A small, powerful engine of a well-oiled resources machine:

Inside Communications & Media at the Department of State Development

Having been a Project Manager at the Department of State Development for approximately five years now, my eyes were widened on Tuesday at my induction meeting with the officers responsible for communications and media at the Department!

The Communications and Media Unit is essentially made up of two staff members - who each directly report to the Director General. Having only two staff members does not mean that the responsibility of the Unit is in any way diminished however; it means those two team members must be very good at their job!

The Department of State Development is responsible for the facilitation of Western Australia's major resource projects, for the most part funded and developed by the private sector.  Wondering what might fit into that bucket? Perhaps you have heard of the Wheatstone LNG Project, being developed by Chevron? Or the Roy Hill Project, being developed in Port Hedland by Gina Rinehart? These major resource projects may be funded, constructed, managed and operated by private companies, but the State plays its role in 'keeping them honest.' Each project has stringent approvals to obtain, including: environmental approvals (State and Federal), financial guarantees, local content obligations, impact management to name a few.  The Department of State Development plays the primary role in guiding and facilitating these approvals for the private company.  The Department's website (created and published by the Communications and Media Unit) provides further context on the agency's core business.

So, where does Communications and Media fit into this mix? At my induction meeting with my supervisor, Natalie and her co-worker, Rick, I learned the role of the Unit is vital to internal communications - with the Department's Intranet and Internet to manage, the jointly-produced "Prospect" magazine to design and publish, media enquiries to handle - from newspapers, radio, the Minister's office, and investment opportunties for Western Australia to promote, for example, the 18th International Conference and Exhibition on Liquefied Natural Gas, being held in Perth from the 11th to 15th April, 2016. The LNG 18 event promises to be a significant showcasing opportunity for Western Australia as a 'LNG hub' of the world.

I am embarking on this internship experience very excited about the new insights I will gain from an organisation I have been proudly a part of for so long.  Meeting with Natalie and Rick has filled me with confidence that I will brush up on all of my public relations skills, use my natural creativity (that is not always readily usable in the Department), and receive useful feedback and supervision during the experience.  I am also sure I will learn far more about other teams across the Department - especially the area responsible for investment attraction.  In a time when the 'mining boom' has eased, iron prices are down, and there are much fewer major resource projects being actively developed in the State, the Government needs to work hard to ensure that the private sector recognises what is unique and optimal about doing business in Western Australia.


My impression so far of this small, but powerful engine room that is Communications and Media is that they play an integral role in that job!



PR on the Go: Where flexibility and responsiveness come into play

When I was working at LEWIS PR Malaysia, I was involved in a couple of events, notably a press conference organised for Alere Health and a product launch for Samsung's Galaxy S5. To being with, before each event, a meeting will be held in order to have the staffs run through the running sheet and agendas for the respective events. Do you remember the running sheets that you were asked to construct in class and for your assignments? This is no different from it. In the meeting, the flow of the event was discussed and participants were asked to familiarise themselves with the agendas for the event.

For Alere Health's press conference, I was tasked to register the media upon arrival, present the media kit to the guests, and direct them to the conference room. Despite having my responsibilities clearly outlined, unforeseen circumstances did appear. Before the initiation of the press conference, the name cards for the spokespeople were inaccurately printed. Upon witnessing this issue, my manager instructed me to get it fixed right away. 

In relation to my first blog post, I mentioned that LEWIS PR Malaysia was made up of four employees, including me as an intern. We were lacking of human resources back then; therefore, I had to run all the way to the printing service provider to get it amended. While I was away from my duties, my Accounts Director had to fill in for my responsibilities in registering the media. It took everybody's effort in controlling the issue. Having said that, personally, I find it confusing to deviate from my responsibilities. I then thought about it, if I did not get the name cards fixed, would it affect the company's reputation in the eyes of the client (Alere Health) and the guests (media and spokespeople)? 

I then came to a conclusion that as the client pays you for your PR services, it is critical for you to deliver qualitative service with regards to the amount that is paid to you. The corporate reputation is not only at stake, but the relationships shared with the client and the guests are also being questioned. After that experience, I start to see PR practitioners in a different way, for the better of course. From that day onwards, I start to recognise PR people as "Super Workers" who have the competence level in dealing with unforeseen circumstances and are always on the go. I mean, I personally do not think it is easy to "think on one's feet" and to deviate from one's duties when faced with a crisis unless you have the relevant experience in handling such cases.   

Apart from that, everything went well and the press conference was a success. Effort was well paid off from the media calling, registration, and fixing of the issue. On top of that, I received several contact cards from the media. It was a great experience as I got to network with the media and witness how PR is represented in the Malaysian landscape. 

Thank you so much for taking your time in reading through this and I look forward to keep you updated.

Till then, have a pleasant day ahead.

Adrian.