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COMM 1110 Learning Journal

Write a five- to eight-page typed (double-spaced) paper that addresses the following topics. Cite specific examples wherever possible. 

What are your three strongest points as a public communicator? (bullet point — no specific detail needed here)

What are three areas for improvement? (bullet point — no specific detail needed here)

Specifically, address the following on how, and how well, did you:

  • Introduce your speeches?
  • Clearly define and call out your central idea (thesis) statement for the audience?
  • Preview your speeches with a quick summary of the main points?
  • Organize your speeches? (methods, clarity)
  • Use transitions and signposts?
  • Establish and maintain eye contact with the audience?
  • Appear confident immediately before, during, and after speeches?
  • Use gestures effectively?
  • Avoid distracting mannerisms?
  • Use vocal variety?
  • Utilize PowerPoint and other AV?
  • Summarize your speeches at the end?
  • End speeches?
  • Adapt to the audience before and during the speeches?
  • Stick to the established time limits?
  • React as an audience member (listening to others’ speeches)?
  • Utilize library resources (including Galileo) while researching your speeches?

What did you learn about public speaking from your peers in this class? Make mention of at least three peers (by name) in your response. (Your peers will not see your responses, so you can feel free to use both positive and negative aspects of their speaking styles.)

Finally, include at least one well-developed paragraph on how you will take the skills you gained in this class and apply them to other college classes.

Include your outlines and speaking notes for each of your speeches this term. (Simply copy and paste them at the end of your paper.)

Want to listen to a Learning Journal from one of my students last spring?

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PRCA 3331 Final Project Presentation

IMG_8398 by JamesEverett.Develop a list of 10 Things We Should Know About _____ (your Fortune 500 company of choice)

  • The list can include anything that you found to be particularly interesting about your company.
  • At least one item on your list should revolve around career opportunities in corporate PR with the company.
  • Feel free to be creative with your title.

Create a PowerPoint presentation.

  • For the title slide, include the company logo and your name.
  • Rather than making bullet points of your things we should know, instead use photos to represent the ideas. (Please use some key words as titles on your slides, to help provide some context.)
  • One of the best places to find photos is in Flickr.
  • If you use photos that are not your own, include a photo credit at the bottom of the slide (like I did on this slide).
  • On the final slide, provide your contact information (name, blog URL, and perhaps your LinkedIn profile URL — please don’t show your phone number or e-mail address)

Embed your PowerPoint presentation in your blog (for 10 pts extra credit)

  • Save your presentation in PowerPoint 2003. (SlideShare does not yet support the newest release of PowerPoint.)
  • Go to SlideShare; join SlideShare if you haven’t already done so.
  • Upload your presentation to SlideShare.
  • Find the embed code at SlideShare, and embed your SlideShare into a blog post.
  • Publish your blog post.
  • NOTE: You should add this blog post to your “table of contents” page for your final project.

Prepare and deliver your 4-6 minute presentation, using these tips.

  • Never let your audience see you navigate to your file. Have the projector’s picture muted until you are ready to show your slides.
  • Speak to your audience, never to the screen or monitor.
  • When you’re not using your presentation, press B to blacken (or W to whiten) the screen. This helps the audience to focus on you, not the screen.
  • Additionally, here are some general tips I share in my public speaking classes.
Public Speaking Tips
View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: presentations speaking)

 

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jameseverett/2533124025/

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PRCA 3331 Student Blogroll

Students in my Corporate Public Relations class at Georgia Southern are blogging as part of their learning experience in the class. I am confident that they would welcome your feedback on their blogs.

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PRCA 3339 :: Photography Course for Friday

Instead of physically coming to PRCA 3339 on Friday, October 24th, please take the NewsU online course titled “Language of the Image.” You will need to register with NewsU — free — before you can take the couse. We will discuss some of the key points Below is NewsU’s description of the course: 

What will I learn? This module will explore the elements that transform a photograph into an image that tells a story. Through interactive exercises you will learn about quality of light, juxtaposition, point of entry, mood, emotion and a sense of place. At the end of the course, you will be able to communicate better, using visual language, with your newsroom colleagues, whether they are photographers, reporters or editors. And you can share with others who have taken the course how your new visual vocabulary will help you in the newsroom.

How long will it take? This self-directed module takes about one to two hours to complete. You can access the course on your own schedule, starting and stopping at your convenience. And you can come back anytime once you enroll.

About the instructor: John Davidson is a partner in Creative Eye Consulting, specializing in visual therapy for the newsroom. Before leaving in January of 2003, Davidson was Assistant Managing Editor/Photography and Senior Editor/Visuals at The Dallas Morning News. He has worked at five other newspapers as a photographer and photo editor.

Note: This course requires the Flash plug-in to view.

Cost: This course is currently available at no cost to registered users of News University.

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PRCA 3339 :: Blogs

For my GSU PRCA 3339 (PR Publications) Students:

Please provide your blog URL as a comment to this post. Be sure to provide the whole address, including the “http://”

Thanks!

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Jumpstart on Spring Classes: Textbooks

If you’re looking to get a jumpstart on my classes at Georgia Southern University this spring, here are the books that I will be using. I’ve linked to many of them at Amazon.com, but of course you can purchase them from anywhere you like. I recommend you try the Facebook Marketplace first, so you can get a good deal AND help a fellow student.

For All of My Classes

A USB drive, at least 1G

Intro to Public Relations (PRCA 2330)

Wilcox, D.L., & Cameron, G.T. (2009). Public relations: Strategies and tactics (9th Ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Recommended but not required: Li, C., & Bernoff, J. (2008). Groundswell: Winning in a world transformed by social technologies. Boston, MA: Forrester Research, Inc.

Public Relations Publications (PRCA 3339)

Morton, L. P. (2006). Strategic publications: Designing for target publics. Greenwood, AR: Best Books Plus.

Recommended but not required: Botello, C., & Reding, E. E. (2007). Design collection revealed: Adobe InDesign CS3, Photoshop CS3 & Illustrator CS3. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning.

 

Photo Credit: bookshelf, originally uploaded to Flickr by chotda

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PRCA 3331 Article Review

Review an article on public relations that appears in a peer-reviewed journal. Your review is due by midnight on Thursday, October 23. Recommended journals include (but aren’t limited to):

Your 500-word minimum review could take the following form:

  • What did you learn from reading the article?
  • What surprised you in the article?
  • What do you want to know more about, now that you’ve read the article?
  • How is the information in the article relevant to the corporation you’ve chosen for your final project?

It is acceptable to use first person for this review. However, even though you are writing a blog post, be sure to cite your source–in text as well as in your reference section–in proper APA format. (Using Citation Machine might be helpful.) This assignment is worth 100 of your 1000 points in PRCA 3331.

Questions? You know where to find me . . .

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/santos/1704875109/

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The Groundswell Inside

Here’s an activity we’ll be doing in my Corporate PR class this week. Our focus this week is Chapter 11 (The Groundswell Inside Your Company) of Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies.

Directions: Think about an organization you’re currently a member of. It could be a campus group or even your current employer. How does or can your organization use the groundswell inside, with its employees or members?

Using The Groundswell Inside form, on your own, fill out your name, the organization, and the current state. Then in groups, brainstorm for future ways the organization could use the groundswell inside for each organization in the group. 

Case Study on Avenue A Razorfish (to help students start their brainstorming)

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PRCA 3331 Final Project

For your final project in our PRCA 3331 Corporate PR class, you will analyze a Fortune 500 or Inc. 500 company from a public relations perspective. Your presentation on your company is due the week of November 17. The written portion project is due by midnight on December 2. The grading rubric will be available by October 13 15. Be sure to review the grading rubric.

This project is worth a total of 300 points of the 1000 available in PRCA 3331. The blog/paper portion is worth 250, and the class presentation is worth 50.

You will have the option of creating the written portion of the project as a traditional term paper or as a series of blog posts. Let me know your decision in WebCT Vista no later than October 20.

If you choose to do this project as a traditional term paper:

  • Use APA style for formatting and source citations
  • Submit your paper in WebCT Vista

If you choose to do this project as a series of blog posts:

  • Create one page (not post, but page) on your blog with hyperlinks to all the posts. Submit the URL of your page in WebCT Vista
  • Cite your sources within the posts, and also provide hyperlinks to the original source if it’s available on the web
  • Use tags on your posts

Required elements:

  • An overview of the company and what it does
  • A brief history or timeline of the company
  • Based on Grunig & Hunt’s models of PR, which model is the company using?
  • Describe the publics, including customers, of the company (or one of its subsidiaries)
  • Top challenges facing the company (including the current financial market)
  • Awards and honors the company has garnered in the past 10 years & how the company is using the awards/honors for promotion
  • An analysis of how the company uses and benefits from (or could benefit from) the groundswell
  • A critique of the company’s online newsroom
  • Career opportunities in PR, corporate communication, marketing, etc., within the company
  • Based on your research of this company, are you now MORE or LESS likely to want to work for the company? Why? Provide at least two paragraphs of a rationale for your decision.

Choose two from the following:

  • For at least one news release, compare how the news release was written to how the story appeared when it was published in the media
  • One crisis the company has faced and how it dealt with it
  • Describe how the company is involved in its communities
  • Interview (phone or e-mail) a public relations professional within the company
  • Create your resume and cover letter as though you are applying for an entry-level PR position within the company
  • Another section of your choice, as long as you clear it with me by November 1

Important Dates

  • October 20: Let me know your decision of whether you’ll do a traditional term paper or a series of blog posts.
  • November 1: Last date to pitch an idea for a section in your paper to me
  • November 17 & 19: Presentations in class
  • December 2: Written portion of final project due in WebCT Vista by midnight (if you’re doing the paper) or posted on your blog by midnight

Questions? You know where to find me . . .

Photo Credit: “Stiff Neck Guaranteed” uploaded to Flickr on January 24, 2007 by rpeschetz

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Blog Assignment for PRCA 3331 (Corporate PR Class)

As you saw in your Corporate Public Relations Syllabus and we’ve discussed in class, part of your grade in PRCA 3331 will come from your blog. After setting up your blog, let me know your blog address as a response to a discussion board question in our Facebook group for PRCA 3331. Then, write four blog posts, which are worth 50 points each.

Blog posts can be written informally and in the first person; that is, they don’t need to sound like a term paper. However, there’s still an expectation for proper grammar, spelling and capitalization. If you have questions about how informal is “too informal,” please let me know.

Blog Post #1

Blog Post #2 (Option A)

Blog Post #2 (Option B)

Blog Post #3

Blog Post #4 (NOTE: Details updated 12-1-09)

Questions? You know where to find me . . .

Photo credit: “Typewriter Letters,” uploaded to Flickr on July 8, 2006 by Laineys Repertoire