Final Post for Seen and Heard

Hey everyone,

My time at Seen and Heard came to an end a few weeks ago and I would like to use my last post to reflect on some of the things I have learned throughout my placement and will keep in mind for my next PR job.

First and most importantly I have learnt that you must always be prepared! I know we have heard this all before but it is very true and a handy tip to keep in mind. I have found that taking information sheets and business cards to every meeting really comes in handy when it comes to networking and creating opportunities. This also relates to being mentally prepared for anything. At events you don't know the people attending and don't know how they are going to act, dealing with youth was tricky because they were all always trying to impress each other and would do things like try and steal prizes or try to take over an event that you are running, so being prepared for this sort of behaviour ensures that you remain in control of everything and it can run as smoothly as possible

Another great tip is to know your organisation and what you are talking about. this came in handy for me when i was calling sponsors and trying to collect donations, people aren’t going to donate to something they don’t know so you should be able to give them all the information they need and answer all of their questions. There was a few times when i found myself unable to answer things and it was very awkward and unprofessional so i read up on everything before making my next calls and it helped ALOT.

Finally I learned that you must always do your research and study up. I know this is the final unit before finishing uni for most of us but that doesn’t put an end to studying and researching. When you come up with an idea it really helps to do your research. Has it been done before? Who did it before? Did anything go wrong? How can you do it differently? How can you do it better? Can you take anything from it and incorporate it in to your idea? Did your organisation do it, or a competitor? Etc. there are so many aspects to be considered when organising and implementing public relation strategies and I found that doing my research was very helpful.

That's it from me, I would just like to add that I have really enjoyed my experience at Seen and Heard and working with youth was unforgettable (In a good way). I wish everyone luck scraping together their last bits and pieces for the final report!

Caitlin
Bentley
14283109