NEW PERSPECTIVES

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.

 

Accessibility in PR and Communications

By Lucy Luc

The role of accessibility in communication

Accessibility in public relations and communications refers to the practice of ensuring that content can be accessed and understood by people with a wide range of abilities. This includes individuals who use assistive technologies such as screen readers, captions, or other adaptive tools to engage with digital content.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 61 million adults in the United States live with a disability. Globally, it is estimated that around 16 percent of the population experiences some form of disability. These figures indicate that accessibility is a significant factor in how communication reaches and serves audiences.

Accessibility as part of PR practice

Public relations relies on clear and effective communication between organizations and their audiences. When content is not accessible, part of the intended audience may be excluded from receiving or understanding the information.

Accessibility in PR applies to multiple forms of communication, including press releases, social media content, websites, and digital campaigns. It also applies to events and multimedia materials where information is shared through visual or audio formats.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), developed by the World Wide Web Consortium, provide widely used standards for digital accessibility. These guidelines are used internationally to support content that is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for different users.

Common accessibility considerations in communications

Accessibility in PR and communications is influenced by how content is structured and presented. Screen readers rely on properly formatted text and descriptive elements to interpret digital content. Without these components, information may not be fully accessible to users with visual impairments.

Multimedia content requires accurate captions and transcripts to ensure that individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing can access the information. Visual content requires descriptive text so that meaning is available to users who cannot see images.

Digital documents such as PDFs and press releases also require structured formatting to ensure compatibility with assistive technologies. This includes clear headings, readable fonts, and properly tagged elements.

Accessibility in social and digital platforms

Social media platforms are commonly used in public relations to distribute information quickly. Accessibility in this context involves ensuring that images include descriptive text, videos include captions, and written content is structured in a way that supports readability across different technologies.

Hashtag formatting and link descriptions also affect accessibility, as assistive technologies interpret text literally. Clear structure supports more effective navigation and understanding of content.

The function of accessibility in PR outcomes

Accessibility contributes to the reach and usability of communication materials. When content is designed to be accessible, it can be used by a broader audience, including individuals with disabilities who rely on assistive technologies.

Accessibility standards also support consistency across communication channels. Organizations that apply these standards reduce barriers to information access and support more equitable communication practices.

Accessibility in ongoing communication practice

Accessibility in PR and communications is an ongoing process. Standards and technologies continue to evolve, requiring regular review of digital content, tools, and formats.

Professional guidelines such as WCAG and national accessibility legislation, including the Accessible Canada Act, provide frameworks for maintaining compliance and improving accessibility over time.

Conclusion

Accessibility in public relations and communications is a structural component of effective information delivery. It ensures that communication can be accessed by a wider audience and supports consistent application of inclusive standards across platforms and formats.

Accessibility in PR is applied through consistent standards across all communication outputs.

• Use structured formatting with clear headings and logical content flow
• Provide accurate alternative text for all images
• Include captions and transcripts for all video and audio content
• Use readable fonts, appropriate contrast, and clear layout design
• Write in clear language and avoid unnecessary complexity
• Use descriptive link text instead of non-specific phrases
• Ensure PDFs and documents are properly tagged and structured
• Test content compatibility with assistive technologies where possible
• Review digital content regularly to maintain compliance with accessibility standards such as WCAG
• Apply accessibility requirements at the planning and creation stage, not after publication

Global Accessibility Awareness Day highlights the importance of maintaining accessibility as part of everyday communication practice.

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.

International Museum Day: The Museum That Preserves the Story of Public Relations

By Lucy Luc

Did you know there is a museum that does not display sculptures or famous paintings, but instead preserves the history of public relations and the stories behind communication itself?

When I first came across the Museum of Public Relations online, I was immediately curious. A museum entirely dedicated to PR felt unexpected, yet the more I read about it, the more meaningful it became to me.

Located in New York City, the museum was founded in 1997 and has grown into the world’s largest collection of public relations history, housing more than 5,000 artifacts, oral histories, letters, photographs, films, and rare documents from across the profession’s evolution. It includes original materials from pioneers such as Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays, whose work helped shape the early foundations of public relations long before social media or modern digital communication existed.

Although I have not visited the museum in person yet, reading through its archives and mission this International Museum Day made me reflect on how much communication shapes our everyday lives, often without us even noticing it.

We usually think of museums as places that preserve physical objects from the past. But this museum preserves conversations, campaigns, public sentiment, and moments that influenced how society understands the world around it. That idea stayed with me.

One line from the museum especially resonated with me. It described public relations as communication for the public good. I found that powerful because PR is often misunderstood as simply publicity or promotion. Yet the museum presents it as something much deeper and more human. It explores how communication has influenced social movements, public trust, education, healthcare, politics, and communities throughout history.

As I continued reading, one section especially stood out to me. In an interview about the museum’s work, founder Shelley Spector spoke about why the museum explores social issues, including racial justice movements, through the lens of public relations. She explained that movements such as Black Lives Matter are themselves forms of communication. The protest signs, hashtags, public demonstrations, and messages shared across communities are all ways people communicate emotions, experiences, and demands for change to the world around them.

I found that perspective incredibly eye opening.

It reminded me that communication is not limited to boardrooms, campaigns, or corporate announcements. Communication lives in communities. It exists in activism, storytelling, and public expression. When people gather to advocate for change, they are also shaping narratives, influencing public understanding, and building connections with audiences. In many ways, they are practicing the same core principles that public relations is built upon.

Shelley Spector also described PR as bridging the gap between organizations and their audiences. That idea felt especially meaningful to me because it shifts the focus of PR away from persuasion and toward understanding. At its best, communication is not about talking at people. It is about listening, responding, and creating dialogue.

Reading that made me think deeply about the role communicators play today, especially in Canada where conversations around diversity, inclusion, equity, and representation continue shaping our media and public discourse.

The museum’s collection stretches across many areas of communication, including financial PR, medical PR, and military communication. It also highlights what it calls the “Hidden History of PR,” uncovering stories of professionals whose contributions were overlooked because of their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. Reading that reminded me how important representation continues to be within communications today, especially in a multicultural society where people want to see themselves reflected authentically in stories and campaigns.

What I appreciated most was that the museum does not only celebrate the successes of PR. It also encourages people to learn from the profession’s failures, ethical challenges, and evolving responsibilities. In today’s world where misinformation spreads quickly and trust in institutions feels increasingly fragile, that lesson feels incredibly relevant.

The museum openly speaks about the importance of integrity in communication. That honesty made the experience feel more authentic to me. It acknowledges that communicators hold real responsibility because words shape perception, influence relationships, and affect how people understand important issues.

I also found myself deeply moved reading about Bill Nielsen, whose oral history is preserved by the museum. Throughout his career in journalism, government, agency work, and corporate communications at Johnson & Johnson, he believed public relations was not simply a job but a calling. He spoke about communication with a sense of purpose and responsibility, especially when it came to rebuilding trust and mentoring younger generations entering the profession.

That idea lingered with me long after I finished reading.

As someone beginning my own journey in public relations, I sometimes think about how quickly communication changes. New platforms appear constantly, trends shift overnight, and technology continues reshaping how people connect with one another. Yet the museum reminded me that while tools evolve, the heart of communication remains timeless. People still want honesty. They still want understanding. They still want stories that make them feel seen and connected.

The museum’s theme, “Looking Back | Moving Forward,” captures this beautifully. It reflects the idea that understanding the history of communication helps us become more thoughtful communicators in the future. What we create today eventually becomes part of history too.

Every campaign, public statement, social movement, interview, and message contributes to the story future generations will look back on one day.

That realization made me appreciate why preserving PR history matters so much.

This International Museum Day, I found myself grateful that spaces like the Museum of Public Relations exist, even for people exploring from afar. Not every museum preserves paintings or artifacts. Some preserve the evolution of trust, storytelling, and human connection across time.

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.

Co-Presidents Message

Our community matters. There are moments like the 2026 CPRS Toronto ACE Awards that remind us why community matters.

Our industry is fast-paced. The world has been changing rapidly. And for so many, it’s been a lot. The evening became an opportunity for us to pause and celebrate our industry.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone who attended, participated in and supported this year’s ACE Awards. We were deeply moved by the energy in the room, the generosity of spirit, the laughter, the celebration and the overwhelming sense of connection shared throughout the evening.

To all of this year’s recipients and nominees, congratulations. Your work continues to elevate the communications profession and inspire the next generation of leaders in our industry. It was an honour to celebrate your achievements alongside you.

We would also like to extend our deepest gratitude to our incredible volunteer team and ACE Awards planning committee, whose hard work, care and dedication helped bring this event to life behind the scenes.

A special thank you to Sarah Louise and the judging team for the tremendous time, thoughtfulness and expertise devoted to this year’s awards program. Your commitment to recognizing excellence across our industry does not go unnoticed.

To the CPRS Toronto Board of Directors, thank you for your continued support, encouragement and belief in this event and in the future of our community.

We would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Lois Marsh for her continued guidance, support and leadership throughout this process. Your generosity and steady presence meant more than words can express.

Thank you as well to our valued sponsors and partners, including The Canadian Press, Craft Public Relations, the National Payroll Institute and The Fitzroy, along with the exceptional teams at The Carlu and Encore for helping create such a memorable evening.

Most importantly, thank you to our members and guests for continuing to keep the spirit of community alive within CPRS Toronto. In a profession built on communication, connection remains our greatest strength.

Sincerely,

Andrea Chrysanthou, APR & Erin Griffin
Co-Presidents, CPRS Toronto