Engagement and make connections with professionals at a student level is a must when it comes to Public Relations learning. One of the main purposes of PRAXIS for us as students was to build connections and networking.

Before attending PRAXIS I’d only heard about the challenges that go into organizing an event of such a large scale. This year, PRAXIS had more than 700 attendees; among them were few of the most significant people from the fraternity. It was for PRAXIS that we were able to meet and talk to these top professionals like Barri Rafferty -CEO and President at Ketchum, and many more.

PRAXIS helped me to answer –

The 5 W and 1 H of how to approach and make connections as a students with the professionals.

-Who Should you approach?

One should keep in mind to approach people one knows about and has done sufficient research about that person and his/her organization.

-What should you say when you first introduce yourself?

Making it a point to decide what are you going to talk about it could be either about your institute or yourself.

-When is the right time to approach?

The right time to approach is in an informal setting like while they are having lunch or during coffee breaks and not when they are in a conversation with someone else.

-Why you should approach them?

Making sure that the purpose of the meeting is not just to exchange cards, it might put off the person but to initiate a conversation and make connection you are supposed to.

-Where you should approach them?

After introducing yourself and exchanging cards one should make sure to connect with that person socially as well i.e. on Twitter and LinkedIn.

-How you should approach them?

Different people have different ways to make connections and network. If you have researched well about the person it is easy to initiate conversation. One can ask alumni and faculty members at PRAXIS to introduce you to someone they know.

Related article:- Elevator Pitch – What, Where and How?

The day I reached Goa, I understood the amount of time and effort which goes into planning and executing an event and being a part of it made me understand how the execution of each aspect like smooth functioning of the front desk, timely Social media updates, stage management, etc.

I learned how one can handle the pressure while working at the registration desk and keep clam during a tough situation. Although all the 20 students were working with different teams, we were helping each other to manage the event as one team. All this was fun because it was new and exciting for a fresher to experience something so grand and insightful.

I would like to thank School of COmmunication and REputation for giving me this opportunity; PRAXIS8 will always be special.

–  Saloni Ginnare

Saloni is a part of Class of 2020 of PG Programme in PR and Corporate Communications at SCoRe, Mumbai. She hold a degree in B.A in Journalism and Mass Communication with specialization in Public Relations and Advertising from Jagran Lakecity University, Bhopal. She has always been inclined towards creative thinking and writing, which drove her towards the field of communication and Public Relations. She is an avid learner. She has also interned for 2 months with Ketchum Sampark, Mumbai

This blog post originally appeared on Saloni’s Blog Page: