I facilitate part of The Writing Lab by Content Conspiracy for PGDPR students at SCoRe. Here, I correlate five of my hobbies with my role as guest faculty.

I preparing to start teaching my ninth batch at the School of Communications and Reputation (SCoRe). Like every time, I hope the students enjoy our class discussions. My teaching style feeds on what I feed my soul. Reading is intrinsic to my work. I spent all my high school years training in Hindustani Classical music. But I have other hobbies, and their essence seeps into the classroom. 

I often find myself returning to swimming, crocheting, and gardening. In this article, I draw parallels between these activities and my experience of teaching at SCoRe.

Swimming: Learn from everyone

If talent is king, practice is god. And where there is practice, the archangels of coaching, mentorship, and recognition follow.

My best friend taught me to swim after we finished high school. For a life skill, this was considered late. But, my best friend ensured good technique became muscle memory. Later, I found a swimming partner who encouraged me playfully to swim an extra lap each day. My father’s mountaineer friend, who also swam at the same pool, taught me to breathe efficiently underwater. The pool was my haunt.

As a facilitator, I encourage my students to learn from everyone. While I serve the role of primary facilitator for Contextual Writing, I invite specialists to drive home key topics. So a Content Conspiracy network blogger, a journalist friend, a market researcher— all contribute to facilitating a better understanding of certain topics for the students. 

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Crochet: Read, write, review. Repeat.

My mother taught me to crochet during my longest summer holiday. She tried hard to bait me with intricate patterns. But those took time, and I was eager to finish. Years later (last month, to be precise), I discovered that monotonous basic stitches let me finish projects fast and give me a sense of accomplishment.

In March 2019, Chaitanya Deshpande (CD) and I first designed The Writing Lab by Content Conspiracy as a three-day workshop for the PGDPR program. With the lockdown, classes went virtual. Students sitting at a desk all day for three straight days, just writing, was unimaginable. So we turned The Writing Lab into 21 mini-workshop sessions.

Each session is a topic that students can tick off their writing checklists and experiment with. Crossing each milestone means getting closer to their destination: becoming a better writer. That’s always a source of joy— a lot like my two-hour crochet projects.

The complex crochet patterns my mother tried to teach me put me off. While teaching the C24, the PowerPoint deck started to distract me as well as the students. It seemed more like a crutch than a teaching aid. I was spending more time on morph transitions than updating lesson content! So I shifted focus to the joy quotient. With the W24, out went the PPT, and in came round-table discussions.

We now exchange anecdotes and notes from personal experiences relevant to each topic, facilitating a multifaceted understanding.

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Gardening: New batch, new experiment.

I began gardening four years ago. But early on, I would hesitate to acquire pretty plants for fear of killing them. So I enlisted the help of my parents, nursery owners, social media influencers, and friends. They taught me that it takes time, keen observation, and consistency for a garden to thrive. But I was also warned: don’t expect the same outcomes by treating all plants alike. 

Through TWL, we share what our teachers, mentors, and colleagues taught us. Our vision to #MakeGoodWritingPrevail compels us to recognise and address the writing needs of future professionals. My half of the program, Contextual Writing is a primer in the writing formats that will help students hit the ground running. 

Contextual Writing

Contextual Writing, as the name suggests, demands sensitivity towards tone, environment, people, etc. Teaching the course, like gardening, is about nurturing each batch uniquely. Expecting them to learn in the same manner that we did would be unfair.

There’s a reason our program is The Writing Lab— no two batches can claim to have learned identically, even though the curriculum is set in stone. 

So C22 learned language versatility through rock ‘n roll music exercises. Subsequent batches explored word choice and content curation through play readings and museum visits, respectively. 

These activities are intertwined with the principles of writing. Students experience the weight every word carries; how it shapes perceptions and influences outcomes for the present and even in the future. Secretly, I also hope some of them will pick up a (new) hobby along the way.

In facilitating The Writing Lab at SCoRe, Amith Prabhu, the founder has inadvertently offered us front-row seats to witness the institute’s transformation into one of India’s most well-regarded communications programmes in just short of a decade. To be a part of this journey is an exercise in enhancing self-awareness. Each batch teaches me something new: something about myself, something about my relevance in their world. It’s a lot like tweaking a chocolate cake recipe with each bake. But that’s a parallel for another occasion!

About Priyanca

Priyanca Vaishnav is Cofounder & Partner, Content Conspiracy, a content and design consultancy. The first-generation entrepreneur has spent 13+ years with premium brands like L&T, Times of India, Madison PR, and Viacom18 before starting her venture in 2018. She has also been a part of teams that have won the PR Asia and Sabre Asia awards for internal communication campaigns. In the past, Priyanca has taught English at the Faculty of Social Work, MS University of Baroda. She currently teaches Professional Writing at Somaiya School of Design apart from co-facilitating the Business Writing program at SCoRe. Priyanca uses her wide spectrum of experience of over 17 years to amplify brand voice effectively for clients like LXME by Anand Rathi, BIRKENSTOCK, and Heidrick & Struggles. Based in Bombay, Priyanca’s many creative outlets include leading art walks at Art Mumbai, Mumbai Urban Arts Festival and the upcoming Mumbai Biennale. She nurtures a 48 sq ft balcony garden and two cats that always threaten to dig it all up!

About SCoRe

The School of Communication and Reputation (SCoRe) offers a comprehensive Post-Graduation Diploma Programme in Public Relations and Corporate Communications, designed to prepare students for thriving careers in the PR industry and for future. This 10-month intensive programme emphasizes academic excellence, hands-on training, and real-world exposure, equipping students with both theoretical insights and practical skills. The course is curated and taught by a distinguished faculty comprising seasoned PR professionals, corporate communication experts, and industry leaders with decades of experience. These faculty members bring unmatched expertise, combining academic knowledge with insights from their professional journeys, offering students a holistic understanding of PR dynamics. Moreover, with masterclasses by corporate communication heads and top industry practitioners, the programme bridges the gap between theoretical concepts and practical applications for future and advanced studies. The small batch size of 20 students ensures personalized attention, fostering an environment of mentorship and collaborative learning. The curriculum is a perfect blend of modules covering media relations, crisis communication, digital PR, and reputation management, complemented by experiential learning opportunities such as consultancy visits, live projects, and internships at leading PR firms. SCoRe’s placement process, backed by its faculty’s strong industry connections, ensures 100% placement for its graduates in top PR agencies and corporate communication teams, often with competitive salary packages. Furthermore, the faculty’s emphasis on developing critical thinking, creativity, and adaptability ensures that students are not just industry-ready but also equipped to lead and innovate for the future. Together, SCoRe’s stellar faculty and its dynamic diploma programme stand as a benchmark in PR education, setting students on a path toward excellence and leadership in public relations and corporate communications for now and for future.