It’s something we talk about a lot – getting “good PR” or somebody having to do “PR spin”. But how much do we actually know about public relations or PR?
Earlier this week, the Career Services and Placement Division sought to answer that question by inviting a distinguished communications specialist with over 20 years of experience to enlighten our students on the world of public relations.
We had the honour of inviting Ms Kiersten Chaik, the Executive Vice-President and Managing Director of Burson Cohn & Wolfe Malaysia to give a webinar titled ‘Insights into the PR Industry’.
Drawing on her experience managing and leading campaigns for consumer technology, fast-moving consumer goods, government-linked companies, and corporate clients, Ms Kiersten delivered a motivating and insightful talk to the 170 attendees.
She covered the background of BCW and the advantages of being in a global company with a global client base – noting how PR professionals played roles as storytellers and brand guardians for their clientele.
In BCW, she explained that their culture involved inculcating the right mindset to their people while being open, positive and hungry for knowledge.
To this end, Ms Kiersten explained that graduates needed to develop a number of skillsets to be a success in the industry. These skills included listening, critical thinking, eloquence, writing, creativity, proactivity, and an ability to receive feedback and criticism.
Ms Kiersten noted that there were ‘magnets’ and ‘detonators’ for successes, elaborating that the detonators were a sense of self, self-doubt and shortsightedness. Meanwhile, the magnets included being open, positive and hungry.
With so much insight provided throughout the talk, the participants left with a renewed perspective on public relations, which will surely serve them well in their future undertakings.
QIU would like to thank Ms Kiersten for her invaluable support and time, and we look forward to more fantastic talks in the future!
