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Written by: Angela Frangos, University of Guelph-Humber Public Relations student and CPRS Student Steering Committee Representative

On Oct. 27, CPRS Toronto’s Student Steering Committee (SSC) hosted its first virtual networking event, a Virtual Coffee Chat. With speakers Jenny Shin, Mark Strong and Michelle Dias, 38 attendees learned about their careers and how COVID-19 has impacted them in small breakout rooms. 

Pre-event

For many members of the SSC, this was our first experience attending and running a virtual event. We knew that for students to benefit from this event, groups needed to be small. Rather than limit the number of potential attendees, we opted for breakout rooms. We began with all attendees in the main Zoom room, broke them up into three breakout rooms and rotated the speakers through the three rooms at 30-minute intervals. 

With the truncated time-frame that this event was planned in, promoting to students was essential. Our social media team began by planning posts on our Twitter and Instagram accounts, which were shared with accounts specific to schools with PR programs. We also planned a giveaway, incentivizing attending this first event, with the winner receiving free tickets to our highly anticipated Passport to PR event in November. SSC student representatives also emailed program coordinators, who contacted PR students at various GTA schools. This direct outreach with various contacts not only fostered relationships but increased the reach of our event. 

When running a virtual event, a thorough knowledge of the technology being used is key. Aside from researching the registration and event platforms, we completed run-throughs of the event in advance. We ran through the event with and without the speakers in attendance to determine how to set up the breakout rooms, whether to move attendees or the speakers through the rooms and facilitating that transition. Having a leader, in our case, SSC President Arefeh Ghane, facilitate the event from a technical standpoint was beneficial and avoided confusion. 

Post-event

Perhaps the most challenging part of any event is keeping the audience engaged. With virtual events, this engagement is even more difficult to achieve, particularly for students who are suffering from Zoom fatigue from their long, daily lectures. Our exit poll results show that attendees enjoyed small breakout rooms because it allowed them to interact with speakers and other students, which is much different than the format of their usual lectures. We desperately lack these interactions during this time of physical distancing, so finding ways to make an event feel as “physical” as possible will engage attendees best. 

Key takeaways

This event provided a vital learning experience for all SSC members as we venture into a drastically different world of event planning. Here are some key takeaways from this experience: 

• Plan your event as early as possible. Just as with any in-person event, the earlier the event is planned, the more time promotions have to reach their intended audience. 
• Find a way to make the event interactive. Whether that’s by utilizing the chatbox, sending polls during the event, or having everyone introduce themselves, make sure to keep attendees engaged throughout.
• Keep groups as small as possible. Particularly for a networking event where you want discussions to happen, the smaller the group of attendees, the easier that is to facilitate. Even with our small breakout rooms, our exit survey’s main critique was that there was not enough time to network, so if that is the main purpose of your event, breakouts of 10 and under would be best. 
• Practice, practice, practice. Do not wait until during the event to see if you are familiar with the technology you will be using. Complete at least one event run-through, making sure to practice everything that you will be using. Are your speakers using a Powerpoint presentation? Will each speaker be sharing their screen, or will a member of your team be sharing on their behalf? Will you be recording the event, and how will you be saving that recording? Make sure every aspect of your event is well-practiced. It may not eliminate every bump in the road, but it will leave you better prepared to handle any hiccups that do arise. 
• Learn from mistakes to improve the next event. As we plan Passport to PR, we are thinking about switching to a different platform that better suits the larger volume of attendees and facilitates communication. Without this first event, we may not have known that another platform could be a better option. 

Passport to PR will be taking place virtually from Nov. 25-27. This virtual networking event will give students the opportunity to learn about different PR agencies and departments from the companies themselves. Registration is not live yet, but students can go here to see the latest CPRS updates. 

Written by: Allie Martin, Public Relations Intern

With the current election still in motion (as of Nov. 6, 2020) for our American neighbours and with the rise of social media, it seems that the topic of fake news appears within the media on the daily. 

Recognizing this, the timely and relevant topic was the subject of CPRS Toronto’s most recent virtual event. The professional development event was held on Oct. 28 and was open to all CPRS Toronto members. The goal of the event was to give audience members the knowledge on how to spot fake news, understand its impact on our lives and the tips needed to validate and disseminate trustworthy information, both personally and professionally. 

The event was hosted and moderated by Gail Strachan, CPRS Toronto’s Director of Professional Development and Chair of Inclusion and Diversity. Guest speakers included Jessica Samuels, Communications Manager of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Melissa Retty, Senior Vice President of Craft Public Relations, and John Ferri, Vice President of Current Affairs and Documentaries at TVO. Each speaker gave insightful information on fake news in this day and age and how we can navigate it as communications professionals. 

The first speaker was Jessica, who spoke about our information foundation and the rise of fast journalism. We are living in a 24/7 hyper-digital age, which has led to the appetite for faster journalism. The emphasis is now placed on being the first to report on information and not necessarily being right; accuracy falls behind at times when quick reporting is the priority. This has resulted in constant ‘updates’ and ‘corrections’ to news stories, and consumers are okay with it, allowing fake news to continue. The rise of social media has also allowed people to purposely set the public on the wrong information path. She emphasized how because of all of this we have to do our own fact-checking and cannot take everything we read as credible.

The next speaker was John, whose insights were greatly tied to Jessica’s. He spoke on the current state of journalism and how digital disruption has led to the loss of thousands of jobs in the traditional media landscape. Mentioning that traditional media wasn’t perfect either on keeping out fake news, but it was a key player in public information as it was the gatekeeper of reliable information. With the rise of social media and more people relying on it for information, there is a heightened risk of receiving misinformation. He recommended watching The Social Dilemma to help understand this. He concluded that fake journalism’s main goal is to have the reader undermine their faith in anything they read as being true. Creating uncertainty in the public means that we don’t know how to separate fact from fiction. 

The last speaker, Melissa, spoke about some possible solutions to help us better “spot” fake news, particularly as communications professionals. She spoke on how everyone is likely to have experience in being fooled by something we read online and how it is unfortunately our reality. Melissa highlighted a campaign created by Craft Public Relations to help the public SPOT fake news online. It involves asking four questions as a consumer including:

• Is it a credible source? 
• Is it from a biased perspective? 
• Are other sources reporting on the same story? 
• Is it timely? 

We need to understand what sources we can trust and to know the difference between news channels and news sources. 

After the presentations, audience members had the opportunity to ask questions which led to some further discussions. It was an excellent event where audience members gained insights on fake news and how our information has changed with the rise of social media in the digital age. It is essential to understand that we can no longer believe everything we see and read as true, as we used to in the past.  

CPRS Toronto plans to continue hosting professional development events so stay tuned for those. 

Special thanks to Cision for sponsoring the event.

 Bonus content:

• CPRS Toronto’s Fake news slide deck

To stay up-to-date on the latest news, blog articles and upcoming events, subscribe to CPRS Toronto’s newsletter.

Written by: Laik Sweeny, Internal Vice President, Student Steering Committee

Arefeh Ghane, the 2020 Student Steering Committee President and fourth-year student in Humber College’s Bachelor of Public Relations program is a leader in every capacity. Her work ethic allows her to lead this year’s Student Steering Committee through the new virtual event space, engaging students in her passion for PR.
*Responses have been edited for clarity

Tell me a little about yourself and your journey to choosing PR.
I graduated from Fitness and Health Promotion at Fanshawe College in 2016. From there, I worked at
Goodlife in their head office for their membership call center. If members had any type of issues, I would
be on the other line answering those questions. One of my favourite things was to look at [customers’]
social media, and solve member issues from there. I brought up the idea of moving to the social media
team, but in order to move there, you needed at least a certificate in public relations.

So, I had applied to the one-year Fanshawe program and then had the ability to apply for others. I had a friend who said that Humber had the best program, so I also applied to the Humber bachelor and two-year diploma. I honestly wasn’t even thinking I was going to accept the bachelor’s program because English was not my greatest strength in high school, so when I was accepted I said, at least it’s a degree and if I’m not a fan I’ll just drop down to the diploma. But, I’m so glad I chose to stay in the bachelor’s program because I’m really enjoying everything I’ve been learning and the opportunities it’s brought me. But, it’s such a drastic difference between what I went to school for and what I’m doing now.

How have your past experiences helped you with your internship now and your role as the SSC president?
I would say that many of my past experiences, even going back to high school experiences, have always
been in leadership positions. I had a high school class called Leadership where we planned all the events
like semi-formals or the Christmas assembly every year. Every year we would have a Black History month
event that I helped plan with the school board and our students and teachers against racism group, so we
would plan out how to teach elementary school students about diversity, inclusion and equity.

So, what I do now has always been ingrained in what I’ve been doing throughout my life. Being a president in a leadership role has always been something that I’ve been used to, but it’s definitely allowed me to
continue to be able to take on new things that I’m “scared” of. So, being the president of the SSC is just
another thing where I don’t know if I can do this, but I’m going to have a grand old time doing it anyway.

What has been the most valuable part of your role as president so far?
I would say the most valuable part would be actually building the committee team and being able to meet
with so many different students across the GTA. It was really great to be able to learn about what they do,
why they got into PR, and what it is they love so much about the industry. Being on the committee has also allowed me to see how all the other committee members do things and learn from them as well. So, I always take everything as a learning opportunity.

How do you see being president of the SSC helping you in the future?
I would say that it’s definitely helping me hone my leadership skills because this is an actual industry
role. I would also say that because it’s with CPRS, and it’s such a respected organization within the PR
industry, seeing that on a resume is definitely something that’s going to help in everyone’s career. Even if
you’re just a part of CPRS as a volunteer and not in a leadership position, it’s definitely something that
will allow us to continue to build our network, promote the industry, but then also execute change that is
important to the growth of the PR industry.

Where do you see your PR career heading?
In my dreams, I see it heading to a very executive, high-up level. I’m speaking it into existence now
because the title CEO sounds fantastic, and you always just aim for the top. I kind of just see myself being
a thought-leader of the industry, hopefully, and just being someone that people can look to and come to
for advice. Someone that is able to give things back to the industry. I’ve always wanted to be that kind of
person, where yes, I’m getting something out of this, but what is it that I can do in return. It’s kind of hard
to tell the future, but CEO sounds great.

What’s your biggest piece of advice for students hoping to enter the industry?
If you’re thinking about coming into PR, definitely do it. There are so many sectors, it’s not just social
media, it’s not just influencers, and there are so many industries that require it that it will never get boring.
It’s always changing, there are always new things. It’s funny because yesterday my boyfriend said if social
media were to ever end, what happens to your job? I said, nothing. My job keeps going because social
media was just something that was added on, and PR has been around for ages. It’s just so interesting and
exciting to see how it continuously evolves, and what there is for everyone to be able to do. You
continuously learn, and there are so many amazing people in the industry. So, if you’re thinking about it, I
highly recommend it.

Written by: Jasneet Singh 

COVID-19 has vastly changed how we live, function and work in events. The 2020 recipient of the CPRS Toronto Student of the Year award, Amy Theriault, found herself dealing with the greatest crisis communications event a student could ask for.  

As the President of the Student Steering Committee, she was in charge of the Passport to PR event for students, her group was to tour RBC, MLSE and Milestones Public Relations. On March 11, the COVID-19 pandemic was declared and the next day, she was to lead the Passport to PR event. Amy recalls that the night of March 11 was filled with calls from agencies and corporations dropping out of the event, which led to damage control, she says it was seamless but as someone who was contacted by her, I can say she handled it like a professional and ensured students were satisfied and well informed. As a student herself, this was extremely important to her.  

Amy is currently working as a communications analyst at RBC within Technology & Operations, and under Strategy, Transformation and Enterprise Operations (STEO) she works in communications, enablement and events. Though she has these two great positions under her belt, she has faced her share of struggles within the industry. When asked about the challenges she faced, unpaid internships were the main one for Amy. She believes that they allow privileged students who don’t necessarily need the money to get ahead of those who need to be paid to afford basic needs. She voices that this is an extremely common thing in the public relations industry.

During the current social climate and the looming pandemic, the idea of unpaid internships to CPRS Toronto’s Student of the Year is frustrating. As an individual who is a first-generation student from a lower-income family and the first person in her family to attend and graduate a post-secondary education, she understands how much hard work was needed and would never take her education for granted.  

Receiving this award validates all of the hard work she has put into her career and education, she does it for herself and her family and receiving this award has given her a whole new motivation to continue working harder.  

Amy shares some advice to all students who may be reading this advice, “Shoot your shot.” It sounds simple enough, but she said it took her time to be comfortable enough to reach out to people and start networking, but once she started she realized the worst thing that can happen is they say no. What surprised her the most was how receptive most people were.

She landed an internship in her first year by cold emailing an agency and letting them know that they should hire her as an intern. During COVID-19, a Zoom coffee chat, or simple conversation on LinkedIn can open many doors. Opportunities are out there if you look.

Learn more about the annual ACE Awards program and submission requirements.