Enhancing the COMMS cluster’s performance boils down to reworking the following aspects: 1) how COMMS communicates internally, 2) how COMMS communicates externally (i.e. with other clusters), and 3) what MISA communicates to the public.

How COMMS communicates internally

Proper internal communication requires a solid foundation for workflows to be sustained in the long term. Thus, my platform would begin with a careful selection of COMMS BETA applicants to ensure that incoming AVPs are capable of properly supporting the cluster for the entire year. This would be executed by doing the following:

• Complete overhaul of interview questions, focusing on situationers and practical sections that assess applicants’ perspective on people management and feedbacking

• Adding an additional AVP for Promotional Strategy to the COMMS BETA hierarchy

• Ensuring that each event has an assigned AVP for Creatives and Publications and an AVP for Promotional Strategy to guide officers regarding role-specific workflows

Moreover, there is a tendency for COMMS officers to operate as separate individuals with their own visions rather than as a collective. This is caused by the lack of opportunities to communicate with one another outside of their assignments.

I plan to resolve this by scheduling onsite initiatives that focus on improving the cluster’s dynamics and increasing overall officer retention. These initiatives include the following:

• Post-recruitment onboarding meetings to establish each role’s responsibilities and expected workflows

• Required skill-based workshops to expand officers’ capabilities in their roles

• Bonding initiatives during downtimes with no ongoing events

These efforts will ideally encourage incoming COMMS officers to share their ideas, collaborate together, and willingly take on more involved roles in the cluster, which can prepare them for promptly communicating their needs (e.g. if expected timelines are feasible for them) and requesting necessary information/feedback from other clusters.

How COMMS communicates externally (i.e. with other clusters)

In COMMS’ context, inter-cluster communication involves other clusters requesting COMMS’ assistance for flagship and non-flagship events.

Flagship events

Flagship events (Jumpstart, HEX, IM Summit, etc.) already have pre-established officer assignments and allow for direct inter-cluster communication via Telegram. However, there are frequent miscommunications between clusters that lead to delays and post-blast edits (which can limit the post’s reach on social media). For instance, the promotional timeline is only distributed within COMMS and not to other relevant clusters such as Events and MKT. This often leads to COMMS officers making last-minute adjustments to accommodate these clusters’ requests (e.g. inputting the event’s finalized date/time/venue, sponsorship details and logos).

To avoid these delays and rushed edits, I plan to cultivate a sense of urgency and transparency among clusters by requiring promotional timelines to be sent to all involved officers in an event. This ensures that everyone is informed regarding the expected due dates for key deliverables so that they may acquire the necessary information in time (e.g. securing venue reservations, sponsorship contracts). This also allows for other clusters to provide feedback regarding the feasibility of the timeline (e.g. logistics has to follow lead times to reserve venues, MKT may need more time to acquire sponsors).

In ensuring that this actually improves inter-cluster communication, I plan to closely coordinate with the incoming EB/BETA to ensure that all COMMS-specific needs are properly communicated and understood by other clusters. In doing so, we can take a more proactive approach in promptly securing the necessary information to be inputted in COMMS’ promotional materials, increasing the cluster’s overall productivity and decreasing the likelihood of rushed timelines.

Non-Flagship Events

On the other hand, non-flagship events (Tambay Week, MISAyang Samahan) do not have pre-established assignments, leading to rushed assignments and officers being overworked and discouraged from taking on new COMMS-specific responsibilities.

To address issues with non-flagship projects, I plan to reintroduce the Publication Request Form (PRF) into inter-cluster workflows to ensure that all requests for non-flagship events are well-documented and provide ample time for completion. The PRF will require a one-month lead time to enable officers to be properly onboarded for the event, which will be strictly enforced by the incoming COMMS BETA to ensure that it is effectively implemented. This also gives the requesting clusters ample time to provide feedback regarding the promotional materials to ensure greater alignment regarding the event’s vision.

The PRF would be launched together with a public COMMS timeline, a calendar showcasing the blast dates for promotional materials from flagship and non-flagship events. In publicizing this information, requesting clusters can refer to the timeline to determine COMMS’ current events and plan their events accordingly to avoid concurrent workloads.

What MISA communicates to the public

MISA’s reputation is built on many factors, one being the quality of its promotional materials. After all, an event cannot have participants if participants never hear of the event in the first place.

It has always been the responsibility of the COMMS cluster to promote MISA’s events as effectively as possible, yet our social media pages can seem cluttered with promotions for concurrent events. For instance, key details for flagship events may override each other during peak times as they may share the same timeline on the official Facebook page. This limits our overall visibility and reach for attracting new participants.

Through my platform, I plan to streamline MISA’s public-facing communications by implementing the following changes:

• Segregating how public and MISA-only events are posted

  • Public events will be posted on the main Facebook page, which can easily be shared with non-MISAns

  • MISA-only events will only be posted on the main MISA Facebook group

• Minimizing low-information materials (e.g. countdown posts) to concentrate blasting efforts on main promotional materials (main posters, registration reminders, short-form content, etc.)

My platform ensures that COMMS is given ample time and resources to execute their visions and properly collaborate with other clusters. In reworking the different ways that COMMS communicate within and outside MISA, the cluster’s performance can improve drastically, which also enhances MISA’s visibility as a whole. I also hope to maintain this year’s COMMS initiatives (e.g. relaying blast requests through a specialized Telegram channel) to ensure their continuity and long-term effectiveness.