Final Year Project
KOLOK Fest: More to Discover
Kolok Festival consists of various activities, such as exhibitions, bazaar, performances and workshops. It is an open concept half-day themed “Visit Sarawak” located in Taylor’s University.
The nature of the fest was circled around the concept CANFF (culture, adventure, nature, food, festival).
I was appointed to be the Secretary General of proPassions Communication PR Consultancy. My role is having the responsibilities to look after the efficient administration in this company. In addition, I am the ‘guardian’ in the process of meetings. In simpler terms, I handle the arrangements for the meetings, and keep formal records of the group’s process and decisions, which is the meeting minutes. After the meeting is finished, I will quickly get the approval from the top management- CEO and Deputy CEO to acknowledge and approve of the meeting minutes. Once that process is done, the meeting minutes is sent out as guidelines and reference for those absentees, and head of departments. Also, I manage the write-up of general collecterals, such as event proposal, pitch and other related factors. Lastly, my responsibility is to assist the marketing department in media collaterals, such as press release, before sending out to the top management.
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In every meeting held, I am responsible for the process of the meetings, and writing down meeting minutes (agenda, items, and to-do-list). This is to provide a reference and guidelines for head of departments. My performance indicator is to measure how well I prepare documents and agenda items, that are solicited from relevant parties, and having it distributed the day prior to the meeting. Aside from the meeting minutes, I also handle and manage the general collecterals, such as event proposal, pitch, presentation slides, and other related factors. However, if anything needed to be done urgently, I will do it immediately. Thus, my performance indicator is to measure how efficient I am in corresponding to the write-ups of the general collecterals. My performance indicator also measures my effectiveness in communication. I represent on behalf of the main committee. For example, when there is an announcement to be made, I would inform the general employees based on the matter. My message needs to be clear and concise for it to be delivered across.
Before we started the planning of KOLOK Festival, I made sure the general employees were segregated into their respective departments, based on their skills, techniques and expertise. My assistant and I sat down, and segmented the people into their departments, and quickly inform the top management. Once I have gotten their approval, I would then inform the general employees, and brief them on their job scope descriptions to the head of departments. I also created an employee list, that consists of everyone inclusive of the top management and head of departments. This is a list that contains the names, roles, and phone numbers. This is a reference to all. In addition, I also needed to brief and made sure the departments heads had created their very own email, under proPassions’ email address. This is crucial, when sending out emails to sponsors, clients, vendors, and other related people. My assistant and I also created a Google Drive folder to store all documents, and created group chats with immediate effect.
I have also created a meeting minute template to standardise all meetings that were held, inclusive of electronic signatures from CEO, Deputy CEO and Secretary General. Furthermore, in every meeting, both general or with the main committees only, I would write the meeting agenda items and to-do-lists. This has been stored in Google Drive, accessible to all main committee and general employees. In addition, I am also responsible for the write-up of the event proposal. I have created one that standardise for all departments, especially sponsorships and logistics, to utilize. Aside from this, I often check the Google Drive for any updates, or things needed to be updated. My assistant and I also assist the marketing department every now and then with media collateral items. Recently, the marketing department needed to write a press release based on MoU between Taylor’s University and bzBee Consultant. Once it was done and finalised by the head of marketing. It would be sent to my assistant and secretary general to proof-read and correct if there are any errors. Once the secretary department has approved, I would send out to the top management to approve. Lastly, the marketing department needed to access proPassions' main account for Instagram and Facebook. I was responsible to track down the previous proPassions committee to obtain its username and password, in order for social media postings to commence.
Skills or Competencies Learn Through the Execution and Implementation of the Project.
With the coming completion of my project, not only have I developed leadership skills and effective communication skills, but the techniques were also improved. There is always a rule to lead and communicate. As I have mentioned before, my assistant has a journalism background. He may make mistakes here and there. However, scolding him is not the way. Deleting his items and not telling him what he had done wrong is also not the way. Empowerment is clearly the approach to be a good leader.
Even though the role is a secretary general, however, I have an assistant that is under me. I have developed a good leadership skills. Though I am not the CEO, however, having someone under means one needs to be responsible for leading and guiding the person. In order to manage administrative items efficiently without any delays, it requires you to motivate and meditate when necessary. My assistant has a journalism background, thus, he may not know certain things. This requires me to teach and guide him. This simply does not mean ‘spoon-feeding’ him, but through observations he knew what to do- how to respond properly, how to write meeting minutes, and how to be organized. As a result, the secretary department is efficient in its work.
Essential qualities of a great Public Relations student is a great communication skills-combined with high emotional intelligence. We need to be clear and concise in how we deliver our messages. As a secretary, there were times where we needed to deliver communications back to the top management, and back again to the main committee. To deliver the messages back and forth, it needed to be effective and prompt. With bzBee Consultant involved in our project, this requires extra professionalism, and skills to communicate. Aside from this, I also developed good organising skills, when managing administrative items. I needed to update the Google Drive folders, change whatever it is needed. There is also a folder stored for documents and meeting minutes.
When the planning commenced, I honestly do not know the people whom I was supposed to work with. Certain people might find it difficult to work with strangers. Others might find it no hassle at all. I fall in this category. Teamwork is generally defined as a group of people willing to work together to accomplish a specific goal. For example, the phrase is often used, “he or she is a good team player”. This simply means a member has an interest of contributing the amount of effort needed, working for the good of the team. To characterize teamwork, it might be useful to clarify what it’s not and thinking about the differences between teams and teamworks. In one’s perspective, a team exists when an individual’s qualities and abilities are placed and combined with teamwork, in pursuit of a common direction or cause, in order to generate purposeful results for the members and the organisation. A team consists of features, such as, individual strengths with a shared commitment to perform well, it’s not just based on getting along well together. Teamwork is essential for teams to perform effectively. When qualities and abilities of team members are combined, with shared objective as well as a focus on aggregate execution, will one begin to see the advantages of teamwork. This is how proPassions work. Flowing from the top to each department, there is a certain dynamic.
