Forward Podcast #7 :: Advice for New PR Students
Forward Podcast number seven features 10 pieces of advice for students about to embark on a PR degree.
Paull Young interviews Richard Bailey, Robert French and Luke Armour to get their views on the areas of most importance for new PR students to focus on.
Richard Bailey is a contributing investor at Forward and a lecturer in Public Relations at Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK. He is also the author of PR Studies (a must read for PR Students).
Robert French is a PR lecturer at Forward heartland – Auburn University in Alabama. You can read Robert’s thoughts at his infOpinions blog (which again – should be added to the feeds in every PR student’s feed reader).
Luke Armour is a principal contributor at Forward, the author of Observations of Public Relations, and is a recent PR graduate working in his first PR job.
Show Notes
00:12: Podcast introduction
01:45: Paull introduces Richard Bailey
02:08: Richard introduces his three pieces of advice – think about yourself, think about the PR business, think about the world
02:50: Richard explains why PR students need to think about themselves and their motives for studying PR
04:02: Richard discusses the importance of PR students thinking about the PR business and how it is perceived by the public. He asks three questions of new students: Do you know if there is a difference between PR and advertising? Is there a difference between PR and publicity? Is there a difference between PR and marketing communications?
06:13: Richard explains why PR students need to think about the world and how it is changing.
09:54: Paull introduces Robert French
10:11: Robert announces his three pieces of advice: network with PR professionals, become an information consumer, get some relevant experience
11:06: Robert discusses the importance of networking, and gives some pointers on how students can begin networking with industry professionals.
12:39: Robert talks about why PR students need to become information consumers – reading, listening and watching as much as possible
13.57: Robert explains why PR students should attempt to build industry experience
14:55: Robert tells how PR students can start to gain industry experience
17:08: Paull introduces Luke Armour
18:05: Paull tells PR students – have fun, both in and out of class
19:40: Luke warns PR students to ensure they are aware of the need to be professional in public
21:40: Luke says that finding a mentor can be incredibly beneficial, and shares David Jones‘ advice to find an ‘anti-mentor’
23:14: Paull reiterates the advice passed on so far
25:58: Paull adds one final (special) piece of advice, and wraps up
Forward Podcast News
The production schedule for the Forward Podcast has been finalized, and a new podcast will be uploaded twice a month – on the 1st and the 15th. By far the easiest way to keep up with the podcast is to subscribe to the feed through iTunes or your podcasting program.
If you’ve got any feedback or ideas for the Forward Podcast, please don’t hesitate to contact Paull Young at paull at forward-moving.com. Also, if you are a PR student or new practitioner who’d like to get involved in the Forward Podcast – don’t hesitate to get in touch with Paull.
Comments are always welcome, so if you have any questions stemming from this show – or further advice for new students – please leave a comment below.
Thanks again to Richard, Robert and Luke for taking the time to share and discuss!
Update: (Aug. 3, 7:50 a.m.) Slight technical glitch with the podcast feed. It’s fixed now! So you should be able to receive it via iTunes, etc. Sorry for the inconvenience. We’re all still learning the techy ins and outs ofl these tools.
Forward #7 - Advice for New PR Students [26:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (994)
Wow.
Really great show, Paull and contributors. It really reminded me, first of all, why I got into the industry and what attracts me to it, and how much I love Richard Bailey.
He’s got a great blog and listening to him speak makes me wish I could take some of his courses.
So much good advice in here.
I did have one question:
Richard mentioned being able to defend your choice of career in PR because of the criticism you’ll get.
How would one go about defending PR as a profession?
Is it all just spin and schmoozing journalists, or does it actually serve a purpose to the public?
Comment by Owen Lystrup — August 2, 2006 @ 8:08 am
ironic that Dave Jones should bring up the idea of an anti-mentor…
Comment by Ed Lee — August 2, 2006 @ 9:08 am
[…] Recently, Paull Young invited me to participate in a podcast interview at Forward Blog - Forward Podcast #7 :: Advice for New PR Students. This gives me the opportunity to post an old draft I’ve had hanging in limbo. Here it is. And, remember … advice is cheap, so take it for what it is worth. But, the reading aspect of staying aware of current events in news and the industry is a good practice to follow. And, I’d pay particular attention to Richard Bailey’s part of the podcast, as it is quite good. Many thanks to Paull, Luke, Richard, Erin and everyone at Forward Blog for including me in the discussion. […]
Pingback by News Junkie :: Become One. In PR, It Is Required Behaviour at infOpinions? — August 3, 2006 @ 12:33 am
Thanks, Owen. You’ve given me the theme of my next Forward post: ‘in defence of public relations’. Coming soon…
Comment by Richard Bailey — August 3, 2006 @ 3:22 am
Richard,
I am glad. It’s actually something I’ve been thinking about for quite some time.
I hope you write it soon. I’ll definitely have some hard questions for you.
Comment by Owen Lystrup — August 6, 2006 @ 1:08 am
[…] A while back on a Forward podcast, I posed a question to Richard Bailey and asked why we PR pros and young PR students should be proud of our PR work. […]
Pingback by Into PR » Flexing My PRide: Finding PR’s Professional Respectability — August 15, 2006 @ 1:30 pm