Ptarmigan Bell Pottinger Initiative

What a chaotic 2 weeks!

I’ve had two university presentations to contend with in the last two weeks, one for my Persuasive Communications module (which isn’t the ‘evil teachings of propaganda’ as the name would suggest) and another for my Persuasive Communications module. As all our marks go towards our final course grade this year, the heat is really on to get a first at every opportunity. Just when I thought this course couldn’t get any more competitive!

Aside from university work, Nathan Lane of Ptarmigan Bell Pottinger visited one of our lectures a few weeks ago with an exciting paid placement opportunity for a group of 5 lucky students. The task was to create a campaign to promote Nestlé’s new ‘Bluebell Cow’ products and their commitment to the environment by cutting down on the plastic content in their Easter egg range.

My group of 5 pitched to Ptarmigan on the Thursday before last and although it was extremely nerve-racking experience, I felt our entire group presented confidently and professionally. Unfortunately we did not win the final pitch, but the feedback we received from Nathan Lane was that we were very impressive and came up with good ideas, some that Nestle would have used for their real campaign.

Although I am disappointed we did not win, I feel I have gained great experience from the Ptarmigan initiative. It gave me the chance to really think ‘big’ and brainstorm for ideas that a huge multinational company like Nestle would use, as well as improving my presentation skills and speaking ability.

I don’t really feel like we lost, as there was so much to gain from having the courage to attempt such a daunting task and come out with such great feedback. I’m very thankful for Ptarmigan giving students such a fantastic opportunity!

Google: The most innovative company of our time?

So you may be wondering why have I chosen now to write a blog post about Google. The company is already well established so my post will not be particularly groundbreaking. But recently I have begun obsessing over Google, so much so that I’m currently reading ‘The Google Story’. So what has got my mind buzzing? Two words, Google Wave.

Now I have always been a huge Google fan right back from my first year at high school. At the tender age of 11 I was becoming increasingly frustrated trying to search using older search engines like the MSN search and AltaVista, until my IT teacher recommended trying Google. From then on, I was hooked.

I was already unusually keen on computers due to my dad working in the IT industry. Due to all dad’s being overly keen on passing their knowledge to their children, I already knew how to use most of Windows and Microsoft Office features, as well as how to set up my PC and point to most of the things inside a computer and tell you what they did. Hell, I think I even remember watching my Dad installing Windows 97. Retro.

I remember downloading MSN Messenger 1.0 and having no one to talk to except some randomers I’d spoken to on chat rooms (again how very retro, and kind of creepy). Of course most people have cast MSN aside now that Facebook has a chat service and the cooler web addicts have already moved on to Twitter anyway, but I’ve always kept my interest in IT and tried to stay ahead when it comes to web apps.

Which brings me back to Google. I love Google products. I have 3 Gmail accounts (and a Googlemail app on my phone), have GoogleSearch on my desktop, use GoogleDocs, GoogleEarth, GoogleBooks, GoogleScholar and GoogleCalender regularly, as well as being a certified YouTube addict. I have a blog on Blogger (though admittedly I prefer WordPress) and the only reason I don’t use is Chrome is… well… have you tried Firefox?!

So, understandably, I was very excited when I caught wind of the GoogleWave application and watched the hour or so long video demonstration of it. I was also amazed at how the audience reacts at Google seminars. The presenters were treated like rock stars. After every Google Wave feature they demonstrated, the audience clapped and cheered and even I found myself smiling along with the atmosphere at home.

Google Wave will totally revolutionize how I work at university. On the PR course, we are constantly assigned to groups to work on presentations and assignments – part of the push to improve our people skills and create skilled and confident presenters. However, this does raise the issue of ‘Group Meetings’ and finding a set date and time that five or so busy students can find to meet up with their group members and create the presentation.

Which is where I think Google Wave will come in. We could just drop the presentation into and all edit it live, adding our own research and ideas and create a more well thought out and better collaborated final result. And it doesn’t end there, we could even arrange the meetings easily by simply adding contacts into the conversation and organizing the time there and then. If we’re all free we could get to work straight away.

The impact for PR is even more exciting. Imagine planning events where instead of emailing the information to-and-fro until a final decision is agreed, the planning could be done live, with participants posting dates and times, adding pictures of the venues and adding other people at anytime to view the rest of the conversation and give their input. You could drop press releases in to a conversation with coworkers to get their input and editing live, rather then emailing and waiting for a response.

I think Google Wave has an exciting future ahead, and I hope that by the time i enter the world of PR full time, the industry is already making full sense of the application. From what I’ve read on Twitter , many of the PR practitioners I know are already trialing the program, so it seems that it will catch on.

I managed to get hold of a Beta account last week, and though I’m still waiting to get my invites to send out (I have no one to Wave at!) I love the way it looks and can’t wait to try it out.

So will the Google Wave live up to its expectations? Here’s to watching this space.

Confidence is the Key

We all know the kind of person. There’s one in every circle of friends. If you can’t think of one in your group, then it’s probably you.

It’s the ‘confident’ person. The kind of person that always speaks up, is never afraid to hold back and always gets themselves noticed. The kind of person that you’ll love to hate, but are secretly envious of. The kind of person we all wish we could be.

Confidence isn’t something that comes easy for most of us. Being confident means that we’re more open to criticism. By being the person that answers the toughest questions and puts themselves forward in the most difficult tasks, we increase the chance of getting things wrong and of making a fool of ourselves. It’s so much easier to be an observer, to sit in the background when things are difficult and then jump on the bandwagon when things become simpler. It’s not hard to be invisible.

However, there is nothing to gain from being the quiet one on a professional or personal level. From my very first day at university, I began (as I’m sure many people did) subconsciously sizing up my competition. These are the people who would be my friends, but also the people who I’d be sitting next to in exams and one day competing against for jobs. Who did I think I could beat? Who did I think would beat me? Who was my competition?

The people who shone out as the ‘cream of the crop’ from day one were those who put themselves out. The ones who answered all the questions, chatting easily with lecturers and made sure everyone knew their name. PR is all about networking and reputation, and these peoples were already pros. Against the backdrop of nervous, quiet first years, they stood out as enthusiastic, bright and confident students. The kind of students who you were sure would get the best placements, work the hardest and come out of the degree with a first. I didn’t even know what their grades were, or if they were particularly bright. It didn’t matter, from the very first impression the confident student seems like a winner.

Of course without the ‘smarts’ to back up the confidence the act becomes see through over time, and some of the students that were the most prominent on the first day have faded into obscurity and fresh talent has taken their place; PR is a competitive course. But others still continue to shine on and make their mark due to their natural gift of being confident. This got me thinking about my own confidence and how others view me.

When I was younger I was always a very confident, a ‘loud’ child that loved to be the centre of attention. Towards the end of primary school and during high school though, my confidence had just about evaporated. It wasn’t until sixth form and university that I finally started to become a more assertive and self-assured individual, a trait which I think many develop as they finally enter the freedom of university where most of the trouble makers of high school have finally matured.

At university students have the chance to shine and are constantly put in situations designed to build their confidence – such as working in groups of people you don’t know and presenting previously unknown material to large groups of strangers. I know my experiences at Bradford University definitely changed me as a person and made me a much better presenter as I constantly had to do presentations on medical conditions I’ve never even heard of until a week or so before and then relay my new found knowledge to groups of seventy people or more.

Getting part time work also helps with confidence and communication skills, especially if there is a great deal of customer service involved. I currently work in a bar/restaurant and feel as though in the past few moneys I have definitely become a more self-confident and self-assured individual as a result, and constantly working with customers means I have developed my conversation and reasoning skills as well as the ability to deal with more awkward of aggressive people (especially on a Saturday night) by remaining calm and non confrontational but also having the confidence to stand my ground.

I think other people do view me as a confident person and hopefully as a good speaker during presentations and I think a lot of that is due to experience and practice. Confidence isn’t something that all of us are blessed with, but it is something which we all can learn.

Regional Accents in Business: A ‘Ye’ or a ‘Nay’

The Yorkshire accent: A business hindrance or a help?

Over the last few weeks I’ve been considering the age-old question of ‘Ye’ or ‘Nay’ when it comes to speaking in your mother tongue.

Being ‘born and bred’ in Churwell and educated at Batley Grammar School, I’ve always had a strong Leeds accent with the odd Irish slang finding its way into conversation too due to my background. My accent has never really been an issue before. While studying at Bradford two years ago and being subjected to the usual ‘North vs. South’ banter that comes with being a fresher, I was proud of my accent; of being a ‘down-to-earth’ Northerner as opposed to a ‘soft’ Southerner. But since moving to Harrogate three years and beginning my venture into the world of business, my thoughts on the broad Yorkshire accent have definitely started to sour.

My accent has been a constant source of attention since working at the Pitcher and Piano in Harrogate and I’ve even been given the nickname ‘Morley’. My accent just stands out like a sore thumb in contrast to the received pronunciation of Harrogate (how can 13 miles make so much difference!). I never thought I spoke particularly broadly, but the way I speak is often mimicked, such as the way I say ‘Nooo’ or the way that for some reason forget to use the word ‘the’ or reduce ‘to’ to just ‘t’. I am even greeted with phrases I never use, such as ‘Ey up’ and ‘By gum’!

Now don’t get me wrong, I laugh along with the jokes and I don’t get offended. I know that it’s all done in jest – the usual work banter that has helped me fit in with the rest of my colleges and makes working in the bar more fun. Some of the customers even like my accent and it’s a talking point that has helped me make friends. However, I’ve recently started to listen to my voice through the ears of others, and it doesn’t sound good.

As wrong as it may seem, there are some accents that people associate with certain personalities and characteristics. A simple google search for ‘Matched-guise test’ will enlighten you on just how others perceived you based on your accent. Though the Yorkshire accent is thought to be more reliable and trustworthy, the poor use of grammar and missing out of certain words also can make speakers seem less intelligent then they really are. In contrast, those speaking in ‘Received Pronunciation’ may sound a little colder, but may be able to give the impression of sounding smarter than they really are on a first impression (maybe a Yorkshire/RP mix would result in a trusting but intelligent professional?).

Of course any impression can be changed over time no matter how you speak, but anyone studying or working in business knows how important a first impression is. It can make or break interviews, client meetings or winning an important pitch.

Those who think the way they speak has no effect on their careers are in denial. Prejudice based on accents may be wrong, but it does happen, as this guardian article proves with almost 50% of company directors seeing strong regional accents as a disadvantage in the business world. And they have a point. Some accents are hard for people to understand, and others are just plain hard to listen to.

To think that my accent won’t affect my career would be imprudent. From just my first year’s experience I’ve realised that the way people speak is incredibly important in PR. I’ve noticed many practitioners using ‘phone voices’ in order to sound a little more southern to appeal more to the wealth of media in London. I’ve also noticed heads turn in PR offices when I speak on the phone in my regional accent, and not in a good way – the more cringe worthy way.  I can see that my accent makes me sound stupid, even when I’m making a good point and I can tell when whoever is on the other line is thinking the same thing.

So now I’m trying hard to copy the accent I hear in Harrogate, both for career and personal reasons, although it’s easier said then done as the Yorkshire accent is a tough one to shake off! For those who don’t know just how strong a West Yorkshire accent is, check out this YouTube video of a little girl with an incredibly broad accent, though judging by the comments some people do find this accent very appealing.

Out of interest I decided to use my Twitter and Facebook account to see how others found the Yorkshire accent and if it had any place in business. Results were mixed. Some said it wasn’t about how you say things but about what you say. Another user more comically thought that the Yorkshire accent was fine, as long as it was confined to the farming business. I rest my case.

Easter Updates

I haven’t had a great deal to post on my blog in a while, so I thought I’d just do a general update on what PR experience I’ve managed to get recently.

I’m really enjoying my work experience at Quest PR and find B2B PR very challenging but also very interesting. The team have taught me so much in just a few months and I feel much more knowledgeable now then when I first joined, clueless about B2B. I’ve been thrilled to see a few pieces of coverage come back that I managed to get after pitching to the journalists – something that left me shaking on the phone when I first joined after hearing so much about journalists hating PR practitioners. I’ve found the majority of journalists to be very friendly and grown more confident pitching and chasing releases. I’ve especially proud of a piece I managed to get in the Metro which I worked out the advertising equivalent value (AEV) to be over £15,000!

I’ve also written an article for Behind the Spin, which is a online magazine aimed at PR students and young practitioners and edited by my previous tutor, Richard Bailey. The article goes into more depth about the rise in student fees then my previous article, arguing the story from both sides and comparing our rates and teaching quality with that of universities abroad. It should be up on the site in the near future and I will post a link when it appears online.

Like most of my student colleges, the Easter holidays aren’t much fun as summer exams and the end of term looms, which means lots of work and revision. The bulk of the work we have for Easter is our written portfolios as well as a new PowerPoint portfolio, which can be posted online. With CV’s and jobs listing finding their way onto the Internet a long time ago, it seems portfolios are jumping on the bandwagon. With more and more employers looking online to offer jobs it’s becoming more and more important that those of us hoping to find work equip ourselves with a full arsenal of tools to keep on top of the competition, especially with the current unemployment rate where the number of people going for one job seems to be increasing by the day.

Happy Easter for the weekend

Student Fees set to rise to £5,000 a year

For students today, the most disturbing headline was the recent news that our course fees will be facing a large jump from the fee we pay now.

The current rate, which is over £3,000 per year for many students, could be making a huge £2,000 increase, bringing the average cost of a year at university (with the added £3,000 accommodation fee) to a staggering £8,000 a year, and a total £24,000 for the average 3 year course.

That’s not even including additional expenses, such as bus fees, food costs and of course, the 4 or 5 £40+ books a term that every student has to buy for their course. I for one struggle to keep buying my recommended texts and keep out of my overdraft at the same time, and many of my friends have completely used their overdrafts and have nowhere to turn to get the money they need to continue their education. Where on earth are we expected to get this money from?

Many will argue that grants are in place to help those from underprivileged backgrounds. But the grant system doesn’t work. It is based purely on the income of the student’s parents, but not the amount of money they actually receive. Based on my parents income I am entitled to no grants, however I do not receive any funding from my parents towards my education – going to university was my own choice and so I fund it alone by taking out the full maintenance loan. However, this loan doesn’t even cover my accommodation, so my only option was to work along side my course, with the possibility of effecting my studies, or take out a higher interest loan to over the costs.

In this Guardian article, the UUK claims that the huge £2,000 rise ‘would not deter students’. I’d love to see the figures of just how many students they interviewed, and from which universities they were from. In the current economic climate students are already struggling to pay for their education and have the added stress of job uncertainty after they graduate. How anyone can say that no student in the whole of the country would not be deterred from university by this huge increase is completely ridiculous.

An even scarier Independent article claimed that fees must rise to £7,000 in order to keep high quality teaching. To put this into perspective, this could cost a medical student (with their 5 years of studying) £50,000 to complete their studies, again not including additional expenses. The higher paid jobs like those in medicine may soon return to being only in reach of the rich students, who can rely on mummy and daddy to foot the bill.

The people making these decisions have no idea of the impact they will cause. They enjoyed a free university education and the students in Gordon Browns Scottish constituency and the rest of Scotland still enjoy this free education, funded by the English tax payer.

Finally, lets remember that universities are hardly a drain on the government – Leeds University boosted a £422 million turnover  in 2006/7.

Any students reading please give your views and opinions, and those that agree with what I’ve written here, visit the NUS website to see how you can try and stop the fee increase.

The Power of a Tweet

My handy firefox browser offers me many handy gadgets. One of those is the ability to add little icons over my tabs, making visiting my favourite websites a mere click away. These icons include your usual popular sites; Google, Facebook, Last.fm, YouTube and WordPress. But recently, a new contender has earned its place – Twitter.

I signed up to Twitter back in October after hearing the beginning of what was to be a huge amount of hyper surrounding the social networking site, but never really posted much until recently; which brings about the question, ‘What is acceptable to post on your Twitter account?’

I’ve read much advice over this topic, from lecturers such as Richard Bailey recommending guides to using Twitter for PR, to this short and simple guide on how NOT to use the service. But believe that as a 19-year-old PR student, there can be some exceptions to the usual Twitter etiquette.
For example, anyone who’s read any how-to Twitter guide will know that we are constantly advised NOT to constantly update the Twitter-verse on your tedious day to day tasks such what programme you’ll be watching tonight, or that Asda had run out of Spaghetti. Instead, we are told only to report on the most exciting or strictly business aspects of our lives. I however, object to this. Twitter is all about people, not robots and should reflect this. As a student, I’m hardly going to have an amazing business career, but I might feel like telling everyone that the Watchmen was a great film, or that I’m really enjoying my work experience. These kind of posts are not completely pointless, or likely to ruin my future career, and keep my Twitter profile updated and interesting.

Also, as a PR student, it’s hard not to notice to huge benefits (and potential disasters) Twitter can have for a company and see how so many businesses have already jumped on the bandwagon. In a crisis for a company, many Twitter users may produce negative posts that spread like wildfire, damaging a company’s reputation. If the company has a Twitter account, it can retaliate fast and is prepared to deal with the social media side of the crisis. Maybe if Leeds Metropolitan University had been more upfront and honest about the departure of the vice-chancellor on their Twitter, there would have been less backlash and more understanding from staff and students alike. I know all the staff at Quest PR have a Twitter account, which they use to their advantage in the PR industry.

So to finish, I’m fast warming to this exciting social tool, but hope that Richard’s prediction that it could be ‘The death of the blog’ doesn’t come true! Now for some shameless self-promotion, my Twitter username is claresiobhan…

Future Fears

On the bus to the Headingley Campus today, the headline of the Metro read ‘A job will be lost every 25 seconds in recession’. With my education mounting up a large amount of debt in the form of student loans and the only real opportunity to earn enough money to put towards accommodation fees, I can’t help but worry about the future.

As more and more companies begin to get hit hard by the recession, how many more jobs will be lost? And where will the cuts be made? Will it be in PR?

For an organization, making cuts in the PR department may prove unwise in the long run. Yes there will initially be money saved in wages and resources, but without any means to get effective coverage for the product or service that the company offers then sales will take a turn or the worse, especially in today competitive market.

However, this doesn’t stop those student who have put everything on the line from fearing the future: Will there be a job at the end of this degree?

Starting at Quest PR!

Sorry I haven’t been able to post in a while. I was away around Christmas time and has exams and such, but I have no real excuse for recently! I promise I’ll try and be more active!

I was sad to leave MCG PR at the beginning of the month as it feels like I’ve been with the team for so long and have really gotten to know everyone and my role in the office. I’ll be back in soon though to get the coverage I gained for them for my University Portfolio!

Yesterday I started at Quest PR in Harrogate. I was nervous when I walked through the door and even more so when I saw my ‘Daily Actions’ sheet with a list of tasks for the day, including things I’ve never done before such as chasing up press releases and pitching to journalists!

Sue showed me round and to my desk opposite David (who’s lecture I attended and blogged about in a previous post – which helped me gain this experience in the first place!) and introduced me to the rest of the team. I soon began work doing cuttings (which luckily I’d done before at MCG PR!) before moving on to the more ‘PR’ tasks in the afternoon on my ‘Daily Actions’ sheet.

After my initial nerves I soon began to really enjoy being at Quest – all the team are really friendly and helpful and include me wherever they can. The day seemed to go really fast and I liked the way I could let the other work experience student Lauren know how much I’d got done that day for her to follow up on, as well as set myself Actions for next week.

Some of the work was challenging as it’s things I haven’t done before, but i grew more confident throughout the day and feel I’ll grow more as the weeks go by. I feel I’ve learnt a lot already and think working at Quest PR will definetly be a worth while work experience!

Tour of ITV Calender, Leeds

Last Friday I was lucky enough to get the chance to visit the ITV studios in Leeds thanks to my ‘Research and Writing’ lecturer Jason McCartney.

As a group we were given the chance to see the large office space in which all the journalists work from and upload and edit their own stories, as well as where the presenters and other members of the Calender team work and dicuss the next news show.

I was surprized that the team was still so large after the ITV job cutdowns, but we were informed that the team would be cut further in the new year as 2 other large regional teams were merged.

After viewing the offices, we were then led down a corridoor in which all the hair, make-up and dressing rooms were located, as well as a nicely furnished room for guests on the show to wait until they were called on (at the time a ‘by day police man’ but ‘by night a bodybuilder’ was waiting for the 6pm show!).

We were then all seated in a viewing booth behind the studio itself with a glass panel in which we would see a number of screens and computers. The audio and visual staff all worked here as well as the producer and staff to ‘count it’ the presenters to each individual news story. It was very exciting watching the whole news programme come together, as well as finding out that a lot of it isn’t live (even the studio bits!) and that the presenters have a really hard job of listening to 5 people in their ear all at once while reading from the auto-cue as well as having to fill in any additional time gaps with small talk with only 5 seconds warning! Presenting is much harder then it looks!