Getting Started -- Part Two

One of the best ways to better understand the practice is to shadow people in other kinds of public relations. And the best place to do this is at a PRSA-WV chapter meeting.

Next meeting, make it a point to come early or stay late and talk with someone in the room that is in a different practice. (Think of these as PRSA Sections for counselors, travel, education.) Ask them what is different in their business or organization from your line of business.

Some suggestions for "mining" the vast knowledge that is represented at chapter meetings:

• Find your opposite. If your are a corporate practitioner, seek someone in non-profit. If you work in government, seek out the agency member.
• Make a lunch date. Spend some time talking with someone with expertise representing one of your challenge areas. If you do employee communications, but not as much news media, chat with the media person.
• Shadow them. We host students for a day with a professional. You can, too. Do a "premise visit" to a fellow practitioner's business or organization.
• Ask tough questions. It's one thing to study the code of professional conduct. It's another to discuss it with a fellow practitioner. Ask a veteran about situations. Real life examples make the code come to life.

As we mature our new accreditation study process, I will provide a list of all chapter APRs and their areas of expertise, and they will be available to you for questions or mentoring.

Getting Started

OK, you want to earn accreditation. Where do you start?

• Take at look at PRSA's home page for accreditation and the study guide.


• Think about your overall strengths and weaknesses in your personal knowledge of public relations, based on what you know and your experience.


• For example, if you do not do research everyday, chances are you need to review the basics of research. Or perhaps you have forgotten your communications theory.


• What all candidates can study now is the Code of Professional Conduct. You should already be familiar with it. Now revisit the code and instead of memorizing the words, think about real practice applications of the code. I think of the code as good insurance -- something you hope to never need. So know when you would need the code and how it would apply in real situations.

That's enough for now. If you can find a current textbook on PR, such as Cutlip and Center's Effective Public Relations, scan it and review those parts of the practice where you have the least experience.

If you wish, share your PR challenges with others.