Pubilc Relations Portfolio - Assignment Example

INTRODUCTION This assignment relates to how well I met my learning objectives that I set for myself at the beginning of the as well as my understanding of the various issues discussed in the class throughout the course. The assignment is divided into two parts. The first part is about how I measure up at the end of the course with regards to the objectives set at the beginning of the course. Part 2 is about summarizing what has been discussed in the class throughout the 12 weeks that formed the duration of the course. PART 1 This part deals with how I have met my learning objectives that I had set for myself as part of Assignment 1 at the beginning of the course. This is in the form of a report and details my learning experiences as part of this course and how I met my objectives for the same. LEARNING OUTCOME 1 The first learning outcome I had set for myself was to do with improving my reading and writing skills. I had set out the task for myself at the beginning of the course and my first learning goal was to read more articles and books on Public Relations. I can say with some confidence that I have achieved this by widening my horizon on the topic of PR and have learnt a lot from the course material as well as my supplemental reading. I have managed to acquaint myself with the course material and ingested the contents of the lectures that were taught in the class. As for improving writing skills, I made it a point to take notes of the class discussions and lectures and as can be seen from this assignment, I can say that I have achieved a fair degree of success in meeting this requirement. LEARNING OUTCOME 2 The learning outcome 2 related to increasing my participation in the class and participating in the discussions that went on in the class related to the different issues being debated in the class. I can say with some satisfaction that I have succeeded in increasing my participation both by interventions in debates about questions asked and also by raising issues of public importance to be discussed in the class. I have participated in the discussions on public sector communication with an emphasis on getting the message across to the potential audience by means of using the media and the various tools and techniques available to work on the methods. LEARNING OUTCOME 3 This learning outcome refers to attending the class and making it a point not to miss the lectures unless absolutely necessary. I can say that I achieved my target of having more than 80% attendance (my attendance percentage is 85). Further, I set a timetable for myself with regards to the course structure and as outlined in learning outcome 2, I have participated in the class discussions as well as contributed to the tutorials in the class. I made it a point to understand what the lecturer and tutor are talking about and this reflects in the way in which I have summarized the course contents in Part 2. CONSULTANCY TASKS This section details the consultancy tasks that I did as part of the course spread over the 12 weeks. The basic purpose behind the task was to start a consultancy along with other students and then act in a manner that would mimic the real world needs of the consultancy. The idea was to give us an overview of what it feels like to work in a PR firm in the real world and by making use of the hypothetical scenarios; we were able to relate to the real world in a much better way. The consultancy tasks involved group activities and meetings that taught me the importance of working in a group as well as understand group dynamics when working together. The tasks ranged from setting up a hypothetical Non-Profit organisation to lateral thinking assignments and included selling events like film festivals. As part of the consultancy tasks, we prepared mock press releases and learnt the details of how to go about releasing the notes to media outlets. We prepared releases that ranged from normal communications of products to a socially responsible release about recalling defective products. These were meant to stimulate discussion among the group members about the use of PR for effective communication and dissemination of information. I particularly liked the release about the recall of the products as it seemed to indicate a conscientious decision rather than one driven by profit. GROUP ACTIVITIES There was ample scope for group activities in the form of doing the consultancy tasks as well as after class discussions. I participated with enthusiasm in these discussions and ensured that I received as well as shared information with the other group members. I believe that one characteristic of a good PR professional is how well he or she works in a group and the consultancy tasks helped me to understand group dynamics and instilled learning about how to work in groups and achieve success. READING As outlined in my learning objectives, I took steps to ensure that I increased my reading of the course material and beyond as well. This took the form of reading up on any material related to PR and the issues surrounding the conduct and practice of PR. I relied on the journals in the library and used them to educate myself about the PR profession. OVERALL PROGRESS If I were to measure my overall progress on the goals that I set for myself and the learning objectives that I started with, I can say that my exposure to the theoretical and practical side of PR gave me adequate insights into the working of the PR profession and how it relates to my career prospects. One of the reasons for taking this course was to engage with the relevant concepts and practice the same using the methods taught in the class. By participating in the class, I was able to acquaint myself with the theory and by participating in group activities, I was able to acquaint myself with the practical side f PR. Overall, I would say that I am pleased with my efforts and I have made substantial progress towards meeting my learning objectives. PART 2 In this part, I summarize the contents of the 12 weeks that were spent on this course and my summaries would be based on lecture notes, tutorials and my minutes of the readings and the associated study groups. WEEK 1 This is the beginning of the course on Public Relations and we explored the different facets of Public Relations. Basically, this week was spent in introducing the concept of PR that included questions as to what is PR and what does a PR practitioner do? The question as to who uses PR and the specific areas in PR were also explored. Further, the development of PR as a function in itself was discussed as well. To sum up: this week was more to do with laying the framework for subsequent weeks. WEEK 2 In this week, we started off by discussing the difference between Advocacy and Spin and how both are used as techniques by the practitioners of PR in pursuit of their objectives. We also discussed the criticism levied at the PR practitioners who use spin in their efforts at promoting a particular angle to the news or analysis. We came to the conclusion that spin is employed by everyone in the PR industry right from media to ad agencies. We concluded this week by pointing out the utility of having a sense of humour when designing PR strategies. WEEK 3 The issue of synergy between creativity and strategy was discussed this week. The week focused on what makes a particular PR piece creative and the necessity and methods of achieving creativity were discussed. This week saw the floor being thrown open to debate about the need to challenge convention and the question of strategy WEEK 4 The role of the PR practitioner in event management and why events are a useful PR tool were discussed this week. The different categories of PR events along with the scope of involvement of the PR practitioner were the central point of this week’s course content. The needs for planning for PR events as well as the details that go into such planning were also discussed. The centrality of PR to event management was also discussed along with issues arising out of the same. WEEK 5 In this week we discussed some prominent crises happening around the world and how PR professionals have a role to play in presenting the different sides of the crises and help to mitigate the same by planning for crisis management. We discussed the three stages of crisis management that includes pre crisis planning, crisis management and the post-crisis lessons learnt brainstorming. The different activities that occur during a crisis and the role of the PR professional in the same were discussed as well. WEEK 6 This week we were required to present material on a case study that was discussed in class. The presentation was required to be original and involve the art of persuasion and the need to be creative as well. The idea was to develop an understanding of the difference between metaphor and semiotic and using metaphors in the process of PR. The use of semiotics and semantics was also discussed. WEEK 7 This week we concentrated on viewing a film about the way in which the PR profession contributes to selling an idea or a concept to the general public. The film in question was “A Decent Factory” that involved use of imagery and the other techniques associated with the PR profession. In brief, the film highlighted the need for socially responsible practices by the corporates and showcased how the PR profession can contribute to this endeavour. The screening of the film made us aware of the responsibilities of the PR professionals towards society and set the tone for further discussion about the conduct of PR professionals. WEEK 8 This was an important week in the course as we discussed the importance of internal communications in a PR agency or firm and how it contributes to the success of the overall course. The fact that bureaucratic tendencies exist within every organisation and that these lead to entropy of resources was discussed. An important learning for me was the way in which we discussed Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation and how the absence and presence of hygiene factors and motivators acts on the workplace environment. WEEK 9 The important part of a PR strategy is the form of public communications that are developed as part of the strategy to convince people about the utility of a particular cause like wear seat belts or don’t drink and drive. Often, the most important form of the message is the medium and public sector communications often rely on mass media to get their message across to the potential audience. Different forms of PSC were discussed along with the methods and processes to propagate the message. WEEK 10 This week we discussed the importance of complying with the legal and regulatory framework when designing PR campaigns and the necessity to avoid libel and defamation suits that might be brought upon if the campaigns offend public sensibilities. We discussed the various media laws in different countries and the ways in which one can comply with the same when conducting PR campaigns. Further, the need to protect privacy of individuals when launching PR campaigns was also discussed. WEEK 11 This week was spent in discussing the international relations and how they relate to people working overseas or tourists visiting foreign lands. This week was more of a primer on how the international laws and regulations stack up when dictating the behaviour of individuals and organisations operating in an international setting. WEEK 12 This was the concluding week for the course and consisted of an overview of what we have learnt throughout the course as well as a summary of the key points. A note of thanks to the class and the lecturer followed as this was the last class of the course. CONCLUSION In conclusion, I would like to express my thanks for the lecturer and the tutors for providing the framework for learning and my peers for providing me with support and encouragement throughout the course. Read More