Finding pathways

 

I am getting increasingly excited about developing my communications strategy for the Langley Group. I had a meeting last Wednesday with Sue Langley, Principal of the Langley Group, to discuss possible pathways for her organisation.

 

The Langley Group has three main operative branches; Emotional Intelligence, Training People and Passport to the World. I attended the Breakfast Launch in Melbourne on Thursday 3 April 2008 for the new program Passport to the World, which looks very promising.

 

I am currently contemplating the direction for my strategy, whether it should be company based, or program based (ie. just focusing on their new product, Passport to the World). My choice will largely depend on what will be feasible for completion within this year.

 

My other option is to focus on the Langley Group ‘going global’, which will be very interesting and highly beneficial for the organisation, if it is willing to expand substantially. This would involve more internal communications work, including recruitment and increases to existing employees’ workloads.

 

Honouring honours

 

I am starting to realise the impact that this year is going to have on my life. As previously discussed, many people say that an honours year is one of the hardest academic years of ones life, equivalent to VCE. Interestingly enough, I have recently accepted a promotion at work, which has increased my hours, duties and workload dramatically compared with my former position. I am also the Student Representative for Professional Communications honours students.

 

I have always been able to juggle numerous responsibilities, and I enjoy leading a busy life. Unfortunately this means that I have little time to myself which, as I get older, I am starting to understand the increasing importance of ‘mental space’. I am also starting to recognise what it is that so many others have been saying about honours. The honours year expects more of a student than a simple thesis or project. We maintain our blogs (which I quite enjoy) for two classes, create a documentary webpage for Transient Spaces, two essays for Communication Revolutions up to the total length of 6,000 words, completion of an approved ethics approval form, and a group wiki creation. More importantly, if one wants to graduate with first class honours, these things don’t just have to be done, but they have to be done well!

 

It is definitely going to be a very interesting year, and I’m sure I will have to endure many tests of emotional intelligence due to lack of sleep and my perfectionism.

 

Documentary critique

I found today’s lecture very interesting. We watched a documentary about an ex-criminal, who had been convicted for armed robbery and sentenced to 11 years imprisonment. Furthermore, the subject of the documentary had also endured family related hardships, largely due to his father murdering his mother. The documentary was incredibly intimate, with many close up shots, interviews with family members, and honest opinions and portrayals of and from the subject, Nathan.

However, the documentary was presented in a non-linear format and occasionally the feeling of experiencing the ‘journey’ was lost due to the fragmented time frame. This was particularly evident through Nathan’s change in hairstyles, which made the context of each shot and understanding the context (such as the period of time since his release from prison) a little confusing, while also taking advantage of the possibility for non-linear narratives.

However, the author also used poetic license to create a sense of historical contrast when portraying Nathan’s upbringing. A young boy was filmed in front of the sign indicating where Nathan was raised, this image then faded into Nathan as he appears today. The boy was not Nathan, but the implication of the young boy growing into the subject reaffirmed the sense of experiencing growth and added to the sense of understanding the journey over time.

I aim to create a documentary that mirrors this sense of closeness to the subject material.

Merging Ideas

I am really appreciating the fact that I will not have to delve into the complex world of html code this semester, and that I will be using a program called Dreamweaver to design my online documentary.

I have been contemplating ideas for my webpage, as i wish to develop a unique and interesting narrative. I would love to do something quite intimate and personal given that most of my degree has been orientated around business, success, logic, and planning for my future.

My original idea was to construct a webpage based on emotional intelligence from a philosophical perspective, rather than the traditional psychological perspective. I think emotional intelligence is an interesting new age idea for workplace productivity and personal well-being, and this would be particularly relevant to the organisation i wish to work with in the future.

However, I also enjoy story telling and allowing my creative mind to explore new horizons, perhaps i can find a way to merge my creativity with my passion and knowledge. So, I am thinking that I will have to give a little more thought to the possibilities, and hopefully I can come up with an idea that will keep me interested throughout the semester.

Applied Research and Public Relations

Public Relations consistently utilises applied research methodologies in everyday practise. The work of a public relations professional requires close communication with clients and their target publics, with the ultimate goal of raising awareness of a particular product or service, changing attitudes toward the organisation, and changing the behaviour of relevant publics. Therefore, public relations relies heavily on two way communication, including feedback from internal and external publics.

Public Relations professionals may employ certain methodologies including both primary and secondary research. Primary research would include market research; gathering qualitative information, which may be acquired through the use of surveys, interviews and focus groups with publics.

However, to be a successful public relations professional, it is important to have a firm understaning of an organisation’s history, indentifying previous gains/losses or successes/failures. This research can also be primary if discussing issues with members of particular publics (including staff members) who have experienced organisational changes. However, secondary research may be required, such as; reading previous annual reports, analysing budgets etc.

Most public relations research aims to achieve a particular purpose, usually the success of a particular campaign in  relation to a organisation and the publics with which they wish to communicate. This directly relates to existing definitions of applied research.