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1.

The Independent View: Reflections on PR love and ‘giving Black’

By Jacqui DeBique

What I love about being a communications professional is that it has allowed me to give back to my communities (cultural and geographic) while growing my skills. And I’ve been doing this since my teens, even while living the misguided dream of studying medicine (true story!).

Growing up in Montreal with strong ties to my birth nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG or Vincy), I was actively involved in a Montreal-based Vincy organization as an event planner, emcee and script writer, just to name a few roles. My passion for and success in these roles were likely what helped give voice to my long-suppressed desire to pursue a career in communications.

In the early 1990s, BA in communications in hand, I left my first writing job behind to seek bigger and better communications opportunities in Toronto. About a year later, I got a job as a publicist at TVO and eventually enrolled in the PR program at what was then Ryerson Polytechnic University (now Toronto Metropolitan University). Both of these experiences were so exhilarating I knew I was in comms to stay.

Always keen to learn more and restless to give back in my new city, I was introduced to the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA). Much like IABC, this was an organization with an active volunteer board and sub-committees, mounting incredible initiatives to support its membership.

I joined the production team for the BBPA’s presentation of the annual Harry Jerome Awards honouring Black excellence at a national level. I spent a few years working as part of the team that was closest to my heart, producing content for the lavish program booklet. Not only did this feed my soul and expand my experience in design and print production, but I was also among trailblazers in the Black community, like Denham Jolly, who would later become the co-founder of Canada’s first Black-owned radio station, FLOW 93.5FM, and a 2020 Order of Canada recipient.

I was on a roll, so I joined the Canadian Association of Black Journalists (CABJ) when it was just a fledgling organization. I remember networking events at the home of Global News reporter Terese Sears and breathing the same air as veteran journalists like Hamlin Grange of CBC, a 2022 Order of Canada recipient, and Jojo Chintoh, the first Black reporter at Citytv. I eventually joined the Association’s board and in my last active year was its president.

The CABJ was home, in the truest sense, to journalists and public relations and communications professionals alike, new in their careers and seasoned, brought together to network and learn, while addressing the challenges of under-representation in our respective industries. It’s no secret that Black professionals, professionals of colour and Indigenous professionals are still on this journey.

Throughout the planning and execution of Beyond the Boardroom: A Culture of Conscious Collaboration, PIC’s virtual PD event for February, I’ve been trying to define what “conscious collaboration” can look like for me. This definition by Ann Holland, PhD, a Forbes Councils member, resonates:

“Conscious collaboration is a mindset that triggers intentional behavior.”

So, as I embrace February as the month of love and Black history, I’m using it as a catalyst for my own intentional behaviours. I commit to:

1. Re-imagining how I can amplify Black voices through my paid and voluntary work and social networks.
2. Continuing my learning journey to bring my authentic self – a multi-dimensional Black Canadian woman rooted in my West Indian culture – to all my relationships.
3. Growing and learning with my network of Black, Brown and Indigenous communications professionals.

Thank you, Christopher Trotman, for planning Beyond the Boardroom and for your astute perspectives as the panel moderator. Even though we heard that the journey to more representation of diverse communities in communications fields is ongoing, the love our panelists have for their work is evident and is reflected in the strategic and tactical insights they offer for how each of us can support diversity efforts.

There is strength in numbers, after all, and our profession can only benefit through our intentional actions to lift each other up.

For even more inspiration, read what our 3x3 guests have to say about their love affair with communications and public relations.

2.

Feb. 2 event: How to support change that goes beyond Black History Month

By Sue Horner

Communications professionals play an important role in the companies we work for. We’re their eyes and ears. We’re the lens through which they view the world. And we help define and share the strategies that move the company forward.

So what are we doing to support and position diversity? What needs to change to meet the renewed commitments companies made after the murder of George Floyd in 2020?

Those were some of the thoughts behind our panel discussion on February 2 marking Black History Month. Joining us were Karen White-Boswell (she/her), Director of External Communications for Sobeys; Patience Badze (she/her), PIC member and co-founder and Operations Director of EdgeBD; and Ruth Kupolati (she/her), Strategy Assistant, Media Planning, Publicis Media. Moderating the discussion was Christopher Trotman (he/him), Senior Communications Advisor for Partners Community Health, principal of Trotman Communications and PIC’s co-Director of Programming.

Our panelists agreed that diversity in the workplace has a long way to go.

“There’s more diversity than when I started, but not enough,” Karen said. “We always feel the weight of being the first Black person in a room, or that feeling when we walk in and see another Black person and think, ‘yay!’ – I’m waiting for the day when my young daughters don’t have to go through that.”

“It does feel like there isn’t enough representation,” agreed Patience. Coming from South Africa, she was used to being in an environment where 90% of the people around her were Black. She arrived in Canada three years ago and wondered, “Where are all the Black people?”

Ruth noted that when she first started working, it was rare to see people who looked like her at higher levels. “The support you get from someone who looks like you is always different,” she said.

And support is a key part of success in diversity.

Ruth said she had “amazing leaders, who supported my right not to serve clients who used racial slurs or talked down to others.” Still, she found herself checking things three times and working twice as hard to prove herself.

Karen, too, had the benefit of leaders who saw her as someone at the table with talent, treated her with respect and demanded that others do so, too.

“That kind of allyship in my career has helped me overcome a sense of imposter syndrome,” Karen said. She described questioning herself when she was treated as if she couldn’t possibly be the director, or the keynote speaker, or someone at the VIP table.

How to support diversity

The discussion touched on a number of ways to support diversity, from the strategic to the tactical.

For individuals:

• Collaborate with others to go after bigger opportunities. Christopher mentioned being part of a collective of Black professionals who collaborate on fees and bid on projects together. Kalabash came together after a private foundation created a directory of 150 consultants, yet fewer than 10 were people of colour.
• Make sure your company or client communicates in a way that’s inclusive. Call out when an initiative is just for show or isn’t respectful. It’s better to listen and say nothing rather than come off as inauthentic.
• Challenge assumptions and call out bias. Make a difference. Be ready to help deliver a message if your Black colleague is meeting resistance.
• Advocate for your colleagues. Help their voices be heard. Be someone to go to for advice.
• Learn to advocate for yourself. It’s not easy, but do this often to build confidence. Patience says that she’s willing to say, “‘This is what I’m worth, this is what I need for this job to make sense.’ If you don’t peg your own worth, you’re giving power to someone else.”

On the company side:

• Build capacity for Black professionals to be successful, and advocate for them. Make sure their voices are heard.
• When recruiting, think about diversity. How are you creating access for diverse applicants to learn about the position and feel encouraged to apply?
• Stop asking for 10 years of experience in job requirements. That requirement effectively excludes people, since many opportunities weren’t open to diverse agencies or candidates 10 years ago. Instead, what does the role really need?
• Ask for diversity in your pool of suppliers. Match it with a way to fix systemic challenges so you actually give the work to diverse suppliers as well.
• Join the BlackNorth Pledge and actively work for change. Commit to tackling systemic racism and improving the number of Black employees, executives and directors; then do it.
• Step back if your company can’t do or say anything meaningful. Listen and learn. Understand where it needs to change.

As one of the participants said in the chat, “I greatly appreciate this conversation, as someone who does not often come across comms peers who ‘look like me’ …I like the last comment on the value of listening and learning from each other. Thank you.”

Many thanks to our panelists, and to organizers Christopher Trotman and Catharine Heddle.

3.

3x3: What’s love got to do with it?

by Brent Artemchuk

There are aspects of our jobs we absolutely love. Yet, these characteristics differ from person to person. The reasons depend on many things, from experience to skills to personal preferences.

In honour of Valentine’s Day, we asked three PIC members – Augustine (Austine) Fischer (he/him), Maureen Hosein, ABC (she/her) and Sabita Singh, ABC (she/her) – to answer three questions about what they love about their jobs and the industry. Their responses are all different, but one thing’s for sure: love has a lot to do with it.

1. What do you love about public relations and communications?

Augustine: What stands out the most is the ability to shape public perception. The ability to influence how people think and feel about an organization, product or individual is so rewarding. Like an artist, I have a clean canvas to create perceptions, promote products, services and ideas and manage crises. Further, unlike the artist who works primarily alone, I have the opportunity to build and maintain positive relationships with journalists, influencers and other key stakeholders.

Maureen: I’m a huge fan of the unpredictability of both public relations and communications. I love the consistent feeling of being engaged and inspired daily. No two days are ever the same, and with technology constantly changing, there's always a new channel, platform or approach to embrace and improve upon existing ways of doing things.

Sabita: I love the many unique areas of the industry and how it’s evolved through the years. For example, I started my career working in employee communications at the Toronto Stock Exchange (now the TSX) three decades ago and now I run my own company as a LinkedIn strategy coach, profile writer and trainer. In fact, I called my company Trivetta Consulting Inc. to reflect my three (tri) areas of knowledge (vetta) gained over my career in social media, digital marketing and communications.

It’s also incredibly rewarding to be in a field where we all can work across industries, for a wide range of organizations, in diverse roles.

2. What part of your job do you love the most?

Augustine: This field is constantly evolving with new technology, platforms and strategies. So, to be at the top of my game, I need to stay up-to-date with industry developments and trends. Even though this might sound cliché, the opportunity to keep learning and evolving is the part of my job I love the most. Constant learning is like “pimping your crib;” acquiring knowledge is a new addition to the crib, increasing its value. Overall, this means I can do my job more effectively, and also grow my market value.

Maureen: I really enjoy managing a team. I am a natural extrovert (or an ENTJ Commander Personality, if you’re familiar with Myers Briggs) and am energized by time spent with others. I’m a strong advocate of many minds delivering a stronger product while working in unison. Each member of my team brings a unique personality, perspective and skillset and I enjoy the creativity and innovation that comes from our discussions – either one-to-one or in a collective space.

Sabita: I launched my business in 2018 for corporate leaders, executives in transition and entrepreneurs. My team and I write their LinkedIn profiles and provide coaching on how to build their presence as LinkedIn thought leaders to attract new career and business opportunities.

While I’ve always loved writing career stories for LinkedIn, I love an emerging part of my business with corporate clients. I show them how to leverage their employees as brand ambassadors on LinkedIn. This is strategic work and often an eye opener for organizations that underestimate the power of their people. Since I started my career in employee communications, I feel like I have come full circle with this growing part of my business offering.

3. What would you love to change about what you do?

Augustine: Professionals in our industry are constantly working on tight deadlines, limited budgets and scarce resources while trying to create viral campaigns. If I could, I’d love to make communications a profit centre, so organizations see the direct link between reputation and profitability. This might change the perception of communication functions within organizations.

Maureen: As an ENTJ, I don’t feel the compulsion to fit in, and rather like being in the minority of independent achievers. I rarely follow societal conditional paths in the traditional sense and prefer to create ones that deliver more outside the box results. In this context, I would love to change the pre-existing parameters of how things are done and take a risk of following the path less travelled.

Sabita: I can honestly say there is not one aspect of my work that I would change. I even love business development! I love getting to know people and, thankfully, business development is all about building relations. I’m fortunate that I’ve been successful in building my brand as a thought leader. In fact, all of my business comes through referrals or LinkedIn, so I don’t feel pressured to sell. This makes people feel comfortable and confident in my ability to support them.

Thanks to Augustine, Maureen and Sabita for sharing the love. Do these stories resonate with you as a PIC member and entrepreneur? What would you add? We’d love to hear; please send a note to toronto-sig@iabc.to.

March 21: Get social, get your Problem Solved!

The next gathering of PIC members and friends will be a combination of business and social from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21.

Come for an evening of conversation and collaboration. Over a drink, appetizers or a meal at the Duke of Cornwall (400 University Ave., south of Dundas Street and near St. Patrick subway station), we’ll gather in small, informal groups to talk through business problems or challenges and collaborate on solutions.

Submit your challenges in advance and/or raise them informally during the evening. Challenges can be anything from addressing a tricky communications situation to sustainable business development to complex client strategy.

These drop-in-style conversations can take place throughout the evening, so feel free to circulate, chat and contribute as you wish. Come put the PIC hive-mind to work on a problem you need to solve, and/or share your insights and showcase your expertise!

The consultations and collaboration are free, but any drinks and snacks are on your own tab.

Submit your challenge, if you have one, and...

Changes to the PIC member list due February 28

As a PIC member, you can gain visibility on the PIC member list on the IABC/Toronto website. Send your updates to PIC’s Director of Membership, Maureen Hosein, ABC, at maureenhosein@yahoo.com, by Tuesday, February 28. For new profiles, send your:

• Name
• Company name
• City (to help us know who’s in our neighbourhood)
• Email address
• Telephone number (optional)
• Website and LinkedIn URLs
• Social media accounts, if any
• Business description (up to 80 words).

If you are already on the list, does your listing include your LinkedIn profile? Have you earned an OVATION, Silver Leaf or Gold Quill award you can brag about?

See you on social media!

Build and strengthen your connections, advance your business and network with other PIC members on social media. In case you missed them, recent posts shared on our social media channels include:

• The 7 deadly sins of corporate Black History Month programming, like waiting until the last minute and expecting free speakers, by Dana Brownlee via Forbes.
• “A big part of increasing diversity in the communications field involves encouraging up-and-coming communicators of color to feel like they belong there in the first place.” On increasing diversity in the media industry by Sean Devlin for Ragan Communications.
• This echoes what our panelists on Feb. 2 said: “Don’t do PR for Black History Month if your company isn’t doing something meaningful to create equity.” If you are, Nantale Muwonge has three ways to tell your story, in PR Daily.

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Who we are

Professional Independent Communicators (PIC) is a special interest group of IABC/Toronto. PIC’s mission is to support independent IABC/Toronto communicators through professional development, networking and marketing. The Buzz informs members about upcoming events, shares professional development tips from past meetings and keeps us connected.

IABC connects communicators from around the world with the insights, resources and people they need to drive their careers and their professions forward.

Editor: Sue Horner | Designer: Austine Fischer

Executive team

Chair: Jacqui DeBique | Past Chair: Arlene Amitirigala | Membership: Maureen Hosein, ABC | Marketing & Sponsorship: Brent Artemchuk | Communications & Social Media: Austine Fischer, Sue Horner | Programming: Catharine Heddle, Christopher Trotman