How time flies. Today marks the end of my internship with the Corporate Communications Department in Curtin University. As I close my eyes, I could still picture the day I walked into the office to meet my supervisor for the first time. Having mixed feelings and I cannot believe that it is officially over. There have been some ups and downs throughout the placement but there are many things that I have learnt. So in today's post, I will summarize my entire internship journey and how I felt 'working' in the Public Relations field.
Over the past few weeks, there are so many things that I have learnt. First is to get an insight of how people work in this type of environment as I have always imagined it to be different from those working in the Accounting or Finance department. The people they work with, and the direction that they are working towards are completely different. Public Relations is part of my double major and I can say that I have finally experienced how Public Relations is in the real world. I was only taught of theories and how to apply them but never got the chance to do so until my placement with the Corporate Communications Department commenced. And after a month, I can list out some of the major aspects of public relations as shown by a PR practitioner.
Some of the key elements to being a successful PR practitioner are:
Written and Communication Skills - Without both, you cannot be a good PR practitioner as writing media releases and communicating with the public is the most crucial thing in public relations. To key to succeed is to be an excellent writer, speaker and to top it off, some creativity too as it is needed for PR practitioners to bring out the best of what clients require. A good way of getting started is to be up-to-date with all the latest news so as to improve your reading and writing skills whilst sharpening your language too. Who says being a news junkie is boring? The ability to learn is a lifelong process and reading news is one of the ways to enhance your knowledge about current affairs and
Passion - In order to become an outstanding PR practitioner, you have to be very passionate about what you do. And you begin by loving every aspect of public relations. Being passionate about your job actually helps boost your performance because you will be working in a positive emotional state, and thus, achieving positive outcomes. I once read this famous quote by Confucius to which I agree with, saying 'Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life'. Also, there is another quote by Zahi Hawass which says 'Anyone can like their job. To love your job is not enough, you must give your passion to your job'. And I agree with both because passion is all it takes to be successful at what you're doing and to climb up the company ladder.
Dedication - With passion comes dedication. When you love what you do, you'll become committed to it. Because being a PR practitioner is not an easy job. There are a handful of things you have to know and skills you need to master. Moreover, dedication results in the quality of the work done. When you give your 100% at work, when you get things done on time, when you set aside all that you possibly can to get your job done, you are a dedicated employee. And there is nothing better than spreading joy and contentment throughout the work place. It certainly makes a much better working environment.
And as I closed the door behind me, I know that my journey does not end here.
As the saying goes, 'when one door closes, the other opens'.
This is not the end.
Cheers,
Vivian Lee
15442668
Curtin University Sarawak :)
Showing posts with label 15442668. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 15442668. Show all posts
Friday, May 23, 2014
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Of media releases and campaigns.
Hi everyone!
So my journey began mid of last month, and I am glad to say that I am halfway there. Two weeks of being in the Corporate Communications office has taught me some of the things every intern working in a corporate communications department needs to know.
And last Wednesday I get to draft my very first media release. My supervisor e-mailed me details of the release in the afternoon and I managed to get it done before I got off from work! Well, the media release is about the upcoming Go Bald event that will be held in campus on the 14th May. Go Bald is a campaign organized by Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society where members of the public are able to give their support to children suffering from cancer through donations and also showing their care by getting their hair shaved. But only the bold will do so and in the past years, I have witnessed girls getting their hair shaved too. Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society (SCCS) is a relief and care for childhood cancer and their annual event, the Go Bald campaign aims to raise enough money for the treatment and to help those children and their families.
As you guys know, this is the third year that Curtin Sarawak is involved in the Go Bald campaign held by SCCS. Curtin has been actively participating in the campaign to show support to all the young cancer patients. And I am glad to say that the event turned out pretty well. I remember asking my colleague the total number of students and staff that were going to shave their hair. But as the event was going on, more and more students decided to join in and get their hair shaved too. At first there only about thirty students and staffs but the number increased to almost double the initial number! Thanks to all the supportive students, the event turned out well and was better than we expected.
So a week before the event started, I was given the task to draft my very first media release. I only had about two hours to complete the given task and was glad that I managed to get it done on time. From this, I have also learned that drafting a media release was not easy. Although I have been taught different ways to draft a release, somehow, it is still different when you actually do it at work. And from the event, I have witnessed how the Corporate Communications manage the event, and how they ensure the reporters and guests from SCCS were taken care of. I saw the reporters took photos throughout the event and even got to interview some of the students who got their heads shaved.
Before I end my post, I want to highlight that media relations play a crucial part in Public Relations. And in this case, communicating with the media is a central area of activity in corporate communications. Some of the media relations techniques that have been used are press release and media monitoring. This is what I as an intern has observed throughout the event, and also for the past events as well.
Till then,
Vivian Lee
15442668
Curtin Miri
And last Wednesday I get to draft my very first media release. My supervisor e-mailed me details of the release in the afternoon and I managed to get it done before I got off from work! Well, the media release is about the upcoming Go Bald event that will be held in campus on the 14th May. Go Bald is a campaign organized by Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society where members of the public are able to give their support to children suffering from cancer through donations and also showing their care by getting their hair shaved. But only the bold will do so and in the past years, I have witnessed girls getting their hair shaved too. Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society (SCCS) is a relief and care for childhood cancer and their annual event, the Go Bald campaign aims to raise enough money for the treatment and to help those children and their families.
As you guys know, this is the third year that Curtin Sarawak is involved in the Go Bald campaign held by SCCS. Curtin has been actively participating in the campaign to show support to all the young cancer patients. And I am glad to say that the event turned out pretty well. I remember asking my colleague the total number of students and staff that were going to shave their hair. But as the event was going on, more and more students decided to join in and get their hair shaved too. At first there only about thirty students and staffs but the number increased to almost double the initial number! Thanks to all the supportive students, the event turned out well and was better than we expected.
So a week before the event started, I was given the task to draft my very first media release. I only had about two hours to complete the given task and was glad that I managed to get it done on time. From this, I have also learned that drafting a media release was not easy. Although I have been taught different ways to draft a release, somehow, it is still different when you actually do it at work. And from the event, I have witnessed how the Corporate Communications manage the event, and how they ensure the reporters and guests from SCCS were taken care of. I saw the reporters took photos throughout the event and even got to interview some of the students who got their heads shaved.
The three brave ladies were first to go.
Before & after.
Before I end my post, I want to highlight that media relations play a crucial part in Public Relations. And in this case, communicating with the media is a central area of activity in corporate communications. Some of the media relations techniques that have been used are press release and media monitoring. This is what I as an intern has observed throughout the event, and also for the past events as well.
Till then,
Vivian Lee
15442668
Curtin Miri
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
And there goes my weekend.
What is public relations? From what I read from the results shown in Google, public relations is the professional maintenance of a favourable public image by a company, other organization or an individual in the eyes of the public. And to sustain a positive image of the company is to uphold a constructive relationship with one of its key target audiences, which is the media.
And so, here comes what has happened in the past two days. It was Curtin Sarawak’s Awards & Scholarship Ceremony on Friday (25th April) and Graduation Ceremony on Saturday (26th April) so I was asked to deal with the press together with one of my colleague, Lillian. As a PR practitioner, being in contact with the media is one of the most important part of the job. Without the media, what are we PR practitioners to do? So, my task for the night was to lead the press to their table and pass them each a hand out of the speeches and fact sheets. Before the event, my supervisor had me go all the way to the HR department to photocopy a few copies of these hand outs and all I thought was “Why do I have to do such trifling tasks?” Where is the public relations stuff that I am supposed to be doing?”.
But as I was standing there, I realize that this was more than just a petty chore. While waiting for the hand outs to be done copying, I got to read through them and understand how a fact sheet is prepared in the correct way as well as how speeches are drafted for the speakers. In fact, what I am doing is actually preparing a media kit for the press! And how could I have not realized that right from the beginning? Guess I was a little too nervous about doing this as this was my first time being present at an event not as a guest, but as a committee member.
Apart from that, I have also learnt an important lesson which is to present ourselves in the best image of our company as this will instill positive awareness among the public towards the organization. Because the way I present myself in front of the press indirectly shows how the company represents itself. Also, preparing fact sheets and writing speeches for people are certainly not some simple tasks. Imagine getting the facts on the fact sheet wrong and drafting a speech with lots of grammatical error. Mistakes like these cannot happen as everything done has to be pretty precise. Public relations do not recognize such minor liability and blunders as they may end up becoming huge faults.
Until my next post,
Vivian Lee
15442668
Curtin Miri
And so, here comes what has happened in the past two days. It was Curtin Sarawak’s Awards & Scholarship Ceremony on Friday (25th April) and Graduation Ceremony on Saturday (26th April) so I was asked to deal with the press together with one of my colleague, Lillian. As a PR practitioner, being in contact with the media is one of the most important part of the job. Without the media, what are we PR practitioners to do? So, my task for the night was to lead the press to their table and pass them each a hand out of the speeches and fact sheets. Before the event, my supervisor had me go all the way to the HR department to photocopy a few copies of these hand outs and all I thought was “Why do I have to do such trifling tasks?” Where is the public relations stuff that I am supposed to be doing?”.
But as I was standing there, I realize that this was more than just a petty chore. While waiting for the hand outs to be done copying, I got to read through them and understand how a fact sheet is prepared in the correct way as well as how speeches are drafted for the speakers. In fact, what I am doing is actually preparing a media kit for the press! And how could I have not realized that right from the beginning? Guess I was a little too nervous about doing this as this was my first time being present at an event not as a guest, but as a committee member.
Apart from that, I have also learnt an important lesson which is to present ourselves in the best image of our company as this will instill positive awareness among the public towards the organization. Because the way I present myself in front of the press indirectly shows how the company represents itself. Also, preparing fact sheets and writing speeches for people are certainly not some simple tasks. Imagine getting the facts on the fact sheet wrong and drafting a speech with lots of grammatical error. Mistakes like these cannot happen as everything done has to be pretty precise. Public relations do not recognize such minor liability and blunders as they may end up becoming huge faults.
Until my next post,
Vivian Lee
15442668
Curtin Miri
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Another step forward; Internship!
Hey everyone!
I am Vivian from Curtin Sarawak Campus and this is my very first blog post. The company I am working with now is Curtin University, and I am in the Corporate Communications department. It has been four days since I started working here, and guess what? My placement started just at the right time. This is due to the graduation ceremony that will take place on the 26th April, which is this coming Saturday and I am glad to say that I will be involved in it. One week into work, and I already have tasks allocated to me in such an event. More updates on that will be coming your way, right after the event ends. But for now, I will be talking about my first few days at work.
Curtin University, a place I can call my second home because I spend about the same amount of time in campus and home. And I am indeed very glad and fortunate to be able to do my internship in campus. From what I heard from my seniors, it is difficult to apply for a placement in the Corporate Communications department as they have quite a number of students waiting in line for their turn to do their placement there.
Well, I am lucky enough to be accepted by the management. I remember walking into the office to see my supervisor, Ms. Marcella Gider, Senior Corporate Communications Officer sitting at her desk at 8.00AM sharp. She was the only person in the office. So I took a seat and discussed some of the things I have to do throughout the internship, then subsequently she introduced me to all my colleagues when they arrived at work.
And starting from the first day, I have been asked to read newspapers, eight different newspapers in three languages to be exact. So, there is the English, Chinese and Bahasa Malaysia version of the newspapers. Funny thing is, I hardly read Chinese and I have to read it with squinted eyes (like the image below) just to read those seemingly unfamiliar Chinese characters.
But, I made it through day by day, reading articles after articles, looking for Curtin-related news as well as exciting local and worldwide news. Reading newspapers may only be fun to a handful of people, and I admit, that I am certainly not one of them but somehow, I am starting to like going through these papers in search of any intriguing and eye-catching news. Well basically, the main purpose of doing this is to compile all the advertisement clippings, feature articles as well as press clippings and put them in separate folders. Media clipping may just be my thing - or maybe not. Shown below are some of the things that I have done, including the cutting of the name tags for committee members at the graduation ceremony this weekend.
Look at the amount of newspaper I had to read on my first day of work!
Oh, and I even found a tiny mistake in one of the articles I read regarding the lunar eclipse in Washington. Can you spot the error?
By the way, here are some local news for you to read - not PR related but just to cure your boredom:
1. Idris: Improvements on PBS accepted by educators
2. Marine turtles lure foreign tourists
3. Ninth Borneo Jazz Festival 2014 expects 9,000 visitors
4. The Obama double in Malaysia
5. Have a break, Malaysia
Well, that is all for now. Until my next post, cheers!
Vivian Lee
15442668
Curtin Miri
I am Vivian from Curtin Sarawak Campus and this is my very first blog post. The company I am working with now is Curtin University, and I am in the Corporate Communications department. It has been four days since I started working here, and guess what? My placement started just at the right time. This is due to the graduation ceremony that will take place on the 26th April, which is this coming Saturday and I am glad to say that I will be involved in it. One week into work, and I already have tasks allocated to me in such an event. More updates on that will be coming your way, right after the event ends. But for now, I will be talking about my first few days at work.
Curtin University, a place I can call my second home because I spend about the same amount of time in campus and home. And I am indeed very glad and fortunate to be able to do my internship in campus. From what I heard from my seniors, it is difficult to apply for a placement in the Corporate Communications department as they have quite a number of students waiting in line for their turn to do their placement there.
Well, I am lucky enough to be accepted by the management. I remember walking into the office to see my supervisor, Ms. Marcella Gider, Senior Corporate Communications Officer sitting at her desk at 8.00AM sharp. She was the only person in the office. So I took a seat and discussed some of the things I have to do throughout the internship, then subsequently she introduced me to all my colleagues when they arrived at work.
And starting from the first day, I have been asked to read newspapers, eight different newspapers in three languages to be exact. So, there is the English, Chinese and Bahasa Malaysia version of the newspapers. Funny thing is, I hardly read Chinese and I have to read it with squinted eyes (like the image below) just to read those seemingly unfamiliar Chinese characters.
But, I made it through day by day, reading articles after articles, looking for Curtin-related news as well as exciting local and worldwide news. Reading newspapers may only be fun to a handful of people, and I admit, that I am certainly not one of them but somehow, I am starting to like going through these papers in search of any intriguing and eye-catching news. Well basically, the main purpose of doing this is to compile all the advertisement clippings, feature articles as well as press clippings and put them in separate folders. Media clipping may just be my thing - or maybe not. Shown below are some of the things that I have done, including the cutting of the name tags for committee members at the graduation ceremony this weekend.
Look at the amount of newspaper I had to read on my first day of work!
By the way, here are some local news for you to read - not PR related but just to cure your boredom:
1. Idris: Improvements on PBS accepted by educators
2. Marine turtles lure foreign tourists
3. Ninth Borneo Jazz Festival 2014 expects 9,000 visitors
4. The Obama double in Malaysia
5. Have a break, Malaysia
Well, that is all for now. Until my next post, cheers!
Vivian Lee
15442668
Curtin Miri
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