The Future of PR Looks Like Us

Recounting our conversation with diverse communicators:

How educators, students and professionals are shaping the future of the communications industry

Authors: Sarah Heiman, Becca Moe, Daisy Uy and Charmaine Blair

The Future of PR Looks Like Us campaign

This blog is part of a series called The Future of PR Looks Like Us, a meaningful campaign led by a team of Centennial College public relations and corporate communications postgraduate students in partnership with the Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms (CCPRF). Our goal is to highlight the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in the public relations (PR) industry.

This blog accompanies a podcast series exploring the diverse voices that have shaped the industry and featuring work done by PR students from Centennial College. Learn about diverse figures of PR’s past that have shaped the industry for BIPOC professionals today. Listen in to uncover misconceptions and gain a sense of the opportunities the industry holds. The series closes by emphasizing the bright future PR professionals and students see for the growing diversity within the industry.

Introduction:

Last week we highlighted Public Relation’s (PR) diverse present as we spoke about the challenges and successes diverse PR communicators have experienced in their journeys in the PR industry. As the Future of PR Looks Like Us podcast series comes to a close, we wanted to end the series by looking into the bright future for diversity and PR. We had the opportunity to chat with:

Jerome Kitenge
- First year student at Centennial in the bachelor program for public relations at Centennial College. He works in social media and content creation when not in class. He is passionate about creating and shaping narratives of brands and telling their stories.

Judy Lewis
- Partner and co-founder of PR agency Strategic Objectives. Judy is also the Chair of the Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms (CCPRF), which has brought together more than 20 of Canada’s premier agencies in support of anti-racism, diversity and inclusion.

Michelle Nguyen
- Soon-to-be alumni of Humber College for the Bachelor of Public Relations. Currently a social media strategist and freelancer. As a first generation immigrant, Michelle often finds herself putting a level of diversity throughout all of her communications to the world.

Gabriel Bedard
- Works with the Center for Global Citizenship Equity and Inclusion at Centennial College. He works with faculty to integrate global citizenship and equity outcomes into the curriculum for students using seminars and workshops.

Ananya Mani
- Internal communications professional passionate about storytelling and creating amazing employee experiences. She moved to Canada from India two year ago and has worked with global brands. She is currently a senior internal communications specialist with Ingram Micro Canada.

We asked these emerging and established communicators three main questions about how they see the current reality and future of the PR and communications industry. Their perspectives are so valuable in contributing to the ongoing conversation to progress diversity, equity and inclusion in the workforce and society.

Question One: PR is a female dominated world, but executive positions tend to still be held by white men, do you see this changing?

We spoke about the gender imbalance in the industry and the importance of seeing more women in executive roles. We need to build cultures that support all gender identities being represented within organizations and in leadership roles. Not conforming to gender roles and accepting the fluidity of identity is the first step in eliminating gender inequities.

Ananya notes that she sees this changing for the better. A lot of organizations are deliberately trying to be more inclusive, which is a great start. Identifying and acknowledging that we need change and need to do better is the first step. But as we approach these first steps it is integral that our intentions are genuine.

As we speak about later in the episode, we need to hold companies accountable for what they’ve started. Jerome says, “you can’t just do it for the look.” If companies are hiring diversity officers, we must see the change that comes from the efforts they make which means following through with what they started.

For Michelle, the dynamic between men and women within the PR industry is on her mind constantly, as she has dedicated to writing her capstone thesis on this topic. She brings us back in history as she introduces us to the ‘velvet ghetto’ where we see the entrance of women in PR. But as we fast forward to today, Michelle tells us that her research shows a lot of women are leaving the traditional industry for freelance, for more control and less oppression. But what does that tell us about the current traditional PR industry? It needs a change. Michelle says that women are carving out their own space to become leaders within the industry. The initiative and leadership is inspiring, but still, women must be welcomed and accepted into leadership positions.

Judy has a response to that. We need to begin by ‘creating cultures that are accepting and welcoming of women, having babies and looking after their parents all while striving for senior positions.” Judy raised concerns about women at mid-level fleeing the profession and generally leaving the workforce to never come back. She says that it is so important that we see all folks in these leading agencies and the profession balancing the views to bring the best of creativity forward.

Gabriel brings us a hopeful perspective as he tells us that the GCE department is getting flooded with calls from faculty and programs asking to talk about anti-oppression and anti-racism. He says that there is this heightened awareness to do and be better. It wasn’t too long ago that they struggled to get into classrooms to talk about these topics, but now they’re busy and excited. Gabriel’s insights leave us hopeful for the next generation of emerging professionals that are growing to be more committed toward the journey of DE&I in their professional and personal lives.

Question Two: What role can we play to shape the diversity in PR?

Everyone has a role to play in progressing DE&I within the industry. Commitment and avid participation will drive DE&I forward. After this conversation we know that we must ask questions, seek out resources and surround ourselves with diverse people with intentions to learn.

Judy has played a huge role in shaping diversity in PR. The CCPRF anti-racism commitment was created because they were aware that the organization was not as diverse as it should be. Seeing this, Judy says they felt responsible for doing more. And they have contributed to setting the tone for the PR industry, recruiting 19 firms/agencies to commit to the CCPRF pledge.

The commitment looks at leadership and the pipeline, recruitment, working with clients and so much more. When it comes to recruitment Judy notes that “we don’t want people who necessarily act, speak and look just like us.” The only way that we will advance is by inviting a more diverse crowd to the table.

When it comes to working with clients Judy says that “communicators have a huge role to play in diversity, inclusion and anti-racism because words are our business and words matter.” As PR students, this is something that has become so clear as communicators. We are taught that we are storytellers, and how we determine to tell these stories is detrimental to the outcomes and repercussions on a much larger scale then we may assume.

Strategic Objectives (SO) is not just talking the talk, but walking the walk. SO has made a point to eliminate suppliers because they did not align with their diversity values. These are real and meaningful actions that make a statement and a huge difference. It takes courage to cut relationships when our values do not align. Whether that be with organizations, partners, clients or friends. SO also created SOAR (Strategic Objectives Alliance and Representation), an employee driven committee that curates resources, organizes podcast club discussions and more. SO is working hard to educate themselves in all areas of DE&I. These are actions that many people say they ‘would do’ but never actually go through with. SO has really set an example for other PR organizations to follow.

As a GCE educator, Gabriel was thrilled to see the CCPRF commitment calling it “deep work, a rich six levels of accountability that the organization is looking at.” He stresses that some students are faced with microaggressions, so it’s very important that we unpack work culture, and ensure that it is a safe space for everyone. Students today are demanding their workplaces to reflect their values for DE&I.

Michelle says the role we can play to shape diversity in PR can be seen as direct or indirect. Directly, she says that she can “make space for more juniors under my belt that welcome diverse perspectives.” This creates more holistic processes for decision making and communications, with the knowledge that everything can impact people differently.

Something that Michelle said that really resonates with us is “change needs to happen within the people who work with you and the people who you allow into the bubble and allow a seat at the table.” Michelle may not have a senior role, but the fact that she’s making the effort to make space for more diverse juniors sets an example for everyone in PR.

Indirectly, Michelle discusses imposter syndrome. She speaks about how transparency is key in showing her wins and losses. “Understand that we’re human, it’s not all about unattainable standards.” This is integral in building our confidence as emerging professionals. It also helps to build trust with our audiences by demonstrating authenticity.

As students, we have so much optimism and hope for our futures. Jerome outwardly projects this mentality by saying, “the sky’s the limit right!” He tells us that he wants the content that is produced to resonate with the entire audience. “The industry looks bright with students like myself and my peers.”

Ananya brings great advice for both emerging and current PR professionals. “Pay it forward! We bring unique skills so find those opportunities to mentor someone, but also ask for mentorship.” There is so much importance in networking and building relationships to help broaden our perspectives. Your mentors don’t always have to be those in executive positions, fulfilling the traditional standards of success. These relationships can be guiding your journey in DE&I, anti-racism etc. Students have so much knowledge and fresh perspectives to offer. Reverse mentoring empowers emerging leaders, keeps us sharp and breaks down stereotypes that junior communicators have nothing to teach, and everything to learn.

Gabriel is teaching students that talking about GCE and DE&I skills when looking for work or interviewing is so important. Students are learning how to do a lot of self reflection work because “without it we’re going to perpetuate the same cycle over and over.” Students are confident and passionate when it comes to DE&I and are not afraid to ask these questions when interviewing. Asking questions about DE&I needs to be normalized and not seen as a taboo topic when interviewing. “How is your company advancing DE&I?” “What are your values and perspectives on representation and inclusivity?” All questions that should be addressed and not dismissed. For many people, especially BIPOC folks it’s important to understand if this is a culture and a company that we are going to feel safe and comfortable in.

Question Three? Do you see acceptance in the industry for more/new diverse people?

The PR industry is definitely evolving. In the first blog and podcast episode of The Future of PR Looks Like Us series, we discussed some challenges of the past. Compared to where we are now, there is definitely more acceptance, and looking forward we expect to see more diverse people and organizations.

Michelle is in her twenties and identifies as a young woman of colour, a first generation immigrant. She finds her generation has an outward facing level of acceptance, which she discovered moving to Toronto, as it was quite different from her experience growing up in a small town. She believes that in identifying ourselves as different from others, we can still find acceptance in each other, and as a community. Michelle says It will be exciting to see what the looks like for future communicators and views everybody in public relations as “gatekeepers of all communications that come out in the world.” She thinks that everyone has a unique story to bring to the table.

Acceptance can be subjective and people can let their own biases come into view. Some may be completely open to accepting individuals for who they are personally, but may see them differently on a professional level. Jerome used an example where he spoke to an executive from a PR firm about the subject of acceptance and diversity in the industry. The perspective was quite different from those of his friends when they had discussions on the same topic. “It depends on who you ask,” he says. Jerome feels that in some situations like the implementation of affirmative action decades ago, it was more tolerance than acceptance.

With many companies hiring diversity officers or coordinators, they need to be held accountable for doing what they say in addressing issues of diversity. It has to be grounded in more than just tolerance, and it has to be more than just the thing to do.

Ananya sees the change in the industry and like many of us, she is glad to see it happening now. She notes that companies are seeing the value of diverse stories and diverse viewpoints and the value that people bring. She states quite simply, “we’re stronger when we’re diverse.” In a 2019 Learning Hub article written by Deirdre O’Donoghue, it is pointed out that having diverse PR professionals helps when working with our multicultural clients. It allows us to represent them effectively, increasing viewpoints and client solutions. This is something many organizations are becoming more aware of.

“The industry is ready for change” according to Judy Lewis. She goes on to say that as it becomes more accepting, it is really important for the schools to help students understand how to do great interviews and how to really project their confidence. They should show how inspired they are by the profession and what they can bring to the profession. For women starting in the industry, it is easier now to be accepted. They can present themselves as professional PR strategists, unlike the past when people’s assumptions about women did not capture that.

Judy thinks that no matter what, whoever we are, no matter what we look like, we have to bring forth those qualities that employers are looking for; curious, a continual learner, confident in your ideas and willing to project yourself with that confidence to clients. You should be inspired and know what is going on in Canada, so that you can put your program in the context of what is going on in this country. Her advice to students, “Grab the brass ring and go with it because the world is waiting for you. It really, really is. I am completely optimistic about that.”

Conclusion

Last year, 2020, opened our eyes to the realities of the world we live in. Though it can sometimes feel disheartening to see bigotry in the media, online, in our communities and workplaces, the conversations we are having with diverse professionals and students show how much the PR industry desires change and is working to be more representative and inclusive.

Thanks to visionaries in the industry like Judy Lewis; PR professionals like Michelle Nguyen and Ananya Mani; students like Jerome Kitenge and our team; and educators like Gabriel Bedard this change is around the corner and evolving in front of us.