Delta Kappa Gamma Society International

1. Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Key Women Educators March 1. 2014

2. Key Messages to Use When Communicating About the Society • Mission Statement • The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International promotes professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education Vision Statement Leading women educators impacting education worldwide “Leading Women Educators Impacting Education Worldwide”

3. Purposes: • To unite women educators of the world in a genuine spiritual fellowship • To honor women who have given or who evidence a potential for distinctive service in any field of education • To advance the professional interest and position of women in education • To initiate, endorse and support desirable legislation or other suitable endeavors in the interests of education and of women educators

4. Purposes: (continued) • To endow scholarships to aid outstanding women educators in pursuing graduate study and to grant fellowships to non-member women educators • To stimulate the personal and professional growth of members and to encourage their participation in appropriate programs of action • To inform the members of current economic, social, political and educational issues so that they may participate effectively in a world society

5. Key points: • Honor society of approx. 95,300 key women educators in 18 countries • Members represent all levels of education • The society provide professional and personal growth opportunities for members, support educational legislation, recognizes outstanding women, and provide numerous leadership development opportunities.

6. Benefits of Membership: • Leadership training and membership • Grants and stipends for research and special projects • Presentations at professional meetings • Support for graduate study through state organization and international scholarships • Honor of designation as key women educators • Networking with members in 18 countries

7. Benefits of Membership • Opportunity to write for a juried/peer-reviewed publication • Fellowship with professionals with common experiences • Participation in community service projects that benefit education • Involvement with Schools for Africa Project and mentoring early career education

8. History • The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International was founded in 1929 in Austin, Texas, by 12 women who saw the need to unite women educators in efforts toward better professional preparation and recognition of women’s contribution to the teaching profession

9. Member Countries • United States, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Mexico, Finland, Guatemala, Iceland, The Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Great Britain, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Panama and Japan

10. Website • www.dkg.org • www.dkgnetwork.org

11. Elevator Speech • Seven Steps to a Perfect Elevator Speech • Step 1: Identify Your Objectives • If you want to be compelling and achieve the coveted status of “wow, tell me more,” your conversations must be audience centered. • First, identify your elevator speech objectives. Your objectives help direct the tone, language and delivery of your elevator speech. • Example Objectives: • 1. Inform a friend about your job • 2. Explain what you do to a member • 3. Teach a member/chapter officer about an aspect of the Society

12. Elevator Speech: Step 2 • Step 2: Know Your Organization • Knowing about the Society and your role is integral to telling a compelling, genuine and authentic business story. The elements here help paint the picture of your organization “self” for members, family, other callers. • Examples Organizational Information • 1. Name of Organization • 2. Mission Statement • 3.Services and/or Purposes • 4. Number of members/chapters/state organizations/countries

13. Elevator Speech: Step 3 • Step 3: Know Your Audience • It’s all about them. Knowing your audience is the most important part of effective communication. Always perform an audience analysis (if you can). Define the “ideal” audience or your most probable audience. • Example ideal Audience Profile • 1. Agreeable telephone questions • 2. Molly Member with an easy questions • 3. Curious friend • 4. Society committee member

14. Elevator Speech: Step 4 • Step 4: Create a High Level, Powerful Visual Metaphor • This is the start of your verbal answer to the question “What do you do?” These are the first words of your elevator speech. Make them meaningful, engaging and memorable. After you say this sentence, pause a moment. Watch the person’s body language. Your goal…the body language says, “Wow, tell me more” (e.g., head tilts to the side, eyes open, and wide smile). • The easiest way to get people to understand, respect and accept a new idea is to link to something that already know and trust. The link must begin in the right brain – the emotional side– the big picture side. Emotional compel us to act. Use as few words as possible. Three to six words are a good rule of thumb.

15. Elevator Speech: Step 4 • Example Metaphors • 1. Coach: I’m your business life engineer • 2. Designers: We make you look good • 3. Info Tech: We are your headache reliever • 4. Marketing: We are business storytellers.

16. Elevator Speech: Step2 • Step 5: Add a Level of Detail • Now that you have piqued your conversation partner’s interest, ad a level of detail geared toward an audience filled with 6th graders (e.g. very high level, simple, and uncomplicated). Most mainstream magazines and newspapers write between the 6th and 8th grade levels. • With your elevator speech, this is your firs chance to make a lasting impression. Let your passion, visual metaphors and business story drive home the message. Use one to three short sentences.

17. Elevator Speech: Step 5 • Step 5 : Example Detail Sentences • 1. We help you tell your unique and compelling story with credibility and passion. We work with your team to help you communicate your story credibly, consistency and clearly. You will confidently deliver a “tell me more story” through your elevator speech, networking conversations and presentations.” • 2. Our school works with those special children with braces, in wheel chairs and with other physical challenges. We help these children find their potential and achieve the things many others never dreamed they do. Our special students find their strengths and reach for their dreams at our school.

18. Elevator Speech: Step 6 • Step 6: Offer a Success Story • Create a connection with your audience. Great stories accelerate your ability to connect. Credibility is the foundation to creating this connection. It is our job as business story tellers to impart our credibility from the first handshake, smile and eye contact. • If a picture is worth a thousand words, a story is worth a thousand pounds of credibility. Genuine and authentic conversations always resonate with people. You create a business connection with a success story. A success story helps people know that you are listening, that you are interested in them, and that you can meet their expectations. A great success story heightens interest and intensifies our emotional connections.

19. Elevator Speech: Step 6 • A great success story for an elevator speech is a testimonial told in a succinct way that links to the audience’s needs. It should be one or two sentences long. • Examples Success Stories • 1. School Professional: Our school, XYZ Middle School, is recognized as a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. The judges particularly noted our exceeding high level of positive parent information. • 2. DKG Members: I am raveling to a professional sponsored by an international education organization that has more than 95,000 members in 18 countries. It is one of the large philanthropically organizations of its kind, giving more that $3 million dollars a year in educational and professional and assistance for educational excellence.

20. Elevator Speech: Step 7 • Step 7: Gauge Interest • This is your ongoing observation of your interaction with your conversation is based on 3 main components: body language, vocal tone and content. To connect, your elevator speech must resonate with the other person on a personal and emotional level. Stories offer a narrative that bundles body language, vocal tone and content together. On the telephone, vocal tone can be your most important indicator. • The elevator speech is the decision point for both persons in terms of a connection. The question to ask yourself, “do we move forward or do we say nice to meet you”? You must have a keen eye for body language cues, be an active listener and be a whole body communicator.

21. Elevator Speech: Step 7 • Example Indicators to Gauge Interest: • 1. Body Language: other person tilts head to the side, nods heads affirmatively, opens eye wide, smiles • Verbal: asks intelligent, active questions; shares a related personal story; gives you a business card; asks you to say the same thing to another person; recommends you talk to a colleague. • Tone: listen for the interest, sparkle or question mark. Hear uncertainty or disinterest.

22. Elevator Speech: • Digital Age • Twitter • 140 words or less • Other new technology ….

23. Marketing the Society • Broadcasting the Buzz: Marketing the Society It is important that Delta Kappa Gamma become more visible in our communities, states, and countries. In order for the Society to become more well known we need to talk openly about the Society and its Purpose

24. Marketing the Society • Broadcast the BUZZ by communicating monthly with chapter presidents, communications committee chairmen, editors and webmasters; post communication, e.g. “Tip of the Month” on the state organization Web site an send to chapter for their use. • Encourage chapters to publish information about their activities in local media • Provide suggestions to chapters to make the Society more viable

25. Marketing the Society: (Cont.) • Recognizes outstanding educators and publicize the event • Encourage the use of “elevator speeches” • Describe /Share Society publications in various community locations such as doctor’s offices, libraries, teacher’s lounges, etc • Provide model press releases for members, chapter editors and webmasters at state organization meetings.

26. Tips for Broadcasting the Buzz • Press Releases • Use Press Releases • Give contact information • Grab them with headline (hook) • Invert your pyramid (critical info first, then next most important, etc) • Little things matter (font, sizes; spelling; grammar; the shorter, the better; be succinct and concise; use photo(s), email, no cover letters. • Use quotations – testimonials • Issue a command or call to action – “Embrace Our Vision” “Design our Future” • Use a positive tone, avoiding buzz words • Keep content focused • Use fewer words with many details

27. Tips for Broadcasting the Buzz • Press Release • Making your Press Release Work • Relate your information to popular story or topic • Use action words • Email your article • Target general interest media(radio, TV, newspaper, business and news magazine) • Write release to appeal to radio, a major media outlet – newspaper, TV stations • Include tips in news release…How to… • Use access to media wisely (alphabetize email lists to avoid duplication) • Tie in with other organizations • Use press release before, during and after events

28. Tips for Broadcasting the Buzz • Articles • Writing an Article • Point out problem reader may have (Want to help? Too much to do?) • Suggest ways to solve the problem or make situation better • End article with review of most important points – it can be cut • Include contact(s) • Keep sentences and paragraphs short • Write sentences that require few commas • Write simple for faster reading

29. Tips for Broadcasting the Buzz • Articles • Articles/Letters that “sell” • Involve the reader by asking questions (“Concerned about losing new teachers?” “Tired of the same old thing?”) • State organization benefits • Remember the P.S.: your last word (most often read part of letter, article) • Keep present tense in headline • Use active voice

30. Tips for Broadcasting the Buzz • Articles • Energize your writing • Avoid empty subjects and weak verbs (“There are” “It is”) (“There are key women educators in 17 countries”) • Avoid clichés – such as empower, paradigm, utilize, proactive

31. Tips for Broadcasting the Buzz • Articles • Using the Media • Think like the media • Connect message to media’s latest trend • Message should fit with America’s cherished beliefs (Educators influence eternity) • Tie the message into topic of mass interest (Crime, kids, schools, roads) • Relate message to community concerns (good guy taking on “…ism” – racism, bully-ism, cover-ups, dishonesty, other-ism) • Relate message to reporter’s per subject

32. Tips for Broadcasting the Buzz • Articles • Writing for Global Marketplace • Be literal • Keep it short – destroy vague wordiness • Know the reader • Quell your inner comedian • Project the right image for the culture