General Information
CS257A - Introduction to Public Relations
Meets: Monday and Wednesday 6-9:45 PM, Classroom: W230
Download printable version of syllabus (pdf file)
(Internet Explorer recommended - Adobe Reader required)
Instructor: Jon Boroshok (see www.techmarcom.com/experience.htm)
Telephone/voice mail: 978-502-1055.
E-mail: jb@TechMarcom.com
Hours: by appointment.Text: Practice of Public Relations-8th ed. Fraser P. Seitel / Textbook Hardcover / Prentice Hall PTR (ISBN: 0130276790). Yes, it's another one of those pricey textbooks, but used copies are available online for about 20% less than new, and WalMart.com has a new copy for about 30% less.
While the text will be used to provide a theoretical background and further depth about the PR field, class lectures and activities and exercises will focus more on a practical application using real-life examples, the case studies in each assigned chapter, and discussions of issues. It is strongly recommended that you keep up with the book - all assigned reading is fair game for any quizzes and exams.
Course Overview: This course will combine some public relations theory with lots of practical day-to-day applications to provide a thorough introduction to the field of PR. Emphasis will be on the skill set and thought process needed by today's practitioners. Our goal is to understand what PR is, what it can and can't do, when to use PR, when not to use PR, and what will be expected of someone on their first job in public relations. Writing skills will be analyzed, critiqued, and be a critical factor in the grading process. Your ability to think critically and quickly during class discussions will count far more than showing your memorization on exams.
Grading:
40% - Attendance and class participation
15% - Mid-term exam
20% - Final exam
25% - In-class assignments/quizzesBecause this is an intensified 5-week session, much of your grade will come from class participation, in-class assignments and possible "surprise" quizzes. At the beginning of each session, we'll review the case studies from the assigned chapters. We will also have an informal discussion of some events in the news and how PR can impact them or how the events can affect PR.
In-class assignments are to be treated as if they were actual projects/account work for real clients. All assigned reading is fair game for any quizzes and exams. This class will be treated like a real job in public relations. There are often projects assigned in class with no prior warning - just as a client may need to utilize PR services on short notice in reaction to market changes, product launches or recalls, or other outside influences. The idea is to help you learn how to think and act quickly under tight deadlines.
Attendance: Attendance, punctuality, and active participation are required. Just as you would be expected to be punctual and make a contribution a professional job, you are expected to do so here too! A legitimate reason for being absent, such as illness or a business trip should be brought to my attention ahead of time, just as you would notify an employer. Work missed because of an excused absence may be made up, but work missed because of an unexcused absence may not be made up.
Guest Speakers: Even the most experienced of PR practitioners still runs the risk of offering a biased presentation of his/her field. With this in mind, guest speakers may be invited to come in and offer a different perspective of their areas of specialty.
Dates /Topics/ Reading
(All assigned reading should be done before class)Class 1
5/29 Intros and orientation -- course - objectives, overview, review syllabus. What is PR? In class writing assignment - two press releases - one introducing yourself and one introducing an assigned classmate.For next class: Read chapters 1, 2, 11 and 12. Case studies in each assigned chapter will be discussed at the beginning of class.
Class 2
6/3 Discussion about writing skills needed today. Discussion of press releases. What's newsworthy, what's not. How to write a release. In class writing assignment: write a press release based on fact sheet handed out. Reviewed as a group.For next class: Read chapters 3 and 4, and pages 493-495. Case studies in each assigned chapter will be discussed at the beginning of class.
Class 3
6/5: Pre-class assignment due at start of class (1-2 pages, not handwritten). Read chapter 8 of your textbook, then interview someone working in PR to learn about their job and the structure of their department/agency. Please interview someone you don't already know. Call several PR agencies and explain your assignment and ask if someone can speak with you - get used to cold calling - it's a huge part of PR.Find out what skills are used day-to-day. What do they actually do? What is their work day really like? What does their agency/department look for in job candidates? Have they ever worked for a client or cause that went against their beliefs? Do they believe that journalism is objective or subjective?
We'll review and discuss these during the first half of class, leading to our discussion of ethics and public opinion.
For next class: Read chapters 7, and 17. Case studies in each assigned chapter will be discussed at the beginning of class. We'll also discuss the case study on page 181 of the textbook.
Class 4
6/10: Target audiences and messaging strategies will be tonight's theme. By the end of the evening we'll know how to identify a target audience and write key message points that are relevant to them.For next class: Read chapters 14 and 15. It is also strongly recommended that you read the last 4 weeks of Sheri Qualters' articles in the Boston Business Journal (available on http://library.emerson.edu), and visit www.prnewswire.com prior to class. Case studies in each assigned chapter will be discussed at the beginning of class.
Class 5 - Guest Speakers and Mid-term exam
6/12: Continuing our discussion of audiences, we'll talk about the media as both an audience and a message delivery vehicle/channel. We'll also talk about how to write a pitch letter or make a pitch call to a member of the press and how to target the right journalist for that pitch. We'll also talk about press release delivery services such as PR Newswire and Business Wire. Christine Pride of PR Newswire, Sheri Qualters of the Boston Business Journal, and Colette Bachand Wood of Travel Publications of Boston will serve as guest speakers to provide additional perspectives.Sheri Qualters covers advertising, public relations, law, utilities, and higher education for the Boston Business Journal (http://boston.bizjournals.com/boston). Ms. Qualters will talk about what types of pitches she receives, what works, and what doesn't.
Christine Pride is the Editorial Supervisor at PR Newswire's Boston office. She has experienced the editorial process from many different perspectives. In her four years with PR Newswire, she has worked her way up from Assistant Editor to Editorial Supervisor, now responsible for a team of 5 editors.
Colette Bachand Wood is a graduate of Emerson College and currently senior correspondent with Travel Publications of Boston, a company which publishes "Travel New England" newspaper, the "Boston Airport Journal," and the "Boston South Station Journal." Wood also co-hosts a travel writing seminar for Emerson College students each year at the college's European Center at Castle Well in the Netherlands.
Time will be reserved for questions and answers, followed by a short break, and then our midterm exam. Writing a pitch is very likely to be included in the mid-term.
For next class: Read chapters 5, 8 (page 175-185 only), and 16. Case studies in each assigned chapter will be discussed at the beginning of class.
Class 6
6/17:We'll continue our discussion of media relations and review your thoughts on the previous session. We'll discuss the friction that often exists between PR practitioners ("flacks") and journalists ("hacks"). We'll follow this with a review of the mid-term, take a break, and then shift gears to discuss research, setting objectives, and accounting for billable time and reporting results to clients.For next class: Read chapters 6 and 9. Case studies in each assigned chapter will be discussed at the beginning of class.
Class 7
6/19:You practice ethical PR. You write honest press releases. Your pitch letters are hype-free. Now the company's accounting records are under SEC investigation, and your CEO is the media's whipping boy. Welcome to the world of crisis PR! Tonight's guest speaker is a crisis communications expert. Joanne Stanway will share stories from the trenches, and then we'll put you into groups to work on a crisis PR situation in class.Joanne Stanway has a long and diverse career in public relations and marketing following an exciting start in broadcast journalism at a local CBS affiliate. Her experience in television news has proved to be an invaluable resource in developing the right kind of stories for her clients. During her career, Joanne has worked with a variety of healthcare clients including Martin's Point Health Care Centers, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island/Delta Dental, Rhode Island Association of Facilities and Services for the Aged, adam.com, InfuTech, and LifeMetrix.
At Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Joanne served as assistant director of public relations, responsible for all media relations as well as writing press materials, brochures, newsletters and annual reports. She was also responsible for all events for the hospital and served as spokesperson during a 25-day work stoppage - providing valuable crisis communications experience.
Joanne's public relations campaign for Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island helped to increase attendance to the zoo by a record 44% in the first year and an additional 20% the second. The campaign included a live broadcast by "CBS This Morning" with seven morning segments highlighting different aspects of the zoo's new Plains of Africa exhibit.
For next class: Read chapters 10 (starting at page 233) and 15. Case studies in each assigned chapter will be discussed at the beginning of class.
Class 8
6/24:PR is often part of the marketing department, and often supports marketing efforts. Marketing programs and activities are often implemented to drive sales. We'll invite two guest speakers -- one to discuss PR's place in marketing strategy and how it contributes to branding and positioning -- and one to discuss leveraging trade show participation with speaker bureau programs to maximize ROI. Our in-class assignment will be to develop a speaker abstract and marketing support documents such as a product datasheet.Guest Speakers:
Steve Markman, President - Conference Management & Marketing (CMM) CMM specializes in executive speaker placement and conference and seminar development for client organizations throughout the U.S. CMM's Speaker Placement Service is used by corporate executives and professional service firms from a wide variety of fields. Speaking engagements are obtained for clients in strategic events held worldwide.Mr. Markman has nearly 20 years of experience in speaker placement and recruitment. Prior to launching CMM, Mr. Markman held the position of Vice President of worldwide conferences for BIS Strategic Decisions (now Giga Information Group). He has also served as Director of Conferences for The Interface Group (now Key3Media), producers of COMDEX, the largest trade show in North America.
Greg Jarboe, VP and Chief Marketing Officer - Backbone Media During his career, Greg Jarboe has been a journalist, communications officer, radio reporter, and marketing executive. As Vice President of Marketing for WebCT, he launched WebCT.com and helped it become one of the Internet sites visited most often by college students, while also cutting the cost per visitor in half. He was also the first-ever Director of Corporate Communications for Ziff-Davis, President of Jarboe Communications, and Director of Marketing for PC Computing, as well as a member of both its Leadership Council and Marketing Council. While there, he helped launch Yahoo! Internet Life, ZDNet, and ZDTV (which is now called TechTV). As Director of Corporate Communications at Lotus Development Corp., he launched several new products, including Lotus Notes.
For next class: Read chapters 18 and 19. Your last assignment, due at the start of class, is to interview another PR practitioner and compare what you've learned in class with what they tell you, and do it in 500-750 words.
Class 9
6/26: Tonight we'll feature a guest panel representing the "client side" of PR. We'll learn what clients want, like, dislike about PR and their relationships with agencies and younger practitioners. We'll hear what they think is important for you to know, and what skills they demand from their PR practitioners.Our Guests
David Crosbie, CEO - Leostream Corp.
David Crosbie is an experienced entrepreneur, and current CEO of Leostream, an Autonomic Computing Company. He is the founder of Adero and Bluesocket. The former was backed with $80M in capital by Fidelity Investments, M/C Venture Partners, Spectrum Venture Partners, Intel, Microsoft, and Inktomi. It was sold to COLT telecoms in 2001. Bluesocket is backed by $10m in Venture Capital from St Paul Venture Capital, OsbornCapital, Granum Capital, and a number of private European and Asian investors. He has an MBA from INSEAD, France and a Masters in Engineering from Worcester College, Oxford University, England.Jeff Kosiorek, Corporate Marketing Manager - Inforonics, Inc.
Jeff has more than 12 years of experience in marketing and public relations management. In his role of at Inforonics, he is responsible for developing and implementing strategic marketing programs; implementing a variety of business development programs aimed at lead generation and sales pipeline growth; initiating company image and product identification programs; and planning and managing the business unit's public relations and advertising programs, web site content, marketing collateral, and tradeshow schedules. Prior to Inforonics, he worked as marketing and communications manager for Edgil Associates, a leading provider of software and Internet services, and Orion Electronics, an electronic component packaging company. Jeff received a B.A. in Communications from Westfield State College, and an M.S. in Innovation and Technology from Boston University. Inforonics is the leading single provider of application development, application data flow management, and information data organization services.Kevin McLaughlin, Marketing Manager - Netspoke, Inc.
Kevin McLaughlin serves as Marketing Manager for Netspoke, a provider of reservationless conference calling and Web conferencing services. He was previously Marketing Manager for iWant.com, and has also been a Product Manager for Sybase's Powersoft division.After break, we'll also talking about byline articles, white papers, and "ghost-writing" for clients. For our in-class writing exercise, you'll be paired off with another classmate, and each of you will describe an idea for a letter to the editor. You will then write the other person's letter on their behalf, and read of them aloud. If time permits, we'll begin discussing the role of the Internet in PR.
For next class: Read chapters 10 (pages 227-232) and 13 and 20, along with pages 185-200,.and re-read the Internet-related portion of chapter 14. Case studies in each assigned chapter may be discussed later in the evening.
Class 10
7/1:Our discussion of the Internet concludes - possibly in the computer lab to look at PR resources online, as well as a few virtual press rooms on corporate Web sites.Tonight after break, through an informal discussion, we'll examine the current state of PR. We'll look into the future and try to wrap this up in a nice neat, appropriate package. Now that you've had a PR overview, what are your chances of working in the field?
We'll also review your interview with PR professionals as featured in the writing assignment due tonight.
Class 11 - Conclusions and final exam
7/3: Before you head off to the beach for that July 4 picnic, it's time for the final exam. The beginning of the class session will be used to answer any lingering questions you may have, and for teacher evaluations.