Past:

Washington and Lee’s strategic communication major entry classes (Mass Communication and News Writing) as well as my professional PR experience during internships, provided me with the fundamental writing skills that I believe allowed me to hit the ground running in PR Writing. However, I quickly realized that my thinking about what strategic communication is and how to effectively communicate with clients and the press was only scratching the surface. 

 

Before starting class this fall, I primarily worked in crisis communication firms, so my breadth of knowledge was limited. I knew that press releases were sent out to journalists or news wires when new products were being launched, when there was a crisis, or when exciting news was released. I knew that PR professionals worked closely with journalists, but I was only exposed to journalists trying to find a story, not giving a story to journalists. And, I also knew that PR professionals used graphics and visual aids to sell their narrative and story, but I only knew how to cater to investors and company C-suites. 

 

W&L courses like News Writing gave me the skill of succinct writing and finding the importance in each word. Most deliverables have a skimpy word count, so each word has to mean something. However, in News Writing, we were taught to take the creativity and bias out of the writing. Which, of course, for newspapers, acts as a great skill, but I knew before this course started that I must shake off my creative cobwebs and allow myself to think persuasively. 

 

Going into the course, I would have described myself as creative, driven, organized, but not a risk taker. I have always enjoyed creative writing and using my imagination to not only make words entertaining, but also come alive on the page. Creative detective fiction was my favorite class in high school because we got to write our own stories with as many wild plot twists as possible. So, I knew that my creativity would serve me well in a course dedicated to selling products or events. Additionally, I have always been organized with my responsibilities. I am devoted to keeping my planner and to-do list updated and categorized by priorities. 

 

Present: 

This course taught me more about strategic communication than I thought existed because of the wide range of assignments we completed and the diverse needs of the clients. We wrote pitch emails, press releases, media alerts, designed pitch pecks, and used strategy to satisfy our clients' needs. 

 

Diving into specifics, I learned how to balance creative writing and imagery with seriousness and a purpose to cater to our clients. This was challenging at first to understand both what our client needed and how the client wanted us to address their audience. So, we quickly learned that it was not just one person we needed to appeal to, but many. For example, when the American Red Cross was our client, and we were assigned to create a campaign to increase O-blood donations, we needed to understand the Red Cross’ goal and what audience we should target. Since Hispanic people are more likely to have O blood, I targeted the American Southwest. This class taught me the importance of not writing for you or your teacher (or boss once I graduate). In PR, your horizons expand past your classroom or office walls, and you must cater your writing to various new clients. 

 

This class gave me the opportunity to take risks to learn how to harness my creativity to appropriately deliver a message. I appreciated how I was encouraged to push the boundaries of what the fact pattern and assignment gave us and add my own flair. At times, my work was imbalanced. For example, when I used liquid gold to describe O-blood. But after taking risks and receiving feedback, I was able to use figurative language and imagery in a productive and effective way. I particularly liked my title, “Get Dirty,” for the Fast Flow Quencher media kit. Not only was it an eye-catching and impactful title, but it also allowed the reader to get a hint at what they would read.  

 

Moreover, this class expanded my perspective on what PR professionals do and the different avenues they use to strategically communicate. For example, I learned how to succinctly write a pitch email to a journalist. I learned how you must do your homework before pressing send so you know the journalists’ interests and recent work. I realized that so much more thought and energy went into each pitch email than I had initially thought. 

 

Future:

Although I am sure my writing and analytical thinking improved over the semester, I am eager to continue my education. I plan to expand my professional horizons to different fields of communication, like marketing, HR, or investor relations. I will also continue taking strategic communication courses at W&L to develop my writing skills further. I also will continue my habit of staying on top of business deals and transactions – which is a personal interest of mine – and dive deeper into the communication techniques behind each announcement. 

 

To expand, I hope to be an intern next summer. I have been applying to various positions at large strategic communication firms, but I have also expanded my search to internships in marketing, advertising, human resources, and executive search. I plan to work at the intersection of business and strategic communication, so working in those fields would align with my passions and skills. 

 

Additionally, I am excited to continue the strategic communication major, as I am particularly excited to take law and communication. I am curious to learn how firms either utilize or get around communication laws to deliver messages. 

 

Since my internship this past summer, I have made it a habit to stay marginally up to date on major business transactions and M&A deals. However, instead of just reading Wall Street Journal articles about the deals, I plan to explore the communication strategy behind the announcement and rollout. Furthermore, I want to expand past just major Fortune 500 companies and even incorporate my personal interests into my learning. For example, I plan to immerse myself in Kim Kardashian’s brand, Skims, and its merger with Nike to create a new subsidiary. I want to learn about their marketing tactics, strategic planning, and details behind their upcoming campaign. 

 

Lastly, as social media and digital journalism continue to enter the professional sector, I want to continue to learn how to use media tools. I use social media in my personal life, so I am interested to know how social media in a more serious and professional way. I plan to take online courses to become familiar with Photoshop and Canva. I will take those skills and be able to apply them to slide decks and presentations at my future job.