S1 E36 Superior External Comms Start With Clarity

Welcome to School Leader Soundbites, a podcast dedicated to empowering K-12 leaders with the latest insights and strategies in marketing and communications! Today, we are discussing how Superior External Comms Start With Clarity.

◾REACH Process

-A toolkit/model you can use when you want to connect with your external audience

-Includes community members, elected officials, business owners, state level and national level

◾Relationships

-You know who your target audience is, how they consume information and where on the website/social media they are clicking

-2-way communication path

◾Empathy

-Systemic, intentional way of connecting with your audience

-Understand the source of the pain

◾Acute Support

-Be ready to address something quickly if plans have to change suddenly

-Policy changes, correcting errors

◾Communication Plan

-Aligned to our brand and guiding documents

-Flexible based on the district blueprint- celebrate wins, acknowledge fault when its happened

◾Holistic Approach

-Thought partnership outside of our district

-Think about your culture and your climate- consistency, community, equity, inclusivity- make sure everyone has a place in your system

If you are looking for ways to Master Your Mark and need some help, head to veronicavsopher.com. If you want more info, please contact me or drop questions in the comments and be sure to share this episode with your colleagues! If you have any questions or suggestions for future topics, I'm here to listen. Thanks for tuning in to School Leader Soundbites.

*School Leader Soundbites* is your essential podcast for navigating the complex world of K-12 leadership with confidence and clarity. Hosted by Veronica V. Sopher, a 25-year veteran in school public relations, this podcast delivers actionable insights and innovative strategies to elevate your school's marketing and communications efforts. Veronica V. Sopher is the strategic designer behind several award-winning marketing campaigns and has crafted winning bond and tax rate communications plans. With extensive experience in crisis management—including handling weapons and deaths on campus, natural disasters, and polarized political landscapes—Veronica is an expert passionate about public education as the great equalizer. Join Veronica as she shares her expertise and offers practical tips that will optimize your leadership and support your district's goals. Whether you're looking to enhance community engagement, improve transparency, or turn feedback into actionable results, *School Leader Soundbites* provides the tools and knowledge you need to succeed.Sponsored by K12 Insight, this podcast is more than just a resource—it's a catalyst for meaningful change. Discover how K12 Insight’s solutions can strengthen relationships with parents, students, and staff, fostering a culture of trust and collaboration within your school community. Veronica is also available for consulting and public speaking, specializing in leadership development and executive coaching. Tune in and transform your leadership journey with insights that make a real difference.

Find me at: https://www.veronicavsopher.com/

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*About Our Sponsor:* K12 Insight partners with schools and districts to build stronger relationships with parents, students, and staff. They believe trust is the foundation of successful education and offer solutions designed to foster engagement, promote transparency, and turn feedback into actionable results. Want to explore how Let's Talk and K12 Insight's comprehensive suite of customer service solutions can amplify your school&apo

Episode Transcript

Veronica Sopher (00:00):
Hello. Hello and welcome to School Leader

(00:02):
Soundbites. I'm your host,Veronica Sopher And I have the
honor of coming to you everyweek, dropping new episodes of
our podcast where we talk aboutschool communications, public
relations, marketing andadvertising. So if you are
looking for some content on howto improve your school
district's visibility strategy,you have found the right place.
I come to you every week withmore than 20 years of experience

(00:23):
in school communications, and Ilove talking about all the
things you need to know toimprove your school district's
presence in your community. Solet's go ahead and get this
episode started, but before wedo, don't forget to hit
subscribe. We don't want you tomiss any episodes of School
Leader Soundbites, and if you'rewatching on YouTube or Facebook,
drop us some comments.
Last time, we had a greatconversation about the impact

(00:47):
educational process where wedigging in and connecting with
our internal audiences. Thisweek, I want to talk about the
reach process. Now the reachprocess and my master your mark
program, is really aboutconnecting with your external
audiences, which are going to bepeople who are outside of our
school building, outside of ourdistrict most of the time. That
does include parents. Itincludes community members,

(01:09):
elected officials, businessowners, anyone who has a stake
in our district, sometimesdepending on what's happening,
it could also be people at thestate level or at the national
level, inside of this bigconversation we call public
education. So when we're talkingabout our external audiences,
just know that there's a lot offluctuation. But with the reach

(01:30):
process, we can really hone inon what those external messages
are and how they can benefit us.
So I will start out with thebasics. The reach process is
basically a toolkit. It's amodel. It's something that you
can use when you want to connectwith your external audiences and
make sure they're getting themessages that you want them to
get.
So let's think aboutrelationships. How do we be

(01:53):
relatable? How do we put contentout there that people can
connect to? That's the firstpart of the Reach process.
That's the R, and then E is forempathy. And we're going to dig
into that a whole lot, because Ithink that's really the secret
sauce when we're talking aboutexternal audiences and crafting
our messages. The A is for acutesupport. Sometimes that's
exactly what you need in thatmoment, and we have to be able

(02:15):
to pivot quickly on ourmessaging to address some of
those needs. Of course, we wantto stick to our communications
plan, so that is the C and theReach process. We want to make
sure that our communication planis aligned to our branding guide
and our brand and our guidingdocuments. And then we also want
to take a holistic approach. Sowhen we think about thought

(02:36):
partnership, and when we thinkabout what's happening inside of
our community and even outsideof our community that affects
what's happening in our schoolsystem, we have to have a
holistic approach. So let'sspend a few minutes diving into
the reach process, whichultimately is going to connect
us to our external audiences.
So the first thing I want totalk about is, when you are
relating to community,especially our external

(02:59):
community, it's because you areclear on who they are. You know
who your target audience is.
You've identified who they are,you've put a name on them. You
know where they spend theirtime, how they're consuming
their information, where on yourwebsite they're clicking, where
on your social media, they'reengaging. Where they are talking
about you, not inside of anycontainer that you create, but

(03:21):
maybe out on Facebook and someof those Facebook groups. You
know, I travel all over thecountry, and I will tell you
that no matter where I go, oneof the reoccurring themes that
there is that there is aFacebook group for that
district. Sometimes it'snegative, sometimes it's a mix
of negative and positive, butgenerally speaking, people want
to talk about you outside of acontainer that you have control

(03:42):
of, so just know where yourpeople are. That's really
important. When we talk aboutreaching people and making sure
we're relatable, you also wantto make sure that there was a
two way communication path. Soit's not just you giving them
information, but you have a wayto connect information.
Oftentimes, surveys are a reallygreat way to do it, but just
having a way for them to connectwith you, this is a great time

(04:04):
for me to plug in one of mypartners, K12 insight. They have
a wonderful tool called Let'sTalk that allows you to track
messages that are coming in andout of your system and can help
you prioritize them. There's alot of other great ways that you
can connect with people, butmaking sure that you have a way
to collect data, synthesize it,and actually use it to drive
some of your messaging is goingto be really, really important.

(04:28):
So make sure you are clear onyour target audience. It's going
to be really important.
The first step of beingrelatable and then having
empathy. And empathy reallylooks like a systemic,
intentional way of connectingwith your target audience. In
this case, it's our externalaudience, so understanding what
their pain points are,understanding what they value,

(04:50):
what they're saying, what itreally means, how it's being
interpreted, understanding thetrue source of the pain.
Sometimes it maybe is atransportation. Issue, or maybe
it is a curriculum concern.
Maybe you are having troubles inone feeder pattern of your
school system, and it's apersonnel issue, but until you
really understand what theirpain points are and what the

(05:11):
source is, it's going to be hardfor you to address it. So
identifying, understanding andvalidating where your internal
or your external audiences areare going to help you drive
messages that are going to makea difference. They're going to
be tangible and they're going tobe measurable. That's why
empathy is so important, lettingpeople know that you see them,
you hear them, you care aboutwhat their concerns are, and

(05:34):
you're willing to do somethingabout it. Validate those
concerns as much as you can.
And then the next thing I alwayswant people to think about is,
even though we've got greatplans, we've got to be ready for
those instances where you haveto address something quickly,
maybe an error was was releasedfrom the school district. This
is what I call acute support.
We're assessing your target. Wewe had a plan in place. We had

(05:57):
to veer off because somethinghappened. Sometimes there's
variables, sometimes it'sweather, sometimes it's things
that are out of our control,like a pandemic, but we need to
be able to address those issues.
Sometimes it means policychanges or correcting errors.
Sometimes new legislation comesout that has unintended

(06:18):
consequences. That's one of myfavorite terms of public
education is unfunded mandates.
Knowing what those look like andwhat the impact will be on your
school system is going to bereally important. And sometimes
those changes are not ones thatwe were planning for. Sometimes
we have a death of a leader,maybe a principal, or we have
someone at Central Office whohas passed away or has moved on

(06:40):
for family issues or somethinglike that. So we always have to
be ready for those unintendedchanges that are going to happen
in our leadership. And so that'ssomething that you should always
plan for, but do your best toquickly name it, address it,
change course, and make surethat your messaging is sensitive
to what those changes might be.

(07:02):
I'm a big fan of creatingcontent. You hear me talk about
that a whole lot, in batches,and sitting down on the third
Friday of every month for twohours and creating content that
is what that we call evergreenin the journalism space, that
can be used everywhere. Andsometimes we use tools that help
us spread that out throughoutour calendar content. When we

(07:24):
are in the middle of asituation, though, you want to
look at whatever tool you'reusing, push pause and be
sensitive to what's happening inyour community. So for example,
if there is a tragedy, a fire,and there's great loss in your
community, and the wholecommunity is rallying around it,
you don't want to have yoursocial media really celebrating
things that might be trivial tothe community in this scope. So

(07:48):
just think about what'shappening in your community, and
be mindful that when you doschedule content out, it needs
to be reviewed periodically, sothat we are not making things
worse. Because oftentimes thequestion I ask is, Is this
making this situation better, oris it hurting the situation?
We all know that we are strongerwhen we've got a team supporting

(08:09):
us. And if you're a newsuperintendent without a
communications team or someonededicated to the communications
function of a district, thenreach out and see how my team
and I can help you. We can serveas thought partners. We can
provide you a la carte servicessuch as graphic support,
copywriting, speech, writing,all those things are going to
help you communicate moreefficiently and effectively with

(08:29):
your community. If you want tolearn more, click the link below
and schedule a time to connect.
And then the real key is havinga communication plan. And what I
love about a communication planis that it is flexible. We set
it based on what the goals areof the administration the
superintendent. Maybe thestrategic plan is guiding our

(08:49):
work. So that strategicblueprint that the district has
invested so much time and energyinto, and you build out these
plans, you build out what thebudget looks like, the timeline,
making sure that there's equityat all grade levels, so that
it's not just about athletics orfine arts, that we're including
everybody, including our specialpopulations, our gifted and

(09:11):
talented students, our specialeducation students, students
with mobility issues, any ofthose really great programs that
you have that are making adifference for students, make
sure they're included in yourcommunication plan.
Now your communication plan isgoing to celebrate the wins.
It's also going to acknowledgewhen fault has, when there is
fault in something that'shappened. So all of your crisis

(09:33):
letter, letters that you put outto the community, media
statements, you've got templatesfor all of those, there is a
clear path and workflow forwhat's going to happen in what
order and by whom. So you needto make sure that your
communication plan lists all ofthose tactical things that
someone could easily follow witha checklist. Sometimes I also

(09:54):
like to have a really quickcheat sheet for some for.
Various departments. So forexample, if I'm working with
nurses in a school system, wetake the communication plan and
we look at all the things thatthey may have a role in, and
then we create a cheat sheet forthe nurses so that they know
what to do. And it's usually onthe first page of the

(10:14):
communication plan, notifypolice, to notify principal,
notify the District HealthCoordinator, implement the
Emergency Management System,whatever those steps are for
your system, knowing who's doingwhat, when, and in what order,
is going to really help you. Sowhen you come across as the
communication support person,you know exactly where you are

(10:35):
in the process. And that's partof my K 12 master your mark
plan. So if you ever needresources, I have a lot of great
free resources on my website.
Veronica sopher.com feel free todownload some of those templates
and use them. It's a reallygreat way to make sure that your
communication plan is set to go.
Now I started off by saying aplan is really important to

(10:56):
have, but the truth is, a planis really important to have
until something else happens,and you have to veer from that
plan. So you need to make surethat you are flexible and that
people have backup people toback them up. You know who the
backup person is going to be.
Usually, when an emergencyhappens, the campus principal or
the campus AP handles it, butwhat happens when they're not on

(11:17):
campus that day? Or, forexample, the entire leadership
team in a district is out for aconference who is next in line
to handle those who's going tobe on the scene? So knowing when
to be flexible and having thatsupport is going to be really
important. And then really afterthe communication plan, I like
to remind people that it needsto be something that is reviewed

(11:38):
periodically. It lives digitallyon any device that you are
carrying around, that it's onyour laptop, that it's on your
hard drive, and that you haveprinted copies. If you go to any
of my vehicles, you will alwaysfind the emergency plan there.
You will have my you will see mygo kit is ready to go,
comfortable shoes, pins,clipboards, all the things I'll

(11:59):
need to be on the scene of acrisis, and I highly recommend
that you have one too. So again,visit my website for tips. I've
done a great podcast in the paston what you need to have in your
emergency go kit. I recommendthat every administrator carry
that with them. Most of yourcommunication leaders are
already going to have a go kitready to go, and they can help

(12:21):
you put one together if they'rein your district, and if not,
just reach out. And my team andI will be happy to assist you
with that. And then the H in thereach process is really the
holistic look. That's what whenI want you to think about your
culture, your culture and yourclimate. Use a toolkit, a media
kit, any of the resources thatyou're already using in your

(12:42):
system to impact your externalaudiences. You want to make sure
that your holistic approach isabout consistency, Community,
Equity, inclusivity, making surethat you know that everyone has
a place in your system, and youcan guide them to where that
place is. I love that we've gotvery specific tasks force in
most of the districts that Isupport. So you're going to have

(13:04):
those parents who are connectedto the booster club for
athletics, or the booster clubfor fine arts, or the special
education committee or taskforce that's out there. And by
last district, we really broughtin the Gifted and Talented
parents who had a lot ofconcerns about some of the
things that were happening, andwith their support, we will we

(13:24):
were able to really shift someof the work that was being done
in those gifted and talentedcommunities. So make sure
there's a place for everyone inyour system. I know in one of
the other districts that I'vesupported in the past, having an
opportunity for our parents, whowere English learners to feel
more comfortable, to communicateand learn in their native

(13:46):
language, really helped them tohelp the system, help their
students when they knew what wasexpected at home, to support
maybe testing or support whatwas happening with FAFSA, or
what was happening for ourseniors who were working on
their college applications,making sure that they knew that
there's not only a place forthem to engage, but a place for

(14:06):
those parents to learn, wasimportant. So it's just really
it comes on all of us naturallyto support our internal
audiences, but sometimes wedon't think about all the places
that our external audienceslive, and so the reach process
is a really great way to auditwhat you're doing. Take a look
at where you can course correct,put in processes that are going

(14:27):
to make a difference, and thenevaluate it. That's a really
important when you're thinkingabout your external audiences.
So I hope this information washelpful to you. As always, if
you have any questions, be sureto reach out. Veronica
sopher.com. Is my website. Ifyou are listening on the
podcast, make sure you hitsubscribe. We don't want you to

(14:48):
miss any episodes of schoolleader sound bites. If you're
watching on Facebook or YouTube,drop me some comments. I'd be
happy to connect with you thereas well. Until then, make sure
you are connecting with yourexternal audiences. You. Using a
process and a plan that willconnect your messages to your
target audience. We'll see younext time you.