Event 2: Enriching experience

How much we learn when we are out on the field, as PR is not just about sitting between 4 walls writing plans, it’s also about living and experiencing it.

Two events in a week, a hectic week with all its stress.

Supertote Red Ribbon Trophy, a horse race event, dedicated to raise funds for PILS, was a major event with loads of media and people. Seeing all this crowd gets you a little bit startled as it was my 1st time going to the local hippodrome (place where the event took place) and to work. It was challenging.

This day, I was assigned to accompany a volunteer, showing her what to say to the public so as they make donation as well to take the collection with her. There were 2 groups: one with the Supertote t-shirts which were given access to another building where richer people were and the second group was on the field with the players making their bet with PILS t-shirts. On a PR perspective, I find it a good tactic that they make us wore t-shirts as we could locate them easily among the crowd if we need them and showing part that we are well-coordinated and belong to the same group united to raise funds for a good cause.

Everyone was alert; especially my supervisor, Mr Ataaullah Jaunoo, to get everything done rightfully, especially with the authorities, concerning the collecting for the charity and transportation of stuffs for the event on the hippodrome as there were some difficulties with it.
I got the possibility to get to know other personalities in the governor’s lounge like the manager of Supertote and so on. That was pleasurable after a day of hard work to be able to chit-chat and to do photo shoots with them.

Another good tactic is that a photo souvenir was done with only PILS members and the volunteers at the end of the event showing unity and a picture as rememberance of this day. A photo with the personalities and PILS team members and the volunteers were also good. I’ll get some media clippings to do for this event.

Sign off for now.

Hope you do enjoy your internship, even though sometimes we’re stressed out.

Regards,
Joyce

Event 1

A big hello to everyone.

We were always told that events are really stressful, but it does not really matters to us at the time we were sitting in the class, listening to our lecturer as we haven’t participated in any.
I have been involved in a big event: Telethon event, organised to raise funds to finance the various projects that PILS has as well as for its daily functioning.

Time management came handy here and I had to prioritise what is the most important thing to do because there were loads. Between my involvements in the red ribbon preparation, do guest relations for volunteers, and to show them how to do it and to compile who will be coming to the event among the volunteers who have formation and those who haven’t in the same day as well as writing of invitation to the media. It was a very busy day. I also had discussions with my supervisor and other workers about the procedures that have to be made for the event’s stand and what problem could be solved beforehand.

I was given the opportunity to discuss about what should be offered as gifts and helped in organising gifts for persons who contributed more than Rs 100. My opinions were taken into consideration in the meeting, which I was grateful. I realise that working in unison with the team and effective communication is HIGHLY IMPORTANT to get everything done smoothly and correctly. I was pleased to see that on this point, there was no problem enough though everyone was stressed out.

For the Telethon event, I was assigned the task of organising the stand, verify if there is enough pamphlets, condoms, etc, and explain to people what we are doing as well about the organisation together with demonstration of how to use condoms. Here, timidity is out of question as we must be proactive and be conversant and to put people at ease as it is quite sensitive to talk about sex and condoms in Mauritius. Time flew by very quickly that day. I also had to distribute pamphlets and encourage people to make a donation. Also, to set the record straight with other volunteers, little meetings were done about people’s reactions whether they are accepting our leaflets and making donations or not.

Answering to university students who came for an interview for their assignment and replying some questions of journalists and relate them to other people who are capable of answering their questions were also made.

I have also grabbed the chance to take journalist’s contacts for the contact list database I was doing as well had a small conversation with them to create ties.

Though, this was a really tiring day, I have enjoyed it as I have learned a lot and have created ties with the other volunteers.

Well, share your experience with us.

Regards,
Joyce

Media Relations and NGO

Media is essential for the inflow and outflow of information from and to the wide public.

I had a discussion with my supervisor about the relationship of PILS and the media. He was hooked up with this topic. I wanted to have his point of view on the matter as he frequently deals with the media.

He said that PILS enjoys an excellent relationship with the media and that all the media in Mauritius are keen to help the NGO. It is pleasurable to see that the media is helping and doing something good for the society and its citizens.

But, I have already written in my previous blog that media has been on the forefront to help and to communicate information that PILS wants to convey to the public. From the press conference, I have witnessed that it does have a good relationship between the NGO and the various media in Mauritius.

I have read somewhere that a newspaper here offers freely its advertising space to PILS to put their ad for SIDA Info. It is a hotline service where people who have questions about AIDS and all related topic to it can call. It is anonymous and free.

But I know that other NGOs in Mauritius do not benefit from such good media relations because they do not have a public relations officer to deal with the media and create tactics to promote their NGO to the public. This is unfortunate as public relations do help an organisation to do that. It is one of our main tasks, that is, to be the bridge between the organisation and the media. This is an opportunity to be taken and put in practice.

Hope this blog has helped you got an insight of media relations within an NGO.

Regards,
Joyce

My first press conference experience

Hectic it was and I was only on my second week of internship.

This blogging will be lengthy but I want to share my experience of my first press conference.

Time passed by quickly that day as arrangements for the conference have to be made and phoning journalists if they were coming as per the work set by supervisor on that day.

Overall, I was happy and thrilled as it was the first time that I assist to a press conference and that I have participated in the good functioning of it. The job that I have done is that I had sent the invitations previously and phoned them back to inform them of the new time and date.

My work has finally paid off as the main journalists of the main media outlets came as well as others. I have been able to put a face on the journalists’ that I have been contacting.

I have done guest relations for the journalists on that day. PILS director had asked me if I was happy that the journalists had come, which I was evidently. The journalists have also been able to put a face to my name as this was asked by my director. He further added that I was the one who have been contacting them.

I have answered to some questions of the journalists and refer them to other people who knew all the answer to all the details.

On the right hand side: me with my paperworks and at the back, journalists asking an interview with PILS director

I have taken this opportunity to get the contact details of journalist who came and create ties with the latter. This has been added to the media contact list that I have created there.
The director praised all the team for the hard work and my supervisor praised me in front of everyone for contacting all these journalists. We were relieved that they came in such short schedule as they could have been busy on that day the conference was done.

This was not the end as other journalists contacted me afterwards for further details which I gave them as well as for those who could not make it on that date. Again, for more profound details that I did not have at hand, was referred to the assistant director and responsible for fundraising.

The recommendations that I can give you, buddies, are:
1. Remain humble
2. Be prepared
3. Do your work slowly but surely, because if you take it stressfully, everything will go wrong
4. Always be pleasant- ask journalists how they are doing, they will be pleased and will contact
you when they need you

Hope this has helped you to grasp the atmosphere of a press conference and the recommendations that follows.

Regards,
Joyce

What a warm welcome and some PR lessons to care for

Hi, everyone. I am Joyce Ah Fong from Charles Telfair Institute, Mauritius.

Hope that your internship is going on just fine.

I got a lot to catch up on my blogging because I got torticollis and it was impossible for me to write my blogs. But, from the diary I have kept with every activities I do during my internship, I will be able to relate everything. So, this blog will be a little bit lengthy.

It was on the 20th July, I first started my internship at PILS (Prevention, Information et Lutte contre le Sida) which is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) brawling to help people with AIDS as well as to mass informed the public about the virus and about its preventive measures. Why this NGO was formed? There was a real need for a structure to help many dying people of AIDS in Mauritius as well to break the wall of silence around this disease which was taboo at that time. Nowadays, thanks to the various involvements of PILS through its perseverance and various campaigns through the mass media which it uses a lot, this is no longer the case. This will further be developed in my other blogs.

The memory of the first day is still vivid in my head, because I was totally surprised by all this gentleness and welcoming smiles. I was first welcomed by the assistant director and responsible of fundraising that showed me the whereabouts of the building as well as the various people present. Then, my supervisor further presented me to the other departments and people who came in afterwards.

I was totally surprised that they knew my name and that I will be doing a one-month internship in the organisation. I could see that the internal communication was good at PILS as even the non-staff knew that I was coming. The profuse warm welcome has really touched me. This has eased some of my apprehension as it is the first time that I am working in the PR world. Good communication has always been said to be important and it is good that this works just fine for PILS.

My primary task during my internship is to create a formal database contact of media as well as other organisations related to PILS as the existing one was very basic and lack information. Hence, a lot has to be done. My secondary task will be to help for the event of SUPERTOTE, a racing event dedicated to raise funds for AIDS.

Throughout the day, I have analysed and reached the conclusion that the working environment was good and relaxed compared to the PR lectures where we were told that there was a lot of pressure and stress in the daily activities of an organisation. PILS was a refreshing and friendly one as everyone care for their teammates and always asking about their news and that of their family.

Even though workers not forming part of the same department was always eager to help and asking if I was fine. This was very touchy and I really appreciated it.

To come up with my first work, I found it challenging as I had to find out the contact of journalist that the organisation did not have and to contact them personally.

I had to write up a script before. I still remember my PR classes where we were told to rehearse our script before talking to a journalist. I have well learned my lesson and rehearsed it several times before talking to the journalists. The difficulty was to have the journalist on the phone as many were not here. So the lesson to take is to persevere, persevere till you reach your goal.

It is true that the contact list has to be updated at least twice per year. The reason is that I have found through my calls that many journalists were no longer working at the media agency written on the contact list PILS has. Hence, it is very advisable to call and to make new contacts so as the information that your company wants to convey is reached to the right person. If this is not done, in case you have an important press conference, your fax or email that you have sent to the contact person will not reached the good person. So, this is a lesson to be taken care of seriously. This is what I have learned in my first day of internship.

Hence, buddies, keep up with the hard work.

Will keep you afresh of any news,

Regards
Joyce