Like Driving a Car – Writing for Public Relations
First-year public relations students take “Writing for Public Relations,” which orients them to the three-step process of writing social media content, blog posts, e-mails, etc. Like driving a car, a person learn to operate a vehicle and follow the rules of the road. They take a knowledge test on these rules, which allows them to drive alongside an experienced driver, and then take a practical road test so they can drive on their own. In the “Web Location” box, I’ve pasted a link to the three-step writing process of writing.
The “Writing for Public Relations” course follows the same pattern. In the first few weeks, students learn the first step of the writing process: analyzing and adapting content so the reader would understand it, and answer any questions they may have. Through a series of active learning activities, students chunk down the first step of the writing process, so they comprehend it in smaller steps. Below, I’ve expanded on how the first weeks of this course equates to driving a car for the first time:
- Learning the rules of the road relates to understanding the three-step writing process – Students are introduced to the three-step writing process, and learn how it will help them to achieve course outcomes.
- Learning to operate a vehicle (i.e., steering wheel and pedals) relates to analyzing and adapting written communication, the first step of writing – Students are taught to think about what they’re writing to a potential client or other party, considering the language and tone used and what the overall purpose of their communication is.
- Learning to drive among traffic and apply knowledge of the road relates to the second step of writing, which is to draft your communication: After students have gained rudimentary knowledge of analyzing what they’ll write about, they practice their writing by communicating their ideas in a draft.
Example for "Like Driving a Car – Writing for Public Relations":
https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-three-step-writing-process-plan-write-complete.html#:~:text=The%20three%2Dstep%20writing%20process%20entails%20planning%2C%20writing%20and%20completing,effectively%20and%20meet%20their%20needs.&text=Lastly%2C%20the%20final%20step%20is,%2C%20or%20finish%2C%20the%20message.
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