Mikayla’s Blog

In this unit, we were asked to make four social media posts using Canva. A Facebook cover, Twitter cover, Facebook post and Instagram post. I responded to this assignment with great enthusiasm because I love Canva. In my opinion, it is an easy tool for those less experienced in the Adobe suite. After completion of my work, I was even more pleased. It was fun getting to create different content for a company of our choice. The affordances of Canva is again the ease of use but also the variety of different templates. The app provides tons of different colors, layouts and images to ensure there is something for everyone.…

In unit 2.1 I learned how to make a business card and the specific design techniques to create an engaging design. The Analysis-Synthesis Bridge model is a design tool used to capture the organization’s needs. Next, in unit 2.2 we used the same logo from the previous unit to create a letterhead. I responded to the assignment by researching design models, looking at examples and following tutorials. I watched Youtube videos to learn design tools and tips on making the document appealing. Overall, I think I did a good job on the assignment and incorporated my knowledge of design, but I can definitely improve in the future.

Hi! My name is Mikayla Martin and I’m majoring in public relations with a minor in nonprofit at the University of Oklahoma. My plan is move to a bigger city and work in nonprofit public relations because it combines my love for helping others, social media marketing and event planning. I’m from Norman, Oklahoma and my entire family graduated from OU, so I had to continue the legacy. I believe that planning and organization are great tools to have in life. One could say that my agenda is my saving grace. A thoroughly planned schedule decreases my stress levels and sets me up for a great week. I’m a determined…

In this unit we discussed sports public relations and traveling careers in the public relations field. Sports are a major part of the American economy and bring sophisticated audiences. Traveling public relations careers are exciting but can be exhausting because of the long work hours. Additionally, this unit discusses the importance of protecting the brand through honesty and identifying key publics. My reaction to this material was it was very interesting and provided an exciting perspective of different careers in the public relations field. One thing that stood out to me was reading the positive and negative attributes of a career in sports public relations. This information is important to…

In this unit we discussed government relations and lobbying. Lobbying is the practice of advocating one’s policy position to government officials with the hope of influencing legislation, regulation or other government action. Government relations is a broader term that includes all forms of lobbying activities that have the ultimate goal of influencing public policy.  My reaction to the material was that it provided a different perspective of public relations by showing the readers about the government. One thing that stood out to me was the grassroots campaigns, which is an inexpensive and effective campaign strategy trying to gain support from the public. I have seen an abundant amount of campaigns…

In this unit we discussed the difference between public relations, marketing and advertising. Additionally, we learned about public relations in healthcare and nonprofit public relations. Public relations is conciliatory and concerned with fostering mutual understanding and valuing relationships. Marketing is aggressive, competitive, hyperbolic and focused on selling. Advertising is the purchase of media space or time to promote a product, service or viewpoint. My reaction to this material was that it was enlightening and provided a different perspective of public relations outside the frequent discussion of crisis communication. One thing that stood out to me was the five basic response strategies, which are denial, distance, ingratiation, mortification and suffering. These…

In this unit we covered public relations jobs, interview tips and ethics. Advice on impressive resumes and cover letters were given to ensure we are impressing the future employer. During an interview, this unit advised the reader to ensure you are making a great impression on everyone in the office. Additionally, this unit discussed how public relations professionals handle ethics. The first ethics role is organizational values and the second ethics role is ethical counselor to management.  My reaction to this material was it was very informative and provided crucial tips on doing well in an interview. One thing that stood out was the curriculum vitae, which is a summary…

In this unit we discussed the tools and techniques public relations practitioners use. A traditional news release is the most popular and commonly used publicity tool, which follows the inverted pyramid. Pitch letters request that journalists attend a particular event to cover a story. Next, some publicity techniques are media tours and television talk shows. Media tours build rapport and grab the attention of journalists through paid trips and touring media outlets. Television talk shows are considered the best publicity technique through the use of early morning, daytime or nighttime talk shows.  My reaction to this material was that it was very interesting because I watch these publicity techniques, so…

In this unit we learned about stakeholders, segmenting and global audiences. Stakeholders are people who have an interest in an organization and can either influence or be influenced by an organization. Segmenting is dividing the market into groups of people who have similar characteristics in certain key product related areas. Next, global audiences relate to high-context cultures, low-context cultures and deterritorialization. Deterritorialization is the severance of social and cultural practices from their place of origin.  My reaction to this material was it was different from past units because it introduced the communication strategies of other countries. One thing that stood out was the discussion of Chinese culture and how they…