Happy New Year! This is an excellent time to think about your goals and objectives for the coming year and how you are going to get things done. At 3C Solutions, our goal is to save time and create solutions to your communication problems. So we are sharing 20 tips to help with your communications and community engagement efforts in 2020.
Tip #1 – Planning
Regardless of your situation, every school district needs to stay engaged with its constituents. This includes communicating what your academic program is doing and how the investment of taxpayers is being used. In the everyday hussle and bussle of accomplishing your goals, it’s easy to forget to talk about what you are doing. That’s why a communications plan is so important!
A good communication plan outlines the big and small ways you want to share your story with all the different audiences that you need to communicate with and at what intervals they will receive information. It should be mindful of your budget and be achievable, yet also make sure that the efforts you are putting forth are worth the investment of your time and energy.
For example, think about the typical school year and what kind of information parents need and when it helps them to have those details. Think about your staff. New staff members have different needs than seasoned pros, but they both still need to know what’s going on across the district. What about families without children in your schools? They may not need to know the bell schedule, but they are still invested in what’s going on. What about realators, business owners and local government officials? Each has a vested interest in what’s going on in your schools.
What kind of unique events or activities are happening in your schools? Are you headed towards a ballot issue, are you opening or closing a school, are you creating a great new academic option or are you re-aligning students to different schools within your district? Each of these unique events requires its own set of engagement efforts in addition to your normal efforts.
A communication plan keeps you on track and helps you reach the desired outcomes even when the craziness sets in. Get the help you need and create a communication plan that works for you!