Life of a PR & Theatre Student - Take one!

What do public relations and theatre have in common?

Why did you decide to minor in theatre?

The aforementioned questions are ones I encounter each day. Yes, I am completing a major in public relations and minor in theatre and guess what? I love it. Although this combination isn’t the norm, the differences between the two are amazing mainly because they create a balance in my life.

Public speaking plays a major role in PR and unfortunately public speaking isn’t one of my strong points. However, acting and playing the role of a character are strong points of mine.  Here are some things theatre has taught me, and how they help me develop as a PR professional:

Enunciate Your Words - Its important that your audience understands you clearly and theatre teaches you how not to gabble your words. 

Make eye contact with the audience- This factor is essential to a great speech and it keeps your audience engaged.  Theatre improves your ability to connect with an audience. 

Stand firm and grounded in your beliefs- This factor definitely adds to your deliverance. It’s important to believe in what you are saying as it permits your audience to be convinced and also gives them reason to believe you.  In theatre, the main objective is to convince your viewers and make them believe your character. 

Use different voice levels- This factor eliminates any form of monotony and it captures your audience attention. 

Breath control- This is important seeing that your speech should flow nicely. Theatre teaches you beats which is the pause or break you take while speaking. 

All in all theatre has allowed me to have confidence when I’m speaking in public. To all my communications and public relations majors, try taking an acting course as an elective and experience the beauty of the arts and witness yourself evolve into a stronger public speaker. I am certain that theatre can add to your development as communication/PR students. 

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Kadesha Holder.

Why You Should Add a Minor!

The question of the hour, should you or should you not add a minor to your current course load? Adding a minor can be both beneficial to your major and increase your chances of job placement. A minor broadens your understanding of the world and strengthens your overall portfolio. It also distinguishes your from other equally qualified candidates for a job and even graduate school. Finally, adding the right minor, be strategic, can expand the types of jobs you may be qualified and your pay grade. For example, if you are a public relations major, a advertising or graphic design minor gives you the ability to not only create content but also graphics for your potential employer, they will love this.

 Think about it.

Minor Details: 5 Minors That Compliment a PR Major

As PR students, one thing we never stop hearing is how many possibilities are available to PR majors. Luckily for us, this couldn’t be more true! Public relations is an extremely large field, and there is no one type of PR. From in-house to agency, the possibilities are truly endless. With so many different possible directions in the PR field alone, minoring in another subject before entering the work force can help ward off indecisiveness while at the same time expanding your horizons. Below are five minors sure to compliment a major in PR:

1. English/Creative Writing: Public relations is extremely writing intensive. It is important that your grammar and overall writing skills are superb. No agency wants to intrust their blogs, press releases, or social media accounts to someone with poor writing skills.

2. Graphic Design: Numerous agencies spend countless hours, and money, working side-by-side with graphic designers. Having a minor in graphic design on your resume would give you a great advantage because it allows executives to cut out the middle man.

3. Sociology/Psychology: The overall goal of public relations is to influence the behaviors and attitudes of the public. What better way to do so than by studying the public you wish to influence up close? Knowing how your public thinks and behaves will better suit you to know how to serve them.

4. Communications: Communications is the foundation of public relations. Studying communications will familiarize you with the theories, history, and practices of communications that will ultimately make you a successful and effective communicator. Also, you will be able to pick up some great group communication skills, which are extremely helpful for networking in the PR field.

5. Foreign Language: In today’s world, people are more globally connected than ever. Working in the PR business, you will meet and be in contact with people from all over the world. Being able to communicate with various groups of people is definitely a resume booster not to mention an invaluable asset!

No matter what minor you decide on, there is always some way to connect it back to public relations. However, adding the right minor can be the one thing on your resume that sets you apart from hundreds of other PR students. Remember, the more you stand out the more likely you are to be remembered!

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Amber Burns.