How PR Completely Changed My Perspective About The World

As someone who has been around for almost three decades, I was convinced I knew too much — the good, the bad and the ugly. The newest trends, the best technologies, politics (this is still debatable), celebrities on the rise, or those facing cancel culture, what books to read, and even unethical brands. Unbeknownst to me, I was barely scratching the surface level.

In the world of PR, do any of us really know anything? We understand what we’ve been taught and what we’ve been told to recognize. However, I believe after immersing myself in this new journey and navigating through the ins and outs of public relations, my perspective has completely flipped upside down.

Truly comprehending diverse audiences

I had grown up watching movies and TV shows with non-diverse casts, witnessed and recognized white supremacy, and stood by to catch an unwanted earful of stereotypical behaviour from my peers. To my knowledge, I wasn’t the problem. I didn’t participate in hateful conversations, I had friends of different cultural backgrounds, and I went through life open-minded. After spending one day in my PR program, I came to the realization: I am the problem.

I had taken a step back and truly thought about things. Celebrities I followed, the authors whose books I read and the brands I supported. What are their values? Who do they endorse? In order to help fix the problem, you need to recognize that you have bias. After participating in an unconscious bias test, I was introduced to my own personal biases and brainstormed ways to start making a change.

I can no longer watch a commercial, witness a product launch or see a campaign without thinking about diversity and its importance. Are they being authentic? Have they proactively made an effort to diversify their spokespeople? Did they avoid tokenism and stereotypes? These are questions most people don’t ask themselves or even care to acknowledge.

Public relations will always emphasize knowing your audience. This requires taking the time to properly study cultural, social and psychological factors that may influence behaviour. When you take the time to learn how different groups and communities think, communicate, and make decisions, you can cultivate a greater appreciation for diversity and begin to develop empathy for perspectives beyond your own.

Learning to prioritize accessibility

Prior to throwing myself into public relations, I believed I had the right idea when it came to accessibility. This meant entrances to buildings, accessible washrooms, braille signs and curb cuts. What the world failed to teach me was how essential accessible content was.

This is still something I am working tirelessly to improve and utilize when I am making my own content. When I view my personal social media platforms, none of the content I see would be deemed accessible. Every picture is missing alt text, the contrast between text and background is completely out of whack, and people are definitely using way too many emojis. However, this isn’t something I can be upset about. If I didn’t know, how can I expect everyone else to understand?

To put it quite simply, I can’t expect certain things from my friends and followers if they’ve never been mentored. Although, what I can do is make my platforms accessible. All it would take is an addition of alt text to my post for someone to ask me, “Why are you writing that?” to which I might reply, “Why not?”. Maybe you don’t require alt text because you don’t utilize a screen reader, but someone might. Maybe you don’t care if there’s red text on a green background, but someone does. Maybe you love to use emojis as bullet points, but there is someone who can not properly understand your content because you did that.

I am still learning everything I can when it comes to accessibility. If you had asked me six months ago what sans serif fonts were, I would have looked at you without a clue in the world. Now, I am confident enough to put together Word documents, press releases, media pitches and projects with full confidence that anyone who wants to access my content can. From where I stand, accessibility is the true key to success. This broadens your audience and opens you up to new communities and opportunities.

Asking questions is the first step toward understanding

I believe that we’ve always been taught to ask questions when we don’t understand something. So why is it too daunting to ask about proper and respectful terminology?

As we enter 2025, there are more and more things that we, as people and PR people, have to be mindful of. I’ve always been afraid to immerse myself in the world of terminology, nervous I may say the wrong thing. If I do say the wrong thing, what’s the worst thing that’s going to happen? Absolutely nothing. That’s the beauty of asking questions. I believe asking questions is a way of keeping you humble. It reminds you that it’s OK to not know everything, and it’s OK to want to learn more.

We’re often so nervous about using the wrong pronoun or saying a word that’s no longer deemed acceptable or mindful. However, this is how you better yourself. This is how you open your mind and pay respect to new communities around you. How can you write about something you don’t know anything about? The answer is you can’t, or at least not properly.

Asking questions will always be the first step towards understanding. In today’s world, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with the proper terminology as it reflects respect, inclusivity and awareness. Language is what shapes our interactions, and by asking these questions, we can help create an environment where individuals feel seen and valued for who they are. As society becomes more in tune with gender fluidity, being mindful of your language fosters a culture of empathy and acceptance.

The art of resilience and perseverance

Public relations is not easy. I know firsthand how hard it is when you go in knowing nothing. It’s okay to make mistakes, you just need to know how to appreciate and handle them with an open mind.

This is an industry that demands perfection and is considered to be rather challenging. I never would have imagined choosing something so intimidating, yet I don’t find myself retreating at all. It’s important to recognize your failures and embrace them. Viewing your setbacks as learning opportunities will give you an edge in your future and a step up on your competition.

Resilient PR professionals are able to adapt to abrupt changes, complete difficult projects before deadlines and build strong relationships with complete strangers. I have always thought of myself as a people person, but never quite like this. Attending networking events on my own, sparking conversations with people I’ve never met and allowing myself to be vulnerable are only adding to my future success, not taking it away. You want to get your name out there and push yourself to toss your ideas into the ring. Who knows, you may just be networking with your future boss.

Something to take with you

I still don’t know everything, and I don’t think I ever will. Although I may still be scratching the surface, I am making consistent efforts to better myself and my values to ensure I make a big impact in the PR universe. I understand my unconscious biases and the difference between lived experience and tokenism. I understand that accessible content shouldn’t be so hard to come by, and we should be making more of an effort to better ourselves and our accessibility strategies. Most importantly, I have learned to be resilient and persevere even when I don’t know how. Make mistakes, but learn from them. Change your mind, and change it again. Follow through on your ideas, push for change and accept new challenges.

Before throwing myself into public relations, I never would have adopted such an open-minded ideology. I never would have stopped myself in the street to analyze an ad, scrolled through my socials to criticize its accessibility or admitted to being part of the problem. I hope as I enter my next decade, I learn more about myself and the world. I hope my mindset continues to twist and turn for the remainder of my career. Most importantly, I hope to play a small role in changing someone else’s thoughts about the world through my writing, my ideas and my ever-changing perspective.