Shelley Bishton

The latest 'One Step Forward, Two Steps Black' survey from UK Black Comms Network (supported by Opinium and PRWeek UK) is a stark reminder of the continued need for creating more inclusive and equitable workplaces. Overlooked for promotions and awards, experiencing microaggressions and racism, while feeling like they have to tone down their personalities to 'fit in'. No wonder two thirds of Black PR pros consider leaving the industry. As Kamiqua Lake (nèe Pearce) says "For an industry that prides itself on being able to engage, influence and understand people - we have no excuses for not doing better on inclusion." 🎯 I encourage you to: - Read the report. Then read it again and think about how your company can be different - Speak and listen to your Black employees - Ask yourself what you could do better As a process lover, I'd also suggest you: - Check your promotion and retention data. Who is leaving, when and why? Who is being promoted and why (not)? - Review and set clear promotion criteria. Agencies in particular are historically bad at promoting the loudest or popular voices or those that fit a certain image. Make it super clear what someone needs to achieve to get to the next level - What policies do/should you have in place and are they being acted upon? No point having something on paper if people don't know it exists or feel like they can refer to it - Look at how you can provide mentoring and sponsorship for your Black talent. If it isn't available in-house, look externally - Review your training and development offer. Yes, the EDI related training, but also ensure that people are being given the tools and skills they need to excel in their job. You can check out the full report here: https://lnkd.in/esYp6XcK

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We've recently joined the Black Country Chamber of Commerce! There's a little article on their news section now about our joining, the launch of SitePilot and our looming 9th Anniversary! Have a read here, if you fancy: https://lnkd.in/e8iHySCT #BlackCountry #ChamberOfCommerce #Websites #News

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In the words of Steven Bartlett 🙌 "If you don't care about the tiny details, you'll produce bad work because good work is the culmination of hundreds of tiny details" This theme ran through our 'Brilliant Basics' workshops at Punch Creative. In the workshops, our wonderful Head of Operations Charlotte Holgate and I went through key working practices and processes that ensure our foundations are strong 💪 How did we make the workshops memorable? We embraced our inner children using LEGO to help the team understand how... 👌 We invest effort into building client relationships 👀 We pay attention to detail and ensure the basics are brilliant 💎 We don't compromise on quality 🏋‍♂️ We gain clients' confidence and trust The teams excelled at the task! ✏ The creative team didn't start until they fully understood the brief 💻 The web team optimised user experience and functionality ⌛ Client services ensured the project was delivered on time 🎯 Marketing and comms thought carefully about their target audience. Who's build is the best? comment below 👇 with the emoji of your favourite, best team wins a prize: 🔥 Creative team 🛩️ Web team 🤖 Client services team 🚗 Marketing & comms team #Lego #Workshop #BrilliantBasics #AgencyLife #TeamBuilding

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Echoing the sentiments of my Black colleagues, I am not surprised by the findings from the UK Black Comms Network "One Step Forward, Two Steps Black" survey supported by Opinium PRWeek UK. Two in three Black & mixed-race PR professionals are considering leaving the PR and communications industry, and a staggering 82% still face microaggressions and subtle, indirect racial discrimination at work. It's frustrating to see Black & mixed-race professionals receive less praise for their work and lack visibility at senior leadership levels. This is an issue I've often discussed on my podcast, where I spotlight Black, Asian, and ethnic global majority PR and comms professionals who share their experiences and challenges. These stories and statistics highlight the urgent need for a more inclusive and equitable industry. I've said it before we need to see real change, the system isn't working. You can check out the research here: https://lnkd.in/eB9qR_5J #Diversity #Inclusion #PR #Communications #OneStepForwardTwoStepsBlack

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PRmoment Leaders latest:  Huge thanks to Paul Smith of The Amber Group for our latest Agency Programme masterclass, helping us to understand and harness the full range of personality types to drive business success. Via the four coloured medium of the Discovery Insights platform (*other models are available), Paul took us into the world of psychological self-discovery and (at least as interestingly) helped us understand how to map the communications preferences of others. Our agencies are of course people-focused businesses dealing literally in communications, so it goes without saying that this stuff really matters.  It’s probably fair to add that we over-index on emotional intelligence and in people who rate their amateur psychology skills rather highly (or maybe that’s just us yellows:). Paul gave us guidance to build on those fundamentals, focused firstly on the critical need to ‘know thyself’.  It’s obvious as soon as you articulate it, but we can all only act successfully in our team environments if we first understand where we ourselves sit on the spectrum of personality types.  From that base, we can then properly understand others and adjust our communications to maximise understanding and gain respect, to win and retain business and to succeed both individually and collectively. TLDR:  It’s clear, we absolutely must be conscious communicators!

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Nice piece in Marketing Beat about our campaign to encourage people to take action to help remove the barriers society places in the way of blind and partially sighted people living life. The campaign - created with GOOD Agency, and driving people to download our Be Helpful Guide - is running across social media, out of home and radio, so have a look out for it appearing on a billboard near you. 👀 If you haven’t yet downloaded the guide, please do - it includes lots of tips for sighted people on making getting around easier for people with sight loss, from leaving wheelie bins in the right place to knowing how to guide people appropriately; it was created with blind and partially sighted people. The link is in the comments so no excuses! We want as many people as possible to download the guide - and turn themselves into allies for changing society for people with sight loss through simple steps. #socialchange #marketing #campaign #sightloss #behaviourchange

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I have always thought that employee wellbeing should be important to employers (particularly in PR), but Covid really provided the need to make sure that the right support was in place. At Speed Communications I have had the opportunity to work on lots of initiates with the team, some that have stuck and some that we have trialled and moved away from - but that’s the important part! You need to be agile and responsive to changing needs and different people to try and get support that will truly help across the board. Thanks PRmoment for asking me to contribute to this article, to show the great things that are happening across the PR industry to support employees. #pr #publicrelations #wellbeing #employeewellbeing

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Really proud of this PR activation. Great brand awareness but more importantly it actually makes a real difference: https://lnkd.in/egAKM_r3

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Something you might not know about Mischief: we have access to all of MHP Group's behavioural science insight and expertise. Our work may be a little bit naughty, but at least its backed by science 😈 #strategy #prstrategy #behaviouralscience

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🌷 Happy Friday Comms pros! Buy your ticket or book your spot to make sure you don’t miss these diverse events. 🌷 TICKET SALES END TODAY 📅Saturday, 19 October, London (in-person) ⭐Comms Reboot - The Communications Unconference ℹGet your tickets here: https://lnkd.in/d_-FvFNG Redefining Communications and Jenni Field are bringing you a full-day communications #unconference. There is no set agenda. The goal is for you to enjoy free-flowing, energetic #discussions without the constraints of a typical conference. 📅Wednesday, 25 September, 6pm BST (online)  ⭐Prep to Perfection: Your Interview Playbook  ℹRegister: https://lnkd.in/g9UXCKV  Struggling with job interviews? Erin Stuart, MS, PRC, De Lacy Executive Recruitment North America, will go over how to #prepare for the four key aspects an employer will evaluate during your #interview, #questions you should ask, and quick #tips towards #interview perfection. Register now for this AgCareers.com free webinar.     📅Thursday, 26 September, 3pm BST (online)   ⭐VRP Tech Studio: Leveraging the power of genAI for social impact  ℹRegister: https://lnkd.in/dYDj6wEh  Are you ready for some fresh #tech world news, insightful #conversations, inspirational real-life business cases, expert knowledge and much more? Join VRP Consulting’s webinar with Simon Glenister from Noise Solution, and Nuru Nurdil, Solution Architect from VRP, to explore #genAI and network with experts. ................................................................................................................................................ Follow #commsevents ✔ #communications #internalcommunications #internalcomms #comms #conference #networking #opentowork #career #InterviewPrep #CareerSuccess #technology #VRPTechStudio #insights #experts #AI #salesforce #webinar #online #event #personaldevelopment #professionaldevelopment #employeeengagement #employeeexperience

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So the essential listening for #PR and media people is back - the “When It Hits The Fan” programme and podcast from the BBC. Presented by the modern-day Statler and Waldorf of the strategic communications game, David Yelland and Simon Lewis. Two weeks back (10/9/24) in a bit of a scoop Mr Yelland “revealed” that the Govt’s COBRA committee had commissioned online advertising to target and deter potential rioters during August after the Southport stabbings (Link in Comments). The ads delivered 70m impressions, he said. But how did the Govt actually choose and target potential rioters? First they targeted men, then age and then geography (ie location), Yelland explained. They behaved “just like any advertiser”. But wait, do not savvy advertisers (and certain media platforms) also deliver ads next to content consumed by their target audience? In this case, potential rioters. What would that media plan or online brief look like? What sites would get past the “black list” and what a story it would be if tax-payers’ money was spent advertising in the right “environment” for this unsavoury demographic.

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ESG & DEI are reshaping the industry. Businesses are now focusing on quality hires, not just filling roles. See further insights here ➡️ Want to learn more? Download our free report: https://lnkd.in/g86rprmz

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One step forward two steps Black? We want to hear your experiences of what it’s like to be Black in PR and comms today. Together with PRWeek UK and Opinium, we are opening our One Step Forward Two Steps Black survey to uncover inequity where it exists, recognise successes in creating a diverse pipeline and retaining talent, and crucially - to provide a benchmark for the industry to make change. The inaugural One Step Forward Two Steps Black survey in 2020 found that almost half of Black communication professionals had never received an internal promotion, with talent having to move to a different agency or company to rise up the ranks.  Has progress been made? Are you having a more equitable experience? Are you being hired, recognised and rewarded for your contributions? We need to know so we can shape recommendations to drive change. The anonymous survey takes just 6 minutes to complete. Complete the survey here: https://lnkd.in/eM--X-Fs Kamiqua Lake (nèe Pearce) Founder of UK Black Comms Network says "As the old adage goes: what gets measured gets improved. The industry's focus continues to be on attracting Black talent into entry level roles. We want to understand what progress our industry is making on this and how organisations are rewarding Black talent within their companies."   You can read more in PR Week here: https://lnkd.in/ewPJbcE4 Special thanks to Eliza Wiredu Rhoneece Patterson Priya Minhas

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At AFFINITY Group, our new Growth Accelerator positioning isn’t just about driving business success — it’s about sparking a broader conversation at the highest levels. By aligning the vision of CEOs and CMOs, we’re empowering leaders to implement changes that deliver measurable impact and sustainable growth. Ready to see the difference this approach can make for your business? Let’s talk. Have a read of our chat with Mediaweek Australia:  https://lnkd.in/g4vT3Up3 #GrowthAccelerator #PotentialRealised #AFFINITY 

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Really enjoyed attending Isabel Berwick's book launch of 'The Future-Proof Career' at Daunt Books. I was so engrossed in the discussion that I failed to take a photo of the event but I’m very pleased with my signed copy and getting stuck in! Isabel hosts the Working It Financial Times podcast which I’d highly recommend for fellow employee engagement/ internal communications specialists. Sharing weekly insights into how the world of work is changing, the discussions address the issues facing employers and employees today, from AI, to multi-generational and flexible working, to the rise of 'Quit-Tokers'. The recent episode with Jeremie Brecheisen of Gallup on disengaged workers is definitely worth a listen. My favourite take-outs from the book launch: 💡 listen to your employees - focus on the message they want to share, not simply what you want to put across, to better understand and engage your people 📖 management is a learned skill - train people on how to communicate with their teams; how to listen; how to build trust - getting this right has a positive impact on employee retention 🌟 don't forget that employee satisfaction is directly related to customer satisfaction - the investment will pay off #employeeengagement #internalcommunications #worldofwork

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Are you the lead in your team for #Diversity, #Equity & #Inclusion ? Are you a business leader keen to embed these values at the heart of your organisation? If so, start by joining us next week for Pizza 🍕 & learn from Dundee pride about how this all just makes good business sense! Book at the link below 👇

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Whether you’re on-screen in a meeting or giving a broadcast media interview sitting in a studio or online at your office computer or laptop – do you know where to look? A TV producer once said to me ‘eyeline is everything’ when you’re on screen. What does this mean for you? Read my advice in my blog to find out. #eyeline #tvinterviews

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📣 Calling all agency leaders - this one is for you 📣 Have you submitted your data for PRWeek UK and People Like Us's pay gap report yet? If you have not, you need to and here's why: 🖼 The collective data helps paint a bigger picture of the Ethnicity & Gender pay gap in the PR industry and where change is needed - with the knowledge we can then implement real change 💰 It demonstrates the industry's commitment to paying employees fairly - if you are not on the list does this say more about what you are not doing and create more questions than answers?! 🔎 It ensures we analyse our pay gaps every year and holds us to account spotting issues and giving us impetus to fix the problem 👀 It holds us all accountable - without accountability, we are set to continue on a path of unfairness, inequality and show an unwillingness for progress I urge you to commit time to filling out this data. We are all VERY busy but if we don't do this as agency leaders we stifle the opportunity for change. The deadline is Monday 27th August. I want to be clear, our data is by no means perfect but by understanding the issues we will be better tomorrow and that is a commitment we can all easily get behind. It is all about the 1%. #PayEquity #PayGapReport #accountability

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