From Classroom to War Room, PR Internships Offer Value
By Keith A. Sheldon, ABC, APR
From a grammatical perspective, the word “intern” has several meanings. An “intern” refers to an advanced or graduate student undergoing supervised training under the watchful eyes of a faculty instructor and a professional mentor. To “intern” means to confine people against their will, especially in war-related situations. From what I’ve learned from students who have participated in public relations internships, both definitions seem to apply.
Depending on circumstances and expectations, an internship can result in the best or worst of times. Public relations educators provide students with opportunities to develop what they learn in the classroom by participating in real-world, hands-on public relations work.
Public relations thinking, problem solving, production skills, and writing must be developed and exercised within the framework of public relations management. In other words, students should take their respective technical and tactical skills and learn to become strategists through exposure to real-life public relations, i.e. baptism of fire.
California State University, Chico offers year-round internship opportunities with approximately 50 local and regional clients. (This number takes into account clients of Tehama Group Communications,a student- managed public relations agency.)
Here are three examples of the geographic reach and functional breadth available to Chico State public relations students:
- Helped to promote Chicken Soup for the Grandparent’s Soul. Results: Successfully scheduled two major book signings in Las Vegas, Nevada. Obtained print and television coverage in local media.
- Assisted in the launch of One Day’s Pay, a national fund-raising campaign in response to the 9-11 tragedy. Results: One of the clients assigned to Chico State was so impressed by the quality of the work accomplished for the Montgomery, Alabama United Way chapter invited one of our students to give a presentation at this year’s Public Relations Council of Alabama annual conference in October.
- Worked with the Bay Area Sports. Results: An impressive line item for a student’s resume.
Now, not all internships offer such high visibility. Spending a semester working in the trenches of a professional atmosphere results in a tremendous learning opportunity.
The key to developing a successful internship program is commitment on the part of an educational institution. A formal program must be in place to identify prospective clients who are willing to spend time with students. Client and student expectations should be managed so that everyone agrees specifically on the duties and responsibilities of both the student and the professional mentor.
Several avenues can be taken by students or faculty to identify clients who are willing to work with public relations interns:
- Work with local chambers of commerce. Businesses enjoy establishing a strategic link with schools.
- Contact local nonprofit agencies. Local charities, associations and clubs usually are in need of public relations assistance.
- Seek out opportunities on campus. Departments often need help with newsletters or special events.
It is not uncommon for students to seek out and secure internships on their own in areas of particular interest to them. For example, one student of mine beat out 200 applicants for an internship with the Oakland Raiders. Once her work is complete, an evaluation mechanism will be used to determine client and student satisfaction. After all, measurement and evaluation are key components to the public relations process.
Students sometimes are discouraged when an internship does not unfold as expected. Expectations can be misunderstood. Goals and objectives can change. Project scope can evolve or even mutate completely. Clients can become unreasonable. Well, welcome to the real world of public relations. Although they probably didn’t understand or agree at the time, I’ve consoled students who had less than a perfect internship experience by telling them that they learned more from their experience than another student who may have breezed through their internship.
Students benefit in many ways. Internships can result in future employment. Students meet mentors who can serve as references. And depending on the nature of an internship, a student can improve resume and portfolio contents. Some internships include financial compensation. However, payment should not be a primary motivation.
Public relations is fun. I can’t think of a better time to enter the profession. One need only read the news and business pages to realize that our society needs credible public relations now more than ever. Public relations educators have a responsibility to make sure their students are prepared for the challenges they’ll encounter.
Students benefit in many ways through internships. A graduate with an internship or two on a resume is much more marketable than someone without practical experience, no matter which definition applies.
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