Lavern Reid: Exceeding standards

WITHOUT a doubt, communication specialist Lavern Jacqueline Reid sees receiving international certification by the Global Communication Certification Council as a strategic communication management professional (SCMP) in May this year as her best career achievement to date. The SCMP is internationally accredited to ISO (17024) standard, and Reid says the certification endorses her proficiency in advising and leading, management, strategy development innovation, ethics, and reputation management.

“This is a significant accomplishment in my field, and I have extra confidence now that I have been tried and proven. I intend to constantly refresh my knowledge to remain current and at the top of my game,” she told All Woman.

“When I returned to the workforce in 2014 after an eight-year hiatus to look after my two young boys, I realised that in the years in-between, developments in technology had swept my profession into uncharted waters (at least for me),” she wrote in Catalyst, the official publication of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

“Social media platforms, which had previously been a space for cute family pictures and informal news commentary, had blossomed into the go-to spot for many interactions. There was a wide gamut of technologies to which I had to become accustomed if I wanted to be relevant and communicate effectively in professional settings.

“Thus began my journey toward certification. I was already an accredited business communicator (among the first set of three Jamaicans to receive this designation from the IABC), but now needed to update my body of work and my skills to match the dynamism of an evolving marketing and communication landscape. I began gingerly, then with increasing confidence, to unpack the potential of vlogs, short-form videos, group wikis and podcasts.”

She said she was fortunate to continue working as a consultant, which allowed her to amass experience in diverse sectors.

“But with a hectic work and home schedule, I was unable to take the certification exam as quickly as I had anticipated. COVID-19 brought the blessing of remote work. Without the morning and evening commute I had extra hours to read and network with other communicators. The Gift of Excellence from the IABC Foundation toward my application for the exam was the final encouragement I needed. I submitted my application and began to prepare in earnest.

“I pored over The IABC Guide for Practical Business Communication, the IABC code of ethics as well as a selection of online articles on the subject areas to be tested. I enrolled in online training courses to plug gaps in my skills and knowledge and continued to volunteer as an assessor for the postgraduate course in integrated marketing and communications at a local university. I also got great advice and encouragement from fellow members of the outgoing IABC Ethics Committee who had already been through the process.”

In May 2022 she took the opportunity of a short vacation in Toronto, Canada, to sit the exam. It was more challenging than she expected, but she returned to Jamaica as the island’s only SCMP.

Reid, who has more than 20 years experience across both public and private sectors in the Caribbean and Europe, including the United Nations and academia, has had roles that included strategic communication advisor, editor/speech writer, business protocol trainer, and media relations manager.

She enjoys employee engagement, crisis communication, and event management, and is multilingual.

“I am the first Jamaican, second in the Caribbean, to hold this certification,” she told All Woman.

Hailing from the cool hills of Coleyville, Manchester, Reid is part of a group of communicators who are reviving the Jamaica chapter of the IABC so that communicators in the private and public sectors can network, share ideas, get upskilled, and be mentored.

“We are really committed to this and plan to launch soon. Seasoned and aspiring communicators alike are encouraged to participate,” she said, leading them to reach out to iabccaribbean@gmail.com.

The Knox College High School alumna’s first job was teaching modern languages (English, Spanish, French), but she left the classroom as she wanted to write.

“I joined the Jamaica Information Service as an account executive and first developed my communication and public relations skills there. Practising public relations didn’t come easily to me as I was naturally quiet and reserved, but I worked hard at improving my confidence,” she said.

She has held other roles, including as information attaché at the Jamaican High Commission in London, communication management consultant with UNICEF in Geneva, Switzerland, the EU Delegation to Jamaica, and lecturer (media ethics) at Webster International University, Geneva.

She said her benchmark of success is to consistently exceed the standards expected of practitioners in her field.

“In my personal interactions I aim for authenticity and being caring and thoughtful. One of my pet expressions is: ‘Why have cotton when you can have silk?’ I use that to remind myself (and my children) to never compromise and give 100 per cent in everything.”

A typical day for Reid begins with a cup of coffee or herbal tea, after which she hangs with the family’s two dogs, Roxie and Charlie. Then she joins the other commuters snaking their way into New Kingston.

“I work as a communication specialist so usually I am writing or editing speeches and messages, contributing to strategic management meetings, or liaising with internal and external teams about achievements, programmes, and policies that we can publicise,” she shared.

The mom of two young adult boys said when they were very young, she made the decision to quit her nine-to-five job to look after them full-time and work on projects from home, and that’s when she would have worked the hardest.

“It was physically and mentally exhausting to keep up with my career and be a full-time mother and wife, and I had to learn how to organise my time well. There was very little time for self-care. However, we had so much joy as we watched them blossom into amazing young men, and we now have a very strong bond as a family.”

She says, “turn your passion into a profession” is a cliché, but this sentiment rings true for her.

“I love writing, finding that perfectly nuanced word or expression. I also enjoy staging events from concept to implementation. And I love getting my head around the perfect communication activity to highlight an achievement or an initiative,” she said.

“My job as a communication specialist allows me to do all these, sometimes to the point of exhaustion, but when plans are well executed and well received, it’s the best feeling in the world.”

“From personal experience and from observation, the important thing is to bring your A game to the workplace,” she implored professionals. “Present your best self at the table, regardless of where you sit around it. Importantly, preserve your integrity and your reputation. Those are irreplaceable.”

For young women looking to pursue a similar career, she had this to say:

“Go for it! A strategic communication professional is a key employee in any organisation. You have high market value and there are many opportunities for upward mobility across the profession. We are fortunate in Jamaica to have high-quality tertiary-level education in the related disciplines so professional development opportunities are readily available.”

When she’s not working, Reid sings and writes contemporary hymns, and is taking lessons to improve her piano playing. She also volunteers at Swallowfield Chapel and supports the postgraduate Integrated Marketing Communications programme at the Caribbean School of Media and Communication.

At home, her husband Esmond, the current resident Jamaican high commissioner to Nigeria, is her rock.

“And though I miss him, he’s thankfully perfectly positioned to feed my passion for African fashion and art,” she laughed.