When I decided to pursue my Master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University a few years ago, I could never have known that it would pave the way to Widmeyer Communications.
Through a class I took at Hopkins, I became aware that I had a passion for PR over all other forms of communication, and Widmeyer would be the next logical, challenging and rewarding step in my career.
In a class taught by Professor Marge Holtz, we were asked on the first day to think about target audiences. The professor declared that there wasn’t a single message or communications campaign that should be executed with the target audience of “the general public.” The class pushed back, but one by one, we realized that every message has a target constituency.
“What about a communications campaign on nutrition?”
“Yes, but wouldn’t the messages be different for mothers who plan meals for their entire family, as opposed to senior citizens who have different nutritional needs?”
“What about messages about safety? In case of something serious like a nuclear attack? Wouldn’t that be for the general public?”
“Even so, wouldn’t the messages be different for people who live in the city and those who live in a rural area?”
Once it became clear that we all need to adjust our thinking and start segmenting our audiences with tailored messages, the professor moved on to another favorite topic: strategy vs. tactics.
The class was challenged to come up with creative ideas about how to raise awareness for an upcoming event. Each classmate offered up creative ideas, but Professor Holtz interrupted and started telling us a story she called “the hot air balloon and the White House lawn.” The story is long and entertaining, but the gist is that it’s not always smart to make a big splash – especially if you’re not reaching the right crowd.
Professor Holtz’s class motivated me to pursue a career at a PR agency, so I could put to use the many skills I honed throughout that semester. I’m also thankful for many other lessons I have collected along the way.
Professor Hill’s class – spokesperson training – taught me that, ummm, I used to rely on the word “umm” a lot. We used Flip Video cameras all semester to strengthen our public speaking and message delivery.
Professor Weissman’s class taught me how to address barriers when communicating public health messages, and the importance of consulting research to ensure action is taken to reach underserved, low-income, hard-to-reach, and often high-risk populations.
Professor Falk’s class taught me what makes a survey statistically significant or when to employ qualitative audience research over a quantitative method. Thankfully, Widmeyer has an outstanding Research & Polling team that keeps me covered on all these bases.
I could go on and on about what I’ve learned at grad school, but instead I’ll wrap up with a closing thought.
Graduate studies can open new doors in one’s career and build a skill set that can be put to use daily in client services. To all young professionals (and curious Widmeyerites!), I encourage you to start the application process now. Valuable career lessons await.
Tags: Graduate school, John Hopkins University, Master's degree, PR
