Three of our PR punks recently took part in the brilliant Socially Mobile programme, a not-for-profit PR school that supports and inspires future leaders of the industry.
Headed up by our Non Executive Director, Stephen Waddington, the course spans 10 weeks and consists of video lectures, a live crisis simulation, assignments, Q&A sessions and discussions. It allows students to choose from modules based on core and specialist management capabilities to best suit their development needs.
So the big question is, did they all pass? Of course they did!
Having gained new insights into the industry and learned what’s required to take their career to the next level — our PR punks share their experience of the course and what they’ve learnt.
CHELSEY DOWNING, ACCOUNT DIRECTOR
I’ve worked in PR & Comms for over a decade, but like many in our industry, I stumbled into the profession purely by chance. Having been a carer for my mum, I left University without completing my degree, so imposter syndrome is certainly something that’s plagued my career.
I was apprehensive to join the sixth cohort of Socially Mobile. I’ve never had any formal training and was worried I wouldn’t be up to the very high standard of the course, but was soon put at ease once by Stephen, Sarah and the incredible lecturers who took the time to film the course content. The ability to watch the videos and answer the questions over a week long period offers a lot of flexibility, and whilst it’s tough to manage alongside a full time job it’s so worth it.
I found all of the modules valuable, but I think the biggest lesson I learned was to simply slow down. Working in comms is a rollercoaster. There are always deadlines to meet, curve balls being thrown your way and last minute projects coming through the door, so it can be really easy to get drawn into chaos. As an Account Director, my role is to keep the ship steady and remain the calmest in the room – something the crisis comms interactive session really solidified in me.
Socially Mobile has given me the confidence to walk into a room and know I belong there. The course has given me opportunities I never could have dreamed of as a kid and for that I’ll always be grateful.
SAM POLLOCK, SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER
One of the things I love most about working at STORY is that personal development and career progression is encouraged from the moment you walk through the door. Having worked in the industry for ten years, I’ve never prioritised booking myself onto any training courses so the Socially Mobile programme was something I was SUPER excited about. The opportunity to develop my knowledge and experience, learning from some of the best in the business, couldn’t have come at a better time for where I am in my career.
I’m relatively new to my Senior Account Manager role and one of the areas I want to focus on is planning and measurement. As an agency we’ve just undertaken a huge amount of work developing client comms strategies and PR plans for the year ahead, so combining this hands-on experience with a module focused solely on research and analysis, strategy and tactics and evaluation, was perfect for me.
Another, and perhaps a slightly surprising area of training that I enjoyed, was financial measurement. I’m becoming much more involved in the financial side of the business at STORY and having not had much experience of this before, I was keen to look at budgeting, financial documents, contracts and performance indicators in more detail.
If anyone is considering applying for the Socially Mobile course then my advice would be to take the leap of faith and go for it. It’s intense, challenging and rewarding all at the same time, and it’s opened my eyes to how I can achieve my goals and become a better PR practitioner.
PETER HARRIS, ACCOUNT MANAGER
Having recently been promoted to Account Manager just over a month prior to starting this course I felt there was a lot for me to learn and it did not disappoint. Socially Mobile acted as the perfect crash course for me to delve into everything my new role required and what was needed for me to continue pushing on and progressing in my career in PR.
Socially Mobile offers a comprehensive programme that allows you to experience and learn about all aspects of the industry. As mentioned, being a relative newcomer to the industry and having gained new responsibilities, the course was able to present a complete picture to me. I developed on areas and skills that I had strengths in while making the areas I had maybe shied away from previously in an easy-to-learn, digestible format.
My key learning was time management, and more importantly, finding the time to focus and prioritise on personal development. In the fast-paced world of PR, it is often easy to dedicate your working time to servicing the client and requirements of the business you work for. Socially Mobile really allowed me to see a wider picture and how important making the time to focus on your own development really is beneficial in the long term.