Interview a staff member (not an hourly employee) of your organization’s public relations (corporate communications, benefits communications, investor relations) department. What was his or her education like? What are his or her job duties? What does he or she regard as the primary skill for a good public relations practitioner? What is a typical day like for this person? Report your findings to the class. (If you do not have a public relations department in your organization, find a company that does and interview one of its public relations practitioners or talk with a staff person at a public relations agency.) Unless the person you are interviewing works for a public relations agency, do not interview someone whose primary duties are to meet clients, sell products, develop advertising, or create marketing materials. Typical titles for the person you should be interviewing are public relations specialist (or representative), editor, speechwriter, public relations manager, communications director, and so forth. Do not interview receptionists, models, file clerks, or greeters.
