*Networking: verb; interact with others to exchange information and develop
professional or social contacts. (Google,
2014)
Our university lecturers have always assured us the
importance of networking. The idea has always seemed great, and we’ve always
been encouraged to attend social events with other students and industry
professionals... But I’ll never be the only university student to admit that most
of my spare time throughout semester was spent sleeping and watching re-runs of
Modern Family.
But as I’m learning during my time at PPR, networking can be
the key to creating opportunities. Weekly staff meetings at PPR reinforce the
importance of networking with each other, clients, and new business contacts. During the meetings, overviews of each
department are given by respective team members, and an update of all new and
existing business opportunities is given. The Executive Director mentioned that
it was “fantastic to see consultants out for coffee meeting clients and
networking, keep it up!” – (Coffee and a chat is a good thing? I’ve chosen the right career.)
Task one: Verifying media databases. I was given a list and
called up many different media outlets across Western Australia, verifying we
had the correct details of editors, journalists, etc. I enjoyed this task, as I
was able to chat to people, have a giggle with them about their day or mine,
and learn more about where they are situated. This is the first opportunity to network
outside of the office, and it was exciting to be able to speak ‘on behalf of
PPR.’
This is an important task, as without those contacts, the consultants wouldn’t be able to send out information to these media contacts, which is a huge part of the job. Every detail was PRecise. And creating this network helped to establish a bond with certain people and certain outlets, which is important in the business of PR.
This is an important task, as without those contacts, the consultants wouldn’t be able to send out information to these media contacts, which is a huge part of the job. Every detail was PRecise. And creating this network helped to establish a bond with certain people and certain outlets, which is important in the business of PR.
Task two: Interviewing schools and not-for-profit
organisations that received funds for sporting equipment.
I spent hours calling and interviewing people, some of which came from towns that I hadn’t even heard of! Utilising the media training and interviewing skills that I learnt in PR Media Techniques 250, I was able to tailor my questions so that I could get the most personal and newsworthy story out of each individual. The stories that I was able to get the most information and feeling out of were those in which I asked open ended questions.
I spent hours calling and interviewing people, some of which came from towns that I hadn’t even heard of! Utilising the media training and interviewing skills that I learnt in PR Media Techniques 250, I was able to tailor my questions so that I could get the most personal and newsworthy story out of each individual. The stories that I was able to get the most information and feeling out of were those in which I asked open ended questions.
All in all, over two weeks at PPR I’ve seen firsthand the
importance of networking in not just public relations, but in all business.
1 comment:
Hi Caitlin,
It sounds like your doing some great networking at your internship, which will be awesome when you are looking for a job.
It's good to know that what you have learnt from PR at uni is becoming useful in your internship.
Gabby
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