Suzanne Lowery Mims
Find a PATHWAY to PR
People reach a career in public relations through many different paths. Published in 2016, PATHWAYS is a text prepared especially for our students at George Mason University to help them chart their path and to support their studies in public relations. The handbook offers guidance on course selection, internships, preparing a portfolio, writing the PR centered resume as well as instruction and tip sheets for writing news releases, memos, message strategy, backgrounders and a PR plan.
In addition, the text includes messages from recent graduates, Advice from the Real World: Mason Alumni Share Advice. Here's mine:
Suzanne Mims
M.A., Communication, 2012
Adjunct Faculty—public relations, social media, writing
My advice is to use your time at Mason to deliberately increase your skills. Make a strategic plan to improve in three key ways:
In addition, the text includes messages from recent graduates, Advice from the Real World: Mason Alumni Share Advice. Here's mine:
Suzanne Mims
M.A., Communication, 2012
Adjunct Faculty—public relations, social media, writing
My advice is to use your time at Mason to deliberately increase your skills. Make a strategic plan to improve in three key ways:
- Technology is infusing fantastic new tools into the field of public relations. Take that leap: move outside of your comfort zone and try new tools now, while you are still in school. Your portfolio will burst with a cutting-edge appearance.
- Be a thinker: practice synthesizing and analyzing. PR is all about gathering the information needed to solve challenges and then ana- lyzing the best course of action. Employers value analytical skills very highly.
- The single, most valuable investment you can make in your future, however, is to develop strong writing skills. The ability to craft writing that is accurate, precise, clear, and concise will make you stand out in every interview and continue to serve you throughout your career.
Sticky? Spreadable?....Contagious!
Sharing hasn't just become popular because of Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms. Sharing is a basic human instinct although people share content for a myriad of reasons: to help process the information, to improve social standing, to help others and more. There is a science of sharing. Understanding that psychology is at the heart of content marketing. The course, PR and Social Media, was created to allow students to study what traits make content more likely to be shared. I love this course, although I have to research current trends and tech developments right up to the first day of class and then finish the syllabus and schedule. We practice social messaging and monitor what content gains traction, peel back the layers on viral content and test a viral messaging campaign. Students launch videos to use "social media for social good" and used analytics to compare effectiveness.
Online Teaching? Lots of new dance steps required!
I have a love/hate relationship with my PR & Social Media Course. I love teaching such an exciting and engaging career-prep course. Social media usage and technology is evolving so rapidly that I need to recreate the course every semester -- EVERYTHING changes. Moving to online teaching requires some fancy dance steps too. I'm grateful to MasonComm for enrolling me in an intense but productive online teaching training. Whew - I passed!