By: Alexis Schuchert
Take advantage of 2019 and expand your skills as an integrative public relations major. Here are four New Year’s resolutions you can add to your list to become a stronger PR professional.
Practice AP style
Associated Press Style is essential in the world of PR. Practicing this style of writing will benefit you in your future. Every week of 2019, find time to focus on an aspect of AP style. Focus on datelines, abbreviations of months, when to use a comma and so forth. Making this a goal will help to increase your confidence in your future classes and career.
Consume news
As an integrative public relations major, consuming news and reading PR articles is important. Making this one of your New Year’s resolutions will help increase your awareness of the daily news and of proper AP style rules. This will also help to expand your knowledge on the inverted pyramid style of writing.
Exercise your writing skills
Knowing how to write is crucial and is a great skill to possess in any career field. Good writing goes along with knowing AP style and how PR articles are written. The first step is to get familiar with these two aspects and then put it to use. Get comfortable with creating headlines, datelines, leads, quotes, attribution and implementing the inverted pyramid method.
Increase your involvement
Make it a goal to expand your engagement at Central Michigan University. A big way to apply yourself is to become a paid member of the Public Relations Student Society of America. PRSSA offers ways to put your skills to the test and grow as an IPR major. PRSSA includes committees for writing, planning and budgeting. You’ll have opportunities to create portfolio pieces, and graduating PRSSA members can continue their professional development by joining PRSA at a discounted rate.
Take control of 2019 and make it your year.