My name is Sam Johnston, I’m a Communications student with an emphasis in Public Relations. I believe in trusting a creative process to get creative results, consistently. Through my studies I’ve learned how to use the tools of a communication professional to reach an audience and get actionable results. I’ve also learned about the importance of collaboration and of bold, risky strategies.
This project has allowed me to work with real professionals to apply my learned skills to a real organization.
I’ve learned about the importance of understanding both your client and their audience to build a relationship. My unofficial client, the Army Corps of Engineers, works in a very technical field and needed to communicate with an audience who may not be as familiar with the field. In order to bridge this gap I needed to learn technical terms and processes, so that I could communicate them in a way that is clear and accurate.
Below is my case study and appendix record of hours worked.
Appendix
| Task | Number of Sessions | Total Hours | Note |
| Brainstorming potential clients | 4 | 2.00 | Starting this project, I didn’t believe that I had the network needed to do a project for a real organization. It took time for me to go through my contacts and find organizations that would want my work. |
| Reaching out to clients | 3 | 6.00 | Reaching out was nerve-wracking. I worked with peers to create messages selling myself and the value I could bring to an organization. |
| Explaining Comm Senior Project to potential clients | 2 | 2.00 | Organizations who returned my pleas were uncertain about the project and how we could help one another. I explained to them the scope that I could reasonably do. |
| Exploring client needs | 3 | 4.00 | Having connected with my contact at the Army Corps of Engineers, we discussed the places that needed improvement or new ideas. |
| Mentor input meetings | 4 | 1.33 | Meeting with my mentor was brief, but always very helpful. I always left these meetings feeling more certain about what my next steps should be. |
| Brainstorming project ideas | 3 | 1.50 | Looking back, I could have spent more time here to come up with larger ideas. |
| Cutting ideas | 2 | 0.66 | This was a brief process cutting anything that I couldn’t align with SMART goals. Anything that was vague, not measurable, unattainable, unrealistic, or not time-sensitive was cut. |
| Organizing project outline | 2 | 3.00 | This outline became the spine of my project, and a tool I referred to again and again as a way to measure my project. |
| Updating client contact on outline | 3 | 1.00 | Updating my contact about my outline was where contact ended. The USACE cannot accept unpaid work, so I continued my project as an unofficial PR and Messaging guide. |
| Research: Client background | 2 | 3.33 | As a military organization, the history of the Corps is well-documented. Learning about competitors was more difficult because of how unique the USACE is. |
| Research: Sacramento Levee Upgrade project | 8 | 6.00 | The Sacramento Levee Upgrade project was a point that I had to return to again and again. I poured over the SEIS and SEIR documents, as well as the final Record of Decision to have accurate information to provide in our messages. |
| Research: Sacramento residents | 2 | 4.00 | Census data was very helpful. |
| Research: Sacramento County local government | 3 | 3.00 | I researched each board member to find the platform and promises they ran on. This gave me insight into these local leaders, and into the desires of Sacramento residents. |
| Research: How the Client writes | 1 | 1.50 | I took some extra time to analyze the voice and tone already being used by the Corps. Writing for a military organization requires specific tone and word choice for clarity and exactness. |
| Creating: Persona 1: Hannah Arden | 2 | 2.50 | I created this persona based on Census data for the area and based on the amenities Sacramento already offers to its residents. |
| Creating: Persona 2: Pat Boarder | 1 | 1.33 | This persona is based off all five current Supervisors over Sacramento. There were overarching themes in their campaigns, but also significant differences that needed to be wiped over to make one unified persona. |
| Travel to Sacramento | 2 | 4.00 (There was much more, but I will only claim 20% of my travel time for work) | I drove to Sacramento to meet with my contact and visit current and completed worksites. |
| Visiting and Photographing Levee Upgrade Worksites | 3 | 2.00 | I had a brief opportunity to visit these sites, ask questions, and take photographs. |
| Creating: Message 1: Levee Upgrade Project | 2 | 4.00 | This message answers the audience’s question of “What?” |
| Creating: Message 2: Sacramento Flood Risk | 2 | 2.00 | This message answers the audience’s question of “Why?” |
| Creating: Message 3: Long-term Benefits | 2 | 1.50 | This message answers the audience’s question of “What will happen next?” |
| Creating: Tone and Voice Guide | 4 | 3.66 | This tone and voice guide is written for a communication intern at USACE, to guide their writing and help them respond to different situations. |
| Creating: Visual Identity Guide | 2 | 2.50 | This Visual Identity guide became a tool that I referred to again and again as I created content for my project. |
| Creating: Recreation Area re-opening events | 1 | 1.50 | This event is the USACE’s best opportunity for building a positive relationship with the communities they serve. |
| Creating: Crisis Plans | 2 | 3.00 | Creating crisis plans, especially the levee failure crisis plan, took a lot of research to understand who exactly does what in an emergency situation. |
| Creating: Letter to Residents & Businesses | 3 | 2.33 | This letter is the USACE’s opportunity to be totally transparent with the people their work impacts. Executing this well will build trust in the organization. |
| Creating: Presentation for Sacramento County Supervisor Board Meeting | 1 | 2.50 | The presentation fits the same purpose as the letters, but targets the most active citizens in the community, as well as local government leaders. |
| Creating: Talking points for Sacramento County Supervisor Board Meeting | 2 | 2.00 | This presentation clearly explains the context and plans for the Sacramento Levee Upgrade, and opens up the Board Meeting for concerned citizens to voice their piece. |
| Total | 74.14 |