How Far We've Come

Heart pounding in my chest, sweaty palms, trying my best to keep that nervous tick from showing . "What will I say? Is this outfit okay? Maybe I should have worn the white shirt instead of this somber black one..." This was me on day one of my internship. The first day of the internship was scary because a) I was not only in a new place, it was an environment that I had never experienced before and b) I knew that unlike with the scenarios we were given in class, if I made a mistake here it would have consequences on a real organization.

Now a few months after finishing my placement and looking back and analyzing the whole experience through my report I can look back and laugh at some of the things that made me so nervous on that first day, and also think about how far we’ve all come from day one of our placement. With the placement complete, other than getting to add a few more sentences to my CV and expanding my facebook friends lists with professional acquaintances, I can add a number of items to the ‘list of things I learnt.’ Topping the list would be ‘learning how to deal with the media.’ This would be at the top of the list because it was not something that we really talked about in class. In our various PR classes we mostly learn and are able to practice our writing and the technical aspect of PR. Getting the media to come for events, fostering relationships with the media, getting our stories aired and published are all aspects of media relations that can’t really be taught in class and need practical on-the-job experience. Dealing with the media also tops the list because it was the task that I dreaded the most during the first few weeks of my placement, but also one of the most rewarding when all the effort put in is rewarded with a large media turnout to an event and getting positive coverage and exposure for the client.

I wish you all the best as you do your placements and write your reports.

Cheers,

Liwamie.