COMM

AN RWU PRSSA PUBLICATION

NOVEMBER 2012 Volume 2, Issue 2

Behind the scenes

of a great presentation

spring 2013

Media Relations

The importance of graphic design in communication

@HawkTheVote

ent

They Left Their Hearts in San Francisco

Early morning on October 11, 13 girls sporting Lifes a pitch shirts were running at full sprint, surprised by the angry words of several ight attendants. It was 7:58 a.m. and the Roger Williams University chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America had o cially made the entrance of all entrances onto their ight departing from Logan International Airport. This kicked o the rst of many adventures these members experienced on the west coast. The 2012 PRSSA National Conference, titled Bridging the Gap, was held in the heart of San Francisco and hosted PRSSA Chapters from all states throughout the country. The girls from Roger rocked the future PR pros at the opening roll call with a witty song inspired by Queens We Will Rock You. The RWU Chapter was honored to present a chapter development session about their Alumni Relations program. President Kitty McTeague, Vice President Theresa Agonia, and Bateman member Alexa Roberto were thrilled to see an increase in their Twitter followers after their informational yet funny presentation. That rst night, called A day in the bay, o ered an opportunity to meet students from other chapters. RWU wasted no time in handing out eye patches to promote their new student-run rm, Jolly Roger Public Relations. Other highlights from the conference include the rst night opening celebration, a keynote from the co-founder of Twitter, dynamic media training, creativity inspiration, lessons on restaurant and hospitality PR and the chance to network with members from PRSA. PR by day, California by night was the motto of the six-day trip. The girls were able to make friends throughout the country and even those from abroad while being the quintessential tourists. The most memorable part of the trip was hiking the steep hills of San Francisco in heels - in true PR fashion. But besides the blisters, the girls loved traveling by cable car, cruising under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz Island, exploring Ghiradelli Square, Fishermans Wharf, Pier 39, Haight-Ashbury, and taking in all that the city had to o er. To experience an adventure like no other, make sure you check out information on next years conference held in Philadelphia! Elizabeth Monahan_COMMunicator

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Its the end of the semester and you are nervously preparing your schedule to show to your advisor during your bi-annual meeting. It is really easy to pick out all of the communications courses you want to take but you are entirely unsure of what your minor should be. Panic sets in. There are so many options from marketing to visual arts to anthropology and sociology. More panic and confusion. After going over this pestering question in your head for weeks (you might even have nightmares about it), you nally get to meet with your advisor who quickly approves of all of your selections but brings up that pestering question yet again, what are you going to minor in? You start naming o a multitude of options that you have considered (she aggressively shakes

a communications student. Design has nothing to do with Twitter or Facebook or writing press releases. However, you dont want to disagree with your advisor so you reluctantly nod yes and sign into some graphic design courses. After all, it is just a couple of classes you can check o the list of requirements you really arent interested in taking. Then you think to yourself, Im not going the design route, so it doesnt really matter, its just a minor so I can graduate. Plus, it would be pretty cool to learn how to work Photoshop, because lets face it, we all want to know how to make ourselves look like Giselle Bundchen, right? Wrong. Design courses o er much more than how to work Photoshop (although it is a plus). They teach us the importance of a clean layout, proper alignment, and appropriate size. They also educate students on how to create memorable logos and posters. Graphic design

designer they are going to have to work with. The student described in this article, Jenn Hamilton, who is a media communications major with a minor in graphic design, explains that her minor only came about in order to ful ll Roger Williams Universitys core requirement. Knowing graphic design has helped me these past four years, said Hamilton. Everything I do combines the knowledge I have learned in my PR classes as well in my graphic design classes. From involvement to my internships, I am constantly combining the two di erent sets of skills to better accomplish my tasks. Even at my current internship, I am working with the Development Communications department but because I know graphic design they have asked me to help them with projects for publications.

design problems
the importance of graphic is a eld that is growing exponentially and it On the design in the communications other hand, Katie Wilson, a graphic encompasses many di erent elds, including every major with a minor in communications, field and why design communications, especially when it comes to student that the fact that I was able to major explains communications creating advertisements or packaging for embrace graphic design and minor in communicain it should a product. Think about it: Design is everywhere. tions at Roger Williams was one of my big How could it not be useful? As a communicadeciding factors on coming to Roger Williams. tions student you are in a eld where you need a As a graphic design student she is aware of the diverse skill set to compete. Yes, you need to be strong connection to the two elds and beable to write, yes, you need to understand social lieves that because of her experience in commedia and you also need to understand design. munications and design, she will be a strong competitor in the workforce. Communications interns and practitioners use basic design elements on a regular basis. It is So next time you are given the opportunity to crucial for communications students to untake a design class, dont tune out your proderstand design (and vice versa) because ultifessor because they might just help you set mately, that is how their message is going to be yourself apart in the job market. Who knows, it conveyed. By understanding what good design might help you get an internship or even a job. is they can more easily communicate not only with their target audience but also with the Blair Carroll_COMMunicator

her head no at every single option). When you are done (and winded from the long list you just read) your advisor suggests graphic design. Communications is a course of study that enables you to communicate across a wide range of situations with media or data communication. How does that relate to graphic design? It doesnt seem like a bad idea but isnt design a ne art? How is that going to help you? There is no doubt about it; graphic design is an art form. You can convey a message with something as subtle as the colors you choose, the symmetry or lack thereof, and the moods that your advertising and designs trigger. As all of these thoughts run through your head, you are still questioning how in the world an art form is going to help you in the real world as

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Pros & Cons of Short-Term Internships

Now that the fall semester is in full swing, and everyone is into the groove of his or her new classes, its a great time to start looking for future internships. Although it may be too late to score a position for this semester, now is the ideal time to investigate winter internship opportunities (or winternships). If youre unfamiliar with this term, check out the Boston Globe Magazines article More students spending winter break in winternships,featuring PRSSA alumna, Mary Concannon. Winter or summer internships are just as valuable as interning during the fall and spring semesters. If youre undecided on when to get your internship credit completed, check out the pros and cons list:

Pros
You can give 100% to your internship without the stress of regular classes during the semester. Your dedication to the program will shine. Internship advisors will recognize your willingness to prepare for your future by working through your vacation. You can get more experience by doing a non-credited internship to save money! Things to Remember:

Cons
If you want academic credits for the internship, you have to pay RWUs summer/winter tuition course. Less time to relax during vacation. Instead of laying out in a bikini be dressed in business wear. You cant get credit for an internship you did last semester (summer) but didnt register for.

1. All students must complete RWUs internship workshops prior to registering for an internship 2. The internship workshops teach you valuable job-search skills 3. Register for your internships on Hawks Hunt for credit

Even if sacri cing your precious hours during the winter and summer months sounds unbearable, think of the big picture. Graduates are facing a bleak job market so any additional experience that will help strengthen your resume will improve chances of post-graduation employment. Alternatively, just take Marys advice from the Globes article. You really have to have experience, Concannon said. I had three others before Marlo, and thats not really considered a lot. So Im taking this opportunity. My friends are sitting home on the sofa now, but Id rather have a job in the spring than extra sleep now. Elizabeth Monahan_COMMunicator

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Behind the Scenes of a Great PResentation

Presenting at the 2012 PRSSA National Conference in San Francisco was a nerve-racking, yet extremely rewarding experience. All I knew was that I was going to be presenting on Alumni Relations with PRSSA President, Kitty McTeague, and Vice President, Theresa Agonia. So yes, I guess you could say I was a tad bit nervous. Our preparation started to get going during the month of August. We had conference calls and Skype appointments with Brian Price, the Vice President of PRSSA Chapter Development. When going over our presentation, having a fourth set of ears was very helpful. Brian was able to catch some mistakes we had missed, but most importantly he was able to give us some great ways to extend our presentation, since it had to be 25 minutes. Perfecting our written speech took up the bulk of the preparation time. Kitty, Theresa, and I spent two to four hours a day working on this speech. We wanted to perfect our speech to the best of our abilities, but our main goal was to be able to demonstrate how great our alumni relations are. Once we had our speech written and completed, it was time to create the visual. Since we were presenting in front of other college students, we knew we needed a visual to keep their attention. Using a PowerPoint presentation allowed us to show and animate all of our material. One objective of the PowerPoint was for the students to get a better sense of how and why we do alumni relations. We utilized alumni photos, screen shots of our Facebook, Twitter, and web pages, as well as maps and logos. As I said previously, we had to present to a room full of college students. For us, we knew that by just lecturing to these students, and spitting out a bunch of facts, we would lose their attention. We chose to present our mate-

Alexa Roberto_COMMunicator

rial in a more conversational manner. We were able to do so by personalizing each of our topics, and throwing in some jokes. Once our presentation was perfected, it was time to start rehearsing the presentation. One specific aspect I tried to work on was minimizing my Boston accent, which I think I was able to do. I know for myself, I also rehearsed alone in front of my mirror, to my roommates, in my car, and while sitting in classes. After weeks of rehearsing, we were ready for San Francisco. Our 25 minute presentation flew by, and if I should say so myself, we nailed it. The best part of presenting was that we actually helped many students and their PRSSA chapters. Our presentation definitely exceeded my expectations and I could not be happier with the results.

Alexa Roberto, Theresa Agonia, and Kathryn McTeague pose for a photo before giving their presentation about RWU PRSSA Alumni Relations.

What you can take away from my experience:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Read your presentation out loud to others Take time to prepare for a presentation Know your audience Dont use note cards Use visuals Personalize your presentation Practice makes almost perfect Have fun with it and be yourself!

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Interested in entertainment public relations? Earn three credits while in Los Angeles at the heart of it all January 2-14, 2013!
For roughly $2,500 (including three academic credits) you can stay right o Hollywood Boulevard and learn rst hand from people in the eld about entertainment PR! Students will attend the Peoples Choice Awards, tour Warner Brother Studios, watch a sitcom be lmed, and tour many great rms. Dont miss this opportunity! Talk to Dr. Shelton if you are interested.

DID YOU KNOW?

Interesting facts from the 2012 PRSSA National Conference every PRofessional should know For every child born, there are

57%

smart phones activated. @TimothyJordan

of people talk more online than in real life. @TimothyJordan

Word of mouth is actually the Everyone should have a

The average American is subjected to For every

they should have

13 13

best 25-40 3,000

method to spread awareness. @JenniferPBrown

second personal summary. -Joseph Trahan, III messages per day. @SteveZanof

minutes someone is on camera for a news conference, hours of prep time. -Joseph Trahan, III Theresa Agonia_COMMunicator

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Special Topics Media Relations course offered spring 2013!

COMM 431 Dr. Hume Johnson

In this course, you will learn to:

The media relationship is key to successful public relations, whether its for a corporation, non-prot or advocacy organization.
Give reporters usable, on-message information.

Think strategically about your organization and its key messages. Understand what is news, and distinguish news from uff and llers. Understand and appreciate the symbiotic relationship between public relations and journalism/media.

Provide radio and television interviewers with sound bites they can use. Counsel the organization on best practices in communication during a crisis.

New York City Firm Tours!

November 8, 2012

HAWKTHEVOTE

Dont forget to vote on November 6!

Future events can be live streamed at www.HawkTheVote.com

and more!

@HawkTheVote @HawkTheVotenees

Page 6

Editor-in-Chief Sofia Giovannello COMMunicators Theresa Agonia Blair Carroll Kinsey Janke Elizabeth Monahan Kyrie Perry Alexa Roberto Want to write for us? Contact: rwucomment@gmail.com @RWUCOMMent