2010 - Public Relations Society of America

What’s All The Hype About Skype? Re-Invigorating The Introductory Public
Relations Course Through The Implementation Of Global Speaker Series
Dr. Kelly B. Everling, APR, and Ronda Menke, APR
Drake University
kelly.everling@drake.edu and ronda.menke@drake.edu
Abstract
We’ve all been there, spending many late nights planning for the all-important
introductory public relations survey course. With so much information to cover within
the confines of a semester, the task of preparing today’s public relations students for
future coursework and professional experience is daunting. In an effort to engage
students using free technology, the researchers developed a global speaker series, inviting
colleagues from around the world to join the class as guest speakers via Skype. Guests
lectured on various topics, adding personal anecdotes and “war stories” that enthralled
students and increased their understanding of PR and the role of communicators in the
world today.
Speakers hailed from France to Oregon, speaking about various public relations
topics including corporate, agency and international relations. The Skype experiences
expanded students’ knowledge of PR and diverse audiences and exposed students to a
new technology with wide application in public relations and engaged citizenship
(politics).
Using pre- and post-test surveys, the researchers found that students’
understanding of diversity increased by 38%, their ability to reflect critically increased by
20%, and their ability to communicate with diverse audiences increased by 17% as a
result of the Skype speaker sessions. As one student said, “Talking one-on-one with
someone who is actually in another country doing the things we learned about (in class)
really puts PR in perspective.”
Free. User-friendly. Accessible. So, what’s all the hype about Skype? Log on, and
start chatting. Your students will thank you.
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