NEW PERSPECTIVES

Listening First: Why Inclusion Begins with Hearing What We’ve Missed

By Anmol Harjani

Every March, Listening Awareness Month invites us to slow down and reflect on something we often assume we’re already good at: listening. In communications, we spend hours refining the perfect message, debating tone, and optimizing reach. But how often do we pause long enough to truly hear the people on the other side of that message?

For this year’s feature, we wanted to explore listening not as a soft skill, but as strategy, not a checkbox, but a responsibility. Not a reactive exercise, but the foundation of inclusive, accessible communications. We connected with Matisse Hamel-Nelis, ADS, CPACC, an award-winning communications and digital accessibility consultant, professor at Durham College, and founder of PR & Lattes, whose career has been built around a simple but powerful idea: the people we communicate with are the experts on their own lived experiences.

In our conversation, she challenges the industry to rethink what listening really means. It’s not collecting feedback only to defend decisions. It’s not consulting one voice and calling it representative. And it’s certainly not treating accessibility as a separate, compliance-driven function. As Matisse puts it, accessibility is listening. When it’s approached as an afterthought, we’re not just missing best practices, we’re missing people.

We spoke with Matisse about what active listening looks like in professional communications, where organizations fall short, and how small, everyday practices can shift teams from performative consultation to meaningful inclusion. From closing feedback loops to being honest about barriers, her insights offer a practical and necessary reminder: you can’t communicate effectively if you’re not prepared to change based on what you hear. Here is what she had to share.

We often talk about messaging in communications, but not enough about listening. How do you define “active listening” in a professional communications context?

Active listening in communications means actually hearing what people are telling you, not just waiting for your turn to talk. It’s about being curious, asking follow-up questions, and being willing to change your approach based on what you learn.

For me, it means pausing before I respond. It means checking my assumptions at the door. And most importantly, it means being comfortable with the fact that I don’t have all the answers. The people we’re communicating with are the experts on their own experiences. Our job is to listen and learn from them.

From your work in accessibility and digital inclusion, where do organisations most often fail to truly listen to their audiences?

Organizations often make the mistake of asking for feedback but then explaining why they can’t implement it. I see this constantly with accessibility. Someone will say, “I can’t access this,” and instead of listening, the organization jumps straight to justifying their current approach or defending their decisions. That’s not listening; that’s deflecting.

Another big one? Only listening to certain voices. Organizations will consult with one person with disability and assume they’ve “checked the box.” But disability is diverse. One person’s experience doesn’t represent everyone’s. A blind screen reader user has different needs than someone who’s D/deaf. Somone with a mobility disability has different needs than someone who’s neurodivergent. True listening means actively seeking out different perspective, especially from people who’ve been historically excluded.

I also see organizations treating accessibility feedback as a nice-to-have instead of a need-to-have. They’ll listen politely, nod along, and then prioritize everything else first. Or they’ll only listen when there’s a complaint or legal pressure, which means they’re being reactive instead of proactive.

And here’s a subtle one that drives me up the wall – organizations that listen selectively. They’ll hear the feedback that easy or cheap to implement and ignore the stuff that requires real change. That’s not listening. That’s cherry-picking.

Real listening means being willing to hear hard truths. It means sitting with discomfort when you learn you’ve been excluding people. It means understanding that “we didn’t mean to” doesn’t erase the impact. And it means being brave enough to actually change based on what you hear, even when it’s inconvenient.

How does accessibility connect directly to listening, rather than being treated as a separate or compliance-driven function?

Accessibility IS listening. When we treat it as a checklist or a compliance thing, we’re not actually hearing what people need. We’re just checking boxes.

Real accessibility happens when you listen to how people actually use your content, your platforms, and your services. It’s when you hear someone say, “I struggle with this” and your first thought isn’t “but we followed the guidelines,” it’s “tell me more so I can understand.”

Accessibility built through listening feels different. It’s thoughtful. It anticipates needs because you’ve actually talked to people about their experiences. Compliance might get you to a baseline, but listening gets you to be truly inclusive.

Can you share an example where better listening led to a more effective or inclusive communication outcome?

I worked with an organization that was creating a virtual event. They asked me to review it for accessibility. Instead of just running an audit, I suggested they talk to members of the disability community about what would really make the event work for them.

What they learned surprised them. Yes, they need captions and screen reader compatibility. But people also told them about Zoom fatigue, about needed real breaks (not just five-minute transitions), and about wanting materials in advance so they could prepare.

By listening, they didn’t just make the event accessible, they made it better for everyone. People were more engaged, less exhausted, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. That’s what happens when you listen instead of assuming.

What are some small but meaningful practices communications teams can adopt to become better listeners day-to-day?

Start with your comments and direct messages. Actually read them versus just responding. You want to take a moment to understand patterns in what people are asking for or may be struggling with.

Create feedback loops that are easy use. Don’t make people jump through hoops to tell you something isn’t working.

Diversify who’s in the room when you’re planning. If your communications team all has similar backgrounds and experiences, you’re going to have glaring gaps in understanding and experiences.

But the biggest one, in my opinion anyway, is when someone gives you feedback, say thank you! Don’t get defensive. Don’t explain, just genuinely thank them for taking the time to help you improve.

As communicators, how do we ensure we’re not just collecting feedback, but actually acting on what we hear?

This is such a good question, because it’s the hard part. We’re really good at surveys and focus groups. We’re not as great with proper follow-through.

I think we need systems for accountability. When you collect feedback, document it. Share it with your team. And most importantly, decide what you’re going to do about it and communicate that back to the people who gave you feedback.

Even if you can’t implement everything, tell people what you heard and what you’re working on. That closes the loop. It shows people their voices mattered.

And be honest when you can’t do something. Explain the real barriers, not just “that’s how we’ve always done it.” People respect honesty way more than excuses.

If you could change one mindset in the industry around listening and accessibility, what would it be and why?

I’d love to shift us away from seeing accessibility as this separate, specialized thing that only “accessibility people” need to worry about it.

Accessibility is just good communication. Period. When we listen to people with disabilities, or any other historically underrepresented group, we learn how to communicate more clearly and effectively with everyone. We learn to write in plain language. We learn to structure information logically. We learn to think about different ways people might consume our content. These aren’t “special accommodations.” They’re fundamental communication skills.

I want people to understand that accessibility isn’t about doing extra work for a “small group.” It’s about being better communicators. It’s about actually reaching people. And that’s small group, isn’t actually that small. Statistics Canada found that 27% of Canadians identify as living with a disability. That’s before we even talk about aging populations, temporary disabilities, or situational limitations like trying to watch a video in a noisy coffee shop or reading a website on a sunny day.

When we treat accessibility as an afterthought or a favour we’re doing, we’re essentially saying some people don’t deserve to be part of the conversation. That’s not just bad ethics, it’s bad strategy. You’re literally choosing to exclude to exclude potential customers, clients, employees, and community members.

I also want to challenge this idea that accessibility is expensive or complicated. You know what’s expensive? Retrofitting. Fixing things after they’re built. Dealing with complaints and legal issues. What’s way more cost-effective is building accessibility in from the start, which only happens when you’re listening from the beginning.

When we start from a place of genuine listening and inclusion, accessibility stops feeling like a burden and starts feeling like what it actually is – the foundation of effective communication. It becomes an opportunity to innovate, to reach new audiences, and to build trust. It becomes a competitive advantage.

The mindset shift I want to see if moving from “how do we accommodate these people?” to “How do we make sure everyone can participate?” That’s a fundamentally different question, and it leads to fundamentally better outcomes.

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.

Where Big Ideas Begin:

A Conversation on Creativity, Culture and Confidence

By Anmol Harjani

Every March, International Ideas Month invites us to pause and consider something deceptively simple: everything starts with an idea. The campaigns that shift culture. The platforms that connect communities. The strategies that reposition brands. Before they were decks, deliverables or award submissions, they were sparks, fragile, early-stage thoughts that needed the right environment to grow.

In communications, ideas are our currency. But they’re also our responsibility. A clever hook isn’t enough. A bold stunt without purpose doesn’t move the needle. The best ideas earn their place. They are grounded in insight, shaped by collaboration, sharpened by constraints and built to do a job.

For this year’s International Ideas Month, we wanted to explore what creativity really looks like inside an integrated communications agency, beyond the brainstorm, beyond the buzzwords. We connected with Linda Andross, Managing Partner and Co-Owner of APEX PR and ruckus Digital, to talk about how ideas take shape, how to build teams that feel safe enough to push boundaries, and why creative confidence is something you practice, not something you’re simply born with.

With more than 25 years in the industry and a career defined by innovation, leadership and a clear point of view, Linda has helped shape award-winning work while evolving an agency model that integrates PR, digital, design and social under one roof. Her perspective is grounded, candid and refreshingly practical: creativity is not decoration. It’s the engine.

We spoke with Linda about what makes an idea truly “great,” where inspiration actually comes from, how to pressure-test bold thinking without crushing it, and why the most effective creative cultures balance risk with rigor. Here’s what she had to share.

Creativity often sounds abstract in communications. How do you personally define a “great idea” in PR?

At APEX, everyone is the creative department, so we embed creativity into everything we do to keep it grounded and actionable. A former colleague once said, “you can jump off the CN Tower and that’s a creative idea, but what does it actually do for the brand?” A great idea starts with a real insight, drives the brand story forward, and earns attention by being culturally relevant in the moment. Most importantly, it has a clear point of view and a job to do. It should change how people think, feel, or act. Everything is PR in our world. We don’t limit ourselves to what we think clients expect PR to deliver. We take ownership of the outcome and build ideas that show up meaningfully in cultural, social or technological moments and deliver real impact.

Where do your best ideas typically come from: research, collaboration, constraints, or something else?

All of the above. The best ideas rarely come from one place. I am always looking, listening, and watching what is happening in culture, in media, in business, and in the everyday moments people are actually living. Curiosity is part of the job. But so is perspective. We all get into ruts, especially in this industry, and you have to consciously push yourself out of them. I try to see things through the lens of an audience I might not naturally understand and look for inspiration in unexpected places, not just within marketing echo chambers.

I also believe constraints sharpen thinking. Tight budgets, short timelines, cultural tension, those pressures often force clarity and better ideas. You have to ask, why this brand, why now, and why would anyone care? That discipline is just as important as inspiration.

I push myself to try new experiences, stay uncomfortable, and keep learning. And I surround myself with people who see the world differently than I do. That diversity of perspective at APEX is one of our greatest creative advantages. It protects us from tunnel vision and the dangerous mindset of “we’ve always done it this way,” which is where relevance goes to die.

How do you foster a culture where teams feel safe to experiment and share unconventional thinking?

Lead by example. We bring people in at all levels to collaborate because no one person has “the” idea. It takes a village to develop a spark into a fully formed creative concept that can stand up in the real world. When junior team members see that their thinking is genuinely welcomed at the table, it changes the energy of the room.

We have a high tolerance for risk here, but that doesn’t mean chaos. It means we create space for ideas to breathe before we overanalyze them. As an independent agency, we encourage people to bring forward insights and instincts they believe will resonate for a client’s brand, even if they feel unconventional at first. Then we workshop them rigorously. We ask hard questions. We pressure test. We make them better.

You have to practice taking risks if you want to build creative confidence. Not every idea will land, but every idea should teach you something. Psychological safety matters, but so does excellence. The goal is not just to be brave; it is to be brave and right.

Can you share an example of an idea that looked risky initially but delivered strong impact?

One of our first campaigns for DoorDash was Courageous Conversations, launched during Pride at a moment when connection felt fragile and performative brand gestures were everywhere. We created conversation cards rooted in acceptance, individuality, community, and empowerment, not as slogans, but as prompts designed to spark real dialogue between Canadians.

Originally conceived as an in-person experience focused on building LGBTQ2+ allyship, we had to pivot during COVID to a fully virtual platform. The challenge was not just moving online, it was preserving the emotional depth and authenticity of face-to-face connection. We were clear that if it felt transactional or branded for the sake of optics, it would fail.

At the same time, 69% of Canadians said they engage more with brands that meaningfully address anti-Black racism, discrimination, and the struggles of small businesses during the pandemic. This gave DoorDash a legitimate role to play. The campaign was not just about visibility during Pride. It was about action. DoorDash reduced commission rates, supported Dashers, and used its platform to elevate underrepresented voices.

The response was overwhelmingly positive. The cards sparked conversations beyond the campaign window, and we ultimately crowdsourced new prompts from the community itself. It proved that when brands create space for real dialogue and back it up with tangible support, they earn trust. The work went on to win multiple awards, but more importantly, it demonstrated that creativity and responsibility can, and should, coexist.

What’s your process for turning early-stage concepts into executable strategies?

Turning early-stage concepts into executable strategies is where leadership matters most. Early ideas are fragile. They need room to breathe before they are over-optimized or diluted. So the first step is protecting the core insight. If the insight is strong and culturally relevant, the strategy can scale.

From there, we pressure test. We ask: Why this brand? Why now? What role does the brand have in this conversation? What behavior are we trying to shift? If we cannot answer those questions clearly, the idea is not ready.

We are also rolling out a Creative Scorecard across the agency to formalize this discipline. It evaluates ideas against criteria such as cultural relevance, brand ownership, clarity of insight, business impact, and executional feasibility. It gives teams a shared language for what “great” looks like and ensures we are not just chasing novelty but building work that can perform in the real world.

Once an idea clears that bar, we move quickly into execution mapping. That means defining the narrative arc, identifying earned, social, influencer, and experiential extensions, pressure-testing risk, and aligning against KPIs. Creativity does not live separate from operations here. It is integrated into workbacks, budgets, and measurement from the start.

The goal is simple: protect the magic, build the strategy, and execute with excellence.

How do you balance creativity with client expectations and business realities?

That is the reality of the job, and it can be tough. Creativity without business understanding is decoration. Our responsibility is to deeply understand the client’s business pressures, growth targets, risk tolerance, and internal dynamics before we ever pitch an idea.

Once you understand the business reality, you stop seeing it as a constraint and start seeing it as a brief. That is where the most effective ideas come from. The goal is not to fight business realities, but to design creativity that works within them and elevates them.

We are very clear that ideas have to earn their place. They need to be culturally relevant, brand-right, and commercially viable. That means aligning creativity with measurable outcomes, whether that is shifting perception, driving consideration, increasing store visits, or building long-term brand equity.

The best work proves that creativity and ROI are not opposing forces. When done properly, creativity is the engine that drives business results. Our job is to make that connection undeniable.

What advice would you give communicators who want to strengthen their creative confidence?

Creativity is like a muscle. Use it or lose it. Everyone is creative, even if your expression looks different from someone else’s. The key is practice. If you are unsure, start by weaving creativity into your everyday work. A media pitch can be creative. An influencer brief can be creative. A client email can be creative. The more you frame your work that way, the more confident you become.

But confidence does not grow in isolation. We encourage people to let others see their ideas early. Not just the people they work with every day, but voices from different teams, different disciplines, even different levels. Fresh perspective sharpens thinking. Feedback is not a threat to creativity, it strengthens it.

Creative confidence comes from repetition, exposure, and accountability. The more you practice, share, refine, and improve, the stronger that muscle becomes.

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.

PR Practices in Action from Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX Halftime Show

By Lucy Luc

The lights dimmed inside Levi’s Stadium. The field shifted from turf to story. In that moment, the halftime show at Super Bowl LX became something larger than spectacle. It became narrative.

Bad Bunny stepped into a performance that reached between 128 and 135 million viewers. That audience size places it among the most watched halftime shows in history. Within days, his music catalog experienced a 470 percent increase in Spotify streams. Those numbers matter. They confirm scale. They confirm engagement. They confirm that attention converted into action.

Yet statistics alone do not explain the impact. The emotional core of the performance centered on identity, culture, and unity. At the center of the stage, a billboard displayed a direct message: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” That line shaped how viewers interpreted every image that followed.

Media outlets described the show as a love letter to Puerto Rico. That phrase captures intent. It signals that the performance was designed with narrative clarity. From a public relations perspective, this was structured communication delivered live to over one hundred million people.

Building a Story Through Symbolism

The performance opened in sugar cane fields. This visual choice carried weight. Sugar cane represents Puerto Rico’s colonial history and economic struggle. It reflects periods of forced labor and foreign control. Beginning in that setting grounded the show in history.

As the music moved forward, the stage transformed into scenes of everyday Puerto Rican life. Men played dominos at folding tables. Women gathered at nail stations. Street vendors sold jewelry, tacos, and shaved ice. These were not random props. They were cultural markers.

The images echoed themes from his 2025 Grammy winning album Debí Tirar Más Fotos, which explores memory, home, and belonging. By placing these scenes on the Super Bowl stage, he elevated local life to global visibility.

For public relations professionals, this reflects strategic story architecture. Each visual element reinforced the core narrative. The audience did not receive a lecture about history or politics. They received symbols that carried meaning. Strong campaigns often rely on this principle. Show rather than explain. Let imagery create emotional connection.

When storytelling is layered with intention, journalists have clearer angles for coverage. Viewers have easier entry points into the message. Narrative consistency strengthens recall.

Personal Branding Through Detail

Wardrobe became part of the communication strategy. Bad Bunny wore an all white outfit with a jersey embroidered with the number 64 and the name Ocasio. The number honored his uncle, who once wore 64 as a football player. Ocasio is his family surname.

This detail connected a global stage to personal roots. It signaled humility and loyalty. It told audiences that fame had not erased family identity.

Public relations strategy often focuses on spoken words, yet visual identity shapes perception just as strongly. Clothing, color, and styling influence how a brand is read. When those details align with biography and values, authenticity increases.

Audiences respond to coherence. They recognize when image and story match. Credibility grows when personal history appears integrated rather than attached for effect.

Message Discipline Through Language

The most visible line of the show appeared in bold letters: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” The sentence is short. It uses common words. It relies on contrast between hate and love. It acknowledges conflict while offering resolution.

This line did not stand alone in his public messaging. At the 2026 Grammy Awards he stated, “We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we are humans and we are Americans.” He continued, “Hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love.”

Earlier in his career he affirmed his roots by saying, “Yo soy de Puerto Rico.” He also recognized community impact with the statement, “At the end of the day, my success in the United States I owe to the hardworking Latinos who have helped make the country what it is today.”

These quotes reveal message discipline. The same values appear across platforms. Pride in identity. Recognition of community. Emphasis on unity. Repetition builds association. Audiences begin to connect the artist’s name with specific principles.

From a PR perspective, consistent phrasing strengthens brand identity. Clear language travels well in headlines. Short sentences are easily quoted. Memorable statements extend beyond the event itself.

Integrating Social Issues With Control

During the performance of “El Apagón,” dancers climbed electric poles while sparks flew above them. The song references Puerto Rico’s long history of electrical blackouts, including the extended outage following Hurricane Maria in 2017. In a past performance, he criticized the island’s power grid by saying, “Puerto Rico is the only place I perform where I have to install like 15 industrial power generators because I can’t trust the power grid.”

At the halftime show, the imagery referenced this issue without turning into a speech. The symbolism was clear. The pacing remained tight. The message stayed focused.

This reflects a key public relations principle. Address social context without losing narrative control. Audiences can absorb complex issues through music and imagery. Long explanations are not always necessary. Precision protects clarity.

Cultural Heritage as Strategic Positioning

The stage design included a replica of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, known as El Morro, the sixteenth century fortress in San Juan recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The casita, a pink cement house featured in his album film and residency performances, returned as a central symbol. Celebrities such as Cardi B, Karol G, Pedro Pascal, Jessica Alba, and Young Miko joined him on the porch. Their presence reinforced community support.

Ricky Martin appeared to sing the chorus of “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii,” a song comparing the colonization of Hawaii to Puerto Rico. The lyrics warn, “They want to take my river and my beach too. I don’t want them to do to you what happened to Hawaii.”

A lighter blue Puerto Rican flag associated with the independence movement appeared during the show. The flor de maga, Puerto Rico’s national flower, influenced costume design.

Each of these elements positioned Puerto Rico as the central character. The island was not background. It was the narrative focus.

Place based branding creates emotional grounding. When communication ties to real geography and history, it gains depth. For PR practitioners, this demonstrates the power of cultural specificity. Broad messages resonate more strongly when anchored in authentic detail.

Key Takeaways for Public Relations Professionals

• Lead with a clear value statement. One strong sentence such as “The only thing more powerful than hate is love” can define an entire campaign and guide all messaging decisions.
• Build the narrative before the spotlight turns on. Every visual element should support a larger story. Staging, wardrobe, music, and symbolism must connect to the same core message.
• Align identity with strategy. Authentic personal details strengthen credibility. When biography and brand message match, audiences trust the delivery.
• Use repetition with purpose. Consistent language across interviews, award shows, and live events builds recognition and reinforces positioning.
• Balance social issues with message control. Address real concerns through focused symbolism and disciplined framing. Stay clear. Stay intentional.
• Design for emotional connection. Audiences remember how a message makes them feel. Emotional clarity increases recall and shareability.
• Think beyond viewership numbers. Measure behavioral impact such as streaming increases, social engagement, and media framing. Action reflects influence.
• Turn moments into platforms. Large cultural events offer rare attention. Strategic messaging can transform entertainment into brand storytelling.
• Anchor visuals in cultural truth. Specific references to heritage and history create depth and strengthen audience identification.
• Connect emotion with intention. Words must carry meaning. Visuals must reinforce values. When identity, language, and symbolism align, communication moves from performance to lasting brand impact.

Lucy Luc is the current president of the Student Steering Committee and a CPRS Toronto ACE Award–winning student in her final year of Humber Polytechnic’s Bachelor of Public Relations program, where she is completing her thesis.

 

Building Trust Before the Crisis:

A Conversation on Public Risk and Communications Preparedness

By Samiha Fariha

As Public Risk Management Awareness Day approaches on March 1, it offers an opportunity to reflect on how organizations prepare for uncertainty and how communications plays a central role when risk becomes reality. While risk management is often associated with operational planning and insurance frameworks, public risk today is deeply connected to trust, transparency and decision-making under pressure.

In an environment where confidence in institutions continues to fluctuate, communications leaders are increasingly tasked with helping organizations navigate complex, high-stakes situations while maintaining credibility with diverse audiences.

To mark the day, we connected with Josh Cobden, Executive Vice President at Proof Strategies. Josh provides senior counsel across crisis management, corporate reputation and executive communications, and helps lead the firm’s annual CanTrust Index, which examines trust in institutions across Canada.

We spoke with Josh about how declining trust reshapes public risk, what meaningful preparedness looks like before a crisis emerges, how leaders should approach transparency when information is still evolving, and why internal alignment is often the difference between steady leadership and reactive messaging. From audience prioritization to values-based decision-making, here is what he had to share.

How do you personally define public risk in a communications context today?

We spend a lot of time studying trust at Proof Strategies through our annual CanTrust Index, a leading source of insight into trust in Canada, analyzing key topics, institutions, events, and population segments nationwide. Public risk today is closely tied to declining trust in institutions. When trust erodes in government, business, media or public services, people disengage from the systems meant to keep society functioning. We see this all the time. For example, when people don’t trust the police, crimes go unreported. When they don’t trust the electoral process, they don’t vote. When they don’t trust vaccines, they avoid them and get sick. In a communications context, public risk arises whenever low trust magnifies the consequences of uncertainty, misinformation or institutional failure.

From your experience, what does strong communications preparedness look like before a risk or crisis emerges?

Preparedness begins long before scenario planning. It starts with defining and communicating your organization’s values. Crises are unpredictable and can change rapidly, but values are constant and provide a stable foundation for decision making when information is incomplete or evolving. I often say, “values are the compass you use when the map disappears.” When stakeholders understand those values in advance, they can make sense of the decisions you make under pressure. They may not agree with every decision, but they’ll recognize the principles behind them, which helps maintain trust.

When information is incomplete or still evolving, how should leaders approach transparency without causing confusion or panic?

Transparency is not about providing every detail instantly. Over-communicating early in a crisis, particularly one involving human harm, can shift attention away from what truly matters, which is empathy, immediate safety and clear next steps. Leaders should focus on what is confirmed and meaningful to stakeholders, acknowledge what is not yet known and commit to providing updates as facts are verified. This approach demonstrates competence, empathy and engagement and helps sustain trust when uncertainty is highest.

In high-pressure situations, what behaviours distinguish effective communications leaders from reactive ones?

Effective leaders demonstrate clarity, consistency and empathy. They communicate with precision, align messaging across the organization and show they understand the human impact of the situation before anything else. These behaviours are essential to building and preserving trust during periods of volatility.

What is one common mistake organizations make when managing public risk that could be avoided with better planning?

A common mistake is failing to recognize that different audiences often have very different priorities. A message crafted to reassure one group may unsettle another. Employees, customers, shareholders and regulators all care about different aspects of a situation. Without deliberate audience prioritization and thoughtful message planning, communications can easily create unintended consequences and increase the very risk an organization is trying to manage.

How important is leadership alignment and internal readiness in risk-aware decision making, and what role should communications play?

Leadership alignment is fundamental. It begins with a shared understanding of organizational values, which act as guardrails when a situation is unfolding quickly and unpredictably. Internal readiness requires clarity on roles and decision authority, especially regarding who leads and who must be consulted. Communications teams often find themselves at opposite extremes, either being asked to make decisions that belong to legal, operations, HR or IT, or being excluded from decisions entirely despite being responsible for explaining them. In short, you can’t communicate your way out of a bad decision, and you can’t operationalize your way out of bad communication.

What advice would you give communications professionals who want to build confidence and credibility when navigating risk, uncertainty and public scrutiny?

First, understand that trust is not a given. In fact, our annual CanTrust Index reveals that about half of the adult population has a low trust disposition. Specifically, they are likely to agree with the statement “you can’t be too careful in dealing with people.”

Second, trust is dynamic, not static. People move from trusting to untrusting based on the situation that confronts them. It’s useful to think of trust as behaving like a battery that loses its charge over time and must be recharged through actions that demonstrate competence, integrity and care.

Third, anchor your decisions and messaging in your organization’s values. People may not agree with every action you take, but they will respect decisions that clearly align with established principles.

Finally, understand what matters most to your audiences and map those priorities against the situations you might encounter. When the moment arrives and pressure is high, that clarity becomes one of your strongest assets.

Samiha Fariha is the current Communications Chair on CPRS Toronto’s Board, a Senior Associate at Golin’s Toronto office, and a professor in The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Toronto Metropolitan University. She brings a strong focus on media relations, content strategy, and digital communications, informed by her experience in both agency and academic settings.

March feels like a fitting time to talk about renewal and momentum, two themes that resonate strongly in communications today. For this month’s In Conversation With blog series, we connected with Tanya Bevington, Chief Communications Officer at IKEA Canada. With more than two decades of experience spanning public affairs, brand positioning, and strategic communications, Tanya has seen firsthand how the role of PR has evolved from a support function to a strategic leadership driver. As a member of the Canadian management team, she brings a business-first perspective to communications, ensuring reputation, culture, and strategy move in lockstep.

We spoke with Tanya about the growing importance of purpose-led storytelling, the central role of trust in brand building, and why communications must be clearly connected to measurable business outcomes. From navigating change at the leadership table to embracing AI thoughtfully and strengthening employee engagement, here is what she had to share.

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

I’ve seen a tremendous amount of change over my 25-year career in communications, especially in the last decade. The biggest shift has been seeing communications evolve from more of a support function to a true strategic partner that actively shapes business direction and outcomes. More organizations are recognizing that communications should be at the leadership table – shaping decisions, guiding strategy, and helping the business navigate change and complexity.

In my role at IKEA Canada, I sit on the management team, which allows me to view communications through the lens of the entire business. That 360° view ensures our work isn’t just about messaging, but about connecting communications to business goals, culture, customer experience, and long-term brand building.

That said, PR/communications can no longer rely on media impressions alone. We need data and insights that clearly connect our work to business outcomes — whether that’s through sales, visitation, engagement, or sentiment. Demonstrating impact through measurable KPIs has become essential.

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

A major shift I’ve seen is the growing importance of a brand or company communicating its purpose and values, as people increasingly choose to shop with, or work for brands that align with their own personal values. At IKEA, being a purpose-led organization is core to who we are, and we’ve found that telling those stories authentically helps differentiate us and build deeper emotional connection. This has meant moving beyond traditional PR to more impactful storytelling, using our own channels to share richer, more emotive stories, empowering our coworkers as brand ambassadors, and partnering with creators and content platforms to extend our reach. Brands today have more control over their narrative than ever before, and we’re leaning into that in a meaningful and intentional way.

Trust has become one of the most valuable assets any brand can hold, and it must be continuously earned. For us, trust is both operational, reflected in whether we deliver on our promises and meet customer expectations, and societal, rooted in the positive contributions we make to our communities and the world. While trust enables organizations to navigate challenges more effectively, it can also be fragile and takes time to rebuild, which is why so much of our work is focused on nurturing transparency, integrity, and accountability so that IKEA remains a loved and trusted brand.

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

AI is clearly transforming how we work. While authenticity must remain at the heart of communication, AI can help streamline tactical tasks, surface insights, and create efficiencies — freeing communicators to focus on strategy, creativity, and judgment. The opportunity now is to leverage AI in a responsible way, that adds value, while preserving the human voice of a company’s brand.

Another area where I see a growing need, and often a gap, is internal communication and employee engagement. Companies increasingly recognize that engaged employees create better customer experiences, build stronger loyalty, and drive higher performance. As the nature of work continues to evolve, effective internal communication must be personalized, accessible across both digital and physical environments, relevant to multiple generations, and clearly aligned with an organization’s strategy. It’s an area that many organizations are now investing in more deeply, understanding that strong employee connection is essential to overall business success.

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

Choose work that sparks your passion. PR requires creativity, energy, and a deep commitment to the stories you tell, and it’s much easier to bring your best when you believe in what you’re doing. As a busy, working mother of three, I’m intentional about spending my time in a place where I’m growing, inspired, and contributing to something meaningful. That alignment has been key to both my success and my fulfillment.

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.

The Communicator’s Guide to Responsible AI Chatbot Deployment: 7 Key Considerations

By Tanvi Singhal

Businesses are increasingly experimenting with AI, with over 88 percent regularly using it in at least one business function. Salesforce estimates that 30% of customer service cases today are handled by AI, and predicts it to rise to over 50% by 2027.

In the near future, AI chatbots will likely become a necessity rather than a novelty. The chatbot would be the first point of interaction with the brand for more customers, serving as the company’s digital ambassador. Therefore, it is essential to acknowledge the critical role of marketing and communications in the successful deployment of an AI chatbot and to involve them as core team members from the very beginning.

Here are 7 things marketing and communications professionals need to pay attention to for the effective and responsible deployment of AI chatbots and for mitigating reputational risks.

1. Design a Detailed Personality

Just as with other brand assets, chatbots should reflect the brand’s colours, voice, and tone to maintain coherence and build trust. Building the chatbot’s personality with detailed guidelines specifying the tone of the responses (such as serious, witty, creative or precise), the words to use and those to filter out, the length of the responses, the use of emojis and slang, ensures its responses align with the brand’s values and business. Not doing this could lead to misalignment and even damage to the brand. For example, a cheerful and enthusiastic chatbot could work well for a vacation-planning agency but would be a disaster for a hospital’s appointment-booking chatbot. Financial businesses would want to avoid slang and emojis and keep responses precise.

2. Mitigate Anthropomorphism Risk

While we speak about assigning a personality to the bot for brand consistency, it is crucial to remember that the purpose of the chatbot is not to make users believe it is human, but to enable customers to use more natural, human language while seeking the information they need.

Humans naturally tend to anthropomorphize, that is, to assign human traits to non-human entities such as animals and even computers. Therefore, it is not enough for the business to avoid making the chatbot human-like. Steps should be taken proactively to mitigate the risk that the chatbot will be perceived as human, as this could raise serious ethical concerns and breach trust. These steps include:

• Avoid giving the chatbot a realistic human name or mascot that could mislead users. Depending on the purpose, some organizations might give their chatbots specific names while others might use clear identifiers like “Virtual Assist,” “Guide,” or “Support Bot.”
• Whenever the user initiates the chatbot, a clear and conspicuous message should be displayed that it is an AI-powered virtual assistant, to avoid misleading users into thinking they are speaking with a human.
• Some policy initiatives also recommend periodic reminders that the chatbot is non-human, which could be a good idea when prolonged conversations can be expected, stretching to several hours, especially when they involve emotional aspects or consequential decisions, or when the user is known to be a minor.

3. Rely on a Controlled Database

It is recommended to use RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), which means the chatbot relies solely on information provided by the enterprise and thus offers greater control over its content, grounding responses in the company’s own documentation. RAG significantly reduces “hallucinations,”  so the bot is less likely to fabricate information and can be configured to answer with ‘I don’t know’ when the required information is not available in the source database.

RAG is a safe framework for AI chatbots, but it requires consistent, regular updates to the source content. A practical approach could be to use the website as the source content, avoiding the need to update multiple sources and documents. Outdated information is worse than no information. Sharing outdated pricing, old policies, or discontinued services is a customer-service nightmare. Assign clear ownership for content maintenance and set regular review schedules.

4. Monitor and Optimize Continuously

AI chatbots need constant monitoring and refinement. This means regularly evaluating the most frequently asked questions and making them more accessible, for instance, by placing them as ready prompts in the chatbox. Custom responses for questions that might not have been anticipated earlier but are commonly asked have to be fed into the ‘brain’ of the bot regularly to increase its accuracy. This ongoing approach to monitoring, evaluation, and improvement ensures continuous refinement. Over time, the chatbot should become smarter and more helpful, but human supervision cannot be dispensed with.

5. Maintain Transparency and Trust

Disclose whether the conversation is being recorded and, if so, how the data would be used, for example, for training and improvement or for greater personalization for the customer. Give users the option to opt in or out of data collection and make those preferences easy to review and change. It is also important to work with legal and cybersecurity teams to ensure that chatbot’s data practices, such as how long conversations are stored, what data is collected, and who can access chat logs, comply with applicable regional laws and regulations, and align with your organization’s internal policies, while avoiding the collection of unnecessary or sensitive information.

6. Build in Safeguards for Sensitive Industries

If you’re deploying a chatbot for an organization handling sensitive information, such as a bank or a healthcare provider, explicitly warn users against sharing confidential data like account details, SIN numbers, passwords, or other confidential data in the chat. By training users not to share sensitive information in chat interfaces, you are also creating awareness for your customers that benefits them even beyond your platform.

7. Respect the Human Preference

Businesses should acknowledge that many users still prefer or need to speak with a human agent and respect their preference. Offer the option to connect with a human representative clearly and up front. Making users fight their way through multiple bot interactions before they can speak to a person will only lead to frustration and annoyance. Forcing everyone through the bot first might seem efficient, but it can alienate users and impact customer satisfaction.

The bottom line

A customer-facing chatbot represents the organization in thousands of daily interactions. Therefore, deploying an AI chatbot is a decision that requires heavy communications involvement to protect the brand image and reputation.

The technology will evolve, but organizations must not lose sight of the essence of an AI chatbot, which is, to make information retrieval faster and more accessible, not to replace human agents. Keep humans in the loop, maintain transparency, respect privacy, and trust user judgment when they say they need to “speak to a person”.

Tanvi Singhal is a communications and brand strategist with experience spanning the public sector, energy, infrastructure, cultural, and education domains. Her current focus is the responsible and effective use of AR, VR, and AI to drive engagement and innovation. A lifelong learner with an MBA from MICA, India, and a Master of Digital Media from Toronto Metropolitan University, she is driven by curiosity and creativity.

What PR Can Learn From TTC’s Line 5 Delays?

By Sanjeev Wignarajah

It feels familiar, doesn’t it? A glimmer of good news brings optimism to riders, only to shatter into a million pieces when something goes awry. The 25 stop, 19 kilometre transit line goes from Kennedy Station to the east and Mount Dennis to the west. The infamous TTC’s Line 5 Eglinton Crosstown LRT is the perfect PR case study of crisis communications and reputation recovery, social sentiment, transparency and trust-building, and stakeholder collaboration. PR professionals can learn from these lessons when a future transit line arrives in their city and what steps can be used to prevent it from happening.

Memes & Social Sentiment

Line 5 has become the receiving end of endless memes and jokes, albeit in conversation when said transit line is almost ready to open, which leads to a laugh riot or when an impossible idea like the Toronto Maple Leafs ending their Stanley Cup drought or NBA superstar LeBron James retiring from the NBA. That and the famous ‘We got [Insert something] before GTA VI.’ Jokes aside, it does bring awareness of how a transit project can be delayed for years with billions of dollars over budget and how businesses have been impacted by construction.

Crisis Management & Reputation Recovery

When something happens on Line 5:

• Technical issues
• Supply chain issues
• Small businesses shutting down because of construction
• Construction issues

It’s the job of a transit agency to answer the questions from the public and the media. In this case, hearing complaints from residents, riders, and business owners along Eglinton Avenue be it compensation from construction activity, traffic, and long. Metrolinx has received a lot of flack from these issues. Despite having provided updates on these issues when former CEO Phil Verster provided a three month update rather than a monthly update on the project. People do question whether the line will be open at some point.

Stakeholder Collaboration

For a project like the Eglinton Crosstown, which makes up businesses and residents along the route. What worked was putting notices on the project’s website to inform what work is needed in a certain neighbourhood for the duration of time, scope of work, and traffic impact and mitigation. It’s a lot of moving parts to create a new transit line that can make Torontonian’s lives a lot easier to travel seamlessly.

Transparency and Trust-Building

Transparency and trust-building are the key ingredients when it comes to building and expanding transit like Eglinton. What worked given the scope of the project is providing notices on the project’s website and on social media. What needs to be improved is transparency and trust-building. Earning back trust will take over time given the amount of delays the project faced.

Final Stop – Terminal Station

What PR professionals should takeaway from this:

• Be upfront to the public on why the line has been delayed
• Collaborate with construction consortiums on the project timeline and work with business owners on how the project
• Use social media to provide updates on the project from one section of the line to the next and so on and so forth
• Host town halls on the project update
• Inform the CEO and the team on the updates and provide a clear date when it is safe to open the line

Torontonians need transit expansion to serve more communities and to travel further, but it shouldn’t have to be hampered by delays at the expense of residents, business owners, and riders.

Sanjeev Wignarajah is a freelance writer and photographer working with select clients and publications. He has a background in journalism and public relations from Centennial College.

Inside the Classroom: How Digital Learning Is Shaping the Next Generation of Communications Professionals

By Samiha Fariha

As Digital Learning Day returns on February 26, it offers a timely moment to reflect on how technology is reshaping not just how we work, but how we learn. For those entering the communications profession today, digital fluency is no longer a bonus skill — it’s foundational. From generative AI to data-driven insight, the tools shaping communications practice are evolving quickly, and classrooms are being challenged to evolve just as fast.

To mark the day, we connected with Andrea Tavchar, Ph.D., APR, Professor in Humber Polytechnic’s Bachelor of Public Relations program, whose work sits at the intersection of education, technology, and the future of the communications profession. Andrea is focused on helping students build strong foundational skills while thoughtfully integrating emerging tools into the learning experience.

We spoke with Andrea about how communications education is responding to generative AI, how data and social listening are changing the way audiences are understood, and why trust, ethics, and lifelong learning remain essential as the profession continues to evolve. From balancing technology with human judgment to preparing students for a rapidly changing industry, here is what she had to share.

From your vantage point in PR education, which emerging technologies are most reshaping the communications profession right now and how is the classroom keeping pace with those shifts?

Generative AI is impacting the practice of PR and, by extension, PR education. We know that the PR industry is embracing generative AI in a variety of ways, including improving productivity, predicting trends and risk detection, summarizing data and drafting content, for example. As a result, it’s important that those of us who teach PR are also incorporating the tools in classroom learning. This is complicated because it’s essential that we also teach core PR skills such as writing, content creation and research. The challenge is how to integrate generative AI in the learning without compromising key skill development.

One way that I have integrated AI into the PR learning process is by teaching students about effective prompt writing, having them generate an AI draft and then working on “humanizing” the content to reflect accurate information, cite reliable sources, add human/authentic anecdotes and insights and to write in a conversational tone. The students are then asked to reflect on the experience of using generative AI in the content creation process.

Other faculty are incorporating AI in other ways, often as a tool to edit content after it was written organically. An important skill we’re all teaching is critical thinking to ensure the gen AI content is free from bias, accurately cites sources and is timely and relevant. These are areas where gen AI can still improve. And these are also ways we can tell if students are overly reliant on gen AI outputs rather than their own research and writing skills.

As AI and automation become more embedded in communications work, what broader implications do you see for strategy, creativity, and ethical decision-making in PR?

When consulting my colleagues in industry, they confirm that generative AI is changing the way they work. They talk about using gen AI for productivity improvements, aiding in media monitoring and analysis, and summarizing data, among other things. They also share that gen AI aids in brainstorming and drafting content. However, the overwhelming message I’m also hearing is that the final draft of any content produced must sound human. And, the act of humanizing content is becoming an important skill, moving forward. A colleague of mine, Yvette Elliott, an AI marketing consultant (among many other things), has a useful checklist she shared with my students that recommends incorporating localized references, real-life anecdotes and conversational language into your writing.

From an ethical perspective, it’s important for AI to be used transparently, with PR practitioners expected to disclose any generative AI use. In the process, practitioners should also ensure that the tool maintains data privacy and avoids bias. Some useful tools include the CPRS and CIPR’s Ethics Guide to Artificial Intelligence in PR, which outlines a decision-making framework to assess ethical risks, including bias, misinformation and consent. Other good resources that I came across while studying for my APR last fall include Luttrell and Wallace’s Public Relations and the Rise of AI and the newest edition of David Meerman Scott’s The New Rules of Marketing and PR, which features a chapter on AI for marketing and PR.

In your experience, how has the rise of data, analytics, and social listening changed the way PR professionals should think about audience insight and engagement?

Since the inception of social networking sites in the mid-2000s, we have seen PR practitioners improving their ability to measure their communication outputs. K.D. Paine’s frequently quoted catchphrase – measure what matters – has guided practitioners to track social media analytics and listen to audience sentiment through online comments. And today, practitioners have elevated their expectations of online content performance, striving for online engagement and community building over vanity metrics. The result has been more targeted and personalized communication that is intended to gain stakeholder trust and improve brand reputation. Generative AI is further challenging practitioners who now need to create content for generative engine optimization, which means being findable for generative AI platforms.

With trust under pressure and disinformation becoming more sophisticated, how can technology be used responsibly to strengthen transparency and authenticity in communications?

What I’m reading and hearing from practitioners today points to the need for organizations to focus on both owned and earned content creation. Producing high quality owned content versus vs large quantities of content can build a pipeline of useful, accurate and reliable content that can be scraped by generative AI platforms. Ideally, this ensures that the gen AI results spotlight the organization in a positive way. I’m also learning that we’re seeing a move from SEO to GEO (or generative engine optimization), which encourages us, among other things, to get third-party endorsements for our content (which is valued by the gen AI platforms). This is obviously easier said than done – and it will be interesting to see if the strategies practitioners employ to accomplish this vary from the traditional news releases and influencer partnerships. The bottom line is that businesses themselves need to ensure that quality content exists to strengthen transparency and reinforce authenticity of their brands.

How do you see collaboration between academia and industry evolving as digital tools and platforms continue to change at a rapid pace?

Through the process of studying for my APR last fall, I realized how much the PR industry values communication theory. CPRS’s APR process showed me that practitioners are expected to embrace theoretical frameworks as learning tools, which inevitably contributes to the greater development of PR as a profession, making it a more strategic practice. In turn, it also equips practitioners to be lifelong learners, and better prepared to face rapidly changing technologies.

In turn, I’ve witnessed how much industry values the academic perspective through their support of our PR students. Industry recognizes the importance of PR training in the knowledge and skills required to be a successful practitioner in the PR profession. Theoretical knowledge can lead to higher levels of strategic thinking through effective research and critical analysis. Understanding theory is important to widen options in professional careers. The industry support we see on our student thesis nights speaks to the degree to which academic background enriches the practice of PR.

Looking ahead, what mindset or capabilities will be most critical for communications professionals navigating the next wave of digital transformation?

As long as practitioners embrace life-long learning they’ll be set for success. Whether that means taking a course, signing up for a webinar, reading a blog or subscribing to a Substack newsletter, practitioners need to keep up with the pace of change. Edelman’s Trust Barometer does a great job providing an annual pulse check to the industry, and many practitioners contribute to the collective learning through insightful LinkedIn posts (for example). I think it’s important to be intentional in your learning – find time in your week or month to follow opinion leaders in your sector and keep in touch with colleagues. Attending the annual CPRS conference can be another way to stay up to speed. Staying current is key and that’s something we teach our students. Another way to be of service is to volunteer as a guest speaker or client in one of our classes. It’s a priceless experience for the students and is a good way to keep you on your toes!

Samiha Fariha is the current Communications Chair on CPRS Toronto’s Board, a Senior Associate at Golin’s Toronto office, and a professor in The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Toronto Metropolitan University. She brings a strong focus on media relations, content strategy, and digital communications, informed by her experience in both agency and academic settings.

 

 

 

 

The PR Playbook for the 98th Academy Awards

By Sanjeev Wignarajah

The 98th Academy Award nominations were announced a week ago and Sinners leads the all-time record with 16 nominations. Last year’s Oscars was one of the strongest. We need to look at how studios leverage marketing campaigns for their respective films to be nominated from the film festival circuit to awards season and what PR firms can learn from them to create campaigns that are unique in their own right.

PESO Model

The PESO Model® is a communications framework created by Gini Dietrich and shared with the industry via Creative Commons. Learn more about the model on the Spin Sucks blog: https://spinsucks.com/communication/peso-model/.

 Earned Media – Festival Buzz

Much of the 10 nominated films for Best Picture at the 98th Academy Awards received Oscar buzz thanks to the press and the Academy Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences voting committee. These reviews perk up interest for Film Twitter, film insiders, and movie goers that see the film at a film festival. Both Letterboxd and Film Twitter go hand in hand as each film gets glowing reviews from the community, which translates to word of mouth and a reason to go see it on the big screen. The same can be said for independent journalists who cover movies.

Shared Media – Social Media Reactions

Long before social media when a movie was great, people would tell their friends and family about it. Flash forward to now, a review can be in the form of a tweet or a YouTube video. Platforms like Letterboxd have changed the way the film industry used to be, not just a digital film diary but as a way to connect with other cinephiles while logging their film reviews. Independent content creators and podcasters specializing in movies would gain access to red carpet interviews and press junkets to interview the cast and crew about the movie.

The key takeaway…social media clippings and online news articles are your new best friend.

Spotlight Strategy

Studios go into the drawing board on how they will campaign a few of their films once the festival circuit is over. Instead of the traditional billboard campaign of years past and somewhat of a full on magazine spread. Studios would allocate a certain budget to spend on the Oscar campaign through different platforms.

The key takeaway is to utilize social media platforms and analytics to track the progression of the campaign from paid media to shared media.

And The Oscar Goes To…

What PR agencies and firms can learn from this is to craft a campaign that is unique and meaningful that ties into their client and to form a story around the message. As social media evolves into content driven with influencers collaborating with brands forming a story around a particular product. Agencies are going through the social media route not only to share their campaign with their respective client. In the post-strike Oscar era where small, independent studios like A24 and NEON Rated are thriving in their filmography winning awards as well as Netflix making ground and big studios like Warner Bros. That is absolute cinema.

Sanjeev Wignarajah is a freelance writer and photographer working with select clients and publications. He has a background in journalism and public relations from Centennial College.