Farewell dear placement....

Hi everyone! Sadly this will be my last post now! I enjoyed this blog aspect of this unit a lot...as it enabled me to share what I have learnt, as well as to see what everyone else has been through and learnt was the coolest!

It helps to know that when we all started off we were pretty much in the same boat! I loved my time at Telethon Speech & Hearing. I learnt so much in this short time I have been here. Time management being the most important one! Always always make sure you are prepared to finish everything on time and meet the deadline! The job on hand has to be well done so it can be presented in a professional way!

Being organised is so important, it's the only way to make sure all work is done on time. I never had my five year plan sorted out. I just used to go with the flow, come what may. This placement taught me to be methodical and detailed in every step I take, and the results were brilliant! I feel much more confident in dealing with issues and situations.

I met such great people who have left an impact on me. My supervisors were intelligent, career minded PR women. They simplified things down to a T. Rather than presenting information in an elaborate and over informative way, I learnt to design simple templates for brochures and letters as well as email mail outs to send to our database, as well as construct an effective media release.

Communicating effectively is also very important. Being in the PR industry, if we miscommunicate it could be the end of a successful career. Mainly I learnt to sit back and listen to what everyone else has to say before contributing.

I do wish I had had some more time during the semester to work more, there was just too much happening at the same time. Now that everything has come to an end I would have loved to manage my time effectively so I could have gained more knowledge. Nevertheless I had a great time, and will miss everyone at TSH.

I can now confidently say that I am ready to go out there and work in the ever changing PR industry. Thank you for reading my blog, if you have been, and for sharing what you have all learnt! =D

The Lunchbox List – Make a ten year plan or just follow your heart?

This blog is about a different event I got to attend through TSH, the organisation I am doing my internship for. This was a great advantage for me and I got a chance to go with my supervisor to represent Telethon for Speech and Hearing. I’m not sure how many people would have heard about this. This year there was a marketing event called the Lunchbox List Marketing Mavens, which was held at the Parmelia Hotel last week on Thursday October 22 2009.

The event kicked off at around noon, and guests arrived in throngs. Well dressed successful business women who were a part of different industries came to listen to the three motivational speakers chosen to tell us about their inspirational journeys throughout their lives so far. Champagne was served as we waited, and there was heaps of networking going on. I was trying really hard not to get distracted by the gorgeous shoes, handbags and outfits worn by so many present, and focus on the real reason I was there. I got the chance to meet so many women who work in PR companies, and how they deal with every day challenges.

Three of WA’s top women in marketing: RAC senior manager brand strategy Jo Carson, Brand Agency account director Louise Ardagh and The Hub Marketing Communications principal Nicolle Jenkins. As we entered the hall to listen to their talk, we were each handed a lunchbox, befitting the name of the organisation. We eagerly took our places and had some lunch as the MC for the afternoon Leanne Petchell from the Western Australian, started off the seminar.

These three brand experts talked about their experiences to women who had turned up and how they have grown their own careers including a myriad of experience working on big brands here, interstate and overseas including RAC, Telstra, Reebok, Universal Pictures, PCEC, Esanda, the list goes on.

Some very good advice was given by these speakers and I thought I would list them down just for everyone to have a look at, and implement if they believe they are as useful as I thought they were. I wrote down the best quotes each speaker had to say.

Jo believes it is important to know what you really want. Find direction and do as much as you can, not just in your field but any field. Do not let any opportunity pass unless you believe it is not worth your time.

Nicole added on to that by saying: Always be positive and be decisive. Make a ten year plan if you like to be organised, and you can always add more to that plan if you want to achieve more. Sometimes it is fun to take the necessary risks and follow your heart!

And Louise finished off by adding that there are two rules that she goes by in her life.
Rule number one: everything is possible

Rule number two: Nothing is easy

Great advice given by three great speakers who had such amazing journeys! Murdoch University was the event partner for this unique event and Dr Hermina Burnett was there to represent them. I feel like I benefitted a lot from this seminar, and I can implement whatever I have learnt in the remaining time left for my internship as well as in the future..

Hey guys! Reporting back on the latest that has been happening on my side! Everyone must have heard of the Telethon Weekend! Obviously! This time for the Telethon Weekend 2009 I got a chance to be a part of it and see what it’s really like to be on the other side of it.

Telethon Speech and Hearing had a booth set up for the weekend at the Perth Convention Centre. It was a great chance for parents to learn about speech and hearing impairments, and if their kids actually have any problems. It’s best to know about such things in the earliest stages, and this was a great chance for people to approach us without any hesitation.

We had this great way of interacting with the kids who came to our stall, by asking them to throw a ball through a gigantic painted ear. The winner got a bottle of bubbles to make them feel special! This was a great tactic, since it gave the parents time to browse around our booth and ask any lingering questions they had.

A lot of the parents were interested in knowing more about what affects their kids. It can always be a little daunting to have to go to any centre to have your child tested. The environment created at the Telethon weekend was warm and upbeat, it made it more comfortable for people to approach us at our booth!

There were a numerous number of different centres there that day, all under the umbrella of Telethon. The atmosphere was vibrant and exciting, yet at the same time raising awareness about issues that could affect families. There were a few celebs walking around here and there, but sadly we did not get a chance to go talk to any of them!

Telethon and the Trust exist because of the generosity of the Seven Network and Channel Seven Perth. Both provide the Trust with tangible and intangible support through infrastructure facilities, service and professional advice. It brought fun and excitement to Perth families by providing the venue for the television broadcast, the Beneficiaries Expo, and the Kids’ Carnival. Along with all the information booths there was also a games centre held for kids to go and have a blast! Turns out there were quite a few adults who went in and had more fun than the kids!!

So far Telethon has raised over $87 million and provided much needed financial assistance to a significant number of charitable organisations, children's hospitals and research and medical facilities in Western Australia.

Telethon and the Trust exist because of the generosity of the Seven Network and Channel Seven Perth. It was such a great experience for me, to be a part of something so big in Perth. Working at the Speech and Hearing Centre is teaching me a lot more than I expected!

That’s all I have to share!! Until next time!! =D

The learning process is all about applying what you know!

Hi everyone!!! I am studying in the Curtin Campus.Hope you are all having a good placement so far! It has been a tough ride for everyone looking for a placement...I know it was for me! I am so lucky to have found a brilliant place to be able to do my internship this semester.

I am working as the Events Assistant at the Telethon for Speech and Hearing Centre. My role is to support the PR and Fundraising Department by assisting with fundraising events and public relations. This is a great chance for me to actually apply what I have learnt during my degree as well as gaining even more hands on experience in public relations, marketing and events management.

TSH’s main mission is teaching children with speech, language or hearing impairments to listen and speak. Families at TSH have the chance to develop a spoke language as their primary communication. They offer expert support from a team of qualified professionals. TSH allows families to be as involved as they would like to be in their child’s learning activities, and the latest technology is provided here for the children.

So far TSH has had two very big successful events. TSH’s annual Loud Shirt Day fundraiser featured David Strassman this time round, and he performed at the Regal Theatre in May 2009. Then there was Artitude which was a premier fundraising event that was held in July 2009.

I just finished my fifth day here. During my time here I will be working on a few upcoming projects such as Hearing Awareness Week, Bill and Rhonda Wyllie Early Childhood Learning Centre Launch, both in August and Golf Day which is in October. This is a great chance for me to really learn about how to prepare for events, as well as deal with the media.

On my first day here I was taken around the Centre and introduced to the great staff working here. My supervisors, Christine and Natasha are both amazing women, who never get annoyed and are always willing to help. I was given administrative work to do at first, which was great because it wasn’t as daunting and I felt much more comfortable and at ease after two days of working here.

The great part is most of the work that I have done so far has been taught in class. So even though I have the theoretical knowledge, I actually get to put into practice. I made a few mistakes here and there in my enthusiasm to get my work done, but my supervisors were always there to guide me right and show how it should be done. The atmoshphere here is really vibrant and comfortable.

I got a chance to bring out my creative side last week, I was asked to create a brochure for Clear Speech Night. This night is held for the students of the school to be able to make presentations to present to their family and friends. Thank god we got the chance to learn these techniques in our PR 200 and 250 classes. It definitely gave me the basic background to have an idea about what I’m doing and not mess up! Obviously a few changes were made throughout the process, but at the end of it we managed to publish a great booklet for families to peruse during the night of the show.

I’m looking forward to Golf Day. It will be a good chance to learn how to deal more with the media. This experience is also teaching me how to manage my time efficiently. Deadlines must be adhered to; it’s definitely not like Uni where we can get an extension if we can’t finish an assignment in time!

I can really see myself enjoying my time here! I will definitely put up more in my next blog when some more work has been done! Good luck to everyone with their placements!

=)

Sarjana