Monday, August 27, 2007

Weekly Comment

This week I will be commenting on Luke Bryan's blog.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Week 7 Reading

'Media Relations ' from Public Relations Theory and Practice, Edited by Jane Johnston and Clare Zawawi


'Oral Presentations' by S. Drew


'Speaking as Part of a Group' from Presentation Skills for Students


I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
The key points from the 'Media Relations' in the Public Relations Theory and Practice is that public relations practitioners not only need to develop professional relationships with key people in the media industry, but it is also important to understand how the media industry functions. Particularly knowing when the deadlines are and appropriate styles for the various print, radio and television media industries, so that you give your story the best chance to be run. The media is one of the most effective ways of reaching your target audience, being that there are many very specific media outlets, which allows for effective targeting of a specific audience.

The key message of the 'Oral presentations' reading is that employers desire potential public relations officers with good verbal skills. They may need to use these skills to pitch a campaign or simply to communicate with their peers, whatever the case excellent verbal communication is essential. The reading also gave tips how how to avoid being overcome by nerves, as well as how to utilize your skills to make for a persuasive and effective presentation.

The 'Speaking as part of a group' reading key message was that although it can be difficult to work as part of a group, group work has many benefits. These benefits included sharing the stress and workload, can utilise the different individual strengths, variety and improve your teamwork skills. The reading also addressed how to manage group presentations, balancing individual needs and skills with the task to be completed.





The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that
The 'media relations' reading made me think more about public relations practice because it addresses how important it is for public relations officers to cultivate professional relationships with the media, as these relationships can get help to generate very useful messages that effectively reach the target publics.

Also having had my presentation this week, the readings on presentations made me realise that these presentations and debates are preparing me for the workforce. As group work, presenting and strong verbal skills are things that employers look for, and improving these skills now will only be of benefit later.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Weekly Comment

Today I will be commenting on Jessie Brown's blog.

Week 6 Reading

'The Legal Environment' chapter from Public Relations: Theory and Practice, Edited by Johnston and Zawawi

'Ethical Practice' chapter from Public Relations: Theory and Practice, Edited by Johnston and Zawawi

I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
'The Legal Environment' chapter highlights the fact that public relations practitioners need to be aware of the legalities that may affect them. This is particularly important in preventing or knowing your rights in any legal situation. And the skills and understanding of a public relations officers' legal obligations need to practiced on a daily basis. Some of the things that public relations practitioners need to consider from a legal standpoint are protecting their company or organisation's reputation and ideas, they also have a duty of care and must also think about how contracts and new technologies could effect them in the future.

The key message from the 'Ethical Practice' chapter is that, organisations are heavily scrutinized for their behaviour, and they are morally obligated to not only do no harm, but to make a positive contribution. Ethics concern personal values and moral choices and these decisions should be made with public interest in mind. Although public relations can be seen in a negative light; as 'spinning' the truth, they in fact have several vital roles and the must conduct these within their organisation whilst upholding its social responsibilities. These roles include that of a counsellor,advocate, corporate monitor and corporate conscience. Because the work environment of public relations can at times be ethically uncertain, the Public Relations Institute of Australia (ARIA) was developed that outlines the guidelines for ethical dealings in public relations.

The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that
This weeks' readings have drawn to my attention the seriousness of both legal and ethical considerations in the public relations industry. It is important to have an understanding of what legally you can and can't do, and then how this is link to ethical decisions. Not only do you need to ensure you don't do anything illegal, you may also face tough personal and organisational ethical issues.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Comment Posting

Today I will be posting comments on Monique Arnold's Blog.

Week 5 Reading

'Strategy, Planning & Scheduling' from Public Relations: Theory and Practice, edited by Jane Johnston and Clara Zawawi

'A Typical Public Relations Program' from The new Australian and New Zealand Public Relations Manual, Edited by C, Tymson and P, Lazar


I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
The key points from this weeks' reading from the Johnston & Zawawi was that a successful PR strategy includes managing the communication and ensuring that the customer is first priority. "There is a cause and effect relationship between communication activities and the achievement of an organisation's mission. It means that communication programs support successful completion o fthe organisation's strategic activity in a measurable way." (Potter cited in Johnston & Zawawi, 2004, p.171) The reason that it is important to have a PR strategy is to direct the efforts of the organisation to a specific goal, so that all the resources are utilised towards achieving the organisation's strategy.

The main message from the Tymson and Lazar reading was to outline the steps and procedures of a typical public relations plan, show how to best execute these to achieve the overall goal for the plan. This chapter explains how to best create measurable objectives, define the target audiences, complete worthwhile research, prepare a budget as well as tactics.

The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that
The Johnston & Zawawi reading made me think more about public relations practice because the ultisation of a strategy can make a significant difference to the effectiveness of a public relations campaign.

The Tymson and Lazar reading highlighted the importance of a public relations plan. The explaination showed how to best use each part of the plan so that when you evaluate your plan so that it was not only successfully carried out but those results can be measured.

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Weekly Comment

Today, 6/8/07 I will be commenting on Brendon Wolf's blog.

Week 4 Reading

'Insider Info' in Public Relations by James, M. (2006). Sydney

Chapter 11 Internal Communications In C. Tymson, P. Lazar, P and R. Lazar, (Eds.)The new Australian and New Zealand public relations manual

I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
The key points from the 'Insider Info' chapter are that the public relations industry has many varying positions and tasks that are required of a public relations officer. There are many industries that require the services of a public relations practitioner and this means they need to be skilled in many areas. This chapter gave readers an insight into the practical aspects of the industry and how to give yourself the best opportunity for securing a job in the industry.

The 'Internal Relations' chapter from Tymson and Lazar explained how communication with employees is a two way process, which is best utilised to encourage staff to behave in a certain way and to increase their understanding of the organisation. This works best when a strategy is developed to best suit the business.

The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that
The 'Insider Info' reading made me think about how that although a university degree is an important stepping stone, on the job training and experience is just as important, and this is something that seems to be vital for any student's CV.