Transcript For Communications Chairs

COMMUNICATING
EFFECTIVELY
PTA Officers Training
May 2014
COMMUNICATION:
The process by which we convey ideas,
thoughts, and feelings to another person.
Communication requires…
• A sender
• A message
• An intended recipient
• A response
PTA Communication Map
CA State PTA
District
President
PTA Unit
District
President
District
Executive Board
6 Rules for Effective Communication
1. Hear people out.
2. Think before you speak.
3. Encourage more two-way communication.
4. Maintain eye contact, but don’t glare.
5. Don’t skip the niceties.
6. Check your assumptions and
preconceived notions at the door.
PTA Identity
• In the past, many logos have been
used for individual PTAs
• Many don’t know that not all parents
groups are part of PTA
• To increase recognition and interest
and involvement in PTA, a PTA
national identity campaign was begun
PTA Identity continued…
• Key Messages
• PTA is a national organization of 5.5 million
members
• National PTA is expert in parent and family
involvement
• PTA is a relevant force to deal with today’s
issues and challenges
• A new PTA logo was developed
Using the PTA Logo and Tagline
• Consistency is key
• PTA and PTSA and registered service marks
• PTA and PTSA are used without periods and
without apostrophe for plural
• The new PTA logo uses a specially designed font
• Always reproduce the logo from artwork available
on the website and in the Toolkit, along with the
registered trademark symbol, in black, corporate
blue, or white.
PTA Logo and Tagline continued…
• The name of your PTA can be added above the
logo using Arial Black or Helvetica Black type font
• The tagline, everychild. onevoice. should be in
Times New Roman with “every” and “one” in
italics, “child” and “voice” in boldface (with no
italics), and with one space after the period which
follows “child.”
• The tagline appears below the PTA symbol
Have some style!
Create a signature in your email settings for your PTA
emails, using consistent formatting for your whole board.
Name
Michelle Parker
Title- bold
Second District PTA, VP Communications
PTA email
[email protected]
Personal (opt) [email protected]
Website
www.sfpta.org
Best phone # 415/260-8572 cell/text
Preparing Written Documents
• Use PTA Style Guide showing standard usage
• Capitalization
• Numerals
• Punctuation
• Writing Style
• Keep it brief
• Use no more than three fonts
• Use graphics, but sparingly
• Translate, if needed, to reach your audience
• Clear materials with PTA president and principal before
distributing
• Use your membership theme and PTA logo in messages
• Proofread everything!
Writing a press release
• Logo at the top
• FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE and date
• Contact information: name, good phone #, email
• Title that grabs the reader, to the point, few words
• Can use a subheading to flesh out your title without taking
•
•
•
•
away from the title
Lead paragraph with who, what, when, where, and how
Body of the release has quotes, backs up claims, etc.
A few sentences about your PTA
###
Public Speaking Tips
• Have talking points
• Don’t use jargon and
available
• Speak in sound bites
• Talk about why the
issue is important
• Be positive, have a
solution
• Be factual
abbreviations
• Don’t speak off the
record
• Return media calls
promptly
• Know your audience
• Plan your speaking
time
Speaking Tips continued…
• Outline your
• Breathe
presentation
• Practice, practice,
practice
• Listen to questions
asked
• Dress comfortably and
simply
• End on your message
Networking Tips
• Carry five things:
• A smile
• A pad and pen
• Business cards
• A handshake
• Write down questions
• Write date and event on the back of business cards
received
• Greet people with your name and PTA title
• If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so, and
then get back with the answer later
• Follow up with promised actions
STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATION
Will help you feel in control about the information you’re
sharing. Come with a goal in mind.
Strategic Communication cont…
• Know your audience – Prepare. Who are you
speaking to?
• Set your message agenda – You will say the
same thing over and over.
• Focus on no more than 3 messages – People
can’t remember more than that. Give assertions
and data points that make it true.
• Get to your point first – Don’t build up to
something. Don’t miss your chance to say what
you need to say.
Strategic Communication cont…
• Stay in your messaging corridor. The only thing
you can control is how you respond to the question.
Assert your strategic messages. Bridge back.
• Don’t be a slave to the question. Some questions
sound relevant but are ancillary. Some are not fair.
It’s okay to say I don’t know – then follow up.
• Loaded preface
• Absent party
• A or B Dilemma
• Hypothetical
• Irrelevant
Strategic Communication cont…
• Use every question to get back to the key
message
• Categorize questions. They may be framed in
different ways, but are actually simple. Categorizing
makes them clear. What? Why? Etc.
• Bridge. Bridge back to your message as quickly as
possible. Question – Answer – Bridge Phrase –
Strategic Message
• Get the last word” use the last question to
reassert your messages. Drive home the what, why
and why.
Communicating with your membership
• Hard Copies (Wednesday Envelopes or other)
• Remember – CAPTA Translation Grants due November 15
• Robo Calls
• Social Media
• Text Messaging
• Website
• School Loop
• Email Groups
• Google
• Yahoo
• Other?
Communicating by Email
• Quick and efficient, allows recipients to respond
thoughtfully when they are ready
• Creates a paper trail
• Use a specific subject line, include
deadlines/actions
• Use care with “bcc” and “cc”
• Include original email in response for reference
• Respond timely – set standard with board
members
Email continued…
• Insert recipients names in “to” field AFTER proofing to
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
prevent a misfire
Don’t “reply all” unless necessary
Address conflict and sensitive topics in a different forum
Don’t write anything you wouldn’t say to someone’s face
Be careful with formatting (ALL CAPS, italics, BOLD, and
underlining too much)
Be aware of using humor and unusual writing styles
Content should be easy to open and read
Once it has left your computer it can never be taken back!
Email Groups
• Google Groups and Yahoo Groups
• Allows you to archive all emails and conversation online
• Members can unsubscribe themselves
• Don’t see bouncebacks
• Members manage own settings of frequency
• Can adjust what members see in the subject line
[PTAPresidents]
• Be sure to set Guidelines or Rules of Conduct
• Second District Google Groups for Treasurers
and Presidents
Social Media
Be sure to meet your members where they are.
• FaceBook [Second District PTA]
• Twitter @SanFranciscoPTA
• Instagram [SanFranciscoPTA]
• Vine [SanFranciscoPTA]
• Pinterest [SanFranciscoPTA]
Websites
• Google Sites
• Wordpress
• Wild Apricot
Other Communication Resources
• For scheduling meetings without a million emails –
•
•
•
•
•
•
Doodle.com
Conference calls – FreeConferenceCall.net
Virtual meetings – Gotomeetings
File sharing – Dropbox, Google Drive
Survey collection – Survey Monkey
Volunteer coordinating Photo Editing and Graphic Design – for customizing
Facebook Banners, creating quote graphics, etc.
Scheduling Meetings
FreeConferenceCall.net
• Option for meeting when meeting in person isn’t possible
• Board meetings via conference call must be included in
•
•
•
•
•
your bylaws
Can record and playback calls
Open conversation, guests mute selves, moderator mutes
all
Up to 1000 people on a call
Meetings anytime, as many as you want
Send login information to the participants and set a time!
Virtual Meetings - Gotomeetings
• Gotomeeting.com – FREE version in Chrome
• Share screens during your meeting
• Upload files on their site or use you own
• Meet from computer, smartphone or tablet
• PRO version for more people has free trial, then
monthly fee
File Sharing
Dropbox
• Upload and see files in
the same format as
your regular software
• Save to your computer
• Share files or links
• View in the cloud or
offline
Google Drive
• Upload docs to google
drive and view in their
format
• Save to the cloud
• Share links
• Links to your google
account- all apps in
one place
Survey Collection – Survey Monkey
• Free and Fee-based version
• Pay to add more than 10 questions, analyze results and
print reports
Volunteer Coordinating
• Volunteerspot.com
• OurVolts.com for tracking volunteer hours
• Log hours through form on site or on your mobile device
• TakethemaMeal.com
• For family and classroom support
• Getpencil.com for general parent coordination (in private
beta testing)
Photo Editing & Graphic Design
• Best websites for making quote graphics:
http://list.ly/list/2sO-best-sites-for-creating-quote-graphics
• PicMonkey
QUESTIONS?
Michelle Parker
VP Communications
[email protected]