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Written by: Matt Yuyitung, Outreach Manager, The Pigeon, CPRS Toronto Member

Daisy Uy has a slightly unusual daily routine for a public relations student.

The Centennial College student pours herself a cup of coffee at 9:30 p.m. local time, attends online lectures, meets with classmates to work on assignments and she might schedule a coffee chat for 4:00 a.m. before she wraps up her day.

As a postgraduate student currently based in the Philippines, adjusting to a 13-hour time difference is one of many challenges Uy has taken on as she pursues a PR education in an online environment.

Uy isn’t the only Centennial PR student facing time zone challenges either. Others have logged in from Cameroon, Jamaica and Sri Lanka.

Uy spent several years in sales and marketing before “stumbling” into more communications-oriented work. As her interest in PR grew, she chose to enroll in the corporate communications and public relations program at Centennial.

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to transition to an online environment, Uy says she arrived at a “crossroads,” debating the merits of deferring her acceptance or pressing forward with online learning.

“I could have waited,” she says. “It would have been a fair option, but nobody knew when ‘normal’ would have come again and nobody still knows when normal will come again.”

Ultimately, she chose to accept her offer, and began the program in September 2020.

Donna Lindell, a professor and the program coordinator for Centennial College’s post-grad PR program, says perhaps the biggest key so far in providing a quality online education has been “a healthy attitude.”

“I think that makes a big difference in the student experience,” she says.

For the Centennial faculty, this meant working hard to embrace the change, deliver quality content and commit to student success.

On top of her own healthy attitude, Lindell has been very impressed by the attitudes of the students.

“They have shown up prepared to learn,” she says. “They have committed to this experience.”

For example, Uy works to catch each lecture live, despite them being in the middle of the night.

“Of course there are replays that you can watch but you realize it’s a lot more engaging to just be there, even if it involves being up being up at 3 a.m. like me,” she says with a laugh.

With the help of apps like Slack, Lindell has also worked to ensure that students had easy access to faculty and to each other. The app was instrumental in helping the class connect and form a community, she says.

“What I’m hearing from students is they actually feel they have greater access to faculty than they would perhaps if we were in person,” she adds. “It’s pretty easy to get it.”

Lindell has enjoyed some of the lighter moments as well, from asking students to take photos outside during class breaks to a Christmas themed scavenger hunt to feeling “emotional” during a chance encounter with a student while out shopping.

“You get those little moments,” she says. “I do feel I’m still connecting with the students.”

Uy has had her share of fun moments as well, like the time her microphone picked up roosters crowing while on Zoom.

Despite the challenges, Uy has made the most of her Centennial experience. She was pleased with the virtual interactive baking event she organized with her team back in the fall and believes these online experiences will serve her well after completing the program.

“It has really prepared me for working in an uncertain situation when we graduate,” she says. “It has really prepared me for adjusting to different platforms and adjusting to having to work with people from all over the world in different time zones without too much drama.”

As for her decision to choose online learning instead of waiting for in-class sessions to return, Uy has no regrets.

“I wasn’t willing to wait that long,” she says. “I figured it would be a good experience and I’m happy to say that my prediction came true.”

Written by: Jenny Cruxton, Director of Measurement and Analysis, Fifth Story /MRP & Director of Membership CPRS Toronto

How long have you been a CPRS member?

I have been a CPRS member since 2006. 

Why did you decide to become a CPRS Member?

Working with and for PR professionals for my whole career led me to want to learn and network with the people I engage with daily and have become friends with. I have been lucky enough to have employers that cover off the fees as part of my various positions.

Over the years as a member, what have you gotten from your membership?

My membership experience has changed over the years, from watching/learning from the audience to being a board member for the first time this year. Two big stand outs for me are getting comfortable with presenting to larger groups via the National Conference and the sense of community the CPRS has given me. I love the thought leadership on many fronts the CPRS has offered up over the years, that have been so meaningful and useful to my career. Also, the networking opportunities have been so valuable for my career.  

What are the benefits of Membership?

Putting my Director of Membership hat on now, there are so many benefits on being a member! 

• Access to the National resource library, as someone who is always researching resources in the industry, having access to the library’s awards winning entrants, to accreditation work samples and case studies is so valuable to me. Access to the CPRS membership directory.
• Member insurance (LMS PRolink) pricing and several other member discounts like members can get a discount on their MRP subscription. Membership rate on PRSA quarterly publication and monthly newspaper.
• Career File free for PR pros looking for a job and preferred pricing for members to post job opportunities.
• Access to the Global Alliance for PR resources.
• Amazing volunteer opportunities and a fantastic mentorship and mentee program.
• Leadership opportunities: volunteering on local boards, task forces and councils
• Professional Development through local and national workshops, seminars and networking opportunities as access to the PRSA Counselors Academy

There are so many ways to learn and network being a CPRS member, even during a pandemic with meetings and seminars being held virtually.

Membership month offers:

• If you join in March as a new member the $50 initiation fee will be waived.
• Lapsed members also the $50 reinstatement fee will be waived.
• Anyone who renews/joins in March is entered into a draw for a year’s free membership!
• Renewing members: all members who renew in March will be entered into a draw to win a $50 voucher each week.

Written by: Sarah Heiman, Rebecca Moe, Daisy Johanna Uy and Charmaine Blair, CCPR postgraduate students, Centennial College

The movement for diversity in our industry is growing, and we sat down with students, professionals and educators to discuss its impact.

We had a conversation about representation of women in leadership roles, emerging acceptance in our industry and what we can do to make the industry more inclusive with:

• Judy Lewis (chair of CCPRF and co-founder and partner of Strategic Objectives),
• Michelle Nguyen (co-founder, lead writer and social strategist of Super Duper Studios),
• Ananya Mani (senior internal communications specialist of Ingram Micro),
• Gabriel Bedard (human rights and equity advisor and GCE instructor and facilitator at Centennial College),
• Jerome Kitenge (a current student of the Centennial College Bachelor of Public Relations program).

On culture

Judy emphasizes that we must create welcoming and accepting cultures for women navigating the integration of career and life. Women need to feel confident when striving for executive roles, but also supported if they have to take on the role as primary caregiver for their families. 

Michelle says we need to change the narrative of stereotypes that women are “multi-taskers” and can “do it all.” When everyone shares their wins and losses with transparency and honesty, this curates authenticity and can inspire people to not worry about perfection. We’re all human, after all. Choosing to share these challenges and successes can foster supportive workplace cultures. 

On commitments

“Our words and actions matter,” Judy said, in respect to building cultures that cherish diversity. For example, Strategic Objectives committed to fostering a culture of DE&I inside and outside of their organization. They have cut ties with suppliers and organizations that don’t align with this commitment, and have begun reaching out to partner with new suppliers that believe in these values. We can pave the way in our spheres of influence; as Ananya says, “we are all influencers.”

On awareness and education

Gabriel proposes we build awareness of ingrained racial biases that can cause microaggressions people entering the workforce may face. We can acknowledge them, begin to dismantle them and create more accepting workplace cultures. Students can help, as they leave schools with concrete knowledge of and passion for DE&I. Jerome perfectly summarizes many students’ thoughts by stating, “If the industry is able to accept [students like myself] and we’re able to change it to a new direction, I would say … the future looks bright.”

On mentorship

Ananya brings great advice for professionals. “Pay it forward! We bring unique skills so find those opportunities to mentor someone, but also ask for mentorship.” Building these relationships can broaden our perspectives. Mentors don’t always have to be someone who is more experienced than their mentees. Having relationships with those who hold unique perspectives help inform journeys in DE&I. Since students are receiving training in these areas, they have knowledge established professionals can benefit from.

Michelle also brought up the role of managers and employers. They can work to make room for diverse juniors in their positions, bringing new thoughts and perspectives to the table.

On sharing and listening

By having open conversations between a diverse group, we learned a lot! As communicators, we can expand our knowledge and perspectives by sharing and listening to each other’s stories. Jerome emphasizes that we are all unique and that everyone should have the ability to share their authentic stories. “We all have something to say,” he says. It’s about learning how to find confidence, project our voices and show our passion for the industry. 

Thanks again to Judy Lewis, Michelle Nguyen, Ananya Mani, Jerome Kitenge and Gabriel Bedard for sharing their perspectives and knowledge with us. It is encouraging to know so many advocates for DE&I are pushing the change in the communications industry and beyond. You can listen to the full episode by clicking here.

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.

Written by: Kaila Currie-Bartlett, Account Executive, Craft Public Relations & Digital Communications Coordinator, CPRS Toronto

For our second In Conversation With, we chatted with Mark LaVigne, MA, APR, FCPRS, an industry veteran with 30 years’ experience as a media relations specialist. For the past 23 years, he has operated his own media relations and media training firm, Hunter LaVigne Communications Inc. In addition to this, LaVigne has 16 years of part-time college and university teaching experience, most recently with Centennial and Humber Colleges’ Degree PR programs. Prior to his very successful career in PR, LaVigne worked as a radio journalist for five years in Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto with CKO, CJEZ, BN, and CBC Radio.

Mark is an award winning, accredited member (APR) of the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS), and a member of the CPRS College of Fellows (FCPRS). He wrote the media relations chapter in “Fundamentals of Public Relations and Marketing Communications”, University of Alberta Press (2015) and is co-author of the new edition of “In the News (third edition)”, University of Alberta Press (2019) and Author of “Proactive Media Relations in Canada” (third edition), Centennial College Press (2019).

How did 2020 change your role as a PR practitioner?

• Pivoted to a fully-online reality for my teaching and practice
• Shifted most of my focus to college teaching and publishing
• I have more time due to the lack of commute (2.5 hours more time per day)

How important is communications and/or internal communications during a global pandemic?

• External as the geopolitical and geo corporate frenzy erupts
• Internal to engage a largely home-office workforce

What are the biggest challenges you think PR practitioners will face in 2021?

• Reaching target audiences effectively

Where do you see the PR industry heading in the future?

• The PESO blend will continue as clients try to reach target audiences

What trends do you foresee emerging throughout 2021?

• Home-officing will continue
• Closed-captioning will continue
• Migration from major downtown areas will continue, including head office dispersement
• The “creative boom” will continue across all of the arts, finding audiences online
• There will be a showdown between Canadian democracies and dictators of all sizes, as well as those multinational corporations that consider themselves as powerful as the democracies in which they exist
• Mental health will become a focus for many employers
• However, once global herd immunity becomes a reality near the end of the year, the new roaring twenties will begin!

What is your biggest piece of advice for PR practitioners moving forward?

• Continue to pivot and do not worry about leaving divots

CPRS Toronto’s ‘In Conversation With’ blog series

Once a month, CPRS Toronto’s communications and marketing subcommittee will post quick conversations with GTA public relations practitioners and industry thought leaders. During these conversations we look to explore the impact COVID-19 has had on communication practitioners, as well as provide insights into the future of public relations moving forward.

Written by: Carolina Salinas, public relations and corporate communications graduate, Professional Development Inclusion & Equity Co-Chair, CPRS Toronto & Anjali Rego, Professional Development Subcommittee member

Diversity and inclusion have been an ongoing topic of discussion, where awareness has grown following the Black Lives Matter movement that originated in the U.S. However, there is still much work to do to combat racism, discrimination, and inequity within the Canadian public relations and communications industry.

Although systemic racism in the industry and society is not a new topic, talking about the elephant in the room within the public relations industry is a big step toward generating inclusion and diversity within workplaces. This was the topic tackled by CPRS Toronto’s most recent professional development event, held on Feb. 25.

The event was hosted and moderated by Gail Strachan, CPRS Toronto’s Director of Professional Development and Chair of Inclusion and Equity. Guest speakers included  Rohini Mukherji, Vice President Integrated Communications, APEX Public Relations and Rob Ireland, Senior Vice President Hill + Knowlton Strategies (H+K). Each speaker and moderator gave insightful information on inclusion, diversity and equity in Canadian public relations firms and how PR professionals can generate a change among the society so that our employers include this topic in their core values.

Rohini and Rob began the conversation by highlighting that neither of them attended public relations schools. Despite not having traditional educational backgrounds, someone took a chance on them because of their transferable skills, which gave them a foot in the door into the world of PR. This view was confirmed by Gail’s experience as well, now in a completely different industry, Management Consulting, where she is able to leverage her legal background and communication skills in technology transformation projects.

Although an immigrant to Canada, Rohini shared her story as being atypical because she came to Canada as a student at the age of 17, when there weren’t many people of colour working in PR. With university education being an equalizer, she did not face the same barriers as other BIPoC individuals. Being aware of the barriers to entry, Rohini supports those around her who are entering the field.

“Breaking the glass ceiling is great, but we have to send the elevator back down,” she stated.

Despite being a White man, Rob had the opportunity to support the Black North Initiative, its board and committees when H+K Strategies was named the pro bono PR agency of record. To support the Initiative’s commitment to combating anti-black racism in society and Corporate Canada, Rob wore a Black North Initiative t-shirt to the event. He encouraged participants to also support this change of perspective within the PR industry. 

“We need to listen and be able to relate to the communities we serve, and the face of our companies needs to reflect this. As a leader in a PR firm, we need to hire the right people with different lived experiences and thinking,” said Ireland.

Rob mentioned that PR agencies typically hire from PR schools, where students tend to be predominately White. Both Rob and Rohini agreed that Canadian public relations firms must commit to making leadership ranks more diverse, removing barriers to recruitment, retention, and advancement to improve the representation of BIPoC at all levels.

Gail mentioned that it is important to implement unconscious bias training, create safe spaces for employees from underrepresented groups, advocate for change with clients, and foster diverse representation in the content we draft on behalf of employees in our organization and our customers. She also mentioned the importance of making equity and anti-racism a focus topic within public relations firms and organizations. 

When organizations hire someone who is a culture “fit”, Rohini proposed eliminating that requirement so that organizations are more welcoming of an individual.

“It is up to the organization welcoming them, not the individual being interviewed. That is on us,” said Rohini.

The interview process is the start of a relationship. As Rob stated, a relationship should start with dignity.

“We as employers need to create this open environment so people will feel safer being themselves,” said Rob. Gail added, “BIPoC individuals take measures to make White people feel comfortable during interviews. What are White interviewers doing to make candidates feel more comfortable?”

Before concluding, Rob encouraged the audience and candidates to take some action steps by asking future employers bold questions about how the organization supports inclusion and diversity. Run to the organizations that embrace diversity and this will force the other ones to do it,” said Rob.

After the chat, audience members asked questions, which led to interesting discussions about personal growth, new understanding and concerted effort to address a great employee experience in the PR industry. It was a golden opportunity where virtual attendees raised their voices and spoke candidly about their experiences.

The conversation wrapped up for the night, but the discussion continues.

CPRS Toronto plans to continue hosting professional development events, so stay tuned for those.

Written by: Sarah Heiman, Rebecca Moe, Daisy Johanna Uy and Charmaine Blair, CCPR postgraduate students, Centennial College

Today’s powerful zeitgeist is around social responsibility and collective action. With the public’s demand of representation in the workplace and the work that we do, communicators are driven to contribute to the work of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in our industry.

We PR students talked to Fatyma Khan, Meghann Cox, Jeannette Holder and Mubashira Farooqi, four Toronto-based communicators from different sectors, about this critical issue. Here are just a few of the things we learned from them:

1. Put yourself out there.

Meet people outside your normal circle. Mubashira shared this realization: “If I don’t use my voice, how can I ask anyone else to?” How can we expect people to engage when we don’t engage ourselves? Putting ourselves out there encourages others to do so too.

2. If you see something, say something.

As communicators, we have our ears to the ground so we can do effective work. That means we can prompt colleagues and people in power when acceptance is missing. Fatyma says we can “nudge executives and remind them that, ‘Hey, there’s a little imbalance here. Do you notice that imbalance? Here are the things that you can do…’”

Often, something continues in the industry because it’s familiar and it’s the way it’s always been done. This doesn’t mean it needs to repeat though, and we can help the learning process of diversity along with these simple nudges.

3. Small actions can create ripples of influence. 

Some actions may seem small; some initiatives may not feel noteworthy. Reframing those actions as the start of meaningful progress is a reminder that every step is a contribution. Be it a scholarship or a wider campaign, taking those tiny steps often snowball into meaningful work that can influence the industry.

4. Recognize that no two people have had the same life experiences.

Fatyma reminds us that, “representation helps us identify that no one person has lived the same life or had the same life experiences, and there’s something to learn from each other.” When we take in different perspectives and stories and put ourselves out there in turn, we learn to be kinder with each other. That makes us more humane, and our work more interesting as well.

This realization also leads to significant interactions in the workplace, just like when Jeannette shared about PwC employees sharing their lived experiences.

5. Emotional intelligence is important especially in leadership roles.

We are increasingly seeing the role of emotion in effective leadership, particularly in uncertain times. Empathy, respect and concern for people go a long way towards creating connection with the people we work with and our audiences as well.

Today’s episode and our reflections show the beginnings of more acceptance in the PR industry, even as there’s space for work to be done. As forward-thinking communicators, we can be part of that change, helping shape the industry in the work that we do. You can listen to the full episode by clicking here.

The Future of PR Looks Like Us campaign

The Future of PR Looks Like Us is led by a team of Centennial College PR and corporate communications postgraduate students in partnership with the Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms (CCPRF). We intend to highlight the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in the PR industry. 

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