To be, or not to be, that is the question....

Thirty days ago when I started my internship at PPR – I set out in search of an answer to a question which has plagued me since the beginning of my degree – ‘To be or not to be a PR consultant?’ I am happy to report that after my finishing my last day at PPR on Friday – I am now a whole lot closer to finding that answer.

The world of PR consultancy is an exciting one to say the least with a multitude of clients that subsequently come with a multitude of different projects, experiences, deadlines and demands.  It is because of this versatility, that in the past month at PPR, I have had the privilege and the opportunity of working on a range of different projects for different clients. I find this versatility to be a very attractive characteristic of working in consultancy and one that I will attempt to explore more when I begin my search for employment in July.  Having said that, there is still a large part of me that is curious about working in corporate PR and I think that I will need to experience this before I can confidently choose the path that appeals to me the most. Have any of you ever had experience working in both fields? And if so, which one do you prefer?

As I write this, I can’t help but also smile at the fact that in only 20 working days, I can say that I have done everything from media clippings, reports and releases through to invitation drops, research, phone interviews and writing for some of PPR’s professional publications.  When regarding the writing I have done in particular, three pieces of my work were officially published in my last two days at PPR – which I think was such a great way to end what I would definitely call a great internship!

One of these pieces of writing was a media release entitled ‘Dalwalinu Channels Its Own Rottnest Swim’, which was published in a regional WA newspaper that you can read here.  As some of you would know, that feeling that you get when your work is published in a public space is like nothing else and has certainly given me the confidence and self-assurance that I need to believe in myself as a professional writer and PR practitioner.

Another thing that I have learnt throughout my time at PPR is that though Uni definitely has its place in teaching us the fundamentals skills required in the PR industry, there is still nothing quite like applying and refining these skills in a real working environment. I am thankful for the opportunity that PR Professional Practice 393 has given me in this regard as I have been able to use what I have learnt and expand on what I have learnt in all my classes in a way that I believe will serve me well when I graduate and begin my career.

Thanks everyone for following my updates over the past month and it's been wonderful reading all of yours. Though these entries have been useful for reflecting on my own experiences, I’ve also learnt a lot about other aspects of the industry through reading yours. I wish you guys all the best in the remainder of your internship and your degrees, and best of luck in your careers.

The Perfect Blend

So it’s now my very last week at PPR and as I sit and write this, all I can think about is where has the time gone?! In theory, a month sounds like a long time but in the fast paced world of PR, I’ve rapidly come to learn that it isn’t.

In my third week at PPR, I spent a lot of time on the road, delivering invitations for an event on behalf of a client. At the time I treated this as a bit of respite from all the work that I still have left to do but with only 2 days remaining to get it all done – I’m now working to a very tight deadline.

 At the end of the week I was also given the task of helping one of the account managers put together a credentials document for the firm. I was given this task based on my ability to write and to perform under a tight deadline, which was definitely the confidence boost I had been searching for. As you might recall from my previous blog entry, my second week at PPR was a tough one in terms of my confidence and belief in my ability to write but undertaking this task has given me a chance to resurrect myself. I got to work on the task immediately by compiling some relevant case studies, which will all be included in the publication and wrote a succinct synopsis of each one. Part of this task will also involve me proofreading the account manager’s work to ensure that there are no spelling mistakes or other grammatical errors. Though I have never edited anyone’s work in a professional capacity, I have nonetheless chosen to embrace this task as yet another opportunity for me to learn and acquire those much-needed editing skills, pertinent to a successful career in PR.

Another aspect that I really love about this task is that to me, it is the perfect blend of both sides of my degree, as not only am I writing for a professional publication, but I am also helping this PR firm carry out its own PR. This fusion of public relations and professional writing has definitely demonstrated how well the two degrees go together and how skills from each are sometimes necessary for performing tasks in this industry.

I am looking forward to this final week and I can’t wait to reflect on what has definitely been an exciting, frightening, educational and enlightening month at PPR.

"Life is a journey. Enjoy the ride."

Hi everyone! As this is my first blog entry I thought it would be best to introduce myself. My name is Bianca and I am a 4^th year  Public Relations and Professional Writing student at Curtin University in Bentley, Perth.  

 

Now you’re probably wondering why I chose the title above for this post. Well, on my way to my very first day at Professional Public Relations (PPR), nerves running wild and stuck in the usual heinous morning traffic of the Mitchell Freeway, I found myself behind a car with those very words plastered to its rear window.  Now I’m not usually one to subscribe to bumper-sticker words of wisdom but that day I took a leap of faith and I did.

 

This past week at PPR has certainly been a ride to say the least, as from my very first day I was thrown straight into the hustle and bustle of the busy PR consultancy by driving around Perth dropping off Valentines Day cupcakes to the media on behalf of a client.  Instead of spending the whole task stressing about a) completing the drop in a reasonable timeframe and b) making sure each cupcake did not melt in transit – I made the conscious decision to embrace and actually enjoy the opportunity that I was given which thankfully turned out to be a great success. Besides giving me a much needed confidence boost on my first day, I also found the task to be as informative as it was exciting which has since given me a good sense of where the media is located across our city. In my opinion, this knowledge of who’s who and where in the Perth media is invaluable and something which will continue to benefit me throughout the duration of my internship as well as my career.  

 

Back in the office, I spent the rest of the week undertaking a combination of administrational and public relations related activities.  Some of these activities included media monitoring – a task that is done everyday, where local and state papers are scanned and any coverage of clients is documented in what are known as ‘media clippings.’ I was surprised to find that the layout of these media clippings actually resemble the layout which we used in a journaling assignment for PR Media 250. This familiarity was really welcoming and certainly helped take the edge off what was otherwise a new and unfamiliar task.

 

Finally one of my major tasks this week was to conduct phone interviews with successful recipients of a grant given by one of PPR’s clients.  The aim of these interviews is to source as many potential news stories (or leads as they are called) as possible. As I am a student from a professional writing background, I have had very little experience with interviewing throughout my degree apart from a Q&A assignment in PR Media 250.  As you can therefore imagine, I was absolutely terrified at the prospect of putting on my journalist’s cap and digging for a good community-news story! However despite starting off a bit shaky and unsure, I now feel very confident conducting phone interviews and have already managed to uncover some very poignant and potential news stories. Amongst the skills of interviewing and transcribing which I have learnt from this task, another very valuable insight I have taken away with me is the overlap that I can now see exists between the Public Relations and Journalism profession. Though my classes at Uni have touched on this in the past, it is definitely one thing to learn about this overlap theoretically and another to experience it in a real working environment. Needless to say, I have enjoyed the challenge that these interviews have presented and will continue to embrace the opportunity to grow and refine these new skills throughout remainder of my time at PPR.

 

I apologize for the very long entry but as you can see I have had a very busy week and can’t wait to see what my second week holds in store for me!

 

Until next time…