Telling the Story of Your School: Getting to the Heart of the Learning Business

TELLING THE STORY
OF YOUR SCHOOL
Getting to the heart of the learning business
TAISI Leadership Pre-Conference
September 2013

WHO IS IN THE ROOM?
Tell us a story about
yourself that will surprise,
engage… that we will all
remember

WHERE I AM COMING FROM
ADMISSIONS COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT INNOVATION/REVENUE

WHERE I AM COMING FROM
DIR of
ADMISSIONS AND
ADVANCEMENT
Adm Manager
Robin
Sara (80%) Sorcha
Anne / Sophie
(120%)
Comms Manager
Martin
Suzette
Dev Manager
Brian
Development
Coordinator
Catherine (80%)
Barbara Shea
(temp)
Veronique (80%)
Innovation
Melissa (1
day/week;
consultant)

OUR LEARNING PURPOSE
To understand
the story of our school,
how we are connected to that story,
and how we help others
find their place
in that story.

OVERVIEW OF THE DAY
TIME TELLING THE STORY OF YOUR SCHOOL
09:00-10:30 Session 1: A connected and sustainable story
10:30-11:00 Coffee
11:00-13:00 Session 2: A coherent story
13:00-14:00 Lunch
14:00-15:30 Session 3: A story rooted in innovation and tradition
15:30-16:00 Coffee
16:00-17:00 Session 4: A target driven and planned story
17:00 End

SESSION ONE
A connected and
sustainable story

WHAT DO YOU DO?
A CONNECTED AND
SUSTAINABLE STORY

WHAT DO YOU REALLY DO?
AND HOW ARE YOU CONNECTED?
A CONNECTED AND
SUSTAINABLE STORY

A CONNECTED AND
SUSTAINABLE STORY
When you hear the word ‘sustainable’
what do you start thinking about?

• Things can keep going
• Can sustain themselves
• Can continue into the future
• And go on for ever
A CONNECTED AND
SUSTAINABLE STORY

So, what does it take for a school to
keep going and continue into the
future?
A CONNECTED AND
SUSTAINABLE STORY

BUILDING THE FINANCES
BUILDING THE HUMAN RESOURCES
BUILDING THE LEARNING
BUILDING THE MARKET AND ENROLMENT
BUILDING THE BUILDINGS
BUILDING THE IT INFRASTRUCTURE
BUILDING THE ALUMNI AND FUNDRAISING
A CONNECTED AND
SUSTAINABLE STORY

Write down five
key performance indicators
for each field of activity.
We know we are being sustainable when….
A CONNECTED AND
SUSTAINABLE STORY

LET’S BUILD TOGETHER
A CONNECTED AND
SUSTAINABLE STORY

LET’S DRAW TOGETHER
(with bonus points for perspective and colour)
A CONNECTED AND
SUSTAINABLE STORY

HR
FINANCE
IT
LEARNING
BUILDING
MARKET
ALUMNI
A CONNECTED AND
SUSTAINABLE STORY

A CONNECTED AND
SUSTAINABLE STORY
Transforming
Improving
Sustaining

A CONNECTED AND
SUSTAINABLE STORY
Transforming
(Generative)
Improving
(Strategic)
Sustaining
(Fiduciary)
Chait Richard, Ryan William, Taylor Barbara E. (2005) Governance as Leadership:
Reframing the Work of Nonprofit Boards.

Building lateral capacity
Building elasticity
Building a culture of innovation
Building coherence
A CONNECTED AND
SUSTAINABLE STORY

CHECK POINT
A question
A comment
A suggestion
An action point

A COHERENT STORY
TWO TRUTHS
AND A LIE

We are storytellers
And our story is founded upon what we
believe or know to be true.
A COHERENT STORY

A story about a toothbrush
A COHERENT STORY

A story about a toothbrush
What makes this a good (or bad) story?
A COHERENT STORY

Effective
storytelling
starts with
things we
know to be
true
• It has a ring of truth
• It resonates
• It connects
• It uncovers
• It reaffirms
• It brings into sharper relief(Sarah Kay, TED March 2011)
A COHERENT STORY

SUSTAINED BY WHAT WE BELIEVE
Write down 10 things you know to be true
about your school’s learning vision.

THE EXACT SAME THING… SOMETHING YOU’VE NEVER HEARD
OF BEFORE…
A NEW ANGLE ON SOMETHING YOU
THOUGHT YOU KNEW EVERYTHING
ABOUT
THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE…
A COHERENT STORY

THE EXACT SAME THING… SOMETHING YOU’VE NEVER HEARD
OF BEFORE…
A NEW ANGLE ON SOMETHING YOU
THOUGHT YOU KNEW EVERYTHING
ABOUT
THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE…
CONNECTION
PERSPECTIVE DIFFERENTIATION
SURPRISE
A COHERENT STORY

Connection
Surprise
Perspective
Differentiation
…in 5 seconds
A COHERENT STORY

SUSTAINED BY WHAT WE BELIEVE
What’s the elevator conversation of your school?
(try it)

How many of you turned to your school’s mission
statement as a script?
A COHERENT STORY

So you have your story….
How is it influencing your decision-making?
A COHERENT STORY

Everyone included, everyone
challenged, everyone successful
Admissions Policy
Financial Aid
Communications strategy How and what students learn
Learning support
Building design
Strategic planning
Partnerships
Who the teachers are
Fundraising and develop

Telling the
story of our
school
and helping
others find
their place
in that story
1. Attraction
2. Recruitment
4. Engagement
3. Induction5. Retention
6. Deptarture/Arriva;
External
Communications
Internal
Communications
A COHERENT STORY

We do a lot of ‘stuff’…
ATTRACTION RECRUITMENT INDUCTION ENGAGEMENT REFLECTION RELEASE
Print advertising
Website
Recruitment
Campaigns
Admissions
documents
Informational
publications
New family
publications
New family
website
Weekly Newsflash
Directors Letter
Board of Trustees
Reports
Directory
Emergency
Communications
Divisional Updates
(send by the Heads)
Event promotion
Admissions Survey
New Family Survey
Parent Satisfaction
Survey
Exit Survey
Data Dashboard
Alumni
newsletter
Alumni event
communications
A COHERENT STORY

But if we find the simplicity amidst all the complexity…
• What parts of the story change?
• What parts stay the same?
A COHERENT STORY

What dots
are we throwing
onto our canvas?
A COHERENT STORY

Where is the
coherence of our story
breaking down?
A COHERENT STORY

PITCH(imagine the school of the future)
A COHERENT STORY

What do the following
images ‘say’ to you?
A COHERENT STORY

BRANDTHE EMOTIONS, THOUGHTS AND
ASSOCIATIONS THAT PEOPLE
BRING TO YOUR PRODUCT
WHENEVER THEY HEAR IT
MENTIONED.

Are you in sales?
A COHERENT STORY

HOW MUCH OF YOUR TIME IS ABOUT
PERSUADING, CONVINCING OR
INFLUENCING OTHERS?
A COHERENT STORY

1 in 10
are involved in
marketing
of the remaining 9,
40% of our time is non sales selling
A COHERENT STORY

ALWAYS
BE
CLOSING
A COHERENT STORY

ATTUNEMENT
BUOYANCY
CLARITY
A COHERENT STORY

1. One word. Say Search. Think Google. Say Priceless. Think
Mastercard
2. The question. Are you better off than you were 4 years ago?
(Regan, 1980)
3. The rhyming pitch. A Mars a day helps you work rest and play.
4. The subject line pitch. 3 Simply Ways to Ensure that Your Emails
Get Read
5. The Pixar Pitch. Once upon a time… Every day… Because of that…
Until finally…
6. The Twitter Pitch. We’re all in sales now, but sales isn’t what it
used to be.
…offering a story so compelling that a
new conversation can begin.
A COHERENT STORY

So how are we doing?
A COHERENT STORY

Hunt the cliché
A COHERENT STORY

New story formats
1. One word. Say Search. Think Google. Say Priceless. Think
Mastercard
2. The question. Are you better off than you were 4 years ago?
(Regan, 1980)
3. The rhyming pitch. A Mars a day helps you work rest and play.
4. The subject line pitch. 3 Simply Ways to Ensure that Your Emails
Get Read
5. The Pixar Pitch. Once upon a time… Every day… Because of that…
Until finally…
6. The Twitter Pitch. We’re all in sales now, but sales isn’t what it
used to be.
…offering a story so compelling
that a new conversation can
begin.
A COHERENT STORY

The Modern Art of School
Communications
A COHERENT STORY

Change your words.
Change your world.
A COHERENT STORY

Standing out from the crowd.
or
Finding a hedgehog in the forest.

Release
Cheow Sky 5 months ago
Oh yeah, ISB rules...it really is more than a
school. :)

• Board Chair
• School Director
• Communications Director
• Admissions Officer
A COHERENT STORY

• Video stories
• The snapshot story of one year
• The story from the inside
• Pop up stories that surprise and engage
• Myth busting stories
A COHERENT STORY
The future for us right now is…

SESSION THREE
A story rooted in
Innovation and
Tradition

A STORY ROOTED IN INNOVATION
AND TRADITION

TRADITION INNOVATION
AND TRADITION

Remembered by a few Known by many
Cutting edge
Old news
AND TRADITION

Remembered by a few Known by many
Cutting edge
Old news
EARLY ADOPTERS THE BANDWAGON
RETRO/NOSTAGLIA PRE-OBSOLETE
AND TRADITION

Day-
to-Day
Innovation
Tradition
AND TRADITION

Tell a story, from your professional experience, that
illustrates one of the principles that Steven Johnson
mentions…
AND TRADITION

YES, BUT…
Reasons why we don’t innovate
AND TRADITION

YES, BUT…
Reasons why we don’t innovate
“I don’t have the time”
“I don’t see the need”
“We don’t have the budget”
“We pride ourselves on being traditional”
AND TRADITION

Let’s consider
Innovation as consolidation: the
relentless, disciplined focus to simply
keep doing what we do, only better –
more efficiently, more responsibly, more
truthfully.
AND TRADITION

CASE STUDY
Enrolment at your school is down and the Board is keen for the management
team to come up with a new marketing strategy.
The are rumours that some families are choosing a competitor school because
they feel more welcomed.
The admissions team is well-meaning, but lacking in experience – particularly
when it comes to speaking about the school’s programme of learning.
AND TRADITION

Which face are you?
Which faces are missing from your team?
AND TRADITION

Day-
to-Day
Innovati
on
Tradition So is there any need to hang on to the past?
5 things we would fight to keep
AND TRADITION

Day-
to-Day
Innovati
on
Tradition
• Sustained governance and leadership
• Continuity of mission and vision
• Strong institutional memory
• A coherent story
• Strong brand and reputation
AND TRADITION

Day-
to-Day
Innovati
on
Tradition
80/20How will you make it happen?
AND TRADITION

Example 1: Innovation
CAPTURING THE STUDENT
VOICE

Student
Volunteers
• High School
Students
• Admssions,
Comms and
Development
job
assignments
Summer
Interns/Short term
• High School
Students
• Recent
Graduates
• Small stipend
1 Year Internships
• Alumni
• Mid-Course /
Post Graduates
• Housing and
stipend
Young employees
• Three of our
most recent
staff positions
were previously
interns
Example
Capture the student voice

Example 2: Tradition
ENGAGING THE ALUMNI

IMAGINING THE FUTURE TOGETHER (CAN BE HARD)

IMAGINING THE FUTURE TOGETHER (CAN BE HARD)
2020

THE FAMILY VISIT AND TOUR
Beginningto
THINK
Learningto
UNTHINK
Takingtimeto
RETHINK

MYTH
BROKENMYTH
SECONDNAIVITY
Sometimes you need to break the story to tell a truer story. (C.S. Lewis)

THINK
Beginningto
THINK Starting with where we are…

A SCHOOL WITH A VIEW
Is this just my British sense of humour,
or is this somehow reminiscent of the jobs we do?

THINK
YOUR FAMILY VISIT AND TOUR
How long?
With whom?
What format?
Who else is involved?
In what kind of space?
How does it end?
• What is the same?
• What is different?
• What works?
• What hurdles do
you face?

UNTHINK
Learningto
UNTHINK Deconstructing what
we do…

UNTHINK
What do you see?

UNTHINK
STOP THINKING?

UNTHINK
TURN YOUR
ATTENTION
ELSEWHERE.

UNTHINK
Peeks across the fence
What interests you?
What captures your imagination?
What connections are your making?

RE-THINK
Takingtimeto
RETHINK

UNTHINK
What kind of future does
this help us to imagine for
our work?

UNTHINK

UNTHINK
PURPOSE
What is if for?
AUDIENCE
Who is it for?
RESOURCES
How could it be
supported?
TIMING
How long should it take?

RE-THINK
10 Things We Could Change
If only…

RE-THINK

CHOICES
Stop doing something
Increase capacity
Settle for mediocrity
AND TRADITION

SESSION FOUR
A target driven
and planned story

A TARGET DRIVEN
AND PLANNED STORY
Data. So what?

Data. So what?
A TARGET DRIVEN
AND PLANNED STORY
Emotional
Engagement
Rational
Justification

Data. So what?
• A health check up
• Breaking down traditional silos
• Providing a compelling story format
A TARGET DRIVEN
AND PLANNED STORY

OUR MISSION
But how do we know we’re living up to it?
A TARGET DRIVEN
AND PLANNED STORY

The K-Car Approach
KEY QUESTIONS What do we / they want to know?
COLLECTION What kind of information do we need?
ANALYSIS What conclusions can we draw?
REPORTING With whom do we share?
A TARGET DRIVEN
AND PLANNED STORY

The K-Car Approach
Key Questions Collection Analysis Reporting
What are the
questions that
are important to
you right now?
What data are
you currently
collecting and
how is it being
used?
Who is doing the
analysis and in
what format?
Who is benefiting
from this analysis
and how is it
being reported?
A TARGET DRIVEN
AND PLANNED STORY

Avoiding Exploring Building Maintaining Transforming
We know data is
important but don't have
time to focus on it right
now.
We feel somewhat guilty
about not using data
more effectively, but
there are too many other
things that are higher
priority.
We collect and report
some data but we know
we could do more with it.
Data comes up frequently
in conversations and we
feel that if we could just
harness the data we
have, it could have a big
impact.
We are working on plans
to use data more
effectively but do not
have a clear path
forward.
We have a plan for how
to use data and are
working to implement it.
We have some processes
and tools in place, but it
is still a work in progress.
We collect and report our
data on a regular basis.
Tools and processes are
in place and working
smoothly.
Data collection and
analysis is considered
part of the job rather
than a separate initiative.
We use data to truly
understand how we are
performing and identify
strategies for
improvement.
We regularly monitor our
progress and adjust our
practices as needed
based on the results.
A TARGET DRIVEN
AND PLANNED STORY

Example
FINDING SIMPLICITY
IN THE COMPLEXITY

• We collected data but did nothing with it
• We weren’t sure what data was the most important
• We weren’t sure how to report data
• No one talked about targets
• No one listened anyway
• It (not surprisingly) did not lead to changes in behaviour…
The story we used to tell

Where is the simplicity in all this complexity?

… for us, this quickly led to a whole bunch of of other questions:
• How do we get a snapshot of the school on one page?
• How do we gauge the health of the organisation?
• How do we preserve our institutional memory?
• How do we efficiently report to the Board?
• How do we make best use of management meetings?
• How does data link to our strategic planning?
• How do we monitor progress across so many large projects?
• What do we learn from best practice in other fields?
• What are the key drivers that define great schools?
These are not necessarily the best questions.
But they were our questions.

THE DATA DASHBOARD
2. An institutional memory
1. The School on one page
3. A common ‘script’
4. Focussed on KPIs

Analysis
1. Enrolment Trends
3. Demographic Trends
4. Student Achievement Trends
5. Environmental Trends
Strategic target / goal setting in each of
these areas is key
2. Financial Trends

A Cycle of Opinion Surveys
New parent survey
Exit Survey
Admissions survey
ANNUAL SATISFACTION SURVEY
Listen to key stakeholders
Gather regular feedback
Educational and operational
Word of Mouth
accounts for 66% of our
annual enrolment
Opinions

An annual cycle of data analysis and reporting
to the Board
EXAMINATION RESULTS
•SEPTEMBER
ENROLMENT &
DEMOGRAPHICS
•OCTOBER
FINANCE & HR
TRENDS
•NOVEMBER
ASSESSMENT DATA
(ISA/MAP)
•APRIL
SATISFACTION
SURVEYS
•MAY
Conversations

Back to the ‘so what’?
• Are we having better conversations?
• Are we more disciplined?
• Will anything change because we have the data?
• Are we agreed on the meaning and significance of this data?

Ten Lessons
1.Every data point should begin with a question.
2.Simplicity is essential.
3.The health of an organization is more than the sum of the parts.
4.Behind every graph there is a story waiting to be told.
5.Measuring learning is the hardest task of all.
6.Survey data is important feedback on how well we are living up to our Mission.
7.Data is increasingly important for school admissions.
8.A data dashboard can lead to better decision-making.
9.Data management is all about disciplined action.
10.Transparency is never a bad thing.

The Plan. So what changes?
A TARGET DRIVEN
AND PLANNED STORY

THINKING ABOUT IT WORKING
ON IT
LIVING IT TRANSFORMING
IT
MISSION AND VALUES
STORYTELLING
INNOVATION (TRADITION)
PARTNERSHIPS The school realises that they cannot
afford to do everything that it wants
but still no regular and strategic
analysis of cost vs value; some
partnerships are beginning to emerge
but they remain ad hoc and outside of
a broad schoolwide strategy; no one in
the organisation is feels accountable
for maintaining these relationships.
PLANNING
A TARGET DRIVEN
AND PLANNED STORY

THINKING ABOUT IT WORKING ON IT LIVING IT TRANSFORMING
IT
MISSION AND
VALUES
STORYTELLING The story of the school is
coherent at each stage of
the cycle of engagement;
stakeholders are well
positioned to find their
place in the story; the
communication has
become a conversation
rooted in the school’s
mission.
INNOVATION
(TRADITION)
PARTNERSHIPS
PLANNING
A TARGET DRIVEN
AND PLANNED STORY

THINKING ABOUT IT WORKING ON IT LIVING IT TRANSFORMING
IT
MISSION AND
VALUES
Having come this far, what if
we…
STORYTELLING
INNOVATION
(TRADITION)
PARTNERSHIPS
PLANNING
A TARGET DRIVEN
AND PLANNED STORY

AREA OF
FOCUS
WHERE ARE WE
NOW?
WHERE DO WE
WANT TO BE?
HOW WILL WE CLOSE
THE GAP?
A TARGET DRIVEN
AND PLANNED STORY

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
WHAT WILL CHANGE?

In the end,
we are all communicators…

THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN
OUR CONVERSATION TODAY
willowsd@isb.be

Telling the Story of Your School: Getting to the Heart of the Learning Business

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