Essential: People skills!

Hi all!

I commenced my work placement with not-for-profit organization zero2hero four weeks ago. zero2hero is a not-for-profit organization that aims to decrease the negative stigma of depression in youths, and increase awareness of such issues. I chose to work with zero2hero because of my passion for the not-for-profit industry, and also because depression is an issue I feel strongly about, since I struggled with it for several years myself.

Due to zero2hero being a volunteer-run organization, all the committee members work full-time. zero2hero runs out of Spacecubed, a collaborative workspace in the city and also one of my favourite workspaces. I’ve found that my schedule needs to be highly flexible to accommodate the late afternoon committee meetings!

Currently, zero2hero is working on revamping our website, planning for zero2hero Day (a day in June where schools run an activity-based day exploring mental illness and raising awareness), planning for our zero2hero Leadership Camps (to train up youth mentors) and forming a board to register ourselves as a charity.

My first month has been filled with a host of different activities. As this isn’t the first internship I’ve done, nor is it the only internship I’m doing this semester, I don’t find myself overwhelmed by PR-related tasks. zero2hero is currently working towards getting DGR status to become a registered charity, and I’ve drafted presentations for board meetings (zero2hero is currently trying to form a board, which every registered charity requires), put together material for the new website, and developed media kits. My prior internships definitely helped me to feel confident in completing these tasks. I am also working on a zero2hero Day best practice manual for schools who register with us, including activity ideas, sample timelines, and all the IP we have collated so far. I usually get limited assistance with these tasks, as I am familiar with them, and also due to the fact that everyone on the committee is very busy!

But I do feel like I am learning a lot about how I need to carry myself as a PR professional (or even simply as a working professional). A huge part of what we do at zero2hero requires us to interact with a host of different people - prospective schools we’re trying to reach out to for zero2hero Day, potential sponsors, current sponsors, and various others. I’m learning the importance of being self-confident, professional, and yet personable. Throughout these four weeks, I’ve interacted with CEOs of firms, as well as various people in higher-management roles. (For example, at board meetings, and also at the corporate suite that a sponsor donated to us for a Wildcats game!) I’m learning that appearances are important. Perhaps, controversially, more important than actual skills set! We have found ourselves collectively Googling “How to write a business plan” during meetings, and it amuses and comforts me to know that even people in full-time management roles still Google these things. It also has made me realize that I will never reach a point where I will ‘know enough’ to be confident in myself as a PR professional, but that I need to be confident in what I have to offer now. This is something that zero2hero founder Ashlee has really shown me in her dealings with people. That she is still learning, but is still just as confident that she will be able to contribute positively to them. One of the most invaluable lessons she’s taught me to date is that I can and should be confident with what I can do.

I feel like this placement is showing me the importance of showing confidence and other essential things a PR professional needs aside from skills like media relations and good writing. I have never had PR agency experience, and a large part of what I’ve done throughout the years has been in-house PR for small organizations or small businesses. Hence, the majority of interactions happen outside the office. I’m learning that business often takes place across the table in a café, or in the collaborative workspace, and the more connections you can make, the better! University can teach us practical skills such as putting together media kits and media contact lists, but people skills are vital in PR practice, and is something I’m definitely realizing I need to pick up. Self-confidence is not my strong suit, but networking is vital in the business world!

That’s it for my blog post today. Together with my work for zero2hero, I also do some work for Social Say, which is a social media management company run by the zero2hero founder. My next blog post will be about what I learned working in social media, and my newfound interest in it!

- Michelle Leong

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