13 Nov
I decided to enroll in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the Workplace Certification Course in January 2021. A great friend of mine who shares my passion for DEI joined me, we thought it would be great for us to learn more together. It was an amazing experience, and there is so for me to learn in this space.
What I found surprising is that at the time there was an assumption that DEI could be only be put in the Human Resources box. As a marketing and communications professional, I saw many ways that it had impacted my world not only as a Black woman, but especially in my industry. There have been so many public relations fails over the years that could have been avoided if the team had DEI training and a seat and respected voice at the table.
I recently worked for an organization that wanted to work on their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Due to recent research done in the community, they realized that they need to develop more materials that represented marginalized and diverse groups, since they were their customers.
This is a common occurrence that many organizations face. They wanted to make changes, however they weren’t sure how to make these changes without appearing performative to their internal team and externally to the public. It can definitely be a slippery slope, and the most successful work in this space is achieved in collaboration with the team, this includes C-suite participation and support.
Here are a few ways that organizations can make authentic change:
- Provide diversity, equity and inclusion training to staff, and develop measurable action plans
- Conduct an inclusive communications landscape. This means having all of your communications evaluated by a professional
- Connect with your internal and external community, find out what they need and expect from you
- Make tangible changes that align with your strategy and action plan
- Conduct engagement surveys to ensure that the changes are resonating with your audience
For more information on how you can move away from performative communications contact us today at info@kimberlyanncommunications.com