Communications Co-Op
There are obvious communicators in your district. These are the people who interact with the public every day. Administrators and educators are among those who put a face to your schools, but the truth is that everyone within your schools communicates. Aligning all staff to your strategic communications plan is vital to clear messaging internally and within the community.
What to say and when to say it
Effective communications follow the3Cs: clear, concise, and consistent. It’s not just about what you say, it’s how and when you say it.
- Clear - It’s important to stay on point. Diluting the message causes confusion and frustration. If you’re giving instructions, be sure they are simple and direct. If you’re looking to motivate your audience, stay positive but be honest about your situation.
- Concise - Stay focused on your main message; sometimes less is more. Can a photo or graphic convey the message with fewer words? Use it.
- Consistent - It’s hard to overemphasize the importance of staying on message. Avoid diluting your communications with inconsistency. Consistent messaging also builds trust in the community, as they know what to expect and how they’ll receive the messaging.
How often to communicate
“The moment you get tired of saying the same thing again may be the first time your audience truly hears your message” notes Jeff Dehler, president and founder of DehlerPR. “It is beneficial to err on the side of over-communicating rather than under-communicating. Your best course of action is to ask recipients how they feel about what you are saying. Get anecdotal feedback from trusted community key communicators or utilize survey tools to gauge the pulse of your community and their needs. Asking for feedback communicates to your community that you value their input. That builds stronger relationships.”
Who’s saying what?
Communications work best when they’re coordinated, from the district to the classroom. Share the district’s communications calendar with your individual schools, so they can complement your messaging and ensure consistency.
Classroom teachers should be given clear instruction on expectations for communication, including sharing brand guidelines to help ensure their messages are on-brand and relevant in the bigger picture. Teachers will find their communications most effective when they adhere to the 3C’s described above.
Case Study: Stakeholder Communications – It’s Not a Cookie-cutter Approach
The Thief River Falls School District is about 5 hours northwest of Minneapolis. The district is composed of elementary, middle and high schools and prides itself on its ties to local businesses to provide real-life opportunities for its students. On a daily basis, teachers interact with myriad stakeholders, from students and families, to administrators and staff, to community members and businesses. What’s effective for one cohort may not be the most effective way to reach others. The teaching staff at Thief River Falls have resisted a cookie-cutter approach and adapted to meet individual stakeholder needs.
Courtney Skjerven, K-5 Connect Tech Educator at Challenger Elementary School works with up to 700 students and their families, as well as serving as a liaison between the school and tech-based businesses. Skjerven may text or email a family at one moment and, minutes later, get back to communications basics by meeting in person with business leaders. In these interactions Skjerven and businesses discuss new ways to integrate technology with education.
To generate excitement within the community, Skjerven employs social media, in addition to traditional media, such as radio and newspaper. “It’s a two-way street, we let the community know what we’re up to, in addition, we are able to show the community what businesses are doing to help our students. If someone is willing to give their time, you want to tell the story because that helps the business and it helps you get kids into a real-life learning experience. Our parents may know what’s going on in our classrooms, but the community needs to be informed, as well.”
Sometimes, it is challenging to measure the success of your communications, but Skjerven has one notable exception. “I know when my communications are successful because of the buzz it generates. Last year, we held a fundraiser and managed to raise $75,000 in three months. We had people participating all over the community and across the country.” While Skjerven doesn’t expect to embark on as aggressive a communications campaign in the future, he’s learned some valuable lessons. “There’s a place for technology. I teach technology for a living, but sometimes the most effective way to get the word out is the most old-fashioned: the phone, the newspaper, and face-to-face meetings. The key is knowing what’s most effective for which person and reaching out to them in the way they can receive the message.”
This series on strategic communications in schools is provided as a service from Resource Training & Solutions to provide additional resources to busy school leaders.
The author is Jayne Helgevold, an Account Manager at DehlerPR.