Double Standard

I had to write a short blog about this. It was floating in my head too much today as I was watching TV, the US Open tennis to be in fact.

So I'm watching the US Open tennis and I can't help but notice something during the Dinara Safina, the women's world #1, and Petra Kvitova, her 19-year-old Czech, match. Boy does Safina look like a man. Now I say this with as little disrespect as possible.

But honestly, from her hulking shoulders, down to her slightly overflowing gut, to her heavy cavs, it is hard for me to think otherwise. Even the way she navigates her way around the court after points just doesn't sit all to well to me, lumbering around.

This isn't a personal attack as much as it a piece to enlighten you to the double standard I see here with Safina in women's tennis compared to the most recent and controversial example in track and field and Caster Semenya.

Caster Semenya, is the 18-year-old runner from South Africa, winner of the 800 M finals at the World Championships of Athletics in Berlin this past August. Oh and by the way she looks like a dude according to everyone in track and field.

So much so that the IAAF (International Association of Athletic Federations) is questioning the validity of her win by the basis of Semenya indeed being a man. They have gone so far to request a gender test done on her to support their claims. Her family denies the allegations.

So here we have a world #1 on one side, a dark haired 23-year-old white Russian, vs. the South African Semenya, black and bulging with muscles.

Take a look at both of them and decide. Maybe we're are pointing the finger at the wrong direction...

Back to business

Summer is over. It has been for a while for me. I guess the fact it never even started (not many consecutive days of 20 degrees plus eh?) has helped that thought along. Regardless, although I enjoy my work and workplace, getting back to my peers, my field of study, and graduating this year, are all things to look forward to.

So what to expect? I'm definitely out of the whole PR loop. This blog is direct evidence of that. However things should be looking up. Hopefully since the NFL season is starting up, I will be blogging more on the other site I blog for, sportstalkbuzz.com. This should help me get into the habit of blogging again.

Although summer is coming to a close, school definitely excites me. My last year...wow time flies. Should be a lot of fun though. Definitely looking forward to it. Hope you are too.

Bring in the charity...floor hockey style

Today I'm still tired. A lot more than usual. After a Sunday worth of charity ball hockey, starting at 10am in the morning all day, it makes sense that this is the case for me. However, when its all for charity and a good cause like CHEO, it was time to suck up my pride and be like Iginla on the floor.

Trying to be Jarome Iginla, my favourite hockey player, was tough. I mean number one, physically there is no comparison. Iginla is big, strong, and dominant on ice. Ice. At least there would be none of that, so maybe I would have the chance, perhaps.

Ball hockey is fast. The ball can move from end to end in seconds and usually does. The concept of setting up a play is lost (unless your really good and can deke through everyone) and really your main focus is getting shots on net and hoping for rebounds to put in.

At the end of the day though it all comes down to charity. For more information about what charity I'm talking about check out my classes PR fundraiser at touchalittlelife.ca.

So even though I'm all sore and walking with what feels like a plank up my ass, it was all worth getting to hit the floor running and be like Iginla...no matter how far fetched it may have seemed.

A humble golfer?

I'm amazed at golf players. They truly are top level athletes...swinging a club is so hard ain't it? I kid. I believe golf is not really a sport, but more of a hobby for people, rich people it seems, especially when you get into number of players with multitudes of Roman numerals behind their surnames.

Golf players. They are an interesting bunch for sure. And although I don't get out to the links to talk to them much, have a close relationship with a regular golfer, or am in a country club, the players and their interviews intrigue me. A lot.

The reason for this is their attitude. Now Tiger Woods I feel is the only one who can brag. He is the undisputed world #1. Maybe even the best golfer of all-time. But even he is a typical golfer, and it all shows up in his attitude in the dreaded interview.

For example, Tiger's comments after being 1 under at a tournament last week.

"I hit so many good puts that just didn't go in."

Cocky? Confident? Or typical golfer. I think I'll go with number three.

Whenever I watch a golfer interview, these are the typical responses I listen to. They go on and on about how great they played whether they be +10 and 15 shots off the leader.

It boggles my mind how "confident" they could be in circumstances like that. I mean even I perceive myself as a very confident person, but 15 shots off the lead. Your dreaming buddy. Take the caddy, clubs, and cart and pack it in.

So what is a possible remedy? How about a seasoned PR practitioner who knows their way across the links.They would have a golf partner to give them pointers in more ways than one.

What's up with all this Blackberry business?

My friends and family envy me. Whenever they see me, they ask me questions about it. They ask me how much it cost, how cool it looks, and if they can touch it. The last one annoys me.

That's because when I say yes, they grab it and pretend to act like its theirs, knowing what they are doing infuriates me as I look on. But how can I say no? The item of their affection and mine is my Blackberry...the phone that seems to do no wrong.

Now let me clarify something. I do not work for or have friends or family who work for RIM (Research in Motion, the makers of the Blackberry if you didn't know).

I'm not pitching it to you as RIM is the one whose job is to do that. I'm just intrigued as to the massive appeal, the massive brand following that Blackberry has created for itself. Let me take you back to last year around Christmas time to explain.

Last December, I was working at an electronics retailer, Future Shop. A great place for me to be. Technology, along with sports and personal finance, are my top 3 favourite things other than PR. To be around this environment of new products, gadgets, and devices was really funny.

It was also around this time that I decided to get a early Christmas present for me, a new phone. I didn't care so much about the latest and greatest, although I did know that everyone in my age group was grabbing the Iphone up as fast as possible. I liked the Iphone as well because of this peer influence, however needed to know more about it.

So I walked into Rogers looking for a new phone. Naturally I asked about the Iphone, feeling inclined to do so because of my aforementioned peer influence. So I did. I asked a lot of questions. I got my answers. But still wasn't 100% sold on the Iphone. Then I saw the Blackbery and I knew that was it for me.

The Blackberry that I saw (later I would know it was the new Blackberry Curve 8900 to be exact) was sleek, stylish and all business. It brought on a complete businessman vibe to me, a lot more than what the Iphone, which seemed more of a less serious, fun vibe.

Probably the key feature for me was that the Curve 8900 had keys, while the Iphone was all touch based. When I realize I use my phone more to text message than make calls, the sell
job was complete. I happily purchased my Blackberry and life continued smoothly...well not quite.

Whenever I have my phone out it gets noticed. I remember back to working at Future Shop. I was in the lunch room and had put my phone on the table. Then some girl grabbed it and just went nuts about it, saying how lucky I was, praising the phone non-stop, and wishing she could switch phone carriers so she could purchase the phone, as this phone wasn't available on hers.

She even went so far as to borrow my phone, bring it on the floor and share it with other people in her department. Sheepishly after a good time without my phone, I asked for it back. Only took her about half an hour to be done with it. No big deal.

When I go over to my friends more of the same. Those with older Blackberry's are glad I joined the "family" and go on about how much I must feel like a "businessman" and "high roller" because I have the newest one, at least for now.

Even my older sister, gushes over my phone. Recently she chatted me for minutes about how much it cost and how she would like to purchase one.

So what does all of this add up to, when looking at it from a PR perspective? Well it tells me that Blackberry's brand is strong. People notice it and are loyal to it...incredibly loyal in the case of my co-worker at Future Shop.

Another thing is that a characteristic of a good brand is one that invokes people to associate a certain lifestyle with it. The Blackberry brand is no different. My friend immediately characterized me as joining the "family", becoming a "businessman" and being a "high roller" all over having this particular cell phone.

Finally, and maybe even most importantly, the Blackberry brand resonates with even the most casual observer, in my case my sister. She just has a basic cellphone, doesn't use it for music, internet or sending e-mails but even she was aware of the Blackberry brand and showed genuine interest in it.

Having a strong brand is important. In Blackberry's case this is no different. It allows the need for less emphasis on massive ad campaigns and generates more word of mouth marketing, among other things. I only wish sometimes it wasn't so well noticed. Because not getting heckled as much about having one, wouldn't be so bad, don't you think?

A crisis with Crisco

Last night was an interesting evening for me. I was just hanging out with sisters, decided to put Halo 3 away for a change, to watch some quality TV (yes such a thing exists...check out How I Met Your Mother or The Big Bang Theory on CBS if you don't believe).

So while the TV was going, we decided it would be a good idea to get some snacks. My sister suggested she would make chocolate chip cookies. Add this to the fact of there being chocolate milk in the house, a great combination was in the making.

However, there was a catch. We had a curious case of Crisco shortening in the fridge. What I mean is we had no idea how long it had been in the fridge and whether it was still good or not. So we decided to check.

My sister hopped on my laptop and searched the Crisco site. It was easy to find the information. But to understand it was a whole other issue. A crisis with Crisco awaited us. Maybe those chocolate cookies weren't going to make it into my stomach tonight.

Now for the PR person, graphic designer, or combination of both who made the website, full marks. It features a nice combination of colours making it look great. But when we came to the Crisco FAQs and needed to know if our shortening was good or not we had more difficulty.

Basically, what you have to do is look at your manufacturing code or the date the shortening was made and find this number on your shortening. So we did that. The following numbers were presented to us: 3 094 201 5361.

Just an aside. In PR, for those of you who don't know, math is not our specialty. Many of us would agree that we cringe when we see a slew of numbers together. It is foreign to us. Well these numbers to me and my sister made us completely lost, more than ever math related problem I have ever come encounter with during my years in PR ever could.

The instructions according to the site would give us the following explanation: the first number is the year it was made...so the first number 3 would be 2003 (go figure)...the next 3 numbers, 094, represent the day of the year the product was made...so the 94st day of 2003 (I'm pretty sure but have no clue).

The second set, 201, are plant codes and have nothing to do with anything (then why are they on the container), and the last four numbers, 5361, is the date the shortening was manufactured in the so commonly used and wonderful...military time.

Needless to say it took a while to decipher the numbers. Were the numbers even deciphered in the first place? I'm not even sure....the cookies tasted good though.

The Crisco crisis gives us a perfect PR example of why your message needs to be clear to your audience at all times. Not just because you could make spoiled cookies. It has more to do with providing your publics with information that is clear, concise, correct, and complete - the Four C's of PR, the pillars of a strong message in PR.

In this case, will most people cooking be able to figure when in fact their shortening expires? Yes? No? Maybe? If you think the answer is not a definitive yes and you have to think about it, make sure it contains the Four C's, and then work on creating a clearer message for the audience you wish to reach.

It isn't worth taking a chance risking it and getting sick over it. Hopefully, I learned my lesson...

I'm back....

Yes I know it has been a while since I have contributed to this space. The consistency required for blogging can be difficult at times, especially when not part of one's regular routine.

After receiving new video games over the Christmas holidays and into the new year, you can imagine what it was like at my household. (P.S. Halo 3 is incredibly fun gaming online with over 200,000 people worldwide playing at any given moment...video games are indeed for the cool kids). Suffice to say there were enough long nights playing various titles online.

However, with school now in full-time swing again, it is time to put the xbox 360 away and focus on my work and the wonderful world of PR, and all I have yet to learn and uncover in it. Time to get focused again. See you soon.

Student Networking Cafe

Tomorrow I have the pleasure of attending the Student Networking Cafe. It is an opportunity for college and university students studying communications to attend a free information session to discuss options for students with the COO (Communications Community Office). It will be held at Ottawa University.

The COO is supported by heads of communications within 37 departments and agencies in the government. This makes it a great opportunity for students like myself who are working for the government, but not in a communications capacity, the ability to network in our field.

But probably the best part is that I get to go to this event, instead of taking my regular shift the government and get paid for doing so. Not too shabby. I'm definitely looking forward to it.

Getting my PD on in the government

Today was my first time outside my office at my government job. They couldn't keep me there forever. I finally broke out. Well maybe it isn't the first time I have left come to think of it.

I do go out for lunch (well in the summer at least, weather is getting colder now) and when there were some issues with our pay, we had to go to another department to get that figured out. So I do enjoy some occasional freedom. But today was different type of adventure outside the office. It was a professional development (PD) session.

PD's, for those of you who don't know, are sessions where you gather people in the same field of work and present them with information that helps them get more out of their career.

This was my first PD session in the government. I had gone to other PR ones as part of being involved in CPRS. But this, much like the ones I went to with CPRS, was a great experience. They usually you are. However, it was especially good because it had a PR twist.

One of the three speakers, was a conflict management practitioner in the government. For all those wanting to do conflict management, listening to her would have given you a good insight on what it takes to get to her level. Her confidence when speaking was evident (work hard on your presentations in people!) and she dropped enough PR lingo to keep me fully locked in.

Obviously for me, her presentation was the best. The other presentation, which was the first, focused on work harassment. Looking at where I work, in an office setting where there is support about three distinct different groups working on the same floor, a very diverse setting indeed, knowing what constitutes harassment and how to solve it should issues arise, is differently a benefit for all of us.

The last speaker talked about the core competencies, or in plain English, a set of 9 specific skills that all government employee's should have and become better at using to fully maximize their potential at work. Examples include postive attitude and being able to use technology. It was refreshing to know that these skills I have mentioned above, as well as the other 7, are ironically ones the PR program here pushes as important. Definitely a nice fit.

Overall the PD was a fun time. I love PD sessions. They give you a chance to learn something new outside the tradtional classroom, while still having that same type of feel with people taking notes and asking questions. Doesn't hurt when you are getting paid a full day for going to one too...

Having fun in PR outside the classroom

So far much of what you have read about PR in this blog has been related to what I have learned from an educational standpoint in the field. However, there is another side to PR that I have kept from you. The lighter side of PR, outside the classroom.

Yes in PR it is possible to have fun. With so much time spent in the classroom, attending professional development sessions, and just beginning your day thinking about the various issues facing the world, in which PR plays a role, it would seem difficult to make time for a party. There are exceptions to every rule however, with last week's welcome to the program party being one of them.

The welcome to the program party is the annual networking event the PR program at my college has for first-year and second-year PR students, teachers and invited members of CPRS. It is a semi-formal (PR does lend itself to good taste, so dress appropriately) affair, meant to gather everyone involved in the program in an effort to make life as difficult as possible for the incoming first years.

Yes I am just kidding about embarrassing first years. Although their initiation to the program is a necessary component of their education, that is a process which will occur in due time. What the true goal of the party is to welcome them to the family of PR which our the program prides itself on.

So what is a good way to get to know your new family you ask? Drinks for starters is a must. Throw in a couple games, business cards, conversation and now you have the essential building blocks of fun PR outside the classroom.

The night was a great time. The room was full of energy. The energy of budding PR practitioners all gathered together, is definitely something I enjoy being a part of. The first years seemed very excited for their new career choice, something which they are only a few weeks into. As second years in the program, we are happy to have them join us and hope to help them in anyway possible as they start their career in PR.

With my second welcome to the program party in the books, it was refreshing to see so many new faces filled with such a genuine enthusiasm for the program. This is something I hope will only continue through their daily studies in the program...as well as during the parties. Because we could all have a little fun in PR outside the classroom...at least once in a while, don't you think?

Back to school...PR style

I'm going back. After a summer of doing a variety of PR work through volunteering, and a full-time job, it is time to go back to PR in the classroom.

It is going to be an interesting year. I'm on a reduced course load, something which gives me more flexibility. Flexibility I hope which will allow me to gain more PR experience outside of class in the form of volunteering and working with CPRS (Canadian Public Relations Society).

Definitely should be a lot of fun...can't wait to get back in the daily grind of a PR practitioner. See you soon.

Government Job Search: Part Four

The wait to know whether I got the job was a long one. Of course it wasn't going to be any other way.

Although I was full of emotions, positive in regards to possibly getting the job, negative in the thought of not getting it, I remained determined to not rest all my hopes in this one opportunity.

In the event I did not get the job, a backup plan was needed. Just like many other students, money is tight and the summer gives you a chance to make back some of what was spent through the school year.

So with that said, I began my job search.

Since I have had extensive experience in retail, it is here where I looked first. I applied at many of the retail chains that where in the malls around town.

After receiving some calls back, I weighted my options. In the end though, I passed on a couple interview opportunities. I didn't really want to work in retail again. What I was doing was a silly process because I knew that I really wanted this job with the government. Nothing else was going to satsify me. I needed this new experience.

The days went by. No phone calls at all. I continued to work my other job, waiting for a call. I would not have cared if it was a rejection call in the least. My patience was definetely being tested to the fullest.

My call came....acceptance. I was hired. I was in. A smile quickly filled my face, energizing my body as I leapt in joy. My mom was in the house as I ran upstairs, bursting out the good news.

My mom was so happy that she lifted me up in her arms (something I was quite surprsied since she is quite a petite woman) and we celebrated together.

Exciting times for me and new challenges await for me. See you retail...hope you don't miss me for too long. I won't :).

Government Job Search: Part Three

The interview was nerve wracking. Primarily because of the fact that I had stayed up late the night before (yes dumb I know but probably because of playing video games the night before, much like the post found here talks about) and was feeling tired.

Nevertheless, it was I who chose to go through with the opportunity so I was faced with this reality and that was that. So, after boarding the bus and making the hour long commute to the interview, I arrived determined to make a mark on the interviewer.

But to my surprise, there was to be more than one interviewer. There was two of them. The job seemed to have slept from my grasp in that instance. Paying attention to one interviewer is more than enough. How would a sleeping sack of silliness like myself be able to follow two?

Well fortunately for me luck began to turn in my way with what happened next. Instead of drilling me with questions to open the interview, they asked me to write a memo. Phew. Definitely a break for me...or so I thought.

They gave me a hypothetical situation which was the topic of this memo (such as how to locate a missing file) and then gave me 30 minutes to complete this task and then they would be back. So soon I was left in the room, alone to work on the memo. I panicked. How was I going to write a memo? While I had written many for school writing assignments and volunteering, this was a job interview, with no room for major error or trying it our like in class.

After mulling over the task, staring at the paper and scribbling down what I could, I called them back to the room. I was so nervous that I had made two copies of the memo, one which I scribbled quickly and messily on one piece of paper and the other written in a nicer font of my usual standard.

However the fun had just begun. As a sat and waited to be indocterined by the interviewers, I felt nervous in my dressy attire. Although I had been in many job interviews (probably more than the average young adult) I was at the same time prepared for the basic line of questioning I would face.

The style of the interview was rapid fire from either of the two interviewers, who alternated turns asking one question each. My answers were not so rapid. I paused a fair bit, the tiredness in my eyes probably a dead give away to my readness for the questions.

They were however what I had expected. Questions were based on my experiences thus far in my working life, nothing hypothetical, all things I had gone through. Since I have had about 2 years worth in retail, a lot of my answers drew from that vain.

After about ten questions or so, I am not quite sure because of the lack of sleep, I was done and thru with the interview. I only asked one question which got misintepreted for me asking when do I hear back if I received the job. Not the perfect interview that I had been waiting for or imagained having.

At least it was done with. The wait to see if I got the job was now on...

Government Job Search: Part Two

The months passed by. I was getting very anxious. Since January, when I first applied I had heard nothing. It was mid May. All the effort in perfecting my resume, getting the right references, listing everyone of my accomplishments to date, was held in the balance on an online website.

Soon I would have to go another direction. It is never good to just hope for a job and wait for it to come to you and this is exactly what I was doing by waiting for this job. The time for me to go and search for a summer job, even though it may not be where I wanted, was growing daily. Until I got the e-mail and opportunity I was waiting for in late May.

The e-mail was very generic. It explained the five Ws of the job opportunity and not much else. I was excited nonetheless. Out of the hundreds if not thousands of applicants to the job bank, I had been selected by chance. Lucky for sure.

In the e-mail there was a link to be clicked on, should you be still interested in the job opportunity. I don't think I have clicked on anything so fast. Once my interest was confirmed I would be contacted at later date for an interview. Off to my interview then. Wish me good luck...

Government Job search: Part One

It is something that I have been working on for months. Dating back January of this year, I have been searching for a job in the government. To aid me in this job search, I turned to a great a PR mentor of mine, a professor in my school, in an effort to help me get the job. But would this be enough to stop my search and get a job with the government, or would this be another disappointing job hunt for me?

Unlike other jobs where you go and leave your resume on monster.com or workoplis.com, to apply, for my government job, I went online. It was here there was a database, which connects students to summer, part-time, and full-time positions with the government. So in January I posted my resume (filled with my job experiences in retail) to the database and waited for the results.

Before I got to this point of putting my resume in the database however, I was in class. With second semester underway and the summer still months away, I was looking for a job. The reason for this was I wanted a break from working in a retail environment. I wanted something different. A change of scenery in a work environment not in retail or even better, a job in the field of PR.

But this was something that I needed help in. I could not seem to put together a resume that would speak to these requirements by myself. So I turned to a trusted person with a vast amount of PR experience, one of my teachers at school, my PR mentor.

It is fully with my PR mentor's advice that I believe I landed the job. She was able to provide me with information of what I could expect in a professional interview, either with a PR firm or employer such as the government. By no means am I saying that an interview with a grocery store or retail store is not professional. I just mean that for a job with the government or PR firm, the preparation is similar but more advanced.

My PR mentor told me to research the company or government department (although this is hard with the government as they place you in a random department, not necessarily related to your field) to find out any useful background information. To listen carefully to the questions and speak to my experiences learned over the past semester in the program. She also told me what possible questions to expect (many of which were asked in the actually interview) and to let my personality ring through.

Would this job search end up being a successful one for me? Or would working in retail be the only reality for me during the hot summer months? I was soon to find out the answers to these questions

PR Skill #1: Reading

Of all the PR skills that make up my PR Skills trifecta, reading is definitely the most difficult for me. I remember back in my youth going to the library with my three older siblings, coming back with maybe one or two books while they carried them home by the armful.

As a grew up, I never saw the value of lying down in my bed or on the couch with a good book. I was too busy going out playing sports with friends or playing video games. Although now I still enjoy the occasional marathon playing Call of Duty 4 on Xbox 360 or the day out in the park playing soccer with the guys, for some reason I have now made the time to read a book.

The reason for this is simple. To fully maximize my potential as a PR practitioner reading is vital, as it flows directly into what is one of the most valuable skills we must possess in PR, writing. In fact I was considering combining both reading and writing into one post, but I decided to differ, as I have much to share about writing that needs it own place.

So what turned on the light for me to embrace reading? Don't get me wrong I enjoy reading. I read the daily newspaper, sports magazines, and the like. But what I had never done since my youth till now was reading books.

Books give the PR practitioner more than just the day to day, current events knowledge that a newspaper provides, as they probe deeper into a particular subject matter. They are able to make you look at an topic and understand it in a way that you didn't think of before in an effort to increase your knowledge about it.

Now that I've cleared up my reading IQ, back to the reasons why I was able to get on the reading bandwagon like so many other of you hardcore book lovers. Firstly, the environment of readers that I'm surrounded by was a big reason for my change. It is sort of hard living in a family where reading is a top priority in so many people's lives.

However it is on the advice of one of my professors, a challenge in fact, that got me to gear up and really hit the books.

My professor gave us as a class a simple challenge for the summer. He wanted us to read. Read books about famous Canadian writers, like Margret Atwood or Douglas Coupland. Read books about writing, as he is a firm believer (like I am now as well) that your writing can improve drastically by increasing the books you read.

After mulling over these tidbits, I realized that this was my chance to do something. I wanted to try something to improve my skills, so I went for it, went to the library and took out a great book on non-fiction writing called On Writing Well by William Zinsser.

This book by William Zinsser, a former teacher of writing at Yale University, who also worked for the New York Herald, made reading this book a breeze by providing great examples of non-fiction writers mixed in which his clear and concise writing style.

By being able to read this book, which is highly entertaining as well as educational, I proved to myself that doing something I wasn't so into can actually happen...and work. Nowadays you will see me at the library picking up books for a nice afternoon read. Just don't tell that to my soccer buddies about this, ok?

PR tag

Playing the game of tag during elementary school days was a fun experience. I rarely got caught. It must have been because of my speed. Whenever there was a time I felt that I was in danger of a hand laying its touch on me, my speed enabled me to escape its reach. For me, playing tag was a youthful escape for me, a chance to roam freely, until I became "it".

Being "it" in the game of tag meant that now I became the one who had to chase the other school children across the yard. With the pressure of this task now focussed on me, suddenly the game of tag wasn't so fun.

The responsibility of chasing down 10 or more other kids, each running off in their own direction, was a tiring chore. Needless to say when looking back to the days in the yard when I was "it", I'm glad are over. But this game of tag was not done with me, with last week's time in the office full proof of that.

Most of the time at volunteering when I' m not in front of a computer, looking at the screen and losing my eye sight because of it, there is a black device I use for communication which occupies my time.

This device and I, usually get along pretty good. It helps me when I want to reach people in far places, while I return give it the utmost care that it deserves, there is no slamming it with me. However, it was on this occasion in the office where this device, the phone, and I would come to a blows. My patience would be tested through a game of tag, much like in my youth, leaving me frustrated as to where I should turn for relief.

At the sport association where I volunteer, we are currently conducting media tours country wide. A media tour is when you meet with editors, assignment editors in an effort to raise awareness of what your organization is doing.

So as an added responsibility of mine, it was my job to call the big well known media in Toronto (both print and broadcast) in an effort to try and book the chief of communications of our office (I like to simply call him chief), in our office as well as athletes which reflect our organization, in an informal meetings with these various media.

But I would be working with a hard deadline. I was to have as many meetings as I could book confirmed for the next day. With the afternoon sun already pulled in it was time to get to work.

When I got back to my desk, I jumped on the phone. My first call actually went quite well. I got a hold of the assistant to the president of a large broadcast media. I told her what we were trying to accomplish and we exchanged contact info, so the chief could go into more depth with her.

Not too bad I remember saying to myself. I was excited to be talking to someone so high up in the media. Little did I know that this would be the only excitement of the day.

Call after call, with nine in total that were made, went unanswered. I did whatever I could to get a hold of these people, spending a solid at the task. In the end all that I was left with was the drone of various voice mails, which I faintly can still hear ringing in my head. I was "it" in this effort to chase down these men and women of the media, and there was nothing I could do to catch them.

After these many unsuccessful attempts, I reported back to the chief. He was not surprised in the results. To him it was very much expected. Toronto, being the big city it is, mixed with the air of being the centre of the universe whirling around, probably played a role in my lack of success he thought.

To me it just reinforced what I have already known for some time. Being "it" in a game of tag can be a difficult proposition. But it's something that with perseverance and trying your best is all that can be done in an effort to win the game.

PR Skills

In an earlier post found here I talked a little bit about the role of a PR practitioner, basically what your job will be when you get into the working field. However, what I did not add in your role as a PR practitioner, are all the necessary skills you need to have to maximize your potential and get the most out of your career.

So what type of skills am I talking about? Well they are the basic things which countless teachers, parents, have tried to ingrain into our heads as being important, that we never took seriously.

Dad: Now I know you don't like to read like your brothers and sisters, but it is really a necessary thing. You don't want to be reading in newspapers about their success and not your own...

Or this one...

Mom: How are you doing in English dear? Remember writing is very important, I don't want my little one to fall behind. So will you be a dear and get started on that 10 page book report, you don't want to disappoint mommy, do you?

Now maybe a little of what Mom and Dad have said about these two skills, writing and reading, is a little exaggerated. That is for you to decide. This isn't a place to debate whether that is important.

What is important though is these two skills of reading and writing, along with the skill of listening, form what I call the "PR skills trifecta" (I think I'm beginning to take a liking to coining new phrases see "life at the desk" in my eariler post), three core skills that PR practitioners must possess, for him/her to really get the most out of their careers.

You may ask how I came across this "PR skills trifecta". Well to be honest it came to me quite naturally.

After thinking about what I learned during this past year at school, a very long year that included 7 courses in the first semester and 8 courses in the second semester last year, everyday my reading, writing and listening skills were strained to their fullest.

Now at the end of the year, I know my skills could be much improved. If you aren't constantly looking to improve, it is hard to stay pace in as the cliche goes, a very competitive dog eat dog world, especially the PR world, being competitive is undoubtedly true.

So with that said it is time for me to spruce you up your skills. I'm going to help you improve your PR skills by introducing the skills I think every PR practitioner should have, the skills found in the "PR Skills trifecta" (reading, writing, and listening) and my experience with these three skills and how they have helped me thus far in my career. Prepare to get mom and dad off your back for once...

Life at the desk

With a second month of volunteering soon to be concluded, I can officially say that I am getting the hang of it. Everyday I come to work with a fresh number of articles to read through, interpret, and judge accordingly. Most of time when I arrive, around noon, I get finished by the early afternoon, as the speed in which I can input the articles into the report has gotten much quicker.

But yesterday it was a little different. I was in the office till 4 p.m. Now four hours might not seem to be a lot to the seasoned volunteer, however for me being glued at a desk for that time I beg to differ. Don't feel sorry for me though (I already can feel the sympathy from here) because I could have taken a walk around the office, gone for a bathroom break or found some other way to break from my duties.

I had that choice and chose not to take one. This is because I was so focussed on my work, so into what I was doing that I felt what it is like for many of those who work 9-5 everyday. I felt what it is like to have your life at your desk.

Now what I mean by having your "life at the desk" is the idea that the work you are doing at your job takes a precedent over everything else, making anything outside of this work seem insignificant.

For me this characterizes exactly what yesterday was. The countless articles that I had to read, analyze and input (45 was yesterday's total to be exact) for this months report became my "life at the desk". I could not get away from them. They held me like cement, keeping me rooted to my chair.

Whether this is something that I look forward to next week is something I'm still not sure of. While not having the ability to leave something you enjoy is a good thing, there comes a point where breaks are necessary, just to let your mind relax and get back into the real world. Until next week, I might have a better idea where I stand...

The Boardroom

A heavy metal door, equipped with a key pad for entry, blocked me from entering the boardroom. How was I supposed to get inside? With the meeting minutes away and no tools to aid me to gain access such as a blow torch, crow bar, I was left helpless...or so I thought. With just minutes to go, the secret code was punched in by a member of the office, crisis averted.

When I started my volunteering I thought I would spend the majority of my time at a desk, on the computer doing hours upon hours of data entry. This is still the case. However, everyday presents new and exciting challenges so although it is essentially the same task, volunteering remains a fun and fulfilling experience.

An experience which got a lift this pas week, because in addition to my regular duties, I had the opportunity to sit in on a office meeting, in the boardroom. Not only was I sitting in on the meeting, but I had the responsibility of presenting the hours of data entry that I had complied in a report. So here I was, in the boardroom, sitting in a puffy leather chair, anxiously waiting my chance to speak to the other members of the office.

On the agenda, the presentation of my report was the third item. As I patiently waited to get called upon, I observed the discussion of the four others in the boardroom, members of the communication team at the sport association.

Aside from the occasional personal small talk, they were all business when discussing the items on the agenda. There was a fair bit of PR jargon, good thing I had kept up on my terminology through the year, nestled in between an easy going, professional business talk. Basically they talked like normal people but sprinkled in a little PR terms.

So after the two first items on the agenda quickly breezed by, if you could call over an hour spent on two items, I was up.

I opened simply with explaining what my role is and what I had been doing. This can be summed up as analyzing media outlets across Canada, looking at articles in newspapers, magazines, blogs and other publications that mention the sport association, with the help of some pretty cool technology of course. Then I would classify the article as having a positive, neutral or negative tone.

After I determine what kind of tone the article is, I rate it on five criteria, defined by the sport association, and see if the article has any of these five criteria. Once I have gathered all this information it gets put into the report, which leads me to its explanation in the boardroom to the rest of my co-workers.

As it turned out, explaining what I do to you turned out to be really not that nerve wracking. In fact, when I continued on with the actual presentation of the report, I felt even more relaxed. Relaxed enough to speak to everyone else in the room with confidence, something that I wasn't expecting in the beginning of this.

The boardroom at first glance seemed like an impossible situation for me to overcome. Being thrust in a professional meeting as an volunteering intern, I was intimidated for sure. However with a relaxed attitude and confidence in my abilities, I was able to come out in one piece. Perhaps the access code to the boardroom could be coming to me sooner than I think...