Three things I learned from Humber’s PR program that helped me become a better communicator

So, you want to work in communications, huh? Well if you are creative and have a knack for storytelling then this could be the career for you.

Humber College has a great postgraduate program in public relations that intensively prepare’s you with the training and knowledge you need to work in the field of communications. In this program, you learn everything from social media to creating effective press kits that will impress even the most passive journalists. In this blog post, I am going to share with you three things I learned from the Humber PR program.

Use Twitter to stay on top of breaking news

In my social and digital media class, I learned that brands actively monitor their Twitter accounts for customer grievances and for brand mentions. If you have a complaint and you cannot resolve it the traditional way, then go on Twitter and broadcast your complaints. It’s very likely, brands will take notice.

Twitter is also a great place to stay on top of breaking news. I remember in my second semester of the Humber PR program, my program coordinator announced on the morning of my PR Research class on Twitter that my class was cancelled. She posted the tweet using the program hashtag #HumberPR, instead of emailing my class. My classmates who checked their Twitter feeds did not show up for class, whereas I who showed up for the class to be told later by a friend via text message that class was cancelled.

Planned a real event with a generous budget        

In my event planning class, my professor divided us up into different subcommittees that will oversee different tasks including logistics, graphic design, promotions and raffles. I volunteered to be in the graphic design subcommittee so I was able to do what I loved, which was create various assets for the event using the Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign programs.

Being in the graphic design subcommittee was a lot of work. Sometimes it felt like as soon as my teammates and I were done with one task we were quickly thrown another task with a very short deadline by the Vice Chair. However, since I loved graphic design, so the tasks I was given felt more like learning opportunities then laborious work.

Worked with real clients

In my Strategic Communications class, we were put in groups and were assigned, real clients. The clients presented in front of us about their organizations and the ideas they were looking for that will improve client engagements.

My group was assigned the Canadian Council of Muslim Women as a client; I did the social media and the website audit. In the program, I gained real-world experience. I learned how important a client brief was and furthermore how important it was to create status reports so everyone in the group was meeting their deadlines.

Conclusion

Whether you are interested in working in marketing or PR, I highly recommend checking out the Humber postgraduate program in PR.

This program is useful for those who have some work experience in marketing because this intensive program will allow you to further develop your skill sets and to better understand how PR could bring value to an organization.

If you enjoyed this blog, then share with your friends. If you know of other programs that can better prepare eager students into successful communication professional then tweet me your suggestions @FarihaSamiha.