MEMBERS BLOG

As the communications profession continues to navigate rapid technological change, growing stakeholder expectations and an increasingly complex trust landscape, the role of PR practitioners is expanding in new and meaningful ways. For our June edition of In Conversation With blog series, we connected with Vanessa Eaton, President of Proof Strategies. A respected communications leader, Vanessa has helped shape some of Canada’s leading conversations around trust, reputation and strategic communications through her work at Proof and the development of the CanTrust Index.

We spoke with Vanessa about how the profession has evolved beyond traditional media relations, why trust remains one of the most important currencies organizations can earn, and how communicators can continue to create value in an era increasingly influenced by AI. From the growing importance of business acumen to the need for deeper strategic counsel, Vanessa shares her perspective on the forces shaping the future of communications and what practitioners can do to stay ahead.

How has your role as a PR practitioner evolved in recent years?

Earlier in my career, PR was often synonymous with media relations and managing the message. While this is still an important aspect of our role, the value we bring is much broader. Earning trust, moving people to action, and building and protecting corporate and brand reputation is complex work and what we do best. Understanding the business context—what makes an organization or business succeed—is also important to better inform the counsel we bring.

In this role, my work has evolved from doing to advising to leading—from being a PR specialist to becoming a communications strategist with a broader view of the expertise we can bring and impact we can make. As strategic communicators, we bring the big picture, judgment, and the human (relations) lens. With this perspective, we can unify people and expertise.

What major shifts have you seen in the PR profession, and how are they shaping your work today?

Things are moving faster, expectations are higher, and the environment is even less predictable. Business leaders are under more pressure to make an impact faster. Issues are higher stakes; trust is harder to earn and much easier to lose; attention is fragmented; and organizations are expected to connect with audiences across more channels in an ecosystem increasingly shaped by AI-driven feeds.

This is an ongoing shift and a major opportunity for our industry to show more value. We are growing our expertise in communication strategy, PR, marketing, and public affairs to solve more complex challenges that require broader expertise.

Looking ahead, what trends or changes do you think will define the role of PR practitioners in the future?

First, trust. We’re operating in a trust deficit, and it’s likely this will continue for some time. Trust is foundational: it’s essential for healthy societies to function and for businesses to succeed. As communicators, we play a critical role in helping organizations earn or rebuild trust.

Second, AI and the evolving role of our human (relations) expertise. Used well, AI can amplify our expertise and capacity. We need to focus more on guiding C-suite and key stakeholders through this incredibly complex time as professionals who bring a human lens and who specialize in knowing how to capture attention, earn trust, and move people to action in meaningful and measurable ways.

Third, technology shifts and growing complexity will force our profession to lean more into strategy—which has always been the value we bring—over transactional or tactical work, which in many cases will be done by AI. In this, we must focus more on outcomes (over outputs) and provide proof that our work is driving real impact.

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

Don’t stop learning.

Stay anchored in human experience and stay curious.

Embrace AI as an enabler. It’s not replacing our expertise; it’s expanding it.

Disclosure: Answers drafted by Vanessa Eaton in her own words and thinking, with AI used as an editing tool.

About CPRS Toronto’s In Conversation With blog series

Once a month, the In Conversation With series spotlights voices from across the communications field, featuring leaders and rising professionals who share their perspectives on industry trends, the future of the profession, and their own career journeys. These conversations aim to inspire, inform, and highlight the diverse experiences shaping the future of public relations.

If you would like to share your story or nominate a colleague, please contact us at communications@cprstoronto.com.

Why Inclusive Communication Is No Longer Optional

By Anmol Harjani

June is recognized globally as Pride Month, a time dedicated to celebrating diversity, inclusion, representation, and equality across communities and workplaces.

In today’s professional environment, inclusion is no longer reflected only through policies or campaigns. Increasingly, it is reflected through communication.

The way organizations communicate internally and externally now shapes how employees, clients, and audiences perceive workplace culture, trust, and credibility.

People are paying closer attention to how communication makes them feel.

Modern audiences do not only evaluate what organizations say. They evaluate whether communication feels respectful, accessible, thoughtful, and inclusive.

This shift has transformed inclusive communication from a branding initiative into a professional necessity.

For years, many organizations approached inclusion through awareness campaigns or carefully crafted public statements. While these efforts increased visibility, they often overlooked a deeper issue: communication itself can unintentionally exclude people.

Sometimes exclusion is obvious. More often, it is subtle.

Complicated corporate language, inaccessible messaging, generic representation, or emotionally disconnected communication can create distance between organizations and the people they hope to connect with.

Inclusion today is increasingly tied to clarity and empathy.

Employees want communication that feels human rather than performative. Audiences value sincerity more than polished statements. Clients notice whether organizations communicate consistently or only during socially visible moments.

What matters most is authenticity.

Inclusive communication is not limited to external campaigns. It is reflected in leadership messaging, internal communication, workplace participation, hiring language, and everyday interactions.

Small communication choices often shape workplace experiences more than organizations realize.

For example, unclear communication can leave employees feeling disconnected or excluded from important conversations. Jargon-heavy messaging can create confusion instead of alignment. Communication that lacks empathy can quietly weaken workplace trust.

In many ways, communication determines whether people feel included long before policies do.

The rise of hybrid and digital workplaces has made this even more important. Organizations now communicate across different backgrounds, cultures, time zones, and lived experiences more than ever before.

As a result, communication strategies built around uniformity no longer work effectively.

People expect awareness. They expect transparency. Most importantly, they expect sincerity.

Inclusive communication is ultimately not about perfection.

It is about intentionality.

Because in modern workplaces, communication is no longer only about delivering information.

It is about creating connection, trust, and belonging.

Key Takeaways

• Inclusive communication has become an essential workplace and business practice.

• Audiences increasingly evaluate organizations through tone, accessibility, and representation.

• Inclusion extends beyond campaigns and is reflected in everyday communication practices.

• Clarity, empathy, and authenticity are becoming critical communication skills.

• Performative communication is losing effectiveness as audiences prioritize sincerity.

• Strong communication cultures help organizations build trust and stronger professional relationships.

Anmol Harjani is a Client Servicing Manager working with a remote company and a recent graduate of York University’s Public Relations and Communications program. She is especially interested in strategic communications, social media behaviour, and how PR practitioners adapt within a rapidly evolving digital landscape. She currently serves as the Communications Co-Chair on the CPRS Toronto Board.

The New Rules of Professionalism Nobody Officially Talks About

By Anmol Harjani

June 1 to June 7 is recognized as National Business Etiquette Week, a time that highlights professionalism, workplace behavior, and communication in professional environments.

However, professionalism today looks very different from what it did even a few years ago.

For a long time, professionalism was associated with formal attire, polished language, punctuality, and maintaining clear workplace boundaries. But somewhere between hybrid work, endless notifications, virtual meetings, and burnout culture, the definition quietly changed.

Today, professionalism is increasingly measured through communication.

The modern workplace runs on emails, video calls, instant messaging platforms, and digital collaboration tools. As a result, workplace impressions are no longer formed only in meeting rooms. They are formed through response times, tone of communication, clarity, and emotional awareness.

In many ways, communication has become a reputation.

This shift has created entirely new professional anxieties. Employees overthink punctuation in emails, worry about sounding “too direct,” and feel pressure to remain constantly available online.

Being accessible at all times is often mistaken for professionalism, even when it contributes to exhaustion.

Ironically, workplaces now communicate more than ever before, yet many professionals feel less connected and more overwhelmed. Notifications replace focus. Urgency replaces clarity. Meetings replace meaningful decision-making.

One of the biggest workplace challenges today is communication fatigue.

Many professionals spend entire days responding rather than communicating intentionally. The pressure to always appear productive has created environments where visibility matters more than clarity.

But effective communication is not about constant activity.

It is about precision, consistency, and awareness.

Clear communication reduces confusion, strengthens trust, and improves collaboration. Employees remember leaders who communicate calmly during uncertainty. Teams function better when expectations are transparent and realistic.

At the same time, workplace culture is shifting away from overly polished communication. Audiences and employees increasingly connect with communication that feels human rather than performative.

This does not mean professionalism is disappearing. It means performative professionalism is becoming easier to detect.

Corporate jargon, scripted messaging, and excessive formality often create distance instead of trust. Emotional intelligence, empathy, and adaptability are now becoming essential professional skills.

The workplaces that will stand out in the future are not necessarily the loudest or the most polished. They will be the ones that communicate intentionally.

Because professionalism today is no longer defined only by appearance or etiquette.

It is reflected in how people create clarity, manage conversations, respect boundaries, and communicate under pressure.

Key Takeaways

• Professionalism today is increasingly defined through communication, clarity, and emotional intelligence.

• Digital etiquette has become an important part of workplace reputation.

• Constant availability should not be mistaken for productivity or professionalism.

• Clear communication improves trust, collaboration, and workplace culture.

• Audiences and employees increasingly value authentic and human-centered communication.

• Modern professionalism depends on adaptability, awareness, and intentional communication.

Anmol Harjani is a Client Servicing Manager working with a remote company and a recent graduate of York University’s Public Relations and Communications program. She is especially interested in strategic communications, social media behaviour, and how PR practitioners adapt within a rapidly evolving digital landscape. She currently serves as the Communications Co-Chair on the CPRS Toronto Board.

Community Is Becoming the Most Valuable Business Strategy

By Anmol Harjani

June 8 to June 14 is recognized as Community Health Improvement Week, highlighting the importance of strong and connected communities.

While community is often associated with healthcare or social initiatives, it is becoming increasingly valuable in business and professional environments as well.

In a highly digital world, organizations are beginning to realize that visibility may attract audiences, but community builds loyalty.

For years, businesses focused heavily on reach, engagement numbers, and online visibility. Communication was often designed to speak to audiences rather than connect with them.

Today, that approach is changing.

Modern audiences are looking for trust, interaction, belonging, and meaningful relationships. People want to feel acknowledged rather than targeted.

As a result, community has become one of the strongest long-term business strategies.

Organizations that build communities often create deeper trust because they focus on connection rather than attention alone.

This shift is visible across industries.

Brands are investing more in audience engagement, collaborative spaces, creator partnerships, and relationship-driven communication. Professional associations and workplaces are also focusing more on networking, mentorship, and meaningful participation.

At the center of all of this is communication.

Strong communities are not built through promotion alone. They are built through consistency, listening, and thoughtful interaction.

People remember organizations that make them feel heard.

This is especially important in an era where audiences are overwhelmed with content every day. Communication that feels transactional often gets ignored, while communication that feels human creates stronger engagement.

Community-driven communication encourages participation instead of passive consumption.

It focuses on conversations instead of one-way messaging.

Importantly, communities cannot be forced.

Audiences quickly recognize when engagement feels performative or purely promotional. Genuine community-building requires patience, trust, and authentic communication.

Even workplace culture is increasingly shaped by community-building efforts.

Employees are more likely to remain engaged in workplaces where communication feels collaborative and supportive. Teams perform better when people feel connected to a larger purpose rather than isolated within individual roles.

Organizations that prioritize communication, connection, and belonging are likely to build stronger long-term relationships.

Because people may remember campaigns temporarily.

But they remember communities much longer.

Key Takeaways

• Community-building is becoming an increasingly valuable business strategy.

• Modern audiences prioritize connection, trust, and belonging over visibility alone.

• Strong communities are built through consistent and human-centered communication.

• Community-driven communication encourages dialogue and participation.

• Workplace culture is strongly influenced by communication and connection.

• Organizations that prioritize authentic engagement often build stronger long-term loyalty.

Anmol Harjani is a Client Servicing Manager working with a remote company and a recent graduate of York University’s Public Relations and Communications program. She is especially interested in strategic communications, social media behaviour, and how PR practitioners adapt within a rapidly evolving digital landscape. She currently serves as the Communications Co-Chair on the CPRS Toronto Board.

Productivity Culture Has a Communication Problem

By Anmol Harjani

June 16 is observed as World Productivity Day, encouraging organizations and professionals to reflect on workplace efficiency, performance, and growth.

However, one of the biggest productivity challenges in modern workplaces is not a lack of effort. It is poor communication.

Today’s workplaces are more connected than ever before, yet many professionals feel increasingly overwhelmed, distracted, and mentally exhausted.

The reason is simple: communication overload has become normalized.

Employees spend their days navigating emails, notifications, meetings, updates, and multiple messaging platforms. In many organizations, responsiveness is rewarded more than clarity.

Fast replies are praised. Constant availability is interpreted as commitment.

But activity is not the same thing as productivity.

One of the biggest communication issues in workplaces today is unclear expectations. Employees often struggle with shifting priorities, vague instructions, meeting overload, and constant urgency.

As a result, communication itself becomes exhausting.

Poor communication creates confusion, duplicated work, delayed decisions, and unnecessary stress. More importantly, it affects morale.

Many employees now feel pressure to appear productive at all times. Visibility has become performative.

People respond quickly, attend back-to-back meetings, and remain constantly online, even when it reduces focus and meaningful contribution.

Ironically, many organizations attempt to solve productivity issues by adding more communication rather than improving communication quality.

What employees often need is not more meetings or more updates. They need more clarity.

Clear communication creates alignment. It reduces uncertainty. It allows teams to focus on execution instead of constantly interpreting information.

This is especially important in hybrid and remote workplaces where communication forms the foundation of collaboration.

Communication also directly impacts workplace well-being.

High-pressure communication environments often create anxiety and burnout. In contrast, transparent and intentional communication helps employees feel supported and more confident in their work.

The future of productivity will not depend only on technology or efficiency tools.

It will depend on how organizations communicate.

Because sustainable productivity is not built through constant urgency.

It is built through clarity, focus, and intentional collaboration.

Key Takeaways

• Modern productivity challenges are often rooted in communication problems.

• Constant responsiveness should not be confused with effective productivity.

• Communication overload contributes significantly to workplace burnout.

• Clear communication improves focus, collaboration, and efficiency.

• Hybrid workplaces require more intentional communication practices.

• Sustainable productivity depends on clarity, structure, and realistic expectations.

Anmol Harjani is a Client Servicing Manager working with a remote company and a recent graduate of York University’s Public Relations and Communications program. She is especially interested in strategic communications, social media behaviour, and how PR practitioners adapt within a rapidly evolving digital landscape. She currently serves as the Communications Co-Chair on the CPRS Toronto Board.

Why Stepping Away Is Becoming a Communication Skill

By Anmol Harjani

June 18 is recognized as National Wanna Get Away Day, a light-hearted reminder of the importance of taking breaks, resetting, and stepping away from everyday pressures.

In today’s professional world, however, “getting away” has become increasingly difficult.

Modern workplaces are built around constant communication. Emails continue after work hours, notifications appear endlessly, meetings fill calendars, and digital platforms keep professionals connected at all times.

As a result, many people are physically present in moments of rest while remaining mentally connected to work.

The pressure to always be available has quietly become normalized.

For many professionals, stepping away now feels uncomfortable rather than refreshing. There is often guilt attached to taking breaks, logging off, or disconnecting temporarily from workplace communication.

Some worry about appearing unproductive. Others fear missing updates, opportunities, or important conversations.

But this constant accessibility comes at a cost.

Communication fatigue is becoming one of the biggest challenges in modern workplaces. Employees are processing more information in shorter periods of time than ever before. Notifications compete for attention constantly, leaving little room for focus, creativity, or mental recovery.

Ironically, workplaces often celebrate productivity while unintentionally creating communication environments that reduce it.

The ability to disconnect is increasingly becoming essential for sustainable performance.

This is especially important in communication-driven industries where responsiveness is often associated with professionalism and commitment.

However, constantly reacting is not the same as communicating effectively.

Strong communication also requires reflection, clarity, emotional awareness, and the ability to think intentionally. None of these things function well under continuous mental overload.

Stepping away creates space for perspective.

Some of the best ideas, decisions, and creative breakthroughs often happen away from screens, meetings, and constant digital interaction. Rest allows people to return to conversations with greater focus and stronger clarity.

This is why organizations are increasingly beginning to rethink workplace communication culture.

Healthy communication environments are not built only through collaboration and responsiveness. They are also built through respecting boundaries, encouraging balance, and recognizing that employees cannot function sustainably in constant urgency.

Professionals today are not only seeking flexibility in where they work. Increasingly, they are seeking flexibility in how they communicate and disconnect.

Even short moments away from digital communication can improve focus, reduce burnout, and strengthen overall well-being.

National Wanna Get Away Day may seem light-hearted on the surface, but it reflects a much larger conversation happening in modern workplaces.

The conversation around burnout is no longer only about workload.

It is increasingly about communication overload.

Because sometimes, stepping away is not avoidance.

It is recovery.

And in today’s constantly connected world, learning when to disconnect may quietly become one of the most valuable professional skills of all.

Key Takeaways

• Constant communication and digital accessibility are contributing to workplace fatigue and burnout.

• Taking breaks and disconnecting are becoming increasingly important for sustainable productivity.

• Communication overload often reduces clarity, creativity, and focus.

• Healthy workplace communication includes respecting boundaries and encouraging balance.

• Strong communication requires intentionality, reflection, and mental recovery.

• In modern workplaces, knowing when to step away can become an important professional skill.

Anmol Harjani is a Client Servicing Manager working with a remote company and a recent graduate of York University’s Public Relations and Communications program. She is especially interested in strategic communications, social media behaviour, and how PR practitioners adapt within a rapidly evolving digital landscape. She currently serves as the Communications Co-Chair on the CPRS Toronto Board.

Accessibility in Communication Is Bigger Than Captions and Fonts

By Anmol Harjani

June 16 to June 22 is recognized as Learning Disability Week, a time dedicated to raising awareness about inclusion, accessibility, and equal participation.

In professional environments, accessibility conversations often focus on visible adjustments such as captions, readable fonts, or website compliance. While these elements are important, accessibility in communication goes much deeper.

At its core, accessible communication is about clarity.

It is about ensuring that information can be understood, processed, and meaningfully engaged with by different people across workplaces and professional environments.

In today’s workplaces, this matters more than ever.

Modern professionals are constantly navigating emails, presentations, notifications, meetings, dashboards, and digital platforms. As communication increases, comprehension often decreases.

Many workplaces unintentionally create communication environments that feel overwhelming instead of effective.

Long documents filled with jargon, unclear instructions, overloaded presentations, and excessive corporate language can make even simple information difficult to process.

The result is not only confusion. It is exclusion.

Accessible communication benefits far more people than organizations often realize.

Clear communication supports employees navigating learning differences, cognitive fatigue, language barriers, stress, burnout, or information overload. It also improves collaboration and workplace confidence overall.

Sometimes organizations focus so heavily on sounding professional that communication becomes unnecessarily complicated.

Corporate jargon may appear polished, but it often reduces understanding. Employees may hesitate to ask for clarification, leading to disengagement or mistakes.

In contrast, communication that feels structured, direct, and intentional creates confidence.

Accessible communication is not about simplifying intelligence.

It is about removing unnecessary barriers.

One of the biggest shifts happening in professional communication today is the growing recognition that clarity itself is a leadership skill.

Leaders who communicate clearly create stronger alignment, trust, and collaboration within teams.

This issue has become even more important in digital and hybrid workplaces where communication is increasingly text-based and constant.

Professionals are processing more information in shorter periods of time than ever before. As a result, concise and accessible communication is becoming increasingly valuable.

Organizations do not necessarily need more communication.

They need better communication.

Because communication should not only deliver information.

It should create understanding.

Key Takeaways

• Accessible communication extends beyond captions, fonts, or compliance requirements.

• Clear communication helps reduce confusion and cognitive overload.

• Excessive jargon and overly complex messaging can unintentionally create exclusion.

• Accessible communication improves collaboration and understanding across teams.

• Clarity is increasingly becoming an essential leadership skill.

• Organizations that prioritize accessible communication often build stronger trust and workplace alignment.

Anmol Harjani is a Client Servicing Manager working with a remote company and a recent graduate of York University’s Public Relations and Communications program. She is especially interested in strategic communications, social media behaviour, and how PR practitioners adapt within a rapidly evolving digital landscape. She currently serves as the Communications Co-Chair on the CPRS Toronto Board.