This document discusses internal communications strategies for a school board serving Peel Region. It notes there are 153,066 students across 239 schools, including 44,003 secondary and 109,063 elementary students. The document provides tips for effective internal communication, including tailoring messages for different employee groups, using opinion leaders, keeping messages simple and tied to student success, and encouraging external dissemination. A hierarchy of communication tools is presented, with face-to-face interactions ranked as most effective. The importance of measuring the impact of communication strategies on achieving goals is also highlighted.
10. Communication vehicles
• strategically choose strategies and tactics based on
employee preference, communication objectives,
desired outcomes
• tailor communication for different employee groups
• tailor communication for different generations
12. Internal
Communication
• Use your opinion leaders
• Keep your messages simple
• Tie messages to student success/fun
• Repeat messages
• Be enthusiastic
• Encourage dissemination to external
audiences
16. Hierarchy of Effective Communications
1. One-to-one, face-to-face
2. Small group discussion/meeting
3. Speaking before a large group
4. Phone conversation
5. Handwritten, personal note
6. Social media
7. Computer generated or word-processing-generated “personal letter”
8. Mass-produced, non-personal letter
9. Brochure or pamphlet sent out as a “direct mail” piece
10. Article in organizational newsletter, magazine, website
11. News carried in popular press
12. Ads in newspapers, radio, TV, magazines, posters
13. Other (billboards, skywriters, etc.)
17. Communication strategies
• use the most powerful communication tools
• leverage what you’re already doing
18. Communication strategies
• oral/written reports to Board
• e-newsletter
• staff meetings
• start-of-year presentations
• memos/email
• work with union/federation stewards
19. Communication strategies
• use the most powerful communication tools
• leverage what you’re already doing
• use technology to enhance communication
20.
21.
22. Why use Twitter?
• effective platform for learning and
engaging
• open, two-way communication
• helps foster positive relationships
• gets messages out fast
• rapid-fire updates
23. Results
Measuring the impact
Did this communication plan, strategy, vehicle have an
impact on helping the company achieve its bottom line?
What do you do exactly? Dept description: talking people off the ledge in a crisis, motivating someone to make a tough decision, providing support (cheering team on), planning strategic next steps communication support during incidents standard stationary and graphic design news releases and media relations communications advice for school events, parent outreach and more reputation management, marketing school councils and parent involvement system-wide recognition and leadership events much more
Brainstorm Who makes up internal audiences? Staff Students School Council Communications staff
Because you recognize the power each of you has over public perception and reputation.
Staff—all staff and trustees Students We’re partners in education so we consider our parents to be an “internal audience” - the most credible ambassadors for their employer – they are your living brand - the goal of internal communication is to meet the business goals of the organization
- understand how their job contributes to core business - a sense of purpose – they can make a difference - fair treatment, recognition/rewards when they do good work - a positive relationship with immediate supervisor - well-being – this is a good place to work, people care about me, the company listens to me - sense of belonging
How can we get our internal audiences this excited? One thing you need to know now is that a flyer slipped into staff mailboxes won’t help.
ideal communication vehicle – supervisor talking with small group of employees
Sunshine calls -- hand out welcome letter from principal in Ottawa—Shannon Smith
Internal Communication strategies Leadership candidates, active/involved students 3 messages, in clear, age-appropriate language Student success/fun Repeat but don’t be annoying Be enthusiastic, not silly We’ll talk about DISSEMINATION after I talk to you briefly about your external audiences.
Here’s when we talk dissemination. Not all of us can be award-winning ;) What are some of the vehicles you use to get your messages out to parents? ASK FOR EXAMPLES
This is the fun stuff – what everyone normally jumps to Ask—survey – the younger parents are, the more they will want to rely on electronic communication—email/text repeat your messages often, but not all of the time Find out where your audiences are?
1. effective platform for learning, engaging – PD at your fingertips 2. Two-way comm. with community, parents, staff, students, etc. @fmssarrows good example 3. Helps foster positive relationships—turn sour ones around SHOW EXAMPLE
