Personal relations, through Public Relations.

The importance of networking is one that has been stressed greatly at DePaul through the college of communications and PRSSA. PRSSA does a great job in regards to setting up events to be able to engage yourself in the field and gives you the opportunity to meet with other individuals who have the same aspirations and goals as you do. Their twitter also reaches their audience and links PR students together. Networking is a great way to establish personal relationships with other PR professionals and students to gain insight and advice for our field. Being able to build trust worthy relationships is something that is extremely beneficial and crucial within the industry, and not just with one another but with your consumers and corporation as well.

The story of Dan Edelman is one that shows how through building strong connections with the public and with other PR professionals, you can achieve a high level of success. As the book of Dan states: "Public Relations is the practice of helping an individual or group enhance its relationship with the public- something that has existed since the earliest stages of human history. Every major religion or civilization has advanced in part through information dissemination and storytelling." This quote really resonated with me, and reminded me of Tracy Hollywood and her presentation for PR Take Flight. Tracy stressed that importance of storytelling, and noted that as PR professionals, we are paid for creative thought.

Creativity and perseverance was a quality that many PR execs and professionals stress is necessary in order to succeed in the business. Business 101 calls for the need of contacts. This was a challenge that Dan Edelman faced when he started his business. In order to branch out on his own, Edelman spent his days introducing himself to Chicago corporate execs, a task that many people may find frightful and difficult. Without having done so, the legacy he has now left behind may not have even existed. He was able to build personal relationships with individuals he knew were key in his journey to establishing himself as a credible force to be reckoned with in the PR world.  Because many larger, established companies were not easy to connect with, Edelman branched out to try and find a new generation of a customer.  Although at times he grew restless about the development of his firm, his wife Ruth reassured him that optimism and hard work would be key in establishing the Edelman firm.

Through this novel, and the experiences I have had through Depaul, I am reassured that the PR profession is a rewarding career. The field presents many challenges, but with each challenge comes a chance for a rewarding opportunity. The importance of building both personal and client relationships is one that will continue to be a significant part of the PR world.



Vania Cebrero is a double major in Broadcast Journalism and Public Relations.  Her concentration is Latino Media. She is involved with Ahora DePaul Magazine, Radio DePaul, and helps organize events through community outreach at DePaul University. She can be reached at vania.cebrero@gmail.com, or follow her on Twitter at @vanconpan