140: 3 Powerful Ways to Include PR in Civic Engagement with Tonya McKenzie

When public relations meets public information meets human relations, it equals the common good.

Welcome to the Confident Communications podcast, where we help communicators find the right response.

At the right time and deliver it in the right place.

Tonya McKenzie serves as the Los Angeles.

City Commissioner of Human Resources, where she.

Brings more than 20 years of experience.

In media relations, marketing, and client relations. And she's also the founder of the PR firm Sand Insures. So it's that combination of experience and skill that makes her a powerful force in communications and civic engagement. And she is also the perfect guest to bring on the podcast to discuss an area of PR and public information that doesn't have the flash of, let's say, a crisis. But this area of PR helps shape and contribute to the public interest and the common good by promoting dialogue that supports social and civic trust. This is an important episode to me. It's an important episode for the month of June. I wanted to round out this month. That means a month of values for me, especially for people who feel underserved or who are underserved. Let's listen to Tanya as she shares three powerful ways to include PR in civic engagement.

Tanya, I am so happy to speak with you officially on the podcast.

I am so excited to be here with you, Miss Molly. I mean, I can't imagine being anywhere else right now.

You have that melodic voice that I hear once a week, unless I'm traveling, of course, because I connected with you on Twitter because you are the queen of Twitter spaces. So even though you are here today to talk about this very niche topic of human relations and public relations, before we get there, we have to make a pit stop at Twitter spaces. And can you just tell me what it is? What drew you to it? And why are you like the queen of Twitter's Twitter spaces?

You are so complimentary. I can't even stand my own voice. So kudos to you because, yeah, I can't stand myself sometime, but I love community and I love building community. I think it's important that we recognize no matter how many differences we have, difference of opinion, difference in looks, difference in perspective, we really have more in common than we do different. And I think having a place like Twitter Spaces allows for us to explore that, expand on that, and always leave with something that makes us better.

Once a week you. So well said. So well said, Tanya. Once a week you have the Twitter chat about public relations. But what I love about it is because one of the. Your co hosts was Michelle Garrett, was a guest on the podcast a number of weeks ago, and I only saw her post about it, and I said, ah, what is this? I have to check this out. And my first visit, you were so welcoming. And you're a phenomenal moderator on Twitter Spaces because it is audio only. So could you give us just a snackable bite and explain what Twitter Spaces is?

Well, the first impression is, of course, your profile picture, right? So seeing all these amazing faces, even if it's just your profile picture, which you picked out, meaning you're letting us know who you are up front, that in itself allows for us to know we have such a diverse group of people coming into this room, and the welcoming piece of it really is just you wanting to be there. You don't have to be there. That's one thing in your day that you actually choose to do because, one, you want to share yourself with the rest of us, and two, you're open to hearing what other people have to say. And that says a lot. It says a lot about those that come in. So knowing that many times people are gun shy, you know, just being able to connect with people, even if you take the mic, that lets me know you are actually open to sharing. Maybe not at that moment, but I am someone that always welcomes diverse opinions and diverse thoughts. And also, while you're doing it, I'm checking your profile and then I'm nosy. So I'm tapping in because I want to know more about you. And that's the thing. We have to get more comfortable in uncomfortable spaces, asking questions about the people that are also in those spaces with us.

Well, let's talk about. If we're talking about discomfort and these uncomfortable conversations, you were the perfect person to bring into a topic that I really just kind of made up because I just feel like it fits so much in the month of June. These podcast episodes have been about just the human interaction, the humor, the human experience. June, to me, and I'm saying this as a white person, which might be completely different, and I'll ask you as an African American woman, June to me now is a month for minorities. In my mind, it's Pride Month. And so we have. We have the group of, you know, LGBTQ +, and then with George Floyd's death happening at. On the last day of May, and all of it just kind of, you know, exploding last June in 2020, it's also a month. It's almost like my second, you know, Black History Month, if you will. Even though I know it's February, but at least for me, that's how my calendar Works now it's like this is, this is my month for me. And that's why I wanted to bring you on right now, on this day to kind of tie up the end of the month and talk about this idea of just human relations and the importance of companies and brands, leadership and then also communicators paying special attention to the importance of communicating and as humans about humans for the common good. And your experience leads us right here. So Tanya, tell us a little bit about what you do right now for work.

So I am a PR and leadership consultant. I try to teach people, guide them, guide their brand, guide their organizations in a path that allows for them to organically tell their story to their target audience. For civic organizations, law enforcement, politicians, political organizations, that really means the communities in which they serve. Many times they don't recognize how important public relations and storytelling is. They just think, if I do my job that I was elected to do or hired to do, that's enough. But then you wind up getting in situations where your constituents, your community, the community that you serve, the community that elected you does not recognize actually what you do. So the why becomes important. And telling the story about what you do exhibits why you do it, if you are doing it correctly. So I try to really nail down for them how important storytelling is and educating the communities on what they're doing and talking about the lives that they've affected with the work that they do. Right. So that's the PR piece, but dummy in it down for individuals that are not in our space is my job. So the education piece is for me.

So that the piece of the civics part of it is your special space because not everyone has experience working from that civic level, which is really the community level, you know, isn't it? You know, it's public relations in the community.

Yeah. Most people think public relations, they only affiliated with entertainment and sports and corporate high fame type of positions. But the truth of the matter is it really applies maybe even more so to those that we elect or pay to serve us. Public service. And then how are you serving us? Many times that gets forgotten.

Not by me. Not by me. It is absolutely in my work and those are the groups. I mean, that is in my lexicon, serving. How are you serving? So it's so I'm happy that we're having this conversation because I think other people can be served by this. So if we talk about this idea of human relations and even if someone doesn't work for a civic organization right now or works for a community, state, local Official. They can still understand. They can still understand the mechanics behind it. We want to talk about the three areas that you find in your work. And we should say, you know, you are in the greater Los Angeles area. Let me just ask you, just quickly, just 2020 for you in your work in Los Angeles. You're also the vice president of the Black Public Relations Society of Los Angeles. Tell me about 2020 for you and how did that shape your work leading into 2021? Anything change? Any new revelations?

Yeah, it's so funny. Right before 2020, we here in Redondo beach had our very first MLK celebration. And my firm handled the PR for that event. So a city in California that is having their very first MLK celebration. I mean, wrap your mind around that. For many people, that's mind boggling. They're like, oh, my God, it's California. Well, yeah, but people are still behind. So I have to educate people on a regular basis that everybody's not there. We're not all in the same place on social issues. We're not there. And that's a perfect example because people would assume that we're all on this federal holiday and we all celebrate it, but that's not a reality. So being an integral part of a first is a perfect example. So leading into 2020 and having broken this ground in this city, it was easy for me to show people that were surprised about what had happened. For those of us that were not surprised, why it was what it was to us. Right. It was heartbreaking. But it also let me know, and many around me, that the work still needs to be done. And at the end of the day, law enforcement took huge hit, and so did political organizations and figures. So it was actually beneficial for me because it allowed for me to be creative in what I do in helping to. How do I say this? Have the conversations that are difficult. So I'll be. To be blunt, many people were defund the police and defund the police and Black Lives Matter. And I mean, you start throwing slogans around and the communication piece of it gets lost. So I started a series of conversations with all black. Black police officers, because the defund the police movement was over here to the left, and the Black Lives Matter was over here to the right, but nobody was talking to the people in the middle, which were people that are affected by both sides. So I started that series of conversations, and people were just astounded because some of the things that were being said they had never heard before. And I think that that is our role as PR professionals is opening up that line of communication that allows for people to broaden their horizon and think about how we relate to each other. So during this time, actually, January, I was appointed. I'm sorry, I was elected to the Los Angeles County Commissioner's seat for Supervisor Janice Hahn. And I will tell you, based on some of the work that I have done, there were those that opposed me, and all of those people don't look like me. Oh, that was interesting. So looking at that, okay, there's more work to be done because there's still people that don't understand. You don't have to say the N word to be considered racist. There are ways that you show up that can make people feel uncomfortable. There are ways that you show up that can cause problems because you are not relating to people on their level. You are only thinking about your perspective. All that being said, part of the LA County Commission work that we do is to try to solve some of these problems. Having those difficult conversations and finding solutions that make the quality of life better for all of us. I come from a troubled childhood, so understanding how it all rolls back down the hill to the. To our children, our future leaders, it gives me perspective that most people don't have. So then I'm able to engage in a way that others can't and have those tough conversations. But it really comes down to how we communicate, how we get people to think about things outside of their own lens and find those commonalities that then allow for us to have our freedoms but still respect the way we relate to each other. Right. It's kind of a. It's kind of a funny dance we do, but that's our call.

You are living it and working it. It sounds like every single day. So you are a perfect spokesperson, if you will, for this idea of how we navigate it through communication. So if so, Tonya, if you were to pick three points of how you take your work and. Or your strategies and to end tactics that you already have and tools that you have and you apply them to your clients with your. With your company, sand insures. But also as your role of the Commissioner of Human Relations for the LA County Board of Supervisors, what are three areas that you feel that businesses and organizations can do these communication tactics that they can do to really kind of break through all this noise?

One, I would say we need to humanize our positions. People may assume. People may assume that they know what you do, or, you know, she just writes the checks or she's just telling other people what to do in Order for people to understand your constituency, your employees. Right. To understand how you make decisions, how you go about growing an organization, what it takes. Those are all stories that need to happen for people to understand that. And then you need triggers when you're telling your stories, things that people can relate to. We're not that far apart that a person wouldn't understand. So humanize your position so that people can understand where you're coming from, how you make decisions, and then become a little more empathetic. Right. We miss that empathy. It's a thing we need to employ that more often. I would also say storytelling for diversity and inclusion purposes. Most people don't really understand what it is, but I bet the moment you're in a room and you tell a story about yourself, there will be so many people that actually have maybe not the same experience, but something that they can relate to. Sometimes it's just a word or a phrase and you're like, bet I got it right. But there's also rules to storytelling, and you have to enter it, enter into it in a way that is nonjudgmental and open minded. If you want to have better relations, relationships, growth in your community, you have to be able to empathize, listen and be non judgmental. Those are all things that maybe you can't teach, but you consistently deliver on things like stories and humanizing your position and who you are. You can't help but to start to open up because we're so, what is it? Defensive? We're already on the defense, especially with what you said. Okay, now you have June, and there's so many things that we have to concentrate on in June to make sure everybody feels appreciated. Well, if we're in an inclusive situation, we don't need June because we're feeling appreciated year round. Right?

Right.

So how do we take organizations that we work with and show them that if you are doing what you say year round, you don't have to go over and above in June because your employees, your constituency, your communities always feel included or a part of the brand or a part of the organization, or a part of the government that's making the decisions for you.

Every single person I speak with about communicating around a minority or minority issue, any one of these complicated conversations, they always say the same thing. It's not just one day, it's not just one month, it's all year round. And that is something that I think is shifting. And you are capturing this so well. I have a sense that if I saw you at work in Los Angeles, I get your groove now. Like, I get your play now. I know why you're successful is you know how to negotiate these tricky areas. But you are like, when I hear the humanizing and the storytelling, it's almost as if you're diffusing the bite out of the issue, but you're educating people. So our first one, you said humanizing. The second point is storytelling. What would be the third element that you would deploy for this idea of human relations?

Proactive pr. For instance, instead of trying to tell a story about something that you're gonna do, tell a story about something that you want to happen, what that looks like. Or take an example from another city. I've gotten into a situation here in Redondo beach where there's not a lot of land, and they're arguing about new projects, and there are people that don't want new projects because they don't want new people here, and they don't know what that looks like, and it makes them uncomfortable. So how do we have that conversation? Well, I take them back to something that I worked on in another city where, yes, it was contentious, but when the chamber of commerce works together, when the city government works together and the community works together, oh, my God. We don't always agree, but we did come up with an amazing project that everybody was able to benefit from, right? So that's a story where they can say, well, let's see how we can pull that off, or how do we sell that to our community and show them that there is case studies, right, that have a positive outcome. When you tell stories that make people aspirational, they glam onto that because they want that. Who wants to be in a situation that's contentious and uncomfortable and angry? And, you know, it makes a difference how you put out your ideas instead of just stuffing them down people's throats, sell it to them with the ability to show the potential, take them out of now and take them into the future. What aspirational policies look like. Be proactive. Instead of waiting for the decisions you make and stuff down someone's throat for them to then rebel against you. No, you take people along with them. That's like when you're telling people, I'm sad or I'm angry, I tell my storytellers, don't just tell me, take me with you. How did you get there? What did that feel like on the way there? I want to go with you. I don't. I don't want you to. Just tell me about it. Take me with you. So that we are in this together. That feeling is something that resonates. Oh, wow.

Well, everything you have said has resonated with me. And one, I'm already projecting. I see you as a mayor or.

A governor of California.

I'm just saying. Also, but I'm identifying your Persona here and in your approach to dealing with civic organizations. Civic minded, community minded, communications. When I think of community or any type of organization, I think of stress. I think of sharp elbows, I think of opinions, I think of opinionated people and arguing. Arguing and fights. It can be so contentious. And I can see clearly that you are not coming in hot. You are coming in soft but powerful of just negotiating these tricky discussions and personalities and issues. But you're doing it using the softness.

But also the strength of communications.

So that's a learned behavior. And I was recently reminded by our chief of police here that I did come at him hot. And he was telling someone. He was like, really? When we met, she was coming in here hot. I said, you're right, I was wrong. And this is how I know it to be. Absolutely. But how do we get better? We have to acknowledge our mistakes before we can improve and make headway. And also here, here, man, it was, you know. Cause now everything's great. But he did take me back to. Yeah, in that first meeting, ma', am, you came in here blazing. I said, oh, you're right. Okay, okay. And I was wrong. And I was wrong based on information that I had got that was wrong and I didn't check it first. And that is how things go wrong. And I felt that because we've had this little weird thing going on. And I don't like that. I don't like not being able to communicate with people to get things done. And I don't want that for our community. So I do try to find those things that we can glam onto to grow relationships and grow our opportunity to do good things. Because the alternative to that is bad things and negativity and being stifled. Who wants that?

No one.

No one wants that. So building community, whether it's in your community or an online community, like you have done with your weekly PR lunch hour Twitter Spaces chat, 9am Pacific Time, West Coast Time, 12 noon Eastern Time. I love these chats so much. And anyone listening to you now can see, like, why you would be such a good moderator in these chats. So I want to thank you even for, for hosting those once a week, but also for sharing your story and just your thoughts on the podcast. Like, you're making Me think you are already rewriting. You're writing a new segment of my. Of my teachings when it comes to that community relations piece.

Well, I like to be useful. That's better than being useless, right?

It's. Yeah, you never want to be useless. But this is one of the things I love about you most. Even though with our PR lunch hour, you bring together a diverse group of people with divers backgrounds. And one of the reasons why I truly love it is I. I think I'm coming in hot. A little old. And you'll have younger people and they'll talk about social media branding and. And social media influencing like all these things I know nothing about. And I feel like Gen X in the house like listening. But it's. We need to do this right. You need to learn from other people and people from other areas of whether the diversity is just in race or in. In. In your job and your skill set. So that's why I really do. I treasure the talks that you have. And then secondly is I can always count on you to drop in a great pop culture story that just threads it together. I love that because I was dying. Like, I want to know what you think of JLo and Ben Affleck. You know, like you and I were talking about.

What was thinking is, does she have an album coming out or does he have a movie coming out? Like, they are just so on time.

Can we go there for a second? Come their drop. Yeah, it is. I mean, it is dripping of publicity, is it not?

And they're so good at it. But this is. This is what I learned from Matt. Do what you're good at.

Yeah.

Do what you're good at. Why would you not do what you are good at? I mean, period. And they do.

They do.

They're amazing at it and it is so timely.

I do think JLo, though, at night she sits. She sits home and goes, oh my God, Ben Affleck, he's kind of a mess. He's a mess. I'm not getting, you know, a Rod is not jealous enough. Like, I didn't pick the right guy to make him jealous. And I don't know, maybe that's just my girl.

I think she flourishes in a mess. She was with Diddy. Come through.

Oh, she was with Diddy, but.

And then he goes and drops the old picture with them together. Come on. They are doing what they are good at. Yeah.

Wait, did he just did. Yeah, with the green dress. Versace dress.

I think it was. They were. It wasn't the green dress. It was something else. But, you know, that was his. I see you and I'm a one up you. They do what they're good at.

Yeah. Oh my gosh.

Hey, I learned from them in regards to marketing and pr. I. I take it for what it's worth, just like you said, you know, we learn something every time. I spend the week looking for young people to bring into this group, even if they're not in pr, because I want them to listen. I want them to listen and feel empowered and engaged in what we're talking about because they're going to benefit from it. Just like when they start talking about their social media piece, I listen. I used to coach cheerleading and I would always tell my cheerleaders and they would be so upset with me, they're high school girls and I would always tell them, I'm not going to ask you to do anything that I wouldn't do myself. So I do the same thing in our group. I'm not going to ask them to do anything that I wouldn't do myself. So sometimes we shut up and listen and we learn something too, right?

Oh, well, I've certainly learned and I know my listeners have as well. So, Tanya McKenzie, thank you so much for sharing. And even the topic like talk about, it's just like an out of the blue topic is not as if there's a category in college where It's Human Relations 101. You know, that's under the school of mass communication. But I think you fit it beautifully and you also described it so beautifully as well. So thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with me on the podcast. I always love speaking with you.

Same girl, same. I really appreciate your time, your voice, your energy and the ability to come in and teach us how to solve problems. Because at the end of the day, that's what it's about.

My thanks to Tanya McKenzie for her insight on the role of public relations and civic engagement. Your indestructible tip. Make it personal. Aspire for the common good by having your organization allow face to face meetings with stakeholders to foster interpersonal trust. The more obstacles you create for people to find information, you may find yourself on the wrong end of a social media tirade. For more information about Tanya, you can find her@sandinsures.com and of course Twitter Onya McKenzie PR. You can join her on Fridays on.

Her PR launch hour, Twitter Spaces Chat.

I'm there every Friday when I can be.

I love it.

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That you would like me to answer? I am here to serve.

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Mollymcpherson.Com podcast, scroll all the way to the bottom, there's an online voicemail feature and all you need to do is plug in your headphones, hit record, and off you go. I can't wait to hear from you.

That's all for this week on the podcast.

Thanks for listening. Bye for now.