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An Instructor-led Workshop For Reaching New Levels of Parent/Community Involvement. Communicating With Impact. Objectives for our time together. Identify the three essential elements of an effective voice message Use language, style, and tone to maintain audience attention
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An Instructor-led Workshop For Reaching New Levels of Parent/Community Involvement Communicating With Impact
Objectives for our time together • Identify the three essential elements of an effective voice message • Use language, style, and tone to maintain audience attention • Avoid common pitfalls • Use the Best Practices Rubric to plan, develop, and refine powerful messages for use with your notification system
Best Practices Rubric: Purpose • Define specific criteria of effective messages • Help You • Plan a message • Develop a message • Revise and improve a draft message • Check • Yourself • A colleague *Worksheets available in the Appendix of your Participant Guide
Best Practices Rubric: Message Content + effective/completed, - not effective/not completed Sample Message #1 Sample Message #2
Message Content Tips • Use the three-part message • Opening sentence, main portion, crisp closing • Use power words • Students will, teachers can, we are certain, authorities (police /fire) have assured us. • Watch out for “wimpy” words • We’ll try, it is out hope, we can’t • Avoid jargon & Acronyms • NCLB, IEP, Benchmark Assessment, NCAA
Message Content Tips (continued) • Generally 1 topic per call • Opening sentence, main portion, crisp closing • Stick to the facts • Names, dates, event times/locations, purpose, etc. • Have a great close • Restate critical information (different format) • Provide contact name/number for questions • Optionally, add instructions to reply message. Sample Message #3 Sample Message #4
Best Practices Rubric:Delivery Style + effective/completed, - not effective/not completed Sample Message #5 Sample Message #6
Delivery Style Tips • Voice messaging is asynchronous • Speakerphone / cell phone: not recommended for recording • Stand up & show your teeth • Avoid trailing off • Voice inflection, speed, & tone
Delivery Style Tips (continued) • Keep within the 45 second window • Listen to your own messages • Practice, practice, practice • How can you communicate the “non-verbals?” Sample Message #7 Sample Message #8
Process Tips • Find a “critical friend” • We all need them • Plan your message • “Winging it” or “thinking on your feet” can lead to problems. • Other best practices from the group?
General Best Practices Reference • The messenger matters • A message in the superintendent’s, principal’s or teacher’s voice adds a sense of importance, a personal touch, and communicates that the person cares. • Look for opportunities for positive messages • If a problem needs to be addressed proactively, be frank, and emphasize that positive actions are being taken to address that problem. • Use messaging regularly • Remain proficient and comfortable • Don’t wait until an urgent situation occurs • Use for regular updates (weekly, monthly)
General Best Practices Reference • Use together with other communication • Voice messages, email, website, school newsletter, local media • Line up your best resources • People for writing, editing, reading (voice) • Multi-lingual messages • Translator, editor, reader • Do not assume a native speaker is necessarily qualified for all the above • Train and practice with both administrators and teachers • Use option to allow users to repeat an entire message
Avoiding Common Pitfalls • Too many topics • Too long • Choosing an inappropriate medium (e-mail, voice message vs. personal calls) • “Off-the-cuff” (no plan, practice) • Not editing, proofreading, and/or reviewing • Using jargon & acronyms
Avoiding Common Pitfalls • Not using the right tone of voice given the purpose of the message (concern, enthusiasm, reassurance) • Forgetting to repeat the most critical information (date, time, phone number) at the end of the message) • Overlooking opportunities for positive communications and public relations
Message Creation template:3 Part Format Sample Message #9 Sample Message #12 Sample Message #10 Sample Message #13 Sample Message #11 Sample Message #14
Message Creation Activity • Break into groups of 3-4 • Assign message type or select from • Parent meeting notification • Emergency notification • Test date notification • PTA or other meeting notification • Individually write a message using the Message Creation Template and Best Practices Rubric • Read aloud/replay each message to your peers • As a group, review/revise each person’s message using the Best Practices Rubric • Select one message from the small group to share with the whole group • Critique as a group using the Best Practices Rubric
Best Practices Rubric:Message Content + effective/completed, - not effective/not completed
Best Practices Rubric:Delivery Style + effective/completed, - not effective/not completed