Telling%20Your%20Story%20Communication%20strategies%20to%20support%20local%20school%20district%20referenda

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Telling Your Story Communication strategies to
support local school district referenda

• Presenter
• Susan Brott, APR Chief Marketing and
  Communications Officer West St. Paul-Mendota
  Heights-Eagan Area Schools

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Challenges in Communicating Complex Issues

• Definitions are needed to understand
• Context is broad
• Explaining whats in it for me
• Delineating the differences in topics
• We often care more than our audiences
• Off the radar screen audiences are
  disconnected

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Hierarchy of Effective Communication

1. Face to Face contact
2. Small group discussion or meeting
3. Speaking before a large group
4. Phone conversation
5. Hand-written, personal note
6. Typewritten, personal letter
7. Personal form letter
8. Mass produced, non-personal letter
9. Brochure sent as a direct-mail piece
10. Articles in a newsletter
11. News carried in the press
12. Advertising in media

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Effective Communication

• Mass communication used to inform
• Does not change attitudes or behaviors.
• Does reinforce attitudes and behaviors, create
  awareness by sharing information.
• Interpersonal communication used to connect on
  a personal level
• More likely to lead to a change in a persons
  attitudes or behaviors.

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Three Key Parts of Communicating Complex Issues

1. Messages what are we communicating?
2. Audiences what groups and individuals are we
   targeting?
3. Strategies how will we deliver our messages and
   measure desired behavior?

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Key to success Good Research

• Identify most supportive audiences
• Identify issues/messages that resonate with
  audiences
• Identify overriding issues that may block
  understanding
• Identify communication methods that are most
  effective

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Evaluate as you go

• Identify what messages are getting through
• Identify any areas of misunderstanding
• Identify what areas to focus on next

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Developing Key Messages
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What Is a Key Message?

• A key message is a significant idea or thought
  that you want your audiences to know, understand,
  remember and if youre lucky repeat.
• An effective key message leads your audience to
  the desired behavior.

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Framing Your Message

• You can choose to frame the issue and deliver
  your message from your perspective.
• Without this focus, people will wander through
  the message countryside and never take in what
  you are communicating.
• If you dont frame it, someone else will!

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Effective Key Messages

• Are based on your research
• Are true
• Are concise and simple
• Related in human terms
• Connect with peoples emotions

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Effective Key Messages
Communicating Complex Issues Requires

• Time most people cannot understand complexity
  with only one exposure
• Context provide understanding of how message
  fits with other issues
• Repetition repeat and remind people of key
  messages
• Layering communicate in layers or smaller
  messages

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Biggest Message Mistakes

• Use of technical terms and jargon
• Lack of clear meaning
• Cannot be fully supported by facts
• Lack of key point - too many messages
• Audience is not paying attention
• Lack of emotional appeal
• Aimed at wrong audience
• Environment too cluttered
• Poor delivery of message
• Lack of repetition
• Does not motivate action or change in behavior

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Understanding your Audiences
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Identifying your audiences

• What is their profile?
• What beliefs, needs, prejudices, tendencies,
  misconceptions and preconceptions do they have
  that affect how you connect with them?
• What do you want them to know and do?
• How do you need to present your message to be
  credible?
• What issues will resonate with them?
• How have they responded to your messages in the
  past?

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Dont forget school staff
Research indicates that school staff especially
custodians, secretaries, bus drivers and food
service workers are the most believed sources
of information about our schools. Your
community listens to these people!
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What Audiences Want To Know

• Whats in it
• for me?

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Developing Strategies that Work
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Strategies for Communicating Complex Issues

• Get on their radar screen your audiences will
  never hear your messages if they are not listening

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Strategies for Communicating Complex Issues

• Connect the information silos help people to
  see how issues connect and interrelate

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Strategies for Communicating Complex Issues

• Use metaphors to make it more clear relating a
  complex issues to something more familiar will
  quicken and deepen understanding

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Strategies for Communicating Complex Issues

• Tell stories, not just share data relate the
  complex information to how it affects children or
  what is happening in a classroom

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Strategies for Communicating Complex Issues

• Build and use an opinion leader network key
  communicators can help spread your message and
  deepen understanding

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Strategies for Communicating Complex Issues

• Relationships are the key must have on-going,
  two-way communication to build positive
  relationships with audiences

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Strategies for Communicating Complex Issues

• Explain reasons behind decisions knowing why
  something was decided will help people to
  understand complex issues

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Strategies for Communicating Complex Issues

• Practice message discipline speak with one
  clear voice and repeat what you want people to
  remember

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Strategies for Communicating Complex Issues

• Communicate from the inside out start all
  communication with internal audiences so they can
  help carry messages to other audiences

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Strategies for Communicating Complex Issues

• Share bad news and move on when bad news
  happens, share it all at once and share steps to
  help people to move on past the bad news

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Communicating for a Referendum
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The Realities of Winning

• You can win
• Without everyone being happy
• With substantial negative media visibility
• If you remain focused
• If youre helpful
• If you can move 51 of your base to action

James E. Lukaszewski, Building Community
Relationships Gaining and Maintaining Public
Consent, 2006
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Rules for Winning

1. Refuse to be distracted.
2. Bear down on your positive objectives.
3. Consciously reduce the medias influence.
4. Control with positive power.
5. Wage peace from the start.
6. Focus on consent rather than opposition.

James E. Lukaszewski, Building Community
Relationships Gaining and Maintaining Public
Consent, 2006
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Planning

• No single plan exists that meets the needs of
  every school district and every election
  environment
• You must tailor your plan to fit your community!

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Effective Referendum Planning

• Coordinate district communication activities with
  that of the citizens campaign
• Throughout the planning process, create one
  campaign in which the district and citizens have
  clearly defined role.
• Every activity is coordinated!

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Roles of District vs. Campaign

• District communications Information
• What is proposed?
• How much will it cost me?
• Why should I vote for it?
• What happens if it passes or fails?
• Campaign communications Advocacy
• Less product, more emotion
• Face to Face contacts
• Carry VOTE YES message

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Roles of District vs. Campaign

• Accept that there will be some overlap of key
  personnel.
• Be smart about scheduling your time!

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Role of the Superintendent

• Strategic planning
• Working closely with campaign to execute and
  coordinate efforts
• Obtaining support and participation from staff in
  cooperation with campaign committee
• Providing information, support and resources
  campaign committee

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Role of the School Board

• Maintain focus on student needs
• Provide unanimous resolution to conduct election
• Align final proposal with community values and
  perspective on spending
• Involve citizens in campaign
• Provide support to administration and volunteer
  committee

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Role of District Staff

• Solidify and strength relationship with primary
  audience (parents)
• Identify way to reach out and enhance secondary
  audiences (seniors, non-parents)
• Demonstrate good stewardship of what the district
  currently provides
• Ask questions and stay informed
• Support and participate in the campaign

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Role of Campaign Committee

• Identify overall theme and coordinate messages
• Gain influential support (endorsements)
• Strategically canvass the community to identify
  probable yes voters
• Recruit volunteers for leadership roles
• Implement campaign plan
• Coordinate campaign activities with district
  initiatives.

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Shaping Messages

• Core Message targeted message at primary
  audience
• Subordinate Message similar goal, but targeted
  at secondary audience.

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Shaping Messages

• Remember the 3 Cs of communication when
  developing key messages
• Clear
• Concise
• Compelling

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Dealing with the Opposition
STAY ON MESSAGE!

• Use the 80/20 rule
• 80 of your response should be on message
• Respectfully acknowledge
• Briefly Respond
• Return to your message

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Dealing with the Opposition

1. The best defense is a strong offense
2. Be your own worst critic
3. Provide advance warning
4. Have your facts straight
5. Keep your eyes on the prize

MASA publication, Rapid Referendum Response
What to do when you district is blindsided by
anti-referendum attacks, 2006
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Contact Information

• Susan BrottChief Marketing and Communications
  Officer
• West St. Paul - Mendota Heights - Eagan Area
  Schools 1897 Delaware Avenue Mendota Heights,
  MN 55118 [phone]
• susan.brott_at_isd197.org

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Contact Information
www.minnspra.org