Turning the dial on D&I

By Irene Alifanova, Editor in Chief for Communicator | irenedjinn@gmail.com

Earlier this summer, there was a public awakening. Each of us may have experienced it on a different level, but most of us can agree that the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent events have brought to the forefront issues of systematic racism and discrimination that are still prevalent in our society.

I had a unique opportunity to participate in a Conscious Inclusion training that explored the breadth of diversity and examined individual perspectives and our unconscious biases towards race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and beyond.

This experience made me realize that, as a society, there is still much for us to do to build a culture where everyone feels respected and accepted and has an equal opportunity to thrive. It also got me thinking that, as communicators, we are uniquely positioned to have a more cohesive, outside view of the whole organization that groups like human resources or legal services may not have.

In this edition of the Communicator, “Turning the dial on D&I,” we are exploring the critical importance of diversity and inclusion and ways in which we, as communicators, can help organizations move beyond talk.

Loretta Lam offers a perspective on how a solid diversity and inclusion strategy can help Canadian businesses succeed in “The time-of-the-century opportunity that diversity and inclusion present to Canadian business.”

Nathalie Noël shares three ideas on how communicators can advance diversity and Inclusion in our workplaces and the profession in “It’s personal: how communicators can advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.”

Finally, Ángela Colón shows how communicators can successfully drive diversity and inclusion via integrated Social Media strategies in “How to use your social media platforms to promote diversity and inclusion.”

Our society is on the verge of a big shift. It is critical that we continue to listen, learn, advocate for change, and keep the diversity and inclusion conversation going.

Irene Alifanova, Editor in Chief for Communicator