A month can go by pretty quick, can’t it? I
managed to learn so much at PPR, and I feel slightly embarrassed to admit that
I was skeptical about what sort of work I would do. Turns out, it was very
broad.
During the last week and a half of my
placement I was kept pretty busy helping with Percy’s Practice- an East
Metropolitan Medicare Local campaign that is designed to help people find their
nearest after-hours GP. There is quite a strain on emergency services at the
moment, so Percy’s Practice is designed to alleviate some of the pressure on
those services in non-emergency cases, as well as inform people how easy and
accessible going to their local after-hours GP is. Basically, it’s a whole lot
less stressful booking an appointment than waiting at a hospital!
The webpage is a fantastic resource too,
with information for parents and colouring sheets for kids. It’s also a great
design and Percy the owl is very cute!
Here’s a link to webpage: www.percyspractice.com.au
During my time at PPR, I helped create
information packs with stickers, colouring sheets, facts sheets and flyers to
distribute to child care centres within a targeted area. They were much like a
media kit, however we were trying to get the information to parents! It was so
great to see how campaigns like this operate, and even more interesting to see
all the different ways PR professionals can communicate with stakeholders.
Part of my task involved a lot of phone
calls, and as I mentioned in a previous post, I’m not a fan. But good news- I’m
making progress! The more and more phone calls I made, the less daunting it
became. I found that although I needed a page in front of me to prompt all the
info I needed to say, I found it much easier to not stick to a ‘script’. It
tended to make me tongue-tied, and it’s very hard to get back on track once
you’re off course.
As the month progressed, I really felt like
I was becoming comfortable in the office. Initially, I found it a little
daunting, and I was much shier than normal. So in a way, it was a bit sad
having to leave just as I felt like I had settled in. Did anyone else feel this
way?
To show my appreciation, which is sort of
an intern tradition at PPR, I brought in a massive tray of brownies. They went
down a treat, I got plenty of compliments and felt absolutely no shame in
failing to tell everyone that they were from a packet (haha!). They also proved
a good way to say good-bye and leave on a good note.
Did anyone else bring in a treat on your
last day? Or did they bring in a treat for you?
Hope the semester is treating everyone
well.
Daisy Vogels
14860735
