Working abroad several years ago in South Africa was one of the best decisions I made in my life. Learning and experiencing a new culture opened my horizons and gave me the opportunity to learn about how PR is practiced in another country. I also had the chance to work in several specialized areas within PR (Fashion and Consumer PR) as well – which gave me some great hands on experience pitching, writing, researching, and managing various clients and accounts at the same time.
With academics, the same principles apply as well. International conferences are a great opportunity to network and share insights and knowledge with fellow researchers and professionals in PR. Not only will you be able to learn from the experience professionally, but you will also get to see and experience yourself a new culture and make new professional contacts. Since my time in South Africa, I have had the chance and opportunity to present my research in China, The Netherlands, Greece, and Brazil. Similar to a great that appeared on PR Daily about how to land a PR job abroad, here are some suggestions on how to initiate an international research agenda:
- Getting necessary travel apps: For your smartphone, you want to make sure you have the necessary apps that you will need while traveling. Currency conversions, language translation, and maps/travel updates are all apps you would like to have at your fingertips in a new country.
- Start researching organizations on social media. Look to see if they have a LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter account. Introduce yourself and make sure you disclose what you are interested in related to research, where you are teaching or going to school, and make sure to have your contact information (email) available on these profiles as well.
- Research conferences that are held in other countries: This all depends on your discipline – but it would be good to see which conferences will be held abroad and which ones are not. Decide which conference and organization is relevant to your line of research, and then start looking to see if your research presentations and studies could be presented to this audience.
- Learn about all aspects of the culture: Research the history, social issues and characteristics, and food in the culture. Buy cookbooks and make some of the traditional meals. Pick up a few travel books and guidebooks related to the cities and countries you will be visiting. Try to learn the language and customs associated with business and social activities along with making sure you are aware of the proper etiquette.
- Start networking with social media: Share insights and expertise with others who are part of this similar line of research – whether it is through blog posts or sharing resources and tips – it all helps in establishing a proactive and positive relationship with others in the academic community. Not only this, but this could lead to collaborations both in research and in practice – which would be very exciting.
- Be adventurous and share your story: One of the things PR professionals are good as being effective storytellers – and what better way to do this through these international research conferences is to share your experiences through pictures, videos, and blog posts. Discuss what you liked the most about the conference and the experience in visiting another country and the people you met along the way. Talk about the main tourist activities you did, but also try to do something that is unique to tourists but the local consider this to must-dos.
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