As an intern in a fast-paced public relations agency, one has to monitor the news, respond to emails, write press releases and much more. Multiply that by five or the number of accounts that you are on. There’s not much breathing room to Google anything that’s not clear. When communicating an “ask” to someone, make it as easy as deciding to press a button.

Create a desire to press the “button” by ensuring that all the required information is laid out. It also has to be simple to understand without the need of much technical knowledge and prior interaction. Lastly, it is equally important to make that “button” as visible and easily accessible as possible. Indicate clearly what is needed to be done and how.

When you make it easy for others, you’re making it easy for yourself.

Contributed by Azrin Bin Hamdan on PRecious Communications’ website

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Work and home used to be two separate places, but now working from home has had me combine them into a single space.

At the start, working from home felt like the first week of my internship. It took me more than a full hour to complete my regular media monitoring. Emails took longer to craft, and I made a lot of mistakes. I was less productive and effective. I didn’t understand why – I had the laptop in front of me, my headphones on, and my setup was just like how it usually is in the office. But my focus was still not the same.

I realised I had everything set up the same way except for one thing – a desk. I had been working seated on the floor with the laptop on my lap. Not a great setup if the goal is to be productive. Since I did not have a proper workspace, I purchased a desk to create a “mini-office”. Now, with a dedicated workspace, my level of focus and productivity is almost as high as in the office. For others, it may be all in the mind, but for me, it’s all on the desk.

Contributed by Azrin Bin Hamdan on PRecious Communications’ website

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The strength and technique must correspond with the condition of the receiver. The wind, the size of the ball and the equipment are crucial too. From an outsider’s perspective, it seems simple, but to the professional footballer, it is complicated.

In the case of communication, the words, the medium, the tone, and the gestures used are all decisive. They are carefully selected, arranged and fused into a message while having the receiver in mind. We need to consider what is the best approach – an email, a text, a phone call or a face to face discussion – to achieve an objective for a single task. Now, when I see three sentences, I see thirty minutes of hard work.

Contributed by Azrin Bin Hamdan on PRecious Communications’ website

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