CW2: Audio Presentation

Link to Audio Recording (if embedded sound is unavailable): http://soundcloud.com/djones-3/reflection-on-work-experience

Script for Audio Recording:CW2

The first day of professional experience had arrived for me and I had signed up to market Media and Communication at Coventry University as a self-managed project. My previous research into the marketing industry had convinced me that I should take this opportunity. Furthermore, my research had proven that ‘we are witnessing constant, and at times rapid, transformation in media and communications industries ‘(Dwyer 2010:47). This was important to consider when marketing Media and Communication. My previous experience in using social media to market myself online had given me an advantage before the project had even started and this convinced me into going into the marketing industry. Furthermore, my work on 241MC had given me PR skills that I could apply to my work placement. In terms of my CV, I feel this would help me achieve my goals of entering the marketing industry, as I can use my CV to demonstrate my strengths and weaknesses to another employer or to myself. For example, my weaknesses highlighted on my CV are that I have Asperger’s Syndrome which could affect my ability to communicate. In this case, I can ask the other members of my group to communicate with people I do not know for me and provide a better and more useful development in my skills as well as my professional experience.

After getting the task set in promoting Media and Communication as a project, and considering the action plan we had to create a Facebook page, Twitter Feed, YouTube and Ustream channel. Setting these up was very simple as i only needed to follow the conventions the Facebook page had, which was a professional, standing out design. In terms of semiology, modules such as 105MC had given me knowledge of creating designs. For example, black conotates death while red conotates blood. Using this knowledge i decided to make the backgrounds white and use the Coventry University logo on it. The white would conotate the course to be innocent and good and also would stand out. One of my strengths was applying knowledge of my course into the marketing industry, and knew in terms of promotion that considering the colours used was an important area to consider as this is what are audience would judge us on.

In terms of social media, I was put in charge of this area of the project. Being leader of social media, I felt like I had a huge responsibility on my hands and was under a lot of pressure. I have not had much experience being in charge of people, as I have always let other people do the hard work and I have sat back from the pressure. For example, when I was in a Drama group I always played small parts such as in the chorus, and so being in charge of this part of the project may make me gain new skills. This was going to be a challenge at first but once I realised it was a case of planning the stuff we were producing the project would became much simpler.

Through online marketing I had also enhanced certain skills such as my organisation and communication skills. By setting up a Facebook group, this enabled me to plan what was going to be published online each day enabling me to enhance my organisational skills as we knew what was going to be posted on a specific day. Planning material is what makes an online marketer or promoter good as they will never run out of material that way, and I felt I had these skills and they were being enhanced through this project. Furthermore, as we had to post a varied amount of material my creativity was being stretched and was slowly developing from this. The Facebook group also allowed me to develop my creative skills, as it allowed me to post different ideas up as we wanted. One of my strong skills is being able to communicate using social media, and I felt this was also being enhanced through online marketing by creating blog posts or tweets which worked well with my skills.

We also decided to write a blog post on the journey of third year Media and Communication students. This post allowed me gain contact with third year students Maria and Elena and talk to them about their journey through the degree. This gave me an insight into my development on the course and made me realise I had to keep taking opportunities as they came. Gaining this network allowed me to have a contact which I can use if I need some work in the future. For example, these students work for CUEAFS and may be able to recommend myself as a marketer if the post we wrote is successful on the blog.

From here we decided to make several promotional videos advertising Media and Communication to be displayed on the Ustream and YouTube Channels. Making these videos was going to be a challenge for me as I have limited knowledge of filming or editing software, and needed to learn as I go along and felt I needed to develop these in the future. I felt I needed to develop these skills as using editing software such as Adobe Premier Pro, as learning how to use this software may make more employable in the marketing industry. Furthermore, I needed to learn how to use Adobe Photoshop and felt my making leaflets or graphics to go along with the promotional videos I would be developing these skills for when I go into the marketing or public relation industry. One of the main problems in making these videos was downloading content from YouTube, but as my colleague knew some software we could download them from we shared our knowledge as a group and we successfully created this first promotional video. Furthermore, as I was inexperienced some of the videos had to be taken down after being seen by the project leader as they were unprofessional and were seen as amateur.

The project also involved visiting several schools to present a presentation based on Media and Communication. In terms of planning we were prepared, and had practiced the presentation in advance before visiting the schools. One of my strengths is planning as I have said beforehand and this strength led the group to a successful presentation. For example, I always try and complete my essays two weeks in advance and even try and start some essays before I have even had the lectures on them.

In terms of my development, I felt I could work on my stutters and ums and try and teach myself as If I go into the marketing industry as I feel I will need to talk to a lot of people and be clear at times. This was an important work on. As well as clarity, I felt I needed to work on my confidence as my Aspergers Syndrome affected this. As at a school I wanted to take some pictures but as I did not have the courage to ask to take them, we only got one picture, which did not look that good. Also in terms of networking I felt I was poor as I failed to ask the media teacher his contact details but as my partner in my group had his email address I will be able to contact him for further details or information. Visiting the schools had developed me too, as i felt I was able to present to strangers much more and was much more confident in my ability to do this. Furthermore, my ability to talk to people had been enhanced as I developed further experience I can use when networking again.

In terms of the working environment of the project, I felt it put a lot of demands on me as a student when promoting the course. The demands of the project placed on me seemed to be based on my behaviour and representing Coventry University. I also was concerned on the material that was being published online and felt that in the future I needed to develop a better strategy and context so there were no copyright laws that I would break if this was for a professional company. I felt I did not meet these demands as I was unaware of the copyright laws when producing the promotional videos or tweeting. In terms of presenting at the schools, I felt a lot of pressure in my appearance and so I wore a shirt and trousers as I felt my reputation as a Coventry University student needed to look good. Wearing smart clothes made me anxious though, as I always hate dressing up, but i felt this placement forced me into wearing smart clothes.

In terms of the online marketing, I felt this was one of my strengths and through using online materials this informed me to go into the online marketing industry as it is much more up to date and the employments rates are higher because of this. I also had realised that my strengths apply much more too online materials rather than physical materials and presenting to people which informed me to go into the online marketing industry much more.

In conclusion, when analysing the success of the project and my development throughout it, it is debatable whether promoting the course was a success or failure. I felt the online materials I produced were a success as I had constructed a new brand for the course online. Furthermore, our action plan wanted to get a new audience and I felt we had done this through online as well as physical materials. When considering future promotional projects, I feel we could have formed partnerships with other companies to advertise to a wider audience such as by sponsoring events around the University. I also feel I need to develop better skills in Adobe Photoshop as well as Adobe Premier Pro so I am able to create professional posters and videos to advertise companies before I go into the marketing industry. I was also disappointed in the popularity the course got from our promotion and felt the Facebook page could have been much more popular if we have sponsored other events or paid to have an advert on Facebook, but because of a lack of budget this was not possible. Overall I feel the project was a success, as I followed our action plan to a rough element but I felt we needed to slightly readjust our strategy to incorporate sponsorship events which could have been much better through gaining better contacts and opportunities.

Updated CV

Daniel Jones

Date of Birth: 23/12/1991

Address: 12, Poplars Close, Middleton Cheney, Nr Banbury, OX17 2LW

Mobile: 07727078972

Email: djslaptop@googlemail.com

Twitter: @djones123t

Disabilities: Asperger’s Syndrome

Objective: ‘To gain experience in the promotion industry that will lead me with skills that are desirable and will make me continue to grow with confidence’

Personal Statement:  ‘I take every challenge as it comes. My long term goal is to work in the marketing and promoting industry as my wide knowledge in using social media and at university has given me professional skills to the highest level.’

Work Experience

Coventry University – Promotional Manager – October 2011 – Current

Responsible for marketing Media and Communication at Coventry University through online as well as offline activity.

Source Television - Online Manager – October 2011 – Current

Responsible for any online activity that is published based on Coventry Universities Source Television. Publishing Source Television’s Facebook, Twitter and Wikipedia page.

BBC Radio Swindon and Wiltshire – February 2010

A day’s experience news editing in the news room as well as helping out producing the afternoon show.

The Mill Arts Centre – March 2007

One week’s experience organising the print based material in the marketing office. I was involved in helping to set up the lighting boards for the evening’s performances.

Education 

Coventry University: Currently studying – (2^nd Year) BA Hons Communication, Culture and Media

Oxford and Cherwell Valley College: A Levels

History C, Media Studies C, Drama and Theatre Studies D

Blessed George Napier

GCSEs

Maths C, Drama D, English Language C, History C, English Literature B, Science C, Additional Science B, Religious Studies B, Business Studies C, BTEC in Physical Education – Distinction (Equivalent to two A’s)

Skills

Research Skills: Knowledge of Methodological Approaches to Research, Online Skills

Creativity: Produced many YouTube videos, designed my own blog cover

New Media: Using Social Media to promote myself, Twitter has over 2,050 followers

Basic Adobe Flash Professional Skills: Created a short 3 minute animation using Flash

Basic Adobe Audition Skills: Editing Sound clips, producing radio adverts

Communication Skills: Can do weekly presentation in front of around 20 other people

Teamwork: Was part of over 6 groups in my first year

Hardworking: Achieved 6 1^st in my modules for my first year of my degree

Able to work in a fast environment: Can produce four media artefacts in four weeks

Audience Studies: Knowledge of how an audience reacts to different media texts

Employment

Newsquest: Paper round – September 2006 – July 2009

The New Inn Pub: Cleaner- September 2009 – September 2010

Driving

Full UK Driving Licence, Pass Plus

Hobbies

Drama: Bodicote Youth Drama Group, Banbury Cross Players

Watching Television/Sport

Running: Silverstone Half Marathon, Banbury Two Mile

Blogging: danieljones47.wordpress.com

Source Radio: Assistant in Advertising

Coventry University East Asian Society: Assistant in Review Writing

References

Martyn Lee:  Tutor. Coventry University, Ellen Terry Building, Email: m.lee@coventry.ac.uk

Tony Hirons: Family friend. 36 Bull Baulk, Middleton Cheney, Nr Banbury, OX17 2QQ

List of Contacts

Maria Kamarashka – 3rd Year Student

Elena Rapondzhieva – 3rd Year Student

Martyn Lee – Tutor at Coventry University

John Harrison - Lyng Hall Media Lecturer

Sheryl Lawlor – Barr Hill Media Lecturer

Debbie Hotten – Coundon Court Media Lecturer

Day 20: Conclusion of the Project

In conclusion, when analysing the success of the project it is debatable whether promoting the course was a success or failure. I felt the online materials we produced were a success as our action plan wanted to get a new audience and I felt we had done this through online materials.In terms of social media, the Facebook and Twitter pages were a success as they gathered a large following over a long period of time. On the other hand, the Facebook and Twitter pages as well as the the course could have been much more popular if we have sponsored other events or paid to have an advert on Facebook, but because of a lack of budget this was not possible. When considering future promotional projects, I feel we could have formed partnerships with other companies to advertise to a wider audience such as by sponsoring events around the University.

I also feel I need to develop better practical skills such as in Adobe Photoshop so I am able to create professional posters to advertise companies or I could gain contacts with graphic designers such as my sister. Furthermore, I feel I needed to develop better skills in Adobe Premier Pro so I am able to create videos advertising the company I am promoting. One of my failures were the practical elements of the project and felt I needed to develop these further in the future.

Overall I feel the project was a success, as we followed our action plan to a rough element and we had managed to develop a brand for Media and Communication at Coventry University, and we had developed the nickname MediaComCov for online use. On the other hand, I felt we needed to promote about the actual applications of the course which could have increased the applications of the course. We also could have improved the physical elements such as the leaflets which could have made us stand out as much more professional. Overall their were successes and failures of the project and this feedback on the project by the project leader (Martyn Lee) will explain further the groups, as well as my development on the project promoting Media and Communication at Coventry University. The recording with our overall  feedback is below:

Following on from this we decided as a group to discuss our results and our overall performance within the project as an individual, as well as a group. Part 1 and 2 of this discussion is below:

Day 18 – 19 Making and Distributing Marketing Flyers

In order to promote the course physically as well as online, we felt as a group we had to produce some flyers to hand round to people at the schools as well as on the street. Making these flyers was not very difficult in terms of my skills as I have a strong skill in computers and so knew easily how to make the flyers. Furthermore, we were able to develop are creative skills by making these flyers. Overall the production of these flyers seemed to flow smoothly and as a team our strengths made this project much easier.

On the other hand, one of the problems of making these flyers was sticking to the brand we had been promoting the course online. This brand was a professional course with a high reputation, and knew we had to include some of the colour blue as we had been using this colour through our blog as well as on other social networks. This limited are ability to be creative as we could not use any funny pictures or strange designs as we would be going against our brand. Another weaknesses in developing these flyers was are ability to work as a team. I felt we needed better communication between us as all the work was being piled on myself. After reflecting on our teamwork I felt we could have divided the labour up between us which would have made the project much easier and we could have developed further flyers to hand out.

In terms of the distribution of the flyers I felt we could have found a way to have printed more as we could not print many due to the amount of printing credits we had. As a group if we had tried to get more printing credits or some money to cover the cost we could have handed more out and increased the popularity of the course on-line as well as offline. Overall a fair amount of leaflets were distributed through the schools we visited as well as on the street but we could have printed more if we had enquired.

Overall making and distributing these flyers led to some weaknesses as well as strengths. The flyers we created are below:

Day 16 – 17 Visiting Barr Hill School

For our next stage in promoting Media and Communication at Coventry University we decided to visit Barr Hill School in Coventry and present to the Media Students. Again, organising this event was difficult as I had emailed the staff several times at the school which made me have to think in a professional manner and not harass them too much with emails. This school was particularly difficult as the previous teacher had been let down by Coventry University before and we needed to prove how reliable we were. After receiving confirmation that we could come in and present I felt I had achieved something as previously as i have always struggled with networking as I have Asperger’s Syndrome but because I could use social media it made the networking process much easier.

After arriving at the school I was not nervous as I had experience in presenting and had previously visited Lyng Hall and Coundon Court and presented to a similar audience. I had be careful though as this confidence could easily be over driven and needed to make sure i was not turning out as a ‘know it all’. This would have put the students off the course and was not what we wanted as a group. Luckily, this did not happen as I have been on stage before and always make sure i am presenting well and made sure of this in this situation.

Furthermore as we had designed previous leaflets I felt this helped us look much more professional and encouraged the students to interact with our on-line material.  We also decided to design some new leaflets for the students at this school and try a new strategy to get their attention and get them involved in online participation. I felt this worked as they the students seemed to like them as a student stated how she liked the design. The new leaflet design is below:

Overall, in terms of the presentation I felt the school was interested through the leaflets and preparation and hopefully this would generate more interest on-line after visiting Barr Hill. In terms of applications and referring to the action plan I feel the factor that the course is local may be an advantage as well as a weakness. Their may be a balanced opinion between students whether they want to stay and study the course  or leave and move away from their parents. This is the challenge we needed to address and felt we did this though advertising the opportunities the course brings you through Coventry Conversations or other projects compared to the locality of the course. Overall I feel the several visits to the schools had given us contacts we could use in the future as well as generated interest in the course as well which was the main objectives we wanted to achieve. Below are the emails we sent to Barr Hill School and the reply we got to confirm we could visit Barr Hill School:

Email Sent to Barr Hill:

‘Sheryl 

Yes, i sent this and we can come in on the Thursday 26th April at 2.45pm if this is okay. Will we have access to a computer and projector as we have a powerpoint presentation.

Twitter: @MediaComCov

Blog: mediaandcommunicationcov.wordpress.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Media-and-Communication-at-Coventry-University/140141426088965‘

Email to Confirm Visit to Barr Hill School by Sheryl Lawlor:

‘No problem. Come to reception and they’ll call me from there and I’ll fetch you.

 

Thanks

 

S’

Below are some images of our visit to Barr Hill School:

Day 15 – 16 Visiting Coundon Court School

For our next stage in promoting Media and Communication at Coventry University we decided to visit Coundon Court School in Coventry and present to the Creative Media Students. To start with, organising this event was difficult as I had emailed the staff several times at the school which made me have to think in a professional manner and not harass them too much with emails.  After receiving confirmation that we could come in and present I felt I had achieved something as previously as I have always struggled with networking as I have Asperger’s Syndrome but because I could use social media it made the networking process much easier.

Furthermore, one of my colleagues could not make it in and my colleague only gave us half hour notice and we were relying on this colleague for transport but as the colleague could not come in I needed to think on the spot about how to get to the school. We decided to take a taxi and eventually arrived at Coundon Court school. I also developed my ability to work under pressure as I was under pressure to get the school, but after realising I had to take control my ability to work under pressure started to develop and relax.

After arriving at the school I was slightly nervous as I did not know how the students would behave or whether they would be interested in the course. Furthermore, as I had to fill in for the missing colleague I was much more nervous as I had not planned these parts. I managed to write out some notes on the colleagues slides which made me prepared before the actual presentation. Luckily, I managed to implement one of strengths of preparation.

I felt part of my job was to convince them that the course is exciting and felt we had done this through the Powerpoint we used.  On the other hand I was convinced I would be okay as I had previous experience presenting as part of my course as well as when we went to Lyng Hall. Furthermore, we had practised well and we were confident as a group and that would make the presentation look professional and good. I felt this experience and practise paid off as the presentation was a success as the students enjoyed it and seemed to stay interested.

On the other hand while presenting I realised that technical problems can come across and make the presentation not so as good. For example, while presenting at Coundon Court the YouTube videos would not play as the internet was slow and so it was difficult to get the message  that the course is exciting and fun across. It was important to realise that technical errors can form and we needed to take this into consideration in the future.

As we had designed previous leaflets I felt this helped us look much more professional and encouraged the students to interact with our on-line material. Unfortunately as some of the leaflets printed out in black and white we could not print them again as I had a little amount of printing credits. To fix this issue we decided to mix them up and explain that some leaflets were different colours. This was a weakness as it made us seem unprepared and slightly unprofessional after finsihing the presentation and handing them round. It also made the students slightly uninterested in the leaflets as some of them were in black and white and some students did not take their leaflets home with them.

Overall in terms of preparation I felt the school were interested and hopefully this would generate more interest online after visiting Coundon Court. In terms of applications and referring to the action plan I feel the factor that the course is local may be an advantage as well as a weakness. Their may be a balanced opinion between students whether they want to stay and study the course  or leave and move away from their parents. This is the challenge we needed to address and felt we did this though advertising the opportunities the course brings you through Coventry Conversations or other projects compared to the locality of the course. Below are the emails that were sent by us and the confirmation email by Coundon Court we received is also below:

The email sent by our group to Coundon Court:

‘Dear Sir/Madame

We are a group of Coventry University students studying Media and Communication and our working on a work placement promoting our course. We are interested in visiting to give a short 20 minute presentation to your media students. Would it be possible to organise a date and time to come in and deliver a short presentation about the course in general. Our contact details are below

Twitter: @MediaComCov
Blog: mediaandcommunicationcov.wordpress.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Media-and-Communication-at-Coventry-University/140141426088965‘

The email confirming the visit to Coundon Court by Debbie Hotten:

 

‘Thank you for your email, yes of course this would be fine.

 

The best time for us, would be for you to come in and speak to our current Year 13 BTEC Creative Media students, they have a lesson on a Wednesday from 8.50am - 12noon so anytime to suit between then from Wednesday 25th April. I have copied in my colleague Shona Baxter who is the classroom teacher for this group.

 

Please copy us both in on your response.

 

Kind Regards

 

Debbie

 

Debbie Hotten

Head of Media Studies and BTEC Performing Arts

EXT 1375′

Below are some pictures of our visit to Coundon Court School:

Day 14 – 15 Promotional Videos

From here we decided to make several promotional videos advertising Media and Communication at Coventry University to be displayed on the Ustream and YouTube Channels. Making these videos was going to be a challenge for me as i have limited knowledge of filming or editing software, and needed to learn as I went along. I felt i needed to develop these skills as using editing software such as Adobe Premier Pro, may make more employable in the marketing industry. Furthermore, i needed to learn how to use Adobe Photoshop and felt by making leaflets or graphics to go along with the promotional videos I would developing these skills for when i go into the marketing or public relation industry.

The first promotional video was a mixture of work students had created on the course. One of the main problems in making this video was downloading the videos form YouTube, but my colleague knew some software we could download them from. The second and third videos were made to advertise Media and Communications on-line activity. These videos were much simpler as all we had to do was record what we were doing on the laptop screen and make it into videos advertising Media and Communications on-line activity. Gradually producing these videos became much easier as I became much more used to the software and my ability to produce the videos developed. By sharing our knowledge we successfully created several promotional videos which are below:

Promotional Video 1

Promotional Video 2

Promotional Video 3

Critical Reflection of a Press Conference

When critically reflecting on the press conference organised on the case study based on St Martyn’s Hospital’s recovery campaign known as Save St Martyn’s (SSM) it is important to consider my strengths and weaknesses and consider the effectiveness of the event. When narrowing these aspects down, the process of decision making, the design and visual elements and the crises management of the press conference are areas which are important to consider and how I developed these areas over time. Furthermore, the knowledge of certain experts and the impact my decisions had on others are also important parts in the successes and failures of the press conference. One of the main ways to have a successful press conference is to make sure the company is ‘prepared’ and is ‘able to defend your reasons for making the decisions’ (The Executive blog 2011) and through critical reflection it is important to examine how as a company I represented St Martyn’s Hospital.

Firstly, when critically reflecting on the decision making process and how they developed over time it is important to consider in terms of development the aspect of setting objectives. From the beginning of the module, I had a range of options to consider in how to come up with decisions but I decided to set objectives as I went along so this would help the group to ‘make a decision and justify’ it (Public Relations Society of America 2001: 2).  By setting objectives a clear ethical system of decision making was achieved and together we formed a ‘jigsaw of the complete scheme, time, money and resources permitting’ (Jefkin 1988:72). A positive aspect in terms of the decision making process was my ability from the start to set objectives based on the case studies and meet them on time, having an effect on the final press conference result. For example, the first objective based on the second case study was to learn the case study and know it inside out, and research anything the group was unsure about as the journalists could pick up on this. This was successfully achieved as I found that St Martyn’s hospital is 10 miles away from the new hospital in Vocentry and Wirchester, and local residents rely on its services which I used to persuade the journalists to a positive story in the press conference. By setting objectives, I developed my ability to make decisions which was able to benefit the group enabling them to form a ‘jigsaw of the complete scheme’ (Jefkin 1988:72).

As well as setting objectives, the strategies I used are also important to consider in terms of decision making and how I developed skills through using certain strategies. A strategy can be described as ‘a unique mixture of mental energy verbally injected into an organisation through communication, which results in behaviour that achieves organisational objectives’ (Lukaszeweski 2001). One strategy of decision making that I subconsciously used was the POSTAR strategy. POSTAR is a ‘strategy designed to help you construct your PR plan’ (Morris and Goldsworthy 2012: 234). By gaining a position, objective, strategy, tactic, administration and result I was able to construct a PR plan which led the group to a strong and well thought out press conference. For example, from the planning stages to the actual press conference I had realised I had subconsciously followed the POSTAR system. I had a position set as the case study had highlighted the problems that we needed to address. Furthermore, I had established an objective of making a positive angle to explain the hospital campaign based on the case study. In terms of the other POSTAR options, these were made without realising through the planning stages creating a debatably successful press conference. By using the POSTAR strategy subconsciously I had developed new skills such as being able to gain a position specifically which takes up a PR approach. As John Mair suggests if you get your facts together you have better chance of succeeding (Coventry Conversation Podcast 2012). My ability to follow the POSTAR strategy had impacted on the group’s decision making as it had given the group helpful facts and information when it came to actually making a decision.

In terms of developing, my abilities to decide decisions had improved through using certain strategies. Another strategy that can also be considered is around the execution and delivery of the press conference. One of the main points you need to consider when considering execution is what Morris suggests as to ‘try to stick to the essential information needed to understand what you are saying’ (2012: 241).  I decided to only say certain information they needed to prevent the journalists from criticising us. Furthermore, the strategy to ask Niko to speak was perfect as he had originally had practised through the mock press conference. This strategy worked well as Niko had experience presenting which is highlighted as ‘experience comes to the fore’ (Morris 2012: 1). On the other hand, as I was chosen to read a statement I felt I let the group down as I had little experience but as the group had considered this stage in advance we could make sure the statements on St Martyn’s were correct and we were not contradicting ourselves with the case study.

In terms of decision making processes, it is important to consider how the decisions about the audience developed. As Morris suggests, ‘as with any form of PR communications you need to understand them or you will not connect with them’ (2012: 238). Unfortunately, I failed to decide a certain audience the press conference was aiming at as I felt it was unnecessary and had not considered Morris’s point. This was one of my weaknesses as in the past I have not considered who is going to use the information being presented and often rush my work. As I had not considered a certain audience, too much information on the virus spreading rather than the hospitals state was being released. This led to irrelevant information being presented to a disinterested audience. This has made me realise for next time that the audience is the most important aspect to consider in PR, but as the group did not consider this they did not connect with the journalists as well. This is also highlighted by comedy producer John Plowman who states how important it is to know your audience (Coventry University Podcasts 2012).

On the other hand I considered the Uses and Gratifications model when assessing the information to be released. For example, Chandler suggests Uses and Gratifications ‘presents the use of media in terms of the gratification of social and psychological needs of the individual’ (Blumler and Katz 1974). Using this model was one of my strengths as the journalists used this model a lot to decide what to do with the information they were being given, as well as the audience.

Following on from this, how I researched into the case study is important to consider as ‘research is basically a decision making process. At every stage you’ll have to make compromises with what’s ideal’ (Philliber and Bast 1980). After considering the research material, I had to make compromises into what was needed and learnt over the two press conferences into what was relevant. For example, by looking at people’s reactions and use of spin itself I could judge what research was helpful. One of the stronger topics of research was into the work of spin.  After I decided to use the process of research to aid the group’s decision about how to use spin to influence a positive reaction about St Martyn’s from the journalists, I decided to look at samples of successful spin campaigns. This decision process of research also led me to realise how they can use spin similarly to the hypodermic syringe.  I decided to make the group promote St Martyn’s in a positive way by supporting celebrities such as Jamie Oliver who had brought a new menu, and protect the local families who rely on the hospital’s service. This took up what Bernay suggests as new propaganda which ‘serves to focus and realise the desire of the masses. A desire for a specific reform, however widespread, cannot be translated into action until it is made articulate’ (1928). The hypodermic syringe model is also a good example of how spin can be used in a press conference to ‘inject a reassuring fake consciousness’ (Stephens and Leach 1998: 471). By considering researching I was able to lead the group to a spin campaign and make St Martyn’s survive through using the hypodermic needle theory. Positively, the successful decision process of research had led the press conference to use spin to its advantage and in terms of the media coverage and spin the press conference worked well.

Decision making is also important to be done as a group. By working on decisions as a group,  ‘the group gains access to a collection of knowledge that is greater than that of any single individual’ (Implementer 2012). When considering the decision making process in groups this was mainly done within the press pack. Furthermore, the decisions around the press pack such as what to put in it were made all together as a group majority which clearly was a benefit as ‘the group gains access to a collection of knowledge’ (Implementer 2012). Working as a group can be seen as one of my weaknesses as I have Asperger Syndrome which can affect communication, but though the use of a collection of information I was able to develop strong group work skills. Furthermore, by making decisions as a group on the press pack this portrayed a major influence in the journalist’s discussion and created a positive press conference. As McNair notes, ‘a key ‘extramedia’ in influencing media agendas and content is the production of sources’ (143:1998).  Most of the main decision processes in terms of the press pack were made as a group and were produced on the last day before the press conference.  This was positive as making decisions as a group led the group into knowing the press pack inside out and making it late made the press pack much more up to date and consider the crisis event which had happened on St Martyns.

The design and visual information of the press conference was important to critically consider. Within the mock, visual elements were lacking and I realised in order to take control we needed a PowerPoint and logo to represent the company. After learning from this, the visual parts of the press conference were important to consider as ‘image’ is part of the 5 ways of PR. As ‘image/ reputation management looks primary to publicity’ (Hutton 1999:208). Unfortunately, the visual elements around the Save St Martyn’s campaign (SSM) were poorly produced as a group as we had not considered hiring a graphic designer and I was inexperienced. One of my weaknesses may be my ability to use technology without considering I am inexperienced. For example, in the past I have used Adobe Photoshop and the end result has come out poorly. The final image had an affect on the company’s reputation as Hutton suggests, by having an unprofessional logo this led the company to fail in ‘using communication to build and hold goodwill’ (Hutton 1999:2000). Millman also suggests ‘Brands are a ubiquitous part of our culture. Everyone interacts with them everyday’ (2011:8).  The final logo for St Martyn’s Hospital could have been improved which would ‘build and hold goodwill’ (Hutton 1999: 2000). This is also demonstrated by digital journalist Judith Townsend (Coventry University Podcasts 2012) as she suggests how what people see online is constructed and has a meaning which as a group we did not consider.

Furthermore, in terms of visual and design communication, outside technology was important to consider in the decision making process and how this could have changed the whole outcome of the press conference. As Hiebert points out that ‘we might be witnessing , in the early 21^st Century, a return to participation in the public mind and sphere, brought about by the computer, the internet, the world wide web’ (2005: 4). My decision not to incorporate outside technology such as digital media within the press conference using visual information was a poor decision, as it lacked knowledge of outside corporations.  Deciding not to use digital media meant that after conducting the press conference there was a lack of online public activity which could have helped the campaign. David Haywood also highlights this online participation by summarising it as ‘the changing world of media’ (Coventry University Podcasts 2012). Furthermore,  another failure of mine was how in terms of visual elements I did not consider looking at the work of McLuhan on the ‘the medium is the message’ (1964) because everything he talks about is what a public relations worker should consider in terms of visual communication.

Another area to consider was the aspect of crisis management. One of the weaknesses of the press conference was how I had not considered planning for the crisis. Butterick suggests ‘how it responds in the immediate aftermath is crucial. Carefully planning and how to respond to a crisis and implementing a pre-arranged crises communication plan are both vital’ (Butterick 2011:72). As I had not considered Butterick’s work, the group’s failure to consider planning for the crisis such as forming a crisis team and producing a crisis manual led to the group’s downfall in the press conference as they were unprepared and a communication plan had not been considered. This led to some mistakes in the press conference which led the journalists onto other stories or rumours. The breaking news of an outbreak of food poisoning on a three year old boy forced the group to explain that the hospital had found that it was gastroenteritis and that this was not the hospitals responsibility which had an effect on the group’s reputation as it seemed like they were lying as we were unprepared. Morris explains ‘a crisis is a time of danger or difficulty. Events suddenly, and usually surprisingly, spiral out of control’ (Morris 2012:289). After receiving a crisis in the mock press conference, I thought I would have prepared for this crisis but because of a lack of time we did not. One of my weaknesses can be to react under pressure and the pressure of the crisis made me realise this in the press conference and led the crisis to spiral out of control.

In conclusion, after critically reflecting on the processes of decision making, the design and visual communications, and the crisis management options within the press conference it is debatable whether the main goal of saving the brand of St Martyn’s Hospital was achieved. Positively, the well conducted decision making process of planning objectives and following the POSTAR strategy  that took place led to a well organised press conference, giving us a ‘strategy designed to help’ us construct a PR plan (Morris and Goldsworthy 2012:234). For example, I set the objective of learning the case study which had impact on the knowledge of the group on the hospital within the press conference. Furthermore, the decision process of research worked well as research into spin campaigns had proven beneficial as it led the group to start producing material in relation to Bernay’s work on Propaganda and the Hypodermic Syringe (1928). On the other hand, it was important to consider my participation during crisis management which may have impacted on the outcome of the press conference as the decision to not plan for crisis led to a fairly negative outcome of St Martyn’s. When considering my development through decision making , visual communication and in crisis management it is clear how I have developed much better ways of strategically coming up with decisions instead of making up decision processes. Furthermore, visually I have become more aware of the aspects of visual communication which came through in the press conference but in an unprofessional manner. When considering the group work I have developed an ability to speak out in groups much more through this preparation. Overall I feel the group had successful represented St Martyn’s as positive through the use of decision making processes, but the visual elements and crisis management let the hospital’s reputation down.