Hi guys,
Last week I had my first ever corporate meeting with a client, by myself! I was absolutely terrified and I really had no idea what to expect. I prepped and prepped and prepped despite not really even knowing what to prep for, but it all went to plan, thankfully.
As I’ve said in my previous posts, I am organising the corporate partnership launch for BCRC-WA, and the meeting was with Linneys, who are hosting the event. I met Michelle Linney and one of her colleagues Viviene Adams, who were such lovely people, and put me at ease straight away.
One of the difficulties I find though in professional situations is continuing to remain professional once you are at ease with whom you are dealing. I find once you feel comfortable around them, it’s very easy to slip back into your relaxed, relatively unprofessional demeanour. There is a fine line between relaxed professional and relaxed unprofessional, and I guess you learn where this line is drawn over time.
I’m really loving my internship, and I’m really appreciative (and still a bit shocked) that I was able to go to the meeting without senior accompaniment. Linneys knew that I was a Curtin intern, and it didn’t bother them at all. They didn’t treat me or address me any different to a professional, and I think that is what probably put me at ease the most. Knowing that they knew I was an intern meant there were no (unintended) false pretences, they know the scope of my capabilities and experience and so on, and so they were able to help me out a lot.
Only two and a half weeks until the launch now, and then my stress levels can return to normal university standards!
Hope you’re all well,
Ashni
1 comment:
Hey Ashni,
I've yet to have had a one on one meeting with a client, the thought of it alone is so daunting and scary. Especially as an intern, I think most of us would think "But what would I know about conducting a meeting?". It's really refreshing to hear that it's not all that bad, especially since your client knew you were interning yet treated you as any other PR consultant. I would only hope that my first meeting will be like yours and that I keep my cool yet stay professional. It's so easy to fall in to that trap when you get comfortable with a client or employer that all professional standards go out the window. It is crucial, particularly in the PR industry, that professionalism is maintained as at the end of the day, you've got a job to do and a reputation to maintain!
Enjoyed reading your post, sounds like you are really happy in your placement.
Tahlia
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