In Summary...

My internship this semester surpassed all expectations I had. Not only did my job duties not include making coffee for my bosses, I actually got to do REAL public relations work. This internship was the perfect place to have my first experience working in a communications department.

My superiors had the patience and knowledge to answer all of my questions - regardless of how stupid my inquiries seemed. They also gave me the opportunity to work on projects that required knowledge of journalism. I didn't spend days copying and filing and running errands; I worked on real publications and news pieces and got to meet real professionals in the field. I couldn't have asked for better people to work with. I am never ceased to be amazed by how tolerant they are of my mistakes, while be willing to give me endless opportunities to learn valuable skills and increase my experience.

I would recommend this internship to friends looking for public relations experience, without a doubt. I worked at least 18 hours each week and was compensated for my time. It was the ideal situation and I learned more than I ever expected to. It will be hard for me to move on from such an amazing job! I'm so thankful I had such a great experience my first time out in the real PR world.

P.S.

Shout out to the OBA employees who come across my blog on a regular basis while performing media searches, etc. I should've provided a disclaimer on my first post to inform all of you this blog is not something I do sheerly for entertainment; It's required.

Week 16

During this week, I wrote up a news release about the success of the Oklahoma team at the National Mock Trial Competition. I also created a distribution list for the release. This internship has given me very practical knowledge about working with the Finder Binder, creating useful releases and pitching them to the appropriate media.

I also wrapped up compiling the Bench & Bar Briefs section of the OBJ, this week. Another practical skill this internship has provided me with is detail-oriented editing and proof reading. For the OBJ, I also created cut lines to be used in the photo highlights section featuring various Ask A Lawyer and Law Day events, hosted by county bar associations.

As a follow up to the Law Day contests, I put together packets to be sent out to all first place winners and their families. I wrote up a memo, explaining what the packet contained to go along with a copy of the OBJ Law Day issue, which featured the winners' work, a photo of all winners at the State Capitol with the Okla. Supreme Court Chief Justice and a DVD copy of the Ask A Lawyer program that aired on OETA.

Week 15

The week following the Ask A Lawyer event was a great learning experience in evaluating the success public relations strategies and tactics. I was given the exciting task of reviewing all of the caller surveys from the Oklahoma County event and creating a report that detailed the success of each outlet of publicity. For instance, from the questions hotline callers were asked, we were able to learn that news appearances, especially on News9, were the most effective method of providing our audiences with information about Ask A Lawyer. Radio spots were also effective methods. Despite some common perceptions, news releases also accounted for directing a large portion of callers.

Other follow-up measurements included checking media clippings to see what news pieces about the event were picked up. I learned that the follow-up and evaluation of an event can often be just as much work as preparing for the event. I was also able to be part of the process for thanking all the volunteers that were involved, as well as members of the OBA who contributed to the success of the event. There are so many aspects of public relations that go unnoticed, but a play a large role in the success of organizations.

Week 14

The Ask A Lawyer hotline took place on April 29 as part of Law Day. This is one of the biggest annual events put on by the Oklahoma Bar Association Communications Department. I was fortunate enough to be able to participate with the Oklahoma County hotline.

Here are some photos from the event:

I even got to meet News9 Consumer Reporter Amanda Taylor!

I learned so much about running an event, coordinating media appearances and thinking on your feet by working at the Ask A Lawyer Event. A piece of advice I would offer to all interns in the public relations and communications fields is to take any opportunity to work an event. At the event, always be aware of how you could be helping the staff to make their job easier or make the event run more smoothly.

Happy Law Day!

Today is Law Day across the nation and the day of the OBA sponsored Ask A Lawyer event. Oklahomans can get free legal advice from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. today by calling 800-456-8525. More information can be found about the history of Law Day and the Ask A Lawyer program by visiting www.okbar.org. Local hotline numbers are also available for many counties across Oklahoma.

Week 13

This week was all about preparing for the taping of the Ask A Lawyer television show, set to air on Thursday, April 29 at 7 p.m. I created and sent supers for the show to producers at OETA, where the show was filmed. The show features a town hall style audience. Audience members participated by asking the panel of lawyers questions related to this year's segments: Children and the Law, Child Support and Consumer Protection. I helped edit the questions that had been submitted and then transferred them to notecards to be passed out to audience members. I even got to ask one during the taping! Recruiting volunteer audience members was something I assisted the communications staff with. This was a real-life example of utilizing contacts and social media to reach out to potential volunteers.

It was interesting to see the taping of a show. I was able to speak with a producer about the editing process and the creation of promos for the show. It was also fun spending the day at the OETA stations and seeing how all kinds of production teams are required for the successful creation of one show.

Week 12

During this week, I was responsible for getting Ask A Lawyer posted on the community calendars for local news and radio stations. I proofed the radio PSA script and sent it off to Clear Channel, Citadel and Renda broadcasting stations. Some of their websites were formatted with online submission forms and others required e-mails to be sent to station public service directors. The same applied to news stations. We also utilized WIMGO as a publicity outlet for this event.

I also distributed press releases to county publications. Some counties provide local numbers, aside from the statewide Ask A Lawyer hotline. Participating counties get their numbers publicized in local papers. I wrote up more than 30 releases and for the first time, distributed them on my own, using the FinderBinder.

In further preparation for Ask A Lawyer, I put together the reference guide packets for the lawyers answering phones for the statewide hotline. I'm hoping to be able to assist with the statewide hotline set up next on Law Day, April 29.

Week 11

I may not have a future in certificate-making, but I'm as sharp as they come at envelope-stuffing. During week 11, I compiled mailings to be sent out to local courthouses, DHS offices, libraries and social service agencies containing flyers promoting the OBA's Ask A Lawer television show, which provides free legal advice to anyone who calls. There were more than 300 mailings were sent out. Clearly, not the most exciting job, but somebody's gotta do it. Even the most tedious jobs matter. So much goes on behind the scenes in PR work that goes unnoticed.

Last week, I also completed a multi-step project. The plaques and checks for Law Day Contest winners were finally sent out to all the county bar associations. I wrapped up some more loose Law Day ends by contacting Law Day Chairs and updating the information for the OBA Web site. I also updated the Ask A Lawyer database with phone numbers, times and locations of all counties participating in the call-in television show.

The April issue of the OBJ printed last week and a few of my pieces appeared in print, like this one:

My tenth week at the OBA

This week, I picked up the plaques at Midwest Trophy and began preparing them to be shipped to the county bar associations. Even as small of a task as dropping off and picking up something at a local business requires public relations skills. It's important that the organization you are representing is viewed favorably by those who do business with it. The process of preparing all the follow-up materials for the Law Day contests will take a while, but by mid April, all winners should receive their awards. As another follow-up aspect to the Law Day contest, all teachers who participated will receive a packet including certificates and ribbons for the students who received honorable mentions along with a survey designed to measure their satisfaction with the contest. This job required getting together materials that I had already prepared and stuffing envelopes, basically, but it took hours to complete. It was a good lesson in realizing how every communication with target audiences is important and requires a lot of behind the scenes work... mostly done by interns, ha!

Something a little more exciting I got to do during week ten was research and write up a piece for the April OBJ to appear in the FYI section about the new dean of the OU College of Law, Joe Harroz. Next week the OBJ goes to press, so I also completed the compilation of the Bench and Bar Briefs section.

My ninth week at the OBA

After suriving the past week at my internship, I have this to say: I have NO future in certificate making. Oh, sure, it sounds easy, but I'd rather spend any day writing press releases than centering text, checking spelling and dealing with printing disasters. The most valuable advice I have to offer after this week is TEST PRINT. Please. Spare yourself the pain and agony of having to re-do hundreds of certificates.

During week eight, I began the layout process and printing process for the certificates, but as any blonde would be able to figure out, different paper requires different layout. Duh. So, I learned that lesson the hard way, but I can guarantee any futur employer that I will never rush through any assignment - even one that seems so simplistic. After I dealt with the drama of printing all the certificates (more than 1,600, I might add), I took the 36 first and second place winner certificates to Midwest Trophy in Del City to have them placed in plaques. These awards will later be presented to winners at an awards ceremony planned for each county bar association.

During week nine, I also got to write a story for the OBJ detaling the results of the Mock Trial competition and recognizing all bar members who volunteered their time to make the program a success. The story will appear in April's Bar Journal.

Something I learned this week is that even when events wrap up, it is important to extend the follow-up sometimes even in to the next month to make sure all credit due is given.

My eighth week at the OBA

Last week at the OBA, I enjoyed a new experience. I was given the opportunity to work with one of the communications specialists on staff in sending press releases out. The releases I composed regarding the OBA Law Day Contest winners were proofed and ready for release. The OBA Director of Communications requested that the releases be sent out by Friday afternoon, so we began the process of identifying the appropriate publications to contact. The releases were written for each county that had first place, second place or honorable mention recipients. The communications specialist I worked with taught me how to use the Oklahoma Finder Binder to locate newspapers in each county to send the releases to. The releases were then e-mailed to the appropriate contacts at each publication with attached photos of the winners and their work. It was interesting for me to learn the protocol for how the OBA’s public relations staff pitches news releases. It was also interesting to learn about the process of press release distribution and the importance of providing the media with accessible, useful, relevant information. I also learned firsthand how significant e-mail subject lines are when corresponding with reporters.

I’ve enjoyed having the opportunity to research information for press releases and compose them. I feel that I now have well-rounded knowledge of that sector of media relations. It is also nice to be more familiar with the names and locations of various Oklahoman publications.

It came in handy that earlier in the week I was asked to update the OBA’s Finder Binder. I transferred the personal notes of staff members to the new pages of the 2010 edition. It was interesting to see how relationships with media contacts made the reference more useful. I learned how building a rapport with reporters can make publication of a release more likely and can also make the distribution more accurate.

This was also a chance for me to apply textbook and classroom information about public relations ethics to a real world situation. I can understand now how easy it would be resort to inappropriate “bribes” or “favors” in relationships with members of mass media when trying to gain exposure for a client. The most worthy news should gain the most coverage regardless of which source the reporters personally favor the most. Keeping practices professional and ethical ensures that public relations staff work hard to keep their clients in the media forefront as a result of skill and merit.

Last week, I also gained some experience with creating visually favorable layout and design elements of documents. In previous weeks, I drafted the Law Day certificates for Oklahoma students who were acknowledged for their work. Last week, I printed the certificates off on the paper that had been ordered and learned how small details can make a lot of difference in the overall effectiveness of documents.

My seventh week at the OBA

In addition to some tasks I’ve become accustomed to performing as part of my internship at the OBA, I got to learn some new things such as utilizing the news clipping service that the communications department is subscribed to and updating OBA awards archives. As all public relations offices do, the OBA monitors their media hits. A certain communications service e-mails one of the communications specialists on staff each time the OBA is mentioned in a news article and most of the time when a release authored by one of the OBA communications department staff members is published. I learned how to access this service and review the media hits it finds. It’s obviously a good way to measure effectiveness of public relations strategies and it’s also been a great way for me to monitor which of my releases gets picked up. The more releases I write that get published, the more confident I feel in my news writing skills.

The OBA presents annual awards to its members for various achievements such as community involvement and professional accomplishments. The honors are published in the October issue of the OBJ each year and then recorded in a database that keeps track of each award recipient and each member’s honors. I recorded this years honorees. This task was one of the many opportunities for me to learn the value of accuracy in documentation.

I also learned about writing photo cut lines last week. (It was about time!) I can see how this could be a service to reporters who receive electronic releases. This was yet another case of the need for accurate reporting and attention to detail. Names are important and so are readable captions.

A valuable tip I would like to offer fellow aspiring public relations professionals is: make news releases relevant to the public by including names, locations and public-specific references. The OBA Communications Director is kind enough to offer me useful advice when she sees an opportunity, and this tid bit is something that I’ve been able to apply to my work.

media hit

Another one of my mock trial press releases was picked up:

http://www.jenksjournal.com/articles/2010/02/22/news/doc4b830c89095c9267847636.txt

My sixth week at the OBA

Last week, I was in the office on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as usual, and worked more than 18 hours. I finally recorded my voice mail message for my office phone. I feel so grown up and professional now!

On Monday, I began sorting through all correspondence that had been sent in with announcements to be released in the Bench&Bar Briefs section of the March Oklahoma Bar Journal. The entries always have to be edited for content and length and re-formatted to comply with OBJ and AP style. Then, once I finish editing, I compile them for publication.

The final round of the OBA State Mock Trial Competition was held Tuesday evening in the Bell Courtroom at the OU College of Law and results came in Wednesday morning. The rest of my Wednesday was spent composing press releases announcing the first through eighth place winners. So far, one of my releases has been picked up and can be viewed here:

http://adaeveningnews.com/acsnews/x966922254/Ada-teams-place-2nd-7th-at-state-mock-trial-championship

This is my first published press release!

The results for the Mock Trial Finals are as follows:

1st - Christian Heritage Academy

2nd - Ada High School (White team)

3rd - Clinton High School

4th - Okarche High School

5th - Jenks High School (Red team)

6th - Owasso High School

7th - Ada High School (Maroon team)

8th - Jenks High School (Blue team)

On Friday, my day in the office was spent writing press releases for each county in Oklahoma that had students place in the OBA Law Day art and writing contest. I composed more than 50 releases and turned them in for editing.

I also spent time throughout the week taking care of the usual brochure orders and handling requests for past OBJ articles.

My fifth week at the OBA

I started the week off by sitting in on a communications department staff meeting. The communications director gave an overview of the week's deadlines and highlighted what small assignments would need to be completed, along with how much progress needed to be made on long-term projects. Then, each communications staff member reported what they were currently working on and followed up with feedback they had received about assignments done the week before.

At the staff meeting, I was assigned to work on coverage of the OBA State Mock Trial Program Competition. I followed up on the six press releases I wrote last week with more detailed releases that elaborated on semi-final round competition venues and information about the teams, as well as what is in store for the two teams that will be chosen to compete in the state finals in May. The team that wins the state championship will compete in Philadelphia at nationals. Next week I will be able to report winners from the OKC and Tulsa semi-final rounds.

All of the Law Day Contest winners have been contacted and preparations are being made for the awards ceremony at the Okla. Supreme Court, which I will be able to attend. The Chief Justice will present the first place winners with their awards and then the winners and their families are invited to the OBA for a luncheon. In order to make sure all Law Day communication is effective, I made a database for the contact information of all county bar association presidents and Law Day chairs, along with all the Law Day Contest winners and their parent and teacher contact information.

My fourth week at the OBA

My fourth week at the Bar Association was filled with the usual assignments of finding past OBJ articles, archiving past OBJ issues and handling brochure orders from the public. With Law Day events coming closer, I assisted the staff in making arrangements for the ceremony to be held for first place contest winners and sat in on meetings regarding the staffing of more interview segment shoots. I worked on making the certificates for all first, second and honorable mention winners for the contest categories from Pre-K to 12th grade.

The OBA also sponsors a statewide mock trial program that local high schools compete in annually. The semi-finals are coming up and the final eight teams were recently announced. Last week, I composed six press releases - one for each school whose team advanced to the semi-finals - to announce their success and upcoming competition dates. (Two high schools had two teams advance to the final rounds.) I always enjoy the opportunity to write pieces that will potentially be picked up by the media. In the future, I would like to be a part of the of the process of sending the releases out to media contacts.

My third week at the OBA

Last week, I worked a total of more than 18 hours across Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The February issue of the Oklahoma Bar Journal (OBJ) went to press on Thursday, so the beginning of my week was spent wrapping up loose ends around the office and assisting the communications staff with odd jobs to make sure the issue was ready to go. I also did some of my usual tasks such as preparing Law Day documents for Web release, filling OBA informational brochure orders and locating old OBJ issues to send to attorneys who had requested specific articles for research. The OBA has a library with archived OBJ issues that date back to before the 1950's. When someone contacts the communications department with a request for a piece, the article is located in the library, scanned and e-mailed to the attorney. Last week, I located and sent an article to a legal professor in the U.K.!

On Friday, I got to assist with the filming of an interview for the OBA Law Day t.v. show that will air on OETA. This year, the show will feature in-depth, personal interviews that target certain aspects of Oklahoma's legal system. This interview focused on Oklahoma's Alternate Sentencing Program and featured a man who got behind on child support payments and eventually found himself homeless and jobless. The interview emphasized the goals of the Alternate Sentencing Program, such as securing employment and teaching its participants to follow strict guidelines. Each participant is assigned a court liason to monitor his/her progress and enforce the program guidelines. If requirements are not met, the participants are incarcerated, but if the program is completed successfully, many benefits can be reaped. The man being interviewed in this piece now has a home, solid employment and has re-established relationships with his children. I think the interview will be very educational to those who tune in to the Law Day t.v. show.

After helping out on the set of the interview shoot, I thought of a few tips I would suggest to interns working with professionals in a high-pressure environment:

1. Never sit down on set. There is always something to be done. If you don't see anything, ask what you can do to help.

2. Share good ideas. Even if you don't get credit, a problem could be solved because of your suggestion. All that really matters is that the job gets done right.

3. Take initiative. Even if it's the smallest chore, taking care of things without having to be asked will impress the people you're working with and save them the time of having to do it themselves.

4. Stay out of the way, but be accessible. Never make someone you're working for have to look for you. Be available and energetic, but not a bother.

5. Always say, "thank you." Remember that an internship is not always an essential staff position. Even though you do valuable work, you've been given an opportunity to have a job that is also a priceless learning experience. Be appreciative of every assignment and make sure the ones you're working for know you are.

My name in print!

Today, the February issue of the Oklahoma Bar Journal was published and I got credit for my editing work in the Bench & Bar Briefs section!

Black History Month feature

My feature article made it on the OBA's Web site! How exciting!

The article will appear on the home page through January and February, then it can be accessed at www.okbar.org under the section, "Acknowledging our Leaders."

My second week at the OBA

Last week at the OBA, I worked six hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and accomplished many tasks. It was the final full week before the Oklahoma Bar Journal (OBJ) goes to press for the February issue, so much of my time was spent working on assignments regarding the publication. Throughout the week, I became much more familiar with the office and what responsibilities the public relations staff has on a day-to-day basis.

For the OBJ, I was responsible for compiling the final version of the "Bench & Bar Briefs" section for approval before printing. The OBA has its own style manual the communications staff uses in conjunction with the AP Style Book. I keep both out on my desk when working with print pieces, because some of the guidelines conflict.

In the spring, the OBA Communications Department spends much of its time preparing for the Law Day event I mentioned in last week's post. As part of of this event, the OBA Law Day Committee judges the art work and creative writing entries submitted to the Law Day competition. This week, the winners were finalized and I created a document containing the names, grades and schools of the first, second, third place and honorable mention winners along with samples of their work. This document will be put on the OBA Web site at a later date along with photographs of all the art work entries that I took. I also finalized the Excel spreadsheet containing all the information about the entries for the OBA Law Day database.

I was most excited about getting to compose a few pieces last week. I wrote press releases about the Oklahoma Supreme Court School of the Year and Teacher of the Year Awards and about the Tax Attorney of the Year. These were the first real press releases intended for publication that I've ever written. It was a gratifying learning experience to have them approved by the public relations staff. I hope I am asked to write more in the future.

Because working on the press releases went so well, I was asked to compose an article for the February OBJ issue, highlighting Black History Month. The article covers the careers of four prominent African-American members of the Oklahoma legal profession. The research for the piece was interesting and it was a great feeling to know that what I was working on had the purpose of recognizing successful attorneys and judges.

Last week, I also filled a brochure order. The OBA provides informational legal brochures at no cost to certain establishments and charges a small fee for attorneys who wish to use the brochures for various educational purposes. I made an exciting trip to the OBA storage and mail rooms and was able to see how the behind the scenes operations work.

My first week at the OBA

My first week at the OBA was cut short due to bad winter weather, but I was able to work six hours on both Monday and Wednesday. On Monday, the communications staff gave me a tour of the building I will be working in and I met a lot of the OBA staff. Everyone was so kind and welcoming. I hardly felt like an intern at all! I even get my own office!

My first project was to work on compiling news releases sent in for the "Bench&Bar Briefs" section of the Oklahoma Bar Journal. The section consists of honors received by attorneys, promotions and relocations of attorneys, public speaking engagements of attorneys and obituaries for members of the bar. Compiling this section is great editing experience.

On Wednesday, I worked on various tasks for the communications staff, including data entry for the annual Law Day competition. Pre-school, elementary, middle and high schools across the state participate in the art contest the OBA offers. Once winners are selected, their work will be displayed on the OBA Web site. I worked on compiling an excel spreadsheet with all of the winners' information. I also began working on an archiving assignment for past articles in the Oklahoma Bar Journal.

The internship is off to a great start and I can't wait to get back to work this week!