It all starts with PR Internship!

Hello everyone, I am Daphney Koh Han Chien from Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia. So, let me share with you guys what I have did for the past few days of my internship at Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri. First of all, I would like to introduce Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri. It is a state library and it provides many types of information no matter in printed or online resources. The facilities of the library are Children Infotheque, Information Resource Center (IRC), Fragrant Garden and Multimedia Galeri (MMG).

Children Infotheque - This is the place where the children can read the storybooks and also the bonding time with their parents.

Information Resource Center (IRC) - The place where students can borrow the books for research purposes. 

Fragrant Garden - The place where consists of a lot of flora. It is a good place for students to relax themselves when they are tiring from studying at the library. :)

Multimedia Galeri (MMG)

This is my working table :)

On the first day, I have been introduced by my supervisor, Ms. Sofina Tan to my Regional Manager, Cik Hajah Salina Haji Zawawi. Then, Ms.Sofina brought me for a tour and introduced the staff and the facilities of Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri to me. After that, I received the first task which was designing a brochure stating that it is free to apply as member of Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri.

As Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri is a government-owned library and the target audience mostly are students and children, therefore the brochure that need to be given out must be attractive and appealing in order to get their attention. Students and children normally would prefer stuffs that are colorful and nice design.

I have been taught by Ms. Sofina on how to use Photoshop software to design a brochure. Throughout the process I have learnt the skills on designing an attractive brochure and the method on arranging the layout. I would say that it was totally different experiences in using Photoshop as compared to the software, Canva which was taught in the university. The features of these two software are different. However, I am glad that I have the chance to learn and use Photoshop software during my Internship. It is because I might be expert in using different kinds of soft wares to design things when I enter into the workforce in the future. Below is the outcome of my brochure. :)

The Malay version of the brochure

The English version of the brochure

Besides, I also used Photoshop and Canva to design the souvenir items such as the notepads and non-woven bags. 

The cover page design for the notepad

The design on the non-woven bag

Lastly, an internship with Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri is definitely a pleasant place for me to grow throughout these 2 months. I am sure that the experiences that I gain will change me to be a more confident and capable person when I deal with different types of PR tasks. Yet, it might broaden my knowledge and also practicing the professionalism as a PR Practitioner. 

Good luck in your internship everyone! :)

Best regards,

Daphney Koh

17635884

Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia. 

Testing my ideas and putting them into practice!

My first two weeks at Event and Conference CO. has made me feel that this internship has shaped my confidence. Gaining work experience in such a prestigious organisation has further strengthened my creativity skills, communication skills, and research & development skills. Throughout the Public Relations course of study I have gained an understanding that, a public relations graduate should strive for a set of specialized skills. These skills include strong communication skills, strong writing skills, international mindset, creativity, and an understanding of how communications theory and PR informs public relations practice. My goals are to develop all of these specialized skills by the end of my internship, and hopefully become an important asset to their organisation!  

Event and Conference co has been established since 2008, and have been highly successful in organizing over 450 events. Ranging from any event classification such as Gala Balls, Charity balls, Community events, Conferences, Award Ceremonies and the list goes on! 

Here is an image below of one of their events that they styled for a Gala Ball last year! Check out more of their talent @ Event and Conference CO

So far I have been able to test my PR knowledge and apply it to the real world of business! Throughout these past 2 weeks I have been able to work autonomously on several different tasks. I have been lucky enough to be involved with the planning stages of several corporate events such as:

• Blue Light Appeal Launch

• The Perth Tourism Industry Exchange Awards

• Creative workshop

• #INSTAMEET

• Leading the way in WA 

One of my very first task that I was assigned to was to research sponsorship grants in relation to the Blue Light Appeal Launch. I specifically researched sponsorship grants for Healthway and Lotteryest. However there is an in depth discussion and meaningful insights of this task stated within the report section (sponsorship).

Additional insights that I learnt when researching corporate sponsorship for events are:

1. Choosing the correct venue - Collaborate and include the sponsors when sourcing the right venue. Connect with each potential sponsor and ask how you can accommodate their needs. 
2. Identify the venue- As a team we all visited the venue and identified potential areas where banners,logo placement, and signs where a sponsor could advertise. 
3. Choosing the correct sponsors- you need to keep in mind that the potential sponsors' mission statement, organisational values, brand and attitude are align with your organisations long term business goals.There is no importance for both organisations if they do not share the same values. 
4. The proposal - This is written up by the Marketing and Operations Manager, Anna.There is a checklist of questions that she asks herself such as; What can I offer them in return for support? What can be offered and how to pitch our ideas to them the most effective way possible! 

The major highlights that I have been able to explore through these processes are how corporate sponsorship is developed. This has allowed me to think outside of the box and test my researching & development skills. I didn’t realize how much intense work is involved when establishing and maintaining community partnerships.

Previously in the Cross Cultural Communication unit I used sponsorship and event management as one of the major PR communication tactics for our PR communications plan. I researched that sponsorship can be one of the most expensive PR tactics used in an organisation, however if it is managed accurately it can be the most effective way to build community partnering. Significantly I feel there is only so much you can learn about sponsorship and event management within the scope of University.

I found it challenging when I had to research potential sponsors for these various events. Understanding sponsors needs such as their marketing and corporate objectives, how to effectively communicate to them, and measuring our organisations value to the sponsors. I had to work very closely with both my mentors Director, Events and Marketing specialist Rebecca Cole and Event and Operations Manager Anna Barker. Although I work autonomously the organisational environment is very team based, where most decisions are approved by the whole team before any systems are processed.

I have always been a motivated person in life, and I feel ready for any challenge that may be thrown my way! I am so excited to learn more about how Event & Conference Co apply their PR tactics and manage their events. 

Follow me on INSTAGRAM @siobhansmith to gain more of an insight of my work experience placement!

Stay tuned for next time guys!! 

Thank you 

~ Siobhan Smith ~

Thrown in the deep end!

Before commencing my internship, I wasn’t really sure what to expect and whether or not my expectations would meet reality. Finally I had the opportunity to put my public relations knowledge into practice, something I initially felt very daunted by.

I have now been at my internship for just over a month and WOW what an experience I have had. My expectations of photocopying and coffee runs definitely weren’t a reality. From day one I had been exposed to what it was really like to work in public relations- the ups, the downs, the good jobs and the bad.

My internship opportunity at Curtin University’s Corporate Events and Media Department has been a wonderful experience so far and very hands on. Thus far I have constructed media releases and pitches, events plans, attended photo shoots and client briefings.  Some would say, I was thrown into the deep end, but honestly I wouldn’t have it any other way. It has been an exciting learning experience I will never forget. Curtin has given me the skills and experience to pursue all future PR endeavors with confidence.

As my experience continues I’m hoping to become more confident in writing media releases and dealing with journalists directly. I also hope to become more profficient in all aspects of events management. 

Everyday is a new challenge but I have enjoyed every moment of it. Stepping out of my comfort zone was definitely like throwing myself into the deep end- challenging but rewarding. I can’t wait to see what the rest of my internship experience has to offer. 

Bring on the next couple of months! How is everyone else's internship experience?

PR May Seem Invisible But It's Always There...

Implementing the skills I have learnt in a theoretical based environment into the real world always seemed like a very daunting proposition to me. For many years, I have had the luxury of learning about Public Relations in a very sheltered environment where if a mistake was made it didn't matter too much because it was all make-believe. Now I would be applying what I know into a real organisation where if a mistake was made it is very hard to just backspace your wrong answer from your essay. It is out in the real world for everyone to see.

However, I was very lucky with my placement. For four years, I have worked with Sydney-based marketing company Mesh Marketing. They specialise in representing high-end brands across Australia- some of which include Nespresso, Moet & Hennessy, Movenpick and SKII. I have worked as a sales demonstrator for Nespresso which involved me going to events or into stores to demonstrate their products with the aim of selling.

I had always thought of Mesh as more sales orientated and had never actually thought too much into the PR side. I began to think more about it though and realised that although this organisation is all about marketing, there is definitely PR present. As an employee of the company, I began to think about the PR tools that they have in place and how they affected me.

I realised that PR had seemed almost invisible for me in the organisation for two reasons- 1) They are a very efficient organisation who I have been working with my whole working life so good PR is all I've known a company to achieve, and 2) As I've learnt more, I've noticed some areas have been lacking because they have been struggling to implement strategies across the country without a PR representative based in Perth.

Very excited about the prospect of nurturing and changing my own work environment, I discussed with Managing Director Gayle Clark a few ways that I could use my internship to aid the organisation on a PR level from Perth.

These ideas included:

- Creating a company Intranet for employees based in Western Australia to boost morale and the sense of team environment.
- Helping with the set-up of all commercial events and also internal events such as staff training days.
- Writing a "bible" for staff at Nespresso demonstrations across shopping centres with all information compiled into the one document (sections such as issues management and media guidelines would be added from scratch).
- Creating a social media presence for the Western Australian side of the company.

I am very excited to start as not only will I be gaining invaluable on-the-job experience but I will also be working to create a better work environment for myself and my colleagues.

Dealing With Negative Comments

Hi everyone!

This is my second blog post for my internship so far.

This week I was posed with a real challenge! In my previous post I mentioned that I will be shouldering some of the responsibility for the monitoring and content production for my businesses social media platforms.

Things were going well until I was faced with a  social media crisis. The business that I am interning for is a real estate firm. Apart of the service they provide is rental property management. The firm essentially is an agent for the owner of the property and deals with the day to day management of the property and its tenants.

Unfortunately, tenants can feel frustrated by the administration of this process. This week a disgruntled present tenant took to the firm's social media to vent their frustrations over a delay in repairs to the property they were renting. I was told this is a common grievance among tenants.

My first thought was to delete the comment! After all, it was very negative and aggressive so that can only be bad right? Wrong! I thought about it carefully, consulted my supervisor and proceeded with the following strategy: take the conversation offline. (all those readings in contemporary practice came in handy!).

I replied to the person, as the business, and asked them to please call the relevant property manager on a direct number. I could not speak to the person myself because I am not trained in property management, and I didn’t have the full background of the property and the discussions on the issue. I let the property manager know the person would be calling and that it was important that the conversation was productive.

I was happy and thought the issue would be neutralised within the next 24 hours. I was wrong. The tenant chose to reply aggressively. The comment included profanity and personal attack on a staff member at the firm. Both professionally and ethically I felt out of my depth. Keeping in mind that the businesses reputation was on the line I decided to consult the Frist National Head office. I spoke to their communications team, they took over the matter from there and after another failed attempt had to remove the comments that contained the offensive language and blocked the user. The head office explained to me that they only do this where there is offensive language involved.

I was disappointed that I could not handle the situation myself, but it got me thinking about the ethics surrounding social media censorship. More specifically, the question: when is it ok to delete a negative comment about your business?

I did some reading on the issue both on online blogs and the few peer-reviewed articles I could find (“How large companies react to negative Facebook comments” by Sam H Dekay was interesting!). The consensus was that when comments contain derogatory, threatening, racist or other unacceptable language it is ok to remove them. However, if they do not the organization should not delete them. They should instead view it as constructive criticism and try and resolve the issue with the person offline.

After doing this research, I felt better about the choices I had made, and I feel like I learnt a lot from the experience.

Hello, I just wanted to add an edit to this post. upon reflection I feel as though this was actually more in the realm of an issue, rather than what we would as a full-blown crisis. 

Thanks,

Sarah

My unusual placement

Monday, 21st September 2015 

Welcome to my first post!

My name is Jared and I’m a public relations student in my final semester at the Bentley campus. I am almost half way through completing my internship at the Hyogo Prefectural Government Cultural Centre (Long name I know).

Haven’t heard of it? Check out this link:

My placement (Hyogo Cultural Centre – for short) is a non-for-profit cultural centre that is administered by the Hyogo Prefectural Government of Japan. It was constructed to commemorate the 10^th anniversary of the Hyogo - Western Australia sister state relationship in 1992.

Its major aims are to promote Japanese language and culture, provide Japanese resources, language classes and conduct educational cultural seminars, workshops and activities for all ages and professions.

Interning part-time at this small centre has been a rewarding experience so far and in my opinion fairly unique!

Without a public relations department and only a small number of coworkers, I have had opportunities to do a little bit of everything. My superior probably would not consider herself a public relations officer, but the work that she does is often public relations related, and I am learning a lot about the centre, Japan-Australia relations and of course about public relations practice! I assist the centre with social media, event management, newsletters, awareness building and other administrative work. Whilst initially daunting I feel that I have been able thrive in a constantly changing environment despite the challenges. I have been working on my own project that I’ll discuss in a future post. 

So far the following is what I hope to achieve post completion of my internship:

• Confidence in my ability to work in the public relations field
• Discover what I want to do in the future with my public relations education
• Highlight and improve my weaknesses and reflect on my strengths
• Build upon my current skills so that I can prepare myself to move onto the next stage of my life whether that be further study, consultancy work or something completely new

If anyone is interested in the centre please like their Facebook Page for more information!

I find the fusion of non-for-profit and government fascinating. Is anyone else in an unusual placement? Comment below!

Regards,

Jared

Started From The Bottom Now We're Here

Hello Fellow Intern Bloggers!

This is my first blog post about my internship, I have been a bit snowed under with my internship days and University studies.

I am interning at a small family owned real estate business and completing my final semester at Curtin. I have been helping out with the firm on and off all year and began my official internship back in the semester break.

Unlike many of you, the firm I am working for does not have a PR department, or a marketing one, or anything really. There is one designated marketing position in the entire office. Her time is mainly taken up by preparing the adds for homes that are available for rent or purchase. This involves putting the add for the house together and then distributing it to the relevant outlets (print media, electronic sites etc).

Previously, I had only completed internships in a specific PR departments, so this entering a business that didn’t not have that framework was a bit of a shock. Initially I wasn’t sure where to begin, but luckily my supervisor has been great at providing me with direction.

At this point you may be wondering what I actually do if I’m not in a PR department. The answer is that basically I am steering my own ship. With no established systems or projects to work on I started from the bottom. I suggested to the firm’s management team that I give them a PR education. This so far has entailed me briefing them on the differences of PR and Marketing and preparing’s a report that explains their current situation (situational analysis). I am now in the process of preparing recommendations, I am hoping that the management team will green light some of my ideas and I will get to start working on setting them up.

Aside from this, there are a number of upcoming community events that I am going to have a hand in running. I am really excited about this because event management is something I love doing.

I am also active on the firm’s social media and have input into our other external communications. Social media has proven to be a very useful tool for the firm in selling so there is an emphasis on ensuring it is always engaging and moving forward.

So far, coming into a firm with no PR set up has been a bit daunting. Although it has been a challenge, I believe I am gaining very valuable experience. Having to go back to the basics has reminded me what PR is all about and why I decided to study it in the first place!

Is anyone else interning in a small business or an organisation with no established PR practises?

Thanks,

Sarah