On 25th of October, USF PRSSA hosted Lisa Brock, the principal of Brock Communication; a public relations and marketing firm specializing in full service public relations. Lisa Brock graduated from Florida State University after majoring in Criminology and Women Studies. She was pre-recruited by Procter and Gamble, a Fortune 200 company. She left to start her own company and currently teaches at the University of Tampa. She talked to the students about success in public relations.
She advised them to be a generalist and not a specialist. It pays to be knowledgeable about different aspect of public relations. Dressing the part goes a long way in determining whether a public relation professional would be taken seriously. “Clothes in this field are an investment,” said Lisa Brock. Your appearance matters, avoid facial piercing, hide or avoid tattoos and consider having shorter hair as opposed to free flowing hair.
As a college graduate, you will need real world experience. It is advisable to have your work portfolio on your website and utilitze both Facebook and Twitter. Remember that you are a walking brand. It would also pay to leave college with at least two internships. You should also be able to show that you can think, analyze and generate current conversation.
“Know who you are and be that person,” said Lisa Brock. “Know who you want to be. Know who you are enough to walk away.” Sticking to one’s morals are one of the important ways to be authentic in the field.. Ethics in public relation is a widely discussed topic, with nearly every national PR organization having codes of ethics. You’ve got to decide just how far you are willing to go as a public relation specialist In public relations, among other careers, there will be important ethical choices involved. Refuse to be the victim and make whatever situation you find yourself in work for you. Remember, it is also okay to follow your morals and instincts whenever you are uncomfortable.
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To learn more from her, you can follow Brock atteachpr on twitter or checkout her book Goodbye College, Hello Life.