Communicating Effectively at Your Internship

Entry by Courtney Sampson, Marketing and Communications Intern, Indiana State Fair

Last Tuesday, I shared with you a “Top 10 List of Things I’ve Learned about the Indiana State Fairgrounds.” While there is plenty more where that list came from, this week I’m shifting my focus to writing. Sounds thrilling, doesn’t it?

Seriously, whether or not you’re studying communications (like me), employers across the board will take you more seriously if you can write well. But how can you write well if you don’t know where to begin?

Well, you can start by reading and asking a lot of questions. Just ask my boss – I’m sure he’d confirm that I ask plenty of questions. Because I’m an inquisitive person, I feel like I’ve learned a lot about the State Fair, agriculture education, the 4-H, FFA, and even musical acts set to perform at this year’s fair, like Drake! As you can see, one of the biggest things I’ve learned while working at the Indiana State Fair is how many different types of events take place at the Fairgrounds.

Even though most of you have probably heard about the Indiana State Fair (some of you may have attended!), my bet is that most people don’t realize the extraordinary amount of events that take place throughout the rest of the year. After all, the State Fair runs for 17 days, but something else must happen the other 348 days of the year…right? You betcha!

So, how does this relate to writing? Well, I don’t know how many of you have written for the general print media, trade publications, television, radio, advertising, standard press releases, web, and social media…but as you can see, there are many different means to communicate key messages!

Lucky for me, the Indiana State Fair internship requires me to listen, learn, and write. Whether I’m writing about a contest for the GemStreet USA Show in 140 characters on Twitter…or blogging about the Quarter Midget Eastern Grands Nationals in a “talking to my neighbor over the fence” tone…or including key messages, sponsors, and my own personal flair in a press release about the Indiana State Fair Signature Food…or writing the facts about a photo opportunity in a media advisory…there is certainly never a shortage of things to communicate!

So, fellow interns, my challenge to you is this: continue to research your current company, as well as companies you are interested in pursuing for your first job; once you get hired, never stop learning, listening, or asking questions! The more you know, the better communicator you can become!