"Be the change that you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

My journey at Therapy Focus has made me think about how much I have actually learned from my Public Relations degree.

It has also taught me about what to expect in the world of PR when working for not-for-profit organisations.



After completing my journey, I have come to the conclusion that I would like a bit more work experience in the PR field. Perhaps, trying a consultancy practice in Perth, whether boutique or medium-sized. I say this because I am still unsure whether I want to purse a career in Public Relations. I am still interested in pursuing a career in Advertising. However, this experience has helped me in so many ways, and I have learned more about my work ethics, both good and bad.

I would definitely say that my writing ability has improved immensely. I now have the confidence to communicate on a professional level that is effective, engaging and targeting the intended audience.

One thing I can take away from this experience is that marketing and public relations are very intertwined fields. Although, I already was aware of this from studying a Marketing unit in my first year at Curtin. Working at Therapy Foucs, I could physically see how the two are connected. Basically, everything is done to what is most essential to the not-for-profit organisation and not what it wants to do.


It was amazing what the communications department at Therapy Focus is able to accomplish in short periods of time and working under tight deadlines. This is something I admired the most. What kept them going was passion to help see the lives of children with a disability better.

To me PR is a valuable asset to the any organisation that cannot be seen in monetary value. Its' value may take time to be seen but will be worthwhile in the end.

My placement was a great learning curve for me, and I am thankful I was given the opportunity to intern at Therapy Focus.


Goodbye for now.


Maria
15508764

Two ears One mouth. 2:1

"So that we may listen twice as much as we speak"

I can not recall from when or whom i heard this from. What it meant was the proportion used in listening double more then we speak. Through out the placement I had applied this thought and it has helped ease my navigation.

Being the only Asian within the Western context and along with its communication side effects equals chaos. This was one of my main concerns at the thought of  having my placement done here versus back home where every corners are filled with the same culture. 

Any one recalling 'Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory' during our previous unit, Pr Principles? It has helped me kept an open mind ever since. When ever odd times struck, i found Hofstede's theory lightening as i could reciprocate better with an idea of whats norm and what is not.

Having said that fear, i landed as the only Asian within the events department at the Multiple Sclerosis Society of WA. A pair of black eyes surrounded by pairs of beautiful blue eyes. I was pretty worried that i would be alienated out or that whatever words which parted my mouth would equate puzzled faces and worst still, a toll on my working experience. 

As agreed with many of our dear fellow interns' experience about the importance of being active at asking plenty of questions through out to strive towards a better learning curve, i found that the Two ears One mouth quote together makes a great combination.

Many times i noticed the stress faces of my colleagues and the war they waged against time. I applied this theory with questions asked. Filter my questions, ask the precious ones and keep an active listening approach at all times and it has enabled me to understand better and provide better with what was expected of me as i piece them together.

I was handed this invitation last week. My colleagues kindly pushed me repeatedly, 'It's free lunch, go!' I understood their well intentions and surrendered after a few refusals because i felt that time would be better spent at the office. 

I will attend the lunch tomorrow with this blog in mind and hope there would be something useful that i could post.

Warmest Regards

Grace Ye

Event after

The morning after 'Step Up for MS'. Lots of clicking, typing, printer zapping, phones ringing and colleagues that wouldn't stay still. Yet i thought that the tune of the days to follow would be a relaxing tone but i was wrong.

Lots of preparation before the event and still heaps to do after. A round table meeting was called upon as i sat in and listened to the discussion, results and evaluation plan. Among them were these.

• Statistics. Dissect the registration database. 

Which age groups was this event most popular with or least. Who were the fastest steppers, highest fundraisers in teams and individual category? Which corporate teams made up the most participants? Who were the repeated participants from previous years and what were the numbers of those who had not. Any growth in registration and which categories were they contributed from? The list just goes on with what could be derived through a date base and how these results would affect future plans. Plenty of eyes straining moments and giddiness on this responsibility.

•  PR collaterals. The usual mains on the menu.  

Ways to keep them inform, engaged and enticed into participation for the next year - Newsletters. Keeping the public informed - Media Releases. Acknowledge and express appreciation for those who contributed to the success of the event - Thank you letters. Volunteers who committed time and effort during the event - Certificate of appreciation.

Thank god the task of newsletters and media releases was not on me as i felt incompetent of doing so even though studies have prepared us and the techniques i read through in these blogs by other interns. Some how it was still a fear factor for me. 

Tasked with the certificate of appreciation and thank you letters which i thought would be an easy peasy task until i started drafting and realize. The thank you letter was not a one letter fits all like a piece of free size clothing. There were so many different types of contribution to thank for. The sponsors for their services such as the free massage on site, the supporters, the organisations who put in corporate teams, the venue management for usage of their premises, the security management for their unconditional care in ensuring the safety of every individual and more.

I thought i wore Mr Smarty pants by trying to format it to make things easier. I came up with a standardize letter and then later replace the tiny details like names and thought it would be fine. The same method i did for the volunteers certificate of appreciation with publisher. I was wrong. The letter took a U-turn back after being reviewed. It was too generic! 

There were situations when we were able to stand as a by-stander and tell some one else what was better but when it came down to ourselves it slipped our minds. This was one of those moments. 

It really made sense to express thank you then not but it would have felt a whole lot better for the receiver when one is able to give reasons for why they were thanked for. You agree? 

I am going to root this in my mind to remember always. Not just for work purposes but personal ones as well!

Now. Thank you for your patience in reading this draggy piece.

Warmest Regards

Grace Ye

Step Up for MS

Greetings fellow interns!

About two weeks back, i was involved with an event which left my heart tingling

My current PR placement with the events department at the Multiple Sclerosis Society of WA, a state-based non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has been quite an eye opening experience in my opinion.

The event 'Step Up for MS' under took months of preparation prior even though it was an annual event. Individuals from all walks of life and age participated by stepping up to the challenge in a vertical climb towards the top 53 flights of stairs at Central Park. The tallest building in the CBD of Perth.  

What started out as a gloomy raining, very early Sunday morning then was hyped to the beat with some eye catching steppers. This might sound cliche. Its just another charity event again. 


How to spice up an annual charity event where the challenge and venue is the same. Stand out from the rest of the charity events, their causes and still be media worthy? That was what i was thinking when i just started my placement with them. Answer, same event plus 'not your everyday' participants.

Teams of fire fighters from all over Western Australia came suited with clothing and equipment up to 30 kilos caught the eyes of many. AFL Unpire, Darren Wilson of Adelaide flew to Perth that Saturday night for this event right after umpiring the North Melbourne and Gold Coast game and as if the game was tiring enough, he was the quickest to climb at six minutes and four seconds! 

Now i realize all the hard work behind the preparation of an event is no joke, really hard and nothing compared to what we learn the academic way. Thank goodness this placement was made compulsory as part of the component in our syllabus which allowed for a hands on experience.

From identifying stakeholders, target audience, tools for reaching them to logistics arrangements and operation procedures which our previous units had prepared us for our past group or individual assignments within a hypothetical situation. I understand better now why we had to do what we did as i piece them together.

Back to the tingle.

This guy left me in thoughts reflecting upon myself and feeling ashamed of all the times i conveniently push everything till tomorrow or another day to get it done like this blog, assignments, or other task and responsibilities. Shame on me!

Double amputee, Dwayne Fernandes was one of the participants who came and completed the climb to the top! We might have seen or heard similar amazing stories like this before but for me to see it in real life. I was speechless. He is indeed a great inspiration. 

While i complain and whine on how down life is torn by assignments, this guy beats the odds and challenges faced against him in life and still manages to fund raise for others affected by MS at this event. 

My take and lesson learnt from this. 

While i was tasked the responsibility of the donations and cloaking area, even though we had prepared a system of function prior the event to ensure as smooth as possible that things would proceed well, there were still lots to improve on. True that being over prepared is always better but even more importantly to still pay attention on how it could be better improved even though the experience ends that day.

And of course, the ultimate lesson. A slap on my head for the times i think life is tough as compared to what Dwayne does.


Warmest Regards
Grace Ye

Going Somewhere and Seeing Things Happen: A PR practitioner's reward

I've been producing information packs, brochures, conducting interviews, writing sponsorship requests, writing media releases, writing, writing, and writing and writing...

No one really sees the work (and paperwork) that goes behind an event. Sometimes, it's hard to see it even when you're the one doing the work. I love what I'm doing, but in the past few weeks, I've been wondering where all the things I'm churning out are going to, what all the words I've spun together mean and how are they going to change anything. 

This week (just a little bit past my halfway mark), I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere. I'm starting to see things in action, see people consume what I have put together and hopefully, post-event, someone might be impacted by it. 

We are kicking off the Global Good Foundation's epic year with the very first Global Good Kids Camps this week. Children aged 8-12 who have been impacted by domestic violence will be attending the camp and soaking up all the wonderful skills and experiences that will help them become confident, strong individuals. I produced an information pack for the participants’ parents which includes information about the camp's development, as well as stories from children and parents who have seen lives changed tremendously because of similar camps. The interviews I conducted to get the stories in the info pack were both heartbreaking and heart-warming. One of the interviewees got back to me pretty late, and I just got the final copy in to my supervisor at close to 11pm last night! Talk about PR being a 24 hour job (checking my email has become a huge obsession)!

My supervisor said the media release I wrote for “Jump for GGF” (a program where people who raise a minimum of $500 get a chance to sky dive) was picked up by one of the community newspapers, so I’m looking forward to seeing how that’s going to turn out. Media wise, we've got something very exciting lined up this week, but I'm not going to say what yet. Hint: It is going to be on TV!

Sponsors have also been very supportive of our fundraising and educational programs which will be starting in the next (primary school) semester. That's going to be a big one, and it is one of the programs which I have come to really familiarise myself with because I hope to take it home to Singapore one day.

I know I am so lucky to be working for the GGF, that I’m seeing and learning skills beyond public relations, that what I do somehow helps bring hope to children and smiles to faces, that however small a part I play, at least I am a part of something big. 

I've attached a story written by a former camp participant which I included in the Kids Camp information pack. It's definitely worth a read.

Danielle Han

Bentley Campus

The Global Good Foundation

15010353 

The End

Last week I had my final day at AFWA. Leading up to it I thought I would be glad to be finishing up; perhaps it’s an early case of nostalgia but I can honestly say that I am going to miss it. Like most things, my placement wasn’t without its ups and downs but I am so glad I was given the opportunity to do it as I have learnt so much.

My time at AFWA ended on a real highlight, with one of my supervisors taking me out for lunch. This gave me the opportunity to ask a thousand questions about how she got to where she is and my plan for when I graduate. I left the lunch with a great reference and a pep in my step. She even said that she will keep a look out in case she hears of any opportunities that may be suitable for me! It is this experience that makes me glad that we have to complete a placement as I have gained so much more than just skills and knowledge.

Before completing my placement I wasn’t 100% certain of what industry I wanted to go in, but I was fairly sure that I never wanted to work for a not for profit, and definitely not for a charity. I took on a placement there because I knew that it was quite likely that I would end up in that industry at one point or another in my career. Now, at the end of my placement my view has completely changed. I can’t say that working for a charity is my dream job, but should the opportunity ever come my way I doubt that I would turn it down. The work you do is so fulfilling, you can really see the impact you are having. The people at AFWA have had a lot to do with changing my opinion. Everyone is so passionate, and the team is so small that it creates a really positive and friendly work environment; an environment very well suited to me!

I hope everyone has had/is having a wonderful experience like me. All the best with your placements (and that report!)

Nat
Bentley
14280126

Not for Profit vs Corporate

This is my first blog, I'm a bit late to the start mark! I'm doing my internship with a not-for-profit organisation called United Way, a franchise company of an American organisation that links businesses with community. So really they're like the middleman of charity.

When I was looking for my placement I really wanted something in a corporate setting, but I'm really happy that I am at United Way. I have always been under the impression that not-for-profit organisations did not take as much work as corporate when it came to PR and media etc. But I've learnt that it is actually the opposite. The amount of work that goes into getting in contact with journalists and sending out several media releases with photo ops and follow up calls is shocking! But it has been a really good challenge.

For me the most challenging thing so far has been developing a relationship with the media. Throughout doing my PR degree my tutors have always spoken of journalists as if they are the big, bad wolf and impossible to get in touch with. I have always put them on such a pedestal! But when my intern supervisor gave me the number of a journalist at the Guardian and told me to call her and follow up about a press release I had sent out I was terrified! I didn't know what to say and I stuttered throughout the phone call. But the journalist was perfectly friendly and took the story on. Needless to say my fear of them has decreased a fair bit.

So far so good, really enjoying what I'm learning and so good to be out in the field and not in a classroom reading a book!

PR, Marketing, Design. All of the above?

It’s been a busy couple of weeks here at AFWA with everyone’s hard work culminating in the RAC Freeway Bike Hike for Asthma last Sunday. After months of hard work it was surreal to arrive at Langley Park first thing Sunday morning and see the finish line and all the marquees awaiting the arrival of the first cyclists. I spent the day filling balloons with helium, tying them onto bikes and handing them out to kids. Once the first riders started to arrive, Langley Park was awash with a sea of blue balloons. It was a record breaking year with the number of participants more than exceeding last years and the fundraising tally exceeding all expectations. Now, with the event done and dusted we have moved into post event evaluation and begun planning an appreciation function for the top fundraisers. Top ten fundraisers (both individual and team) will be invited to the appreciation function. This is the first year the function will be held. The aim of the function is to show how appreciative AFWA is of the amazing efforts of all our fundraisers and build a relationship with them in the hopes that they will participate in the event again next year. This is the first time I have been involved with an event/function from the outset and am really enjoying participating in the planning process, it's also a wonderful learning experience so see all the little things that have to be done to ensure the event will be successful.

Another task I have been heavily involved in over the last couple of weeks is producing certificates, vouchers and posters for the Bike Hike. This has been, in my opinion, the most valuable learning experience so far. Prior to beginning my placement I couldn’t even open a new document using Photoshop, InDesign or Illustrator. Although I still have a lot to learn I’m now able to use many of the basic functions to produce documents that can actually be used in a professional setting. This just provides me with new skills to add to my CV and from what I’ve learnt in class and heard from friends it’s a skill that employers look for. Particularly in not for profit organisations that don’t have the resources to employ or hire a graphic designer.

I can’t help but think though that the necessity for PR professionals to possess knowledge of design programs only blurs the line between PR, Marketing and now Design further! I think this is something that is probably more present in not for profit organisations though. Here, the Marketing and Communications Manager produces all marketing collateral and completes both marketing and PR tasks. However the Business Development Manager also completes some PR tasks such as relationship building and stakeholder management. The structure of the organisation and deciphering exactly what each person her edoes has been a real challenge and difficult to grasp as it is by no means clear cut. In not for profits where resources are usually stretched I guess everyone just does whatever is necessary.

I hope everyone is enjoying their placement and learning as much as I am!

Natalie
Bentley
14280126

Perks & Creating Media Opportunities

Yes, I did just spend my morning sitting at the YMCA headquarters watching an episode of the second season of Undercover Boss Australia, and there were free sandwiches. So many perks. This is because the YMCA is the first not-for-profit organisation to feature on the show and have called Shine Communications along with a marketing company to help them make the most of the media opportunities and exposure that comes from being on national television. For the most part the hour-long show shows the organisation in a very good light and the Chief Operating Officer and several of the staff members even manage to slip in several key messages as they speak to the camera. For a form of uncontrolled media I feel the risk was worth it for the much needed exposure the YMCA will gain.

Although commercial tv and the editing process does not allow for a completely controlled message to be put across, I feel that the show showed the YMCA in a very positive way. We decided to focus on the two West Australian staff members as part of our media relations plan and localise our releases for local papers in Port Hedland (where one of the staff was from) and Perth. I also suggested local tv guides, which often do feature stories on up and coming shows and thought this was a great opportunity to target a different kind of media, rather than just local papers.

I spent the rest of my day researching a calendar of charity events for our aged care organisations to participate in like Movember, Cuppa for Kids, Loud Shirt Day, Stay On Your Feet Week etc. Participating in these kind of events is great for team building and staff development, doing positive things in the community and also creates great media opportunities. Getting the organisation to participate in events like these is not only fun for residents and staff but provides great little stories for newsletters and local paper articles!

PR Crisis

A lovely not-for-profit aged care organisation, what could go wrong?

Well in all honesty. A lot.

But it’s not what happened, it’s how you handle it. And that’s where PR comes in.

Without mentioning names or specific details (yes, it is a bit of a tease but I’m all for client confidentiality and being professional) Shine Communications, where I am currently undertaking my placement, has been called in to help with PR after a little bit of an incident at an aged care facility. The good news is, the aged care organisation seemed to handle the crisis quite well on their own. Thanks to a little bit of media training beforehand the CEO went on talkback radio and did surprisingly well. As usual everything we have been taught at Curtin about how to handle a crisis from a PR perspective was right. The CEO was open, accountable, honest and apologised profusely. Tick. The CEO had dealt with all complaints voiced by the public concerned BEFORE the matter was brought up on commercial radio. Tick. And most importantly the CEO was genuinely sorry and addressed every possible avenue to make the wrong, a right. Tick.

After the incident in question the CEO then realised how important ongoing PR and message management for the company’s publics would be for his organisation, so enlisted the help of Shine Communications. After a lengthy meeting with the CEO where we listened to a recording of the talkback radio session (and consequently decided he did a very good job), we took a tour of the facilities and my boss Ruth explained her extensive work with other aged care organisations, including the peak body in WA, ACSWA and how Shine Communications could benefit the business.

We then went away and drafted a PR plan, which included a streamlined branding, a professionally designed and written newsletter to replace the old one, a media relations plan, production of the annual report and brochures with professional photography. So a crisis was averted, and as a result the organisation is now in a better place in terms of PR. More pro-active instead of re-active if you like. A happy ending for all as now all the proper requirements are in place so that incidents are a lot less likely to occur again, and if they do we will be ready for them!

Exciting news!

I have just secured a part-time job as a result of my internship. Yay! Two days a week I will be balancing uni and work as a Junior Consultant at Shine Communications (I get my own email address and everything, it’s very exciting). My boss, Ruth, works from home north of Perth so it’s a bit of a commute, but will definitely be worth it for the experience and to pop on the old resume.

In further exciting news, two media releases that Ruth and I have been working on found their way into The West Australian. This is exciting because the majority of our clients are not-for-profits who will generally only get a run in community newspapers. It is much harder to create a strong enough angle for The West to run a story. The first was for aged care provider Amana Living who announced a joint initiative with the McCusker foundation, for a McCusker nurse who will provide comprehensive advice and support for those living with dementia and their families.

The link to the media release is http://www.amanaliving.com.au/Whats_On/Media_Releases/Documents/Amana%20Living%20-%20McCusker%20Nurse%20media%20release.pdf (although it was in the paper, it didn’t make it’s way onto the West’s online page, therefore no link).

I wrote the majority of this media release with only minimal tweaking from Ruth. When she has made changes to any of my work she sends it back to me, which is really helpful because I see what changes need to be made, where my wording is a little off or where I haven’t properly addressed all the key messages.

The second release which made it into The West (which I also mostly wrote) was for the YMCA’s HQ youth program, and was about a group of teenage refugees who made a giant foosball table as part of an arts program. In this case, the story got a run in The West mainly because of the fantastic photo opportunity it presented. Ruth (my boss) will often organise a photo journalist from the paper to come and take a photo themselves rather than just providing one, the logic being that if the paper is willing to invest their own staff in following the story, there is a pretty good chance it will get run. And for the most part it seems to work. She also tells me that sometimes if pitching a release or story idea to an editor or journalist is not working, it can be worthwhile to pitch the story to the photo editor, because if they don’t have many good photo opportunities, this could be your way in!

The placement is going very well so far, and I’m really enjoying the work. However I do feel there is a big emphasis at Shine on media relations, perhaps this is just because the type of client we are working with has budget constraints but it would be good to maybe bring a fresh new angle to some of the work we do, and try out different avenues like social media or events.

Not-for-profit PR- Making a Difference

When considering your career in PR the big question is often in-house or consultancy? I too thought this was also going to be my biggest consideration when applying for PR jobs, but since beginning my work experience placement at Shine Communications in June it’s actually corporate or not-for-profit that has really got me wondering.

Shine Communications is small boutique PR consultancy run from home by owner/manager Ruth Simpson. Most of her 12 clients are not-for-profits in the aged care sector, but she also works for the YMCA, mining company FAST, the PMH Foundation, archaeology firm Archae-aus and pro-bono for the Shenton Park Dogs’ Refuge Home. Ruth generally performs a lot of media relations and internal communication activities and has good working relationships with a large number of journalists and editors at community newspapers. The good relationships she has fostered has meant that most of her media releases do get run, which is good news for her clients.

My first choice in PR was probably always leaning towards the music, fashion or arts industries. This is because I am interested in these areas, there seems to be a lot of scope for creativity and it seems a lot cooler to say “I’m a communications officer for a boutique fashion label” than “I write media releases for an old people’s home”. Although I have started working in an area that I would not usually be interested in, it is growing on me. There is a certain satisfaction and ‘warm and fuzzy’ feeling when you get a story out into a community paper about a employee who has been working with the elderly for 20 years and absolutely loves it, or writing a newsletter story celebrating a resident who was one of the first to complete a tandem bike ride across Australia in the 1930’s. It’s also a good feeling when you are getting positive news stories out there when the media is so often dominated by doom and gloom. Above all, I feel like I am helping to make a difference to organisations that are also trying to make a difference. It’s pretty nice.

Not-for-profit clients are also a lot more friendly and easy going than larger, corporate clients, which makes for a more relaxed work environment. Despite my initial concerns that a tiny consultancy focusing on not-for-profit organisations wasn’t for me, it is definitely starting to look a lot more inviting. Most of the PR work I am doing at the moment is that of a “PR technician”, honing my writing and editing skills and applying them to media releases, newsletter articles and website copy. Because Shine Communications is such a small consultancy, I have been thrown in the deep end (in a good way!) writing material for clients straight away. What I hope to achieve from placement is to practice my writing skills, gain confidence in the workplace and perhaps even create some mutually beneficial relationships with journalists, all of which would further help me get in a foot in the door of the PR industry when I leave uni and start job hunting.