I felt adequately equipped with the basic skills necessary to do my job well. The only recommendation I have is to make classes more hands-on and applicational. For example, instead of simply planning all steps of an event, I would suggest that students have an opportunity to promote the event and then execute the event itself also. This way, students not only create the plan for the event, but they also execute it and experience the challenges of implementing a plan and thinking on their feet when crises arise. Students need to contribute to every step of the process, and unfortunately, many classes do not provide students the opportunity to see how all of these pieces fit together.