The Top 10 Most Important
Things I learned in PRCA 2330
BY: LEIGH GUNNELS
I LEARNED MANY LESSONS IN BARBARA
NIXON’S INTRO TO PUBLIC RELATIONS
CLASS, BUT IF I HAD TO NARROW IT DOWN
TO THE 10 MOST IMPORTANT, HERE IS MY
LIST:

#10: Professional Organizations
 Becoming a member of PR groups help you connect
with other PR professionals and develop ethical
standards for the profession.
 The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and
The International Public Relations Association
(IPRA) are great organizations to get involved in.

#9: Be Ethical and Professional
 PR practitioners should
be honest at all times,
convey sense of
business ethics based
on your own morals
and strive for a balance
between loyalty to the
organization and duty
to the public.

#8: Public Relations is a Process
 The acronym R.A.C.E can help in running a
successful PR campaign
Research
 Research
Action

Communication

Evaluation Evaluation
 Action
Communication

#7: Be Prepared for Job Interviews
 Always research the
company, dress
conservatively, and ask
appropriate questions.
 Always follow up
immediately with
thank-you notes.

#6: Keep Up With Current Events
 Listening to PR
podcasts, watching the
news, and keeping up
with social media sites
is crucial to staying
ahead in your PR career

#5: Resume’s and Portfolio’s Standout
 Your resume should only be one page coming out of
college and it should always have strong action
verbs. But resume’s only get you an interview.
 Bring a portfolio of your work to the interview. The
portfolio should include writing samples, press
releases and showcase your achievements.

#4: Writing a Press Release is inevitable
 As a public relations
professional knowing how
to write a good press
release is essential
 You need to know the
inverted pyramid writing
style and the structure of
the press release

#3: Communicate Clearly
 As a PR professional you have to communicate
clearly to get the message across to audiences
 avoid jargon, cliché’s, and discriminatory language
 Use symbols, acronyms, and slogans

#2: Social Media Sites Are a Must
 Networking by using
social media sites like
twitter, facebook,
wordpress, and
Propenmic is great way
to get connected and
stay updated with the
latest PR news

#1: EXPERIENCE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT!
 The most important
lesson I learned is to
take as many
internships as possible
to gain work experience.
 Motivation and
experience stand out to
future employers.