Public Relations' Talent Imperative: Fostering Diversity and Inclusion
Among the issues facing today’s public relations firms, diversity looms large. Clients need agency partners to help them communicate with a diverse customer and stakeholder base, but that’s not so easy when your own talent pool lacks diversity. What can we as an industry do to enhance the ethnic makeup of our teams? That’s the question facing a task force gathered by the Board of the Council of PR Firms and its Chair, Andy Polansky.
One positive step we advocate is the sharing of information about programs already making a positive difference. For example, at Mitchell Communications Group, we launched a new talent initiative called “Big Break.” This week long mini-internship for high performing college seniors from diverse ethnic backgrounds offers real-world work experience and a first-hand look at our agency. From a pool of more than 100 applicants, we selected nine students from four universities, paying for the students’ airfare, lodging and meals and preparing a daily schedule that included face-time with agency leaders and an opportunity to develop and present a PR plan and creative deliverables for two area non-profits.
Students overwhelmingly felt “Big Break” was a life- and career-changing experience. “The entire experience blew my mind and exceeded all my expectations,” one student reported. Others shared that they learned how important it is to pick the right place to take a job, no matter its geographical setting (since our agency is located in Northwest Arkansas, this was certainly music to our ears). Best of all, our staff looks forward to making job offers to at least some of the “Big Break” participants when they graduate in May.
As an industry, we can also drive discussion on diversity and inclusion by equipping firms with training and tools for use in their own firms. On June 21 (Chicago) and June 23 (New York), the Council of PR Firms will hold half-day workshops designed to help senior firm leaders establish or re-energize diversity and inclusion initiatives. The agenda will cover the business case for diversity and inclusion, provide a process for setting a strategic direction for your firm, and share best practices from other council members. Programs will be led by The FutureWork Institute, a global diversity workplace consultancy.
Finally, we can help firms by simply getting information in your hands. A slew of third-party organizations have built communities and are working to promote diversity and inclusion in the communications industry. By understanding the purpose and activities of these organizations, we can identify potential partnership opportunities for our firms and build relationships to create wins. These organizations include the Ron Brown Scholar Program, Hispanic Public Relations Association; the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications; and the Black Creatives. In addition, numerous websites and other resources are available to assist companies in implementing relevant, effective diversity and inclusion initiatives. The Council’s new web site, launching later this spring, will feature a more robust diversity section that will include links to these and other resources.
Many industries today are championing diversity initiatives. Leading Wall Street banks, for instance, recently held an inaugural summit on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues in the workplace. President Obama is considering an executive order that would coordinate efforts to amp up diversity in the nation’s largest employer, the Federal government. In this context, it’s vital that public relations emerge as a leader in recruiting individuals from many backgrounds to serve clients. As chair of the Council’s task force, I am very passionate about diversity and inclusion and am personally championing these efforts at our firm. I hope you will do the same at yours.
WIth the release of the 2010 Census data, more organizations are compelled to understand that communicating with diverse audiences is vital. Those who are just getting that message are at least a decade behind companies who have developed a diversity best practices plan that addresses internal and external diversity, and has buy-in from senior management.
There are plenty of examples of missteps to illustrate that embracing diversity means more than just inclusive hiring practices. Different voices and life experiences need to be included from the decision-making stage to project completion. Public relations agencies are no different. If they are truly committed to expanding their audiences, management level staff must also be diverse. The dynamic of a changing workforce isn’t new and addressing it needs to be incorporated into an organization’s business plan, not as a project, but as the way they do business.
Agencies, companies, organizations, etc. who don’t, will find themselves alongside Blockbuster and Borders – adapting too slowly to new realities and no longer relevant.
Leslie-Anne
Leslie-Anne Frank
Multicultural Communications Strategist
Working on Behalf of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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