So the whole unit is over. It has all flown past so fast. It’s clichéd, but it really does feel like yesterday that I was getting into a group to brainstorm project ideas.
I’m so glad that our project came through (generally) as we’d hoped. The parade looked great, and the turnout was more than I expected. It was so exciting to turn up at 8pm, expecting to see a couple of people and instead finding a line stretching down the street. At that moment I was proud of us, and I enjoyed telling people on the night that I was one of the organisers. As far as our original concept goes, I think we were successful in achieving it. The event embodied everything we’d aimed for – two parades, one for the media and guests, one the younger public; pre-sold tickets, entitling the holder to free drinks for an hour; and fashion giveaways. We managed to get great publicity for the shop, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. I’m similarly pleased with the execution of our project, as our group was consistently enthusiastic, and for the first time in my degree I didn’t feel as though there was one or more group members letting the side down. We each had our main roles, and when the time came for us to take responsibility, we did. Yet we were all still on hand to help eachother out and remained a cohesive working group through the semester. There were only a couple of places that I think we fell short, though not always through fault of our own. Initially we had aimed to push the link with the Spring Racing Carnival, but by the end this had faded dramatically. I think as it got to later stages, we found there was so much on our plate already that it was too much to handle. There was also a lack of communication at some times between group members and clients, with a couple of people making arrangements with them without letting anyone else know. But this was soon sorted out, and by the end of the process we were all in a high level of contact again. And of course there were some mix-ups with timing of drink specials and poster printing (in that they never were), but this genuinely was the venue’s fault. All we can learn from that is that we shouldn’t place our trust in a third party, when it’s something that we could have done ourselves. Also that you can’t always believe what someone promises you.
This group process was a refreshingly easy one. It was almost a relief for me. As is discussed in a past entry, throughout my schooling I have taken a leadership role in academic group work. I’m always making sure everyone is on track, has completed their parts, and I’m always the editor and collator. In this instance, however, there was a much more even footing. Everyone was a hard worker, was keen to pull off something good, and had motivation. It wasn’t necessary for me to act like a teacher. This project also opened my eyes to a number of factors about myself and group work. I really found that it is necessary to be in regular contact with everyone to be successful and maintain harmony. If possible, creating some sort of record that each member can access is a great idea, so everyone can keep up-to-date on new developments. The only time our group experienced anything close to friction was when a few were left out of decision-making and contacts with the clients. I also learnt about myself in such situations. I find I generally work a lot better by myself than in a group. As I have previously mentioned, this is a weakness of mine, and though I still got a bit frustrated on a couple of occasions, I was a lot less of a perfectionist than usual. Probably because I didn’t have any cause for concern with my group members’ work standards. A strength I have in group work, I believe, is to help co-ordinate everyone, and provide encouragement. I often emailed the group, letting them know what I was doing, what progress had been made, and encouraging them to let everyone know what they’d been up to.
The interdisciplinary nature of the project was also a useful insight for me. I enjoyed working with people with different interests and skill sets. It made it a lot easier to define each person’s role and allocate them certain tasks. It was also great to have a different perspective, as Prof Comm people tend to think quite similarly, having been taught the same things. I really noticed that each discipline has its place in the process of executing a project. The initial planning period involves everyone brainstorming and planning together, then advertising are required to create the promo materials, PR writes up the media materials and executes the promotions, event planners co-ordinate the event on the night, and media records the proceedings and edits them after. Each discipline is vital in the mix, but each has its place. For our particular project, I found that advertising and PR were the most important areas, as without them no-one would have turned up. It was pleasing to see the importance of PR, and to recognise how every new event, product, personality etc. relies on it. And the fact that I’ve done Prof Comm, a mix of each area, made it easier for me, as it enabled me to understand (to an extent) what the others were doing.
As we didn’t encounter too many problems through our project, I don’t feel like I learnt a lot about how to deal with them. With our issues with the venue, I think that there was little we could have done so close to the event. If we had more time, we could have made other arrangements. And with problems with teamwork, I believe the best course of action is to make sure everyone is openly communicating, and any issues are discussed as soon as possible. Otherwise underlying tensions could form, disrupting the process.
I found this course to be highly relevant and useful to my future working life. While admittedly I had hoped there would be more varied content in the lectures, I really enjoyed getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what it’s like to work in the communications industry. Having guest speakers made everything we heard much more real and engaging. It was also gratifying to see how the skills we have been learning through the years will be used in the real world – a worry myself and a few of my classmates have had. The lecture content emphasised to me just how important group processes are to work in the communications industry, and I feel like I now have a clearer idea of what to expect when I begin working full-time. One particular point that has stuck with me is that it is vital to have a clear, well-organised diary to keep track of your schedule. Without it you’ll be lost!
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this course, and have recommended it to a number of second year students. I really think it gives us a chance to put our skills to use in a real-world scenario, and this is valuable for our self-esteems more than anything, to know that we have something to offer. I’ve also enjoyed meeting some of the students from the other disciplines, as I’ve never had a chance to make contact with them before. ICP was genuinely the one subject I looked forward to each week (and I swear I’m not fishing for a good mark, it’s true!), so thanks for an enjoyable semester Christina!
Interdisciplinary Communication Project 2007 