PR

CPRS Toronto Student Steering Committee Profile: Seneca, Durham and Ryerson

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Get to know our 2015/2016 student representatives from Seneca College, Durham College and Ryerson University.

We’ll be introducing the rest of our student representatives right here on the blog in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

 

 Erika

Erika Manassis

Seneca College, Public Relations-Corporate Communications

My name’s Erika and I represent Seneca College on the SSC. I am a recent Queen’s University graduate (Cha Gheill!), but reside in the GTA. I’m currently taking the post-graduate program in public relations and communications. This is my first year working with CPRS, and I already love how many opportunities for engagement the Toronto chapter has to offer.

What are you most excited for this year?

As a student representative, I have the unique opportunity to both plan and participate in student events, so I’m looking forward to seeing behind-the-scenes of CPRS. I’ve also gotten to know an amazing group of PR students at Seneca, and I can’t wait to get them all involved in upcoming events, workshops and social events through CPRS!

What do you do outside of school?

When I’m not studying communications, you’ll find me listening to podcasts (especially Freakonomics, Question of the Day and Stuff to Blow Your Mind), cooking Thai food, and blogging about public relations on my work-in-progress site MyPRJourney.weebly.com.

Tell us something unexpected about yourself

I like being organized, and hate feeling rushed, so I do my Christmas gift shopping every August.

Connect with Erika:

Twitter: @emanassis

LinkedIn: ca.linkedin.com/in/erikamanassis

Elyse

Elyse Carney
Durham College, Advanced Diploma for Public Relations

I’m Elyse Carney, and I am the CPRS SSC rep for Durham College’s Advanced Diploma in Public Relations. The past few months for me have been all about learning the foundation of PR. Over this next year, I’m looking forward to networking with students and professionals, as well as attending events such as Passport to PR. Outside of school, I love to write, and try to live a healthy, active lifestyle.

Fun fact about myself? I love to cook!

Connect with Elyse:

Twitter: @elyse_carney

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/pub/elyse-carney/105/974/791

Jamie

Jamie Jensen
Ryerson University, Public Relations Certificate

Hi Everyone! My name is Jamie and I’m representing Ryerson’s PR certificate program on the CPRS Student Steering Committee this year. As someone new to the program, we are limited to taking “Public Relations Principles” (CDPR 100) in the first semester as it is a prerequisite for all other courses in our program. That being said, it’s off to a great start. Our professor is fantastic and I find the material interesting.

What are you most excited for this year?
I’m very excited to meet and connect with fellow future PR professionals across the GTA through the many exciting events planned for this year. I’m particularly looking forward to Passport to PR later this month, as it will be a fantastic opportunity to gain firsthand insight into the industry.

What do you do outside of school?
Having recently moved to Toronto, I spend a lot of time exploring the city. I also love hiking, scuba diving, travelling and practicing yoga.

Tell us something unexpected about yourself:
I spent 6 months last year living in Sweden.

CPRS Toronto Student Steering Committee Profile: Fiona Pswarayi, Vice President

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Meet your 2015/2016 Student Steering Committee!

Stay tuned for more Student Steering Committee profile postings in the coming weeks.

Fiona

Fiona Pswarayi

Humber College, Bachelor of Public Relations, second-year

This is my first year working with the Student Steering Committee and I’m so excited to serve as the Vice President. If you see me out and about, don’t let my face fool you. I might look grumpy, but I’m actually a very happy person. So come over and say hello!

Where are you from?
I was born in Zimbabwe, raised in England, and now live in Mimico.

Do you have any other post-secondary education?

I completed a General Arts and Science certificate at Fleming College, and attended both the University of Ottawa and University of Windsor where I studied Communications.

What are you most excited for this year?

I’m really looking forward to meeting students from all the different programs across the GTA. Without the CPRS, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to make those connections.

What event did you enjoy the most last year?

Building Media Relations and 360°: All things connected were my two favourite events last year. I learned so much from the media and PR professionals at both events and can’t wait to attend them again this year.

Have you interned anywhere?

Not yet, but I have had the pleasure of volunteering with a number of organizations and agencies over the past year.

What is your dream job?

This is such a difficult question as my dream job changes from day to day, but definitely somewhere involved with fashion, lifestyle or entertainment.

What do you do outside of school?

You can find me volunteering, exploring Toronto with friends, writing and editing my blog, or spending some quality time with Netflix.

Tell us something unexpected about yourself:

I’m a big adrenaline junkie. I’ve bungee jumped, white water rafted, cliff dived and zip lined. Next on my list is skydiving.

 

Find Fiona on:

Twitter: @fionapswarayi

LinkedIn: ca.linkedin.com/in/fionapswarayi

University of Ottawa lecture: PR and Diversity in Multicultural Societies

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In May, Donn Tilson, Associate Professor of the University of Miami, was a guest lecturer at a conference organized by the Interdisciplinary Research Group in Organizational Communication at the University of Ottawa. Professor Tilson will be at the department as Distinguished Visiting Researcher and Fulbright Scholar in the Spring term.

A recording of the guest lecture is available here. Special thanks to Isaac Nahon-Serfaty, Associate Professor, Department of Communication, University of Ottawa for sharing the lecture.

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Pics from #CPRSACE 2013 as taken by you

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Pics from #CPRSACE 2013

Sights from the night, as posted by you during the CPRS Toronto ACE Awards Gala on April 24, 2013 at Arcadian Court.

Storified by CPRS Toronto· Wed, Apr 24 2013 19:17:25

Getting everything set and ready to go (nice program, @michael0maniac) #CPRSACE instagram.com/p/YgCm2pPTs3/Nicole
Looking good! “@Toronto_PR_Guy: With the amazing @DebWeinstein at #CPRSACE pic.twitter.com/lrREfZL4TI”CPRS2013
The #CCPR crew celebrating at #CPRSACE pic.twitter.com/yRPwv1yyUDBarry Waite
The digital girls (minus Jordanna) @cprstoronto Ace Awards #CPRSAce @fleishmanca instagram.com/p/YgRa7YMxM0/Leah Blair
@CPRSToronto stylish venue! Let’s win some awards @msl_group #CPRSACE pic.twitter.com/fQc1YpgIfeCarolyn Greathead
Here with my awesome clients @AshleighMeilach @jessvanrooyen #CPRSACE instagram.com/p/YgS8CZOfF6/Andrew F Stewart
Team @so_pr at the #CPRSACE awards! instagram.com/p/YgTBlVk-fp/Strategic Objectives
Thanks for the chocolate, @Marketwired! We appreciate the gesture. ALMOST makes up for the lack of booze #CPRSACE pic.twitter.com/iT19N5QX2lMaverick PR
With an amazing group at #CPRSAce @LaurenCMore @FordChantelB @jayneerickson @ammar_ammar @CPRSToronto pic.twitter.com/gZV0Xel69zKerri Stoakley
Good looking @NATIONALPR seat mates at #CPRSAce. #alreadywinning @CPRSToronto pic.twitter.com/PddIUo3cshJoannaMWilson
Looking good Aaron, @robmanne & @andrewfstewart @cprstoronto #winning #cprsace @ Arcadian instagram.com/p/YgT_15uLQ0/Christine Lu
At the #CPRSAce Awards @CPRSToronto with the @fleishmanCA crew #PR pic.twitter.com/yyuwqiAxAoNare Tutundjian
It’s gonna be a good night @ashleighmeilach @jessvanrooyen @cprstoronto #cprsace #pr #gala #awards @… instagram.com/p/YgUsRmuLRu/Christine Lu
Let’s do this! Time to celebrate our successes. #pr #CPRSACE @ Arcadian instagram.com/p/YgU2ZPI6Qp/Philippe Gaudet
Wine makes for some very, very happy MAVERICKs #cprsace pic.twitter.com/7t92FhtwBDMaverick PR
“@daltonkaren: @CPRS2013 Promoting National Conference at ACE Awards. #cprsace pic.twitter.com/AMGTgt6aIU” Go @CPRS2013 Go! Let’s make it happenJean Valin
#CPRSACE underway! @consumersos Sean O’Shea taking the stage! instagram.com/p/Ygbw4rvTun/Nicole
Go @MAVERICK_PR ! RT @KellyOlivePR: The rap chicks of #PR checking out the @cprstoronto #cprsace awards! cc @koolkrys instagram.com/p/YgT2okMdI8/Kool Krys
@blogsley and @sejfitch representing @energiPR at the #CPRSACE awards! Congrats to all the winners! yfrog.com/odsl1wbjenergi PR, DigiComm
Sharing a laugh with @candipr @rosieships at #cprsace @cprstoronto instagram.com/p/YgcPeoTJkY/Rob Manne
Just took gold for Best Use of Communication Tools! @CPRSToronto #CPRSACE pic.twitter.com/O3tLfYSuZREnvironics PR
“@fleishmanCA: Congratulations to our @jacob_p and team for their #CPRSACE silver award for 1D world! So proud! pic.twitter.com/wqCZ0AVCm3” loveLeah Blair
A Gold for @ArgylePR in media relations! #cprsace pic.twitter.com/NQmLAOocXxDaniel Tisch APR
Woo! Our fabulous oreo client with our @CPRSToronto GOLD! #CPRSACE instagram.com/p/Yggbg6k-UO/Strategic Objectives
Congratulations @so_pr! @JudySLewis hits the stage for the #OreoMoment win #CPRSACE @ Arcadian instagram.com/p/YggWAsvXYr/Kelly Baita
Congrats to #GCIGROUP and Novo Nordisk (cli) who just won a silver award at #CPRSACE! What a night! pic.twitter.com/JFrcuAb1vCGCI Canada
Congrats heather_agnew #CPRSACE Volunteer of the Year Award recipient! instagram.com/p/YgizeYPToX/Nicole
@cprstoronto #CPRSACE Winning. #gold #studentprcampaign instagram.com/p/YgjBi0M_r2/Brenna
Wheeeo #BraveArtTO silver!! @CPRSStudents @VivienneMcCuaig #CPRSACE pic.twitter.com/6yW13EsMUeSarah MacKinnon
@ArgylePR wins @CPRSToronto Best Campaign of the Year! Congrats to all nominees, to our team & clients! #cprsace pic.twitter.com/HHp2LiKDYSArgyle
#cprsace award winners for crisis comms! Congrats @maverick_pr team! cc @michagoddard instagram.com/p/YgnxHisdDr/Kelly Olive
Regram from @andrewfstewart! @robmanne @jessvanrooyen @ashleighmeilach & Aaron! @cprstoronto #cprsace… instagram.com/p/Ygpm_7uLdO/Christine Lu

Archived presentation: Ups and Downs of PR with novelist @TerryFallis (27:27)

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Click the arrows in the bottom right corner to watch in full screen.

Award-winning Canadian novelist Terry Fallis presents his latest novel Up and Down.

Terry Fallis is the author of The Best Laid Plans and The High Road. In 1995, Terry co-founded Thornley Fallis with Joe Thornley, a full service communications consulting agency with offices in Ottawa and Toronto. Terry also used to co-host of the popular business podcast, Inside PR.

For more than 20 years, Terry has counseled corporate and government clients on various fronts including crisis communications, media relations, issues management, marketing communications, public opinion polling, public affairs and stakeholder relations. He has also written speeches for CEOs, cabinet ministers, and other community leaders.

Terry’s recent novel Up and Down was released in September 2012 and has since received notable media recognition across Canada and the United States.


Terry Fallis rings in the New Year with CPRS Toronto

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By Robin Smith, Coordinator at NATIONAL Public Relations

 

Members can also listen to the full presentation in the members’ blog. (27:27)

Terry Fallis is a jack-of-all-trades. After 25 years in the business, he is the consummate communicator. He is co-founder of the Thornley Fallis consulting agency, former co-host of the popular Inside PR podcast, and a three-times published award-winning author. He joined the CPRS Toronto community on January 15 at the Albany Club to talk about his new book, Up and Down and to field questions about his experience in communications.

In a lighthearted and humourous presentation that showed off the articulate communication skills that have brought him so much success, Fallis opened up about his childhood love of aviation and space travel, a subject that he recently brought to life in his new comedic novel, Up and Down.

Up and Down follows the tumultuous tumble of a former politico into the world of public relations consulting. Thrown into the fire, David Stewart has to learn fast as he joins the ranks of Turner King, a fictional consulting firm located in the heart of Toronto. His task: revitalize the waning public interest in NASA and space travel. If that’s not hard enough, throw in cross-border tiffs, office politics, and a dash of bold personalities and the job just keeps getting harder.

In Up and Down Fallis gives vivid detail to the quirks of agency life that many of us are familiar with, and shines a light on a business that is often misunderstood by members of the public. As he explained the craft of his writing, it became very clear how influential his experience in public relations is on the rest of his work.

Like any good practitioner would, Fallis injects elements of his own experience into his work as a novelist. He likes to make it clear, though, that while characters in his previous novels have dipped a toe into S&M, it’s tough to be in the agency business and not get whipped once or twice. Also, as a firm believer in planning, Fallis outlines his plot months before putting pen to paper. He credits having a clear and well-thought-out plan as being the key to a successful novel.

After explaining his methodical approach to writing, the conversation turned to Fallis’ experience as a practitioner, and he ended his time with very clear guidance for those looking to succeed.

“Pace, challenge and working with people smarter than myself. There lies the path to success.”

Terry reading  Terry and Vince

 

 

 

 

 

Bilingual PR student? This scholarship may be for you

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The Communications + Public Relations Foundation awards the Torchia scholarship annually to a student who best exemplifies the spirit and practice of bilingualism in the Canadian communications and public relations profession.

Inspired by the career of Armand Torchia, who cofounded The Houston Group with Stan Houston, and Torchia Communications with his son Jean-Claude, the $1,500 scholarship is awarded by September 15.

Apply in English or French by April 30, 2013.

#Volunteering

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Fantastic news everyone, it looks like volunteering is trending! Over the past five years volunteer rates among Canadians have increased. But after digging a little deeper, I discovered that it is the 19-24 year-olds who are doing the majority of the work. On average, they are donating 20 per cent more of their time versus the 25-34 year-old demographic. We have all been made aware of the benefits of volunteering, so why is it that the numbers start to drop as we age?

It could be argued that the benefits of volunteering are far greater for the individuals aged 19-24; these are the people trying to gain experience, enhance their skills and develop their professional network. This is all very true, and I couldn’t agree more. But I also think I would be hard-pressed to find a career-oriented individual, between the ages of 25-34 who isn’t chasing after the exact same things.

If you are looking to advance your career, develop your personal and professional connections and help out the community, why not make time in your calendar to volunteer. The sense of accomplishment coupled with the fact you are helping out others will help you move your career forward and will most definitely make you feel better than sucking up to the boss, or taking on a ridiculous work load. (Not to say that being polite and offering to help out when it is busy should be ruled out)

Let’s take a look at few scenarios…

Scenario #1

Meet Erin, she is 26, has a degree in English and a certificate in PR. Erin has worked in a few different intern roles and is now doing media monitoring full time for her company. As much as Erin likes her job she really wants to be writing, but unfortunately there is a team of writers on staff and not much of an opportunity for her to get involved.

Well Erin, instead of getting frustrated and letting those writing skills go to waste, consider volunteering. There are numerous opportunities out there for you to get involved in, and the CPRS would be an excellent place to start your hunt! There are opportunities to write copy for marketing material, blog posts and member communications, all of which are excellent ways to keep your writing skills up to date and expand the reach of your work. Erin, before you know it you will be SWAMPED with requests because of your newly-found writing expertise!

Scenario #2

Meet James, he is 31 and has a business background with a focus on strategy development. James has recently been promoted to national PR Manager. Congratulations James! In his new role he will be managing a team of seven and of those seven two make up the national events team. James has worked for his company for five years, has been to many of the events but has never planned one. Needless to say, he is a little nervous about overseeing all national events.

Volunteer suggestion; get involved with one of the planning committees for a CPRS event such as the CEO Awards or the ACE Awards. The only credentials needed here are a positive attitude and the willingness to learn. James, this will give you the opportunity to brush up on your event management skills and leverage some of your past strategy work. You are going to be a superstar before you know it!

You can greatly benefit from volunteering with CPRS Toronto, no matter the stage of your career. By taking the time to give back you also have the opportunity to develop strong networks, work portfolios and discover new employment opportunities.

In closing may I suggest, the next time you are feeling a little restless in your job, or would like to learn a new skill, consider volunteering as a viable option. To find out how to get involved with CPRS Toronto e-mail Parm Chohan or read more online.

“Not everything that counts can be counted. And not everything that can be counted, counts.” Albert Einstein

Geoffrey MacNeil is a marketing and communications professional with a background in financial sales, currently studying public relations at Ryerson University.

Dumb ways to die viral video

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Melbourne Metro Trains launched a video titled “Dumb ways to die” that is gaining a lot of attention for its PR approach in promoting safety.

What do you think? The video has almost 26 million views on YouTube.