Reflective Piece- What I've Learned

To take a break from the regularly scheduled Facebook sins, I want to talk about how my perception of public relations has changed since I started the post-grad program in January 2010.

It seems like a million years ago, I sat in the classroom on the first day, contemplating the journey I was about to take. A lot can change in six months, and my perception of public relations is no exception.

I always understood what public relations was all about, but what i did not know was how intangible it is to describe what PR practitioners actually do.

Sitting in numerous communications management classes, I heard over and over again that many people working in an organization have no idea what the communications department does. The only time they are truly acknowledged for their work was when a crisis struck.

This really bothered me; after all, up till this point I have always been acknowledged for my hard work and commitment. The fact that I may potentially be looked at by my co-workers and have them think, "what did she do all day?" simply did not sit well with me.

Now that I am here, I can safely say that this is no longer a concern of mine. Throughout both semesters, I am completely aware of how much work, time, energy and effort goes into working in communications and am prepared to politely discuss so if need be.

Another opinion of mine that has changed, is that working in PR is a lot more responsibility than I originally thought. A good example of this was demonstrated by a recent guest speaker, John Arnone of Bombardier. Bombardier had a crisis last year when one of their planes crashed and killed 49 innocent people. In the few days following the crisis, John had to both stand behind his company but also relay to the public how sorry they were for the tragedy.

In the end, the cause of the accident was not due to a malfunction with their planes. It's almost impossible to imagine how much pressure and stress John had to have been under during those times; but in the end he stayed true to his company and his public, by being completely honest.

Granted many of us will not have to endure a similar crisis, but the lesson I took here has to do with being as prepared as possible. Anything you do, whether it would be writing a press release or securing speakers for an event you are holding, has to be done with the utmost attention and accuracy. It only take one instance for you to make a mistake and have people begin to wonder if you really know what you are talking about. If John had slipped up once during those times of crisis, not only would his reputation be on the line, but that of his organization's.

So in short, do your work and do it well. No one will judge you for that.
And yes, being a communicator is a big responsibility, but luckily there are PR people who are willing to mentor and be available for questions as we embark on our careers.

Oh, and your boss will google you and find your Facebook, so make sure you have cleaned it up accordingly :)