Storytelling is a common and shared human experience that transcends culture, language and time. Storytelling is also at the heart of public relations and communications.

In PR, we pitch products and services to journalists. We also pitch ideas to clients and bosses. In order to tell a great story, you must first understand your audience and in PR, knowing exactly to whom you’re communicating makes a world of difference. The most creative, convincing and appealing pitches are ones that are considered, just like how some stories are memorable while others are forgettable.

The idea of storytelling is a huge in social media. After all, aren’t tweets just mini stories bundled up in 140 characters or less? Applications like Storify allow you to weave a narrative by tapping into your social networks – for example, this story of recent weather in New Zealand was compiled through snippets from Facebook and Twitter.

Last month at the inaugural TEDxHumberCollege event, Brock Warner, a featured speaker, spoke about storytelling in fundraising. A quote of his struck a chord with me:

“As caretakers of the stories, we’re responsible for communicating the human element.”

This insight makes complete sense as a story is most effective when it is emotionally appealing.

An example of highly effective storytelling by a brand is Google Chrome. (Google… classic overachiever or what?!)
Here’s an example video. This one is called “Dear Sophie”:

Google Chrome effectively connects its product and service to the human element by portraying “real people” and their stories. Pretty genius, right? I don’t know about you but my nose is definitely tingling…

So the next time you communicate – whether it’s a press release, a pitch or a video – keep the human element in mind to deliver effective and poignant messages.

How else does storytelling factor into PR and communications? 

I’m very glad recent stories in the news are bringing the exploitative nature of unpaid internships to light. It’s no surprise that articles like “Unpaid Internships Exploit Young Workers” and “Unpaid Interships May be Illegal” are making the rounds on Twitter and Facebook among my peers starting out in PR and journalism.

It was only a few months ago when my Humber PR classmates and I were on the internship hunt. More often than not, internships were unpaid or compensated with negligible honourariums that wouldn’t even cover transportation costs. Many of my classmates and I felt outraged and frustrated by the abundance of unpaid internships and scarcity of internships that paid at least minimum wage. All of us are highly educated young professionals, with an undergraduate degree and a postgraduate education from a respected program. Cream of the crop – or so we were told. If this is the case, then why aren’t employers willing to pay a cent in exchange for our work?

With rising costs of living, unpaid internships are simply unacceptable. For a student or a recent graduate, an unpaid (or barely paid) internship means they are paying to work. Everyone has different financial means and a young professional should not be denied a valuable opportunity because they can’t afford it.

An internship with a salary shows that an organization values an intern’s time and work. This expectation is also a two-way street – by providing compensation, the employers have the right to hold an intern up to the standard of a paid employee.

That said, interns don’t expect lucrative pay from internships. More than anything, young professionals want valuable experiences to help start their careers. This doesn’t mean photocopying and general office duties – these tasks are the work of an administrative assistant, not an intern.

Interns are fully capable of bringing results and productivity to an organization when managed with the right expectations and delegated appropriate tasks. When the work of an intern helps achieve an organization’s bottom line, they should be compensated.

But where will change come from? It starts with challenging the status quo. More people need to be made aware of this situation that many young professionals face. Ultimately, change can only be enacted by the employer and the hiring organization but today, you can spread the word: that interns matter.

What’s your take on unpaid (vs. paid) internships?

After an undergraduate program at a fairly renowned university, I thought that one year program at a college would be a walk in the park. Boy, was I wrong.

I won’t sugarcoat it; the program is demanding. Juggling multiple assignments all due on the same day is common. Your social life will take a backseat to your school life. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll question your writing abilities on more than one occasion.

The big picture was difficult to see when I was up to my eyeballs in communication plans, press releases and issues management documents. But looking back now, the Humber PR experience is tremendously rewarding.

• I learned about public relations from every angle imaginable: internal and external, theory and practice, new media and traditional media… you get the idea.

• I’m more confident in my abilities as a writer, event planner, communications strategist, designer and public speaker – just some of the hats I’ll need to wear as a PR practitioner.

• I became a member of a connected and supportive community of Humber PR alumni. The outpouring of support and love over Twitter from alums on my cohort’s last day of classes was incredible.

• I landed a pretty sweet internship at Springfree Trampoline, working alongside Katherine Langdon, also a Humber PR grad. I’m stoked. I start Monday. BOING.

And that’s only the beginning. I’m optimistic that what I’ve gained from this program will lead to a long career in the PR industry.

 ~

Sarah Dawson, a good friend and classmate of mine, is famous for her motto “sharing is caring”. So in the spirit of sharing as I make the transition from student to alumna, here’s a list of tips on surviving Humber PR for future students:

• Meet your new best friend: GoogleDocs. With a high volume of group assignments in this program, “Let’s make a GoogleDoc!” is common lingo. Learn it. Embrace it. Love it.

• Read anything and everything. In PR, it’s good to know a little about a lot. Absorb information like a sponge. Good places to start are newspapers (Humber PR recommends The Globe and Mail) and blogs. I enjoy Mashable, Ragan.com and PR Conversations for industry-related topics. As well, read blogs that you cater to your interests and passions – there are millions of them out there!

• Network like it’s nobody’s business. In the immortal words of Kalene Morgan, program coordinator and professor, “Be a B+ student and an A+ networker”. In the end, your networks will open up opportunities, not your grades.

• Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer! Being a Humber PR student gets you some pretty awesome perks. Some of my classmates got to volunteer at events like the JUNO Awards, the Interior Design Show and LG Fashion Week. Seize these opportunities. This leads nicely into my next tip…

• Consider your USP (unique selling proposition). Think about it: when you finish this program, everyone else will finish with the same set of skills and knowledge. Have something on your resume that gives you an extra boost like special skills or unique experiences. Instead of one-time volunteer opportunities, I opted to volunteer for a theatre company over a span of five months. Due to the longevity of my involvement, I got to do hands-on tasks like managing the company’s social media presence. Needless to say, “experience with social media” became my USP during internship interviews.

• Most importantly, make friends. The shared experience of this program will bring you and your classmates close. Solid friendships will make the challenging aspects of the program bearable or even enjoyable. In the future, your classmates will be your key contacts and networks in the PR industry.

Prospective students, I hope you found this helpful. Fellow Humber grads, I hope I properly captured our collective experience. What advice do you have on surviving a PR program? 

Scary: Tomorrow will be my last last day of school.

Scarier: Tomorrow I become a young professional.

Scariest: Tomorrow I grow up.

I’m hoping this blog will serve as an outlet for these balls of nerves/energy/creativity I have during this time of transition.

My main deterrent to blogging has always been, “What the heck do I blog about?” Do I keep it professional or personal? General or niche? Serious or funny?

Well, I refuse to let these details hold me back any longer. Whatever shape this blog ends up taking, I know that it’ll be 100 per cent me. I’m going to embrace simplicity, hence the header: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Thanks, Leonardo.

I’ll just go with the flow and see where this journey takes me.

Join me, won’t you?