school district communications assessment and planning
DESCRIPTION
What it means for school districts to communicate effectively has changed in recent years. In this session, Joe Donovan will focus on how to get ahead of the communications and stakeholder engagement curve by presenting a step-by- step plan for establishing communications goals, assessing current communications and engagement efforts and creating a communications plan that addresses the district’s unique messages, its critical stakeholders and the tools to engage those stakeholders.TRANSCRIPT
Communications Assessment and Planning
Joe Donovan
Communications Planning
We’ll start by briefly discussing…
Marketing, public relations, and communications… What is the
difference?
Communications Planning
What we’ll cover today….
Step 1: Determining your goals
Communications Planning
What we’ll cover today….
Step 2: Defining stakeholders
Communications Planning
What we’ll cover today….
Step 3: Assessing situations, uncovering deficits
Communications Planning
What we’ll cover today….
Step 4: Creating messages
Communications Planning
What we’ll cover today….
Step 5: Using the right tools
Communications Planning
What we’ll cover today….
Step 6: Using the calendar
Communications Planning
What we’ll cover today….
Step 7: Laying out the plan
Communications Planning
What we’ll cover today….
Step 8: Establishing metrics to determine success
Communications Planning
Communications, public relations, or marketing?
Forget titles, think tools.
Communications Planning
Determine your communications goals.
Define success. Be specific.
Get buy-in.
Communications Planning
Who are your stakeholders?
If you communicate with everyone, you communicate with no one.
Communications Planning
Understand your current situation; uncover deficits
Get out of the communications bubble.
Communications Planning
Create messages
What do you want your stakeholders to know and
understand about your district?
Communications Planning
What tools can you use to take your messages to your
stakeholders?
Communications Planning
How can you use the calendar to your advantage?
Communications Planning
Lay out the plan
Have a formal written plan. Use an online tool to track progress.
Communications Planning
Establish metrics to determine success.
Communications Planning
Tip 1: Don’t have too many stakeholder groups.
Communications Planning
Tip 2: Communications plans should be updated on a rolling
basis.
Communications Planning
Tip 3: Conduct an audit every three or four years.
Communications Planning
Tip 4: More communication is not always better communication.
Communications Planning
Tip 5: Follow industry leaders.
Communications Planning
Tip 6: Reinforce the plan and continue seeking buy-in for it.
Communications Planning
Tip 7: Find your voice through the plan.
Communications Planning
Tip 8: Seek to increase internal communications capacity.
Communications Planning
Tip 9: What works in one district may not work in another.
Communications Assessment and Planning
Joe Donovan