Evaluation is key: finding evaluative data in strange places

Throughout units at Curtin, the importance of evaluating PR is stressed time and time again.

Evaluate, evaluate, evaluate!

Whether you're trying to measure relationships, experiences, or the specific value of media coverage, evaluating is important to the practise. Just to recap, here's why:

Image via Flickr / Creative Commons / janneke staaks

1. Gaining solid quantitative or qualitative data
2. Justifying budget and expenditure
3. Understanding real-life stakeholder perceptions

The first two tie together; when communicating the impact of PR to upper management, it's only logical to have solid data backing up your claims. This is especially relevant when justifying expenditure, proving why you deserve the current budget, or applying for a larger budget.

However, in the real world, solid data is rarely recorded from public relations activities. The team responsible know what worked and what didn't, what they'll try again soon and what they'll dump - but how they arrived at these conclusions won't be based on cold, hard facts. Instead, it'll be based on gut feeling. 

But don't despair just yet - you may find what you're looking for in strange places. Say, outside the public relations or communications department.

Being part of an organisation that is so large can be daunting. At VisAbility, which houses Guide Dogs WA (where my placement is located), the services are vast. You'll find Occupational Therapists, Assistive Technology professionals and Guide Dog Puppy trainers working under the same roof.

If you think PR is only happening within the communications team, you're sorely mistaken. A large part of PR is stakeholder relations, and the managers of each department are naturally highly attentive to their individual stakeholders' needs. 

Recently, an event run by two VisAbility social workers proved to be a fantastic PR exercise. The social workers wanted to make their clients feel special, so they organised a pampering day trip. Each client was given free spa treatments and hours to engage in issues-based dialogue within their own small community as they enjoyed free food platters, beauty masks, pedicures and therapeutic massages. The organisation sponsoring the treatments indicated a commitment to ongoing events as well as offering a generous donation. Photos were taken of everyone enjoying their days of pampering - and each was sent a survey to fill out. 

From this event, which was organised without 'official' PR input, the social workers managed to improve stakeholder relations, gain community support, create an issued-based dialogue, generate a mutually beneficial partnership and gain quantitative and qualitative data. If we hadn't looked, we might have missed it - but the perfect PR data package was sitting right under our noses. All we had to do was look in the right direction.

Stay tuned for my next (and last) blog post! It will feature a rather exciting announcement...

- Elena

Starting to Understand (What Representing Two Organisations is Like)

I'm one of those people who can't multi task. 

If my nanna were sitting here next to me, she'd make the typical comment, "you make a terrible woman," - apparently we're supposed to be multi tasking wizards.

So now that I'm identifying publicity opportunities for not just my student placement location, Guide Dogs WA, but also at a non-profit I have just volunteered for, I'm having a bit of an existential crisis.

Image via Flickr / Creative Commons / Emilien Etienne

My mind is constantly in news generating mode. It's like being stuck in a group conversation on Facebook where messages are being sent every half-second (or as fast as your inconsiderate friends can type).

News that's too late to act on, news that's happening tomorrow, follow-up stories to write in my diary for August 2016.

It's why I have such an affinity for media relations, and why I took on the role of media coordinator voluntarily for my non-profit organisation.

But after a few weeks of juggling both roles, I've realised I can only really focus on one person/group/organisation's media effectively enough to do the job justice.

Sure, I can switch from thinking about one to the other, but it's like writing half an essay then opening a new Word doc to begin the next.

Therefore I'm coming to realise that I'm a one-company woman. Having one company I can devote time to, channel my creativity into, and generally work to improve is my kind of job.

In other words, I'd be pretty pitiful interning at a PR consultancy. I bow down to everyone who is handling their placement in the consultancy environment at the moment. You amaze me.

Have a good week, everyone!


- Elena

Professionalism: More than Meets the Eye

"Being a professional comes naturally" is a statement said by very few people on this Earth.

I've been at my internship with Guide Dogs WA for five days over a five week period -- and I love it. It's everything I could have possibly wanted in a PR internship.

My two main supervisors are teaching me all kinds of skills: how to call clients and fundraisers, how to use the various specialised programs they're subscribed to, how to lay out an e-mail, how to generate a contact list...

It's safe to say I'm learning the kinds of necessary hands-on skills I should know as an almost graduate.

Of course, I knew I'd be flexing these skills to give them a good workout. I hadn't anticipated, however, how much my professional skill set would change over such a short space of time.

Image via ken yee / Flickr / Creative Commons

I've always assumed I was quite professional -- but I never knew 'professionalism' meant more than just dressing for the office and keeping my (hilarious) jokes to an appropriate minimum.   

The main area professionalism has shown itself recently is in client and operating confidentiality.

I love to talk about things that excite me, whether its something new I've learnt online, a random book that has fully engaged me, or an interesting insight someone has brought up in my presence.

I'm like an excited puppy (which is highly appropriate given the location of my internship), but now I'm being forced to 're-train' my reactive sharing. 

What's saved me is my ability to keep necessary private information private; what's challenged me is my expanding definition of the word 'private'. 

In a peer-to-peer situation, or personal situation, this has meant identifying delicate information which needs to be handled discreetly. Whether it's information that could harm the person (or someone else) should it be found out, or information that is just best left unsaid, the distinction between private and public handling has always been straightforward.

In an office, the distinction is much more complex.

I've been privy to exciting meetings, stories, and other insights which make me want to run around and share the fantastic news, stories, and thought processes. Knowing that information has to stay in the office is sad, but the lessons I've learnt on professionalism and discretion have been invaluable.

Regardless, I'm proud of what has been has been a very impressive show of restraint!

About to enjoy reading everyone else's blogs, so will see you in the comment sections.

- Elena 

Responsible Stakeholder Management

The social responsibilities of a large corporation, such as the organisation I’ve interned with are an extensively discussed issue by governments, media, not-for-profit organisations and greater society. A general expectation of ‘giving back’ is felt by the majority of West Australian society, without laws or institutions to enforce this idea. Throughout my time studying Public Relations the concept of corporate social responsibility has been extensively discussed and evaluated. Working within a community relations team, who’s primary mission is to deliver services to the community within the footprint of the company gave me unexpected insights into the practical world of CSR.

Having worked within non-profits, education institutions, and government departments seeing CSR from a corporate perspective provided refreshing insight.

The amount of time, planning and researching causes and effective solutions to communities within the organisations footprint is enormous. Partnerships are sponsorships exist to fulfil strategic objectives within communities. Responsibility and monitoring of expenditure, particularly on such a large scale was a priority of the team. The relationships between the organisations are managed through regular meetings and reports, both are critical to monitor funding and also reduce any negative impact on reputation or loss of social license.

Partnerships and sponsorships were generally viewed as favourable, but were also accompanied with high expectations. Partnering institutions are provided with guidelines, resources and support, with an expectation of delivering services, communication and reporting at a big business level. This could often be a reality check for smaller organisations that previously worked at a different level. Organisations who performed maintained a committed and long-term partnership. The team is fair but also cuttingly honest. The weight of responsibility for spending was enormous, and unproductive partnerships are politely let go.

Being a part of the corporate team distributing funds has changed the way I approach working for a non-profit and the relationship with our funders. Utilising initiative with funding partners is greatly appreciated and might just be the difference between cancelling and continuing a contract.