I have now
completed 16 days of my placement at the City of Perth and even though it seems
like an insignificant amount of days, I feel like I have gained an invaluable
amount of experience up to this point.
I was
planning on writing this blog after the first few days of my placement to
discuss communication plans, however I thought it would be a better decision to
wait and see what came out of the communication plans that I had developed.
A
communication plan is an extremely useful document as you know what you have to
do, when you have to do it and why you are doing it.
After years
of University education in the field of Public Relations, I have had many
chances to develop mainly hypothetical communication plans which are centred on
creative and imaginative ideas. Developing communication plans at University is
extremely beneficial; however it is important to remember that in the ‘real
world’, organisations have different structures and requirements for
communication plans. Transitioning from one method of structuring communication
plans to another can take some getting used to as you have the original method
committed to memory.
Public
Relations campaigns require/should have a communication plan in order to
maximise efficiency and effectiveness. Meyer (1982, 37) concurs that “plans are
obviously a central component of the processes of communicating and
understanding”. Ultimately the detail and ideas created in the communication
plan can determine the success of the campaign.
Creating
communication plans for the City of Perth has been an invaluable experience; it
has enabled me to learn how to tailor my sometimes overly creative ideas into
ideas that are feasible. I have been entrusted with developing around five
communication plans for both internal and external purposes. I am now confident
in producing well-structured and feasible communication plans.
In the past
couple of days I have been actioning components of the communication plans I
have developed. It is really rewarding and exciting to see your ideas coming to
life. In my opinion the best aspect of a communication plan is when the plan is
actioned and you can see your ideas being utilised and created.
My biggest
tip when creating communication plans is to keep in mind that due dates will
change and projects will sometimes be put on hold. Therefore, you may be
required to alter the communication plan you had developed. Don’t let this be
disheartening as it will happen quite often.
I would love
to hear if anyone else has had the opportunity to devise communication plans at
their placement and what they learnt from their experience of developing
communication plans.
Keep an eye
out for my next blog which will entail a debrief of the Woodside Ride 2 Work
Breakfast. The City of Perth has sponsored the event and subsequently the City
has been allocated a marquee at the event, which I have been responsible for
organising. Fingers crossed all goes well.
Until next
time, keep enjoying your placements!
Rachel.
Reference:
Meyer, Bonnie. 1982. “Reading
Research and the Composition Teacher: The Importance of Plans.” College Composition and Communication 33
(1): 37 – 49. http://www.jstor.org.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/stable/pdfplus/357843.pdf?acceptTC=true&acceptTC=true&jpdConfirm=true.
