Communicating With Impact
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An Instructor-led Workshop For Reaching New Levels of Parent/Community Involvement. Communicating With Impact. Objectives for our time together. Identify the three essential elements of an effective voice message Use language, style, and tone to maintain audience attention
Communicating With Impact
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Presentation Transcript
An Instructor-led Workshop For Reaching New Levels of Parent/Community Involvement Communicating With Impact
Objectives for our time together • Identify the three essential elements of an effective voice message • Use language, style, and tone to maintain audience attention • Avoid common pitfalls • Use the Best Practices Rubric to plan, develop, and refine powerful messages for use with your notification system
Best Practices Rubric: Purpose • Define specific criteria of effective messages • Help You • Plan a message • Develop a message • Revise and improve a draft message • Check • Yourself • A colleague *Worksheets available in the Appendix of your Participant Guide
Best Practices Rubric: Message Content + effective/completed, - not effective/not completed Sample Message #1 Sample Message #2
Message Content Tips • Use the three-part message • Opening sentence, main portion, crisp closing • Use power words • Students will, teachers can, we are certain, authorities (police /fire) have assured us. • Watch out for “wimpy” words • We’ll try, it is out hope, we can’t • Avoid jargon & Acronyms • NCLB, IEP, Benchmark Assessment, NCAA
Message Content Tips (continued) • Generally 1 topic per call • Opening sentence, main portion, crisp closing • Stick to the facts • Names, dates, event times/locations, purpose, etc. • Have a great close • Restate critical information (different format) • Provide contact name/number for questions • Optionally, add instructions to reply message. Sample Message #3 Sample Message #4
Best Practices Rubric:Delivery Style + effective/completed, - not effective/not completed Sample Message #5 Sample Message #6
Delivery Style Tips • Voice messaging is asynchronous • Speakerphone / cell phone: not recommended for recording • Stand up & show your teeth • Avoid trailing off • Voice inflection, speed, & tone
Delivery Style Tips (continued) • Keep within the 45 second window • Listen to your own messages • Practice, practice, practice • How can you communicate the “non-verbals?” Sample Message #7 Sample Message #8
Process Tips • Find a “critical friend” • We all need them • Plan your message • “Winging it” or “thinking on your feet” can lead to problems. • Other best practices from the group?
General Best Practices Reference • The messenger matters • A message in the superintendent’s, principal’s or teacher’s voice adds a sense of importance, a personal touch, and communicates that the person cares. • Look for opportunities for positive messages • If a problem needs to be addressed proactively, be frank, and emphasize that positive actions are being taken to address that problem. • Use messaging regularly • Remain proficient and comfortable • Don’t wait until an urgent situation occurs • Use for regular updates (weekly, monthly)
General Best Practices Reference • Use together with other communication • Voice messages, email, website, school newsletter, local media • Line up your best resources • People for writing, editing, reading (voice) • Multi-lingual messages • Translator, editor, reader • Do not assume a native speaker is necessarily qualified for all the above • Train and practice with both administrators and teachers • Use option to allow users to repeat an entire message
Avoiding Common Pitfalls • Too many topics • Too long • Choosing an inappropriate medium (e-mail, voice message vs. personal calls) • “Off-the-cuff” (no plan, practice) • Not editing, proofreading, and/or reviewing • Using jargon & acronyms
Avoiding Common Pitfalls • Not using the right tone of voice given the purpose of the message (concern, enthusiasm, reassurance) • Forgetting to repeat the most critical information (date, time, phone number) at the end of the message) • Overlooking opportunities for positive communications and public relations
Message Creation template:3 Part Format Sample Message #9 Sample Message #12 Sample Message #10 Sample Message #13 Sample Message #11 Sample Message #14
Message Creation Activity • Break into groups of 3-4 • Assign message type or select from • Parent meeting notification • Emergency notification • Test date notification • PTA or other meeting notification • Individually write a message using the Message Creation Template and Best Practices Rubric • Read aloud/replay each message to your peers • As a group, review/revise each person’s message using the Best Practices Rubric • Select one message from the small group to share with the whole group • Critique as a group using the Best Practices Rubric
Best Practices Rubric:Message Content + effective/completed, - not effective/not completed
Best Practices Rubric:Delivery Style + effective/completed, - not effective/not completed