school district communications assessment and planning

Communications Assessment and Planning

Joe Donovan

Communications Planning

Please direct questions to…

joe.donovan@donovan-group.com

414-418-0512

Communications Planning

We’ll start by briefly discussing…

Marketing, public relations, and communications… What is the

difference?

Communications Planning

What we’ll cover today….

Step 1: Determining your goals

Communications Planning

What we’ll cover today….

Step 2: Defining stakeholders

Communications Planning

What we’ll cover today….

Step 3: Assessing situations, uncovering deficits

Communications Planning

What we’ll cover today….

Step 4: Creating messages

Communications Planning

What we’ll cover today….

Step 5: Using the right tools

Communications Planning

What we’ll cover today….

Step 6: Using the calendar

Communications Planning

What we’ll cover today….

Step 7: Laying out the plan

Communications Planning

What we’ll cover today….

Step 8: Establishing metrics to determine success

Communications Planning

Communications, public relations, or marketing?

Forget titles, think tools.

Communications Planning

Determine your communications goals.

Define success. Be specific.

Get buy-in.

Communications Planning

Who are your stakeholders?

If you communicate with everyone, you communicate with no one.

Communications Planning

Understand your current situation; uncover deficits

Get out of the communications bubble.

Communications Planning

Create messages

What do you want your stakeholders to know and

understand about your district?

Communications Planning

What tools can you use to take your messages to your

stakeholders?

Communications Planning

How can you use the calendar to your advantage?

Communications Planning

Lay out the plan

Have a formal written plan. Use an online tool to track progress.

Communications Planning

Establish metrics to determine success.

Communications Planning

Tip 1: Don’t have too many stakeholder groups.

Communications Planning

Tip 2: Communications plans should be updated on a rolling

basis.

Communications Planning

Tip 3: Conduct an audit every three or four years.

Communications Planning

Tip 4: More communication is not always better communication.

Communications Planning

Tip 5: Follow industry leaders.

Communications Planning

Tip 6: Reinforce the plan and continue seeking buy-in for it.

Communications Planning

Tip 7: Find your voice through the plan.

Communications Planning

Tip 8: Seek to increase internal communications capacity.

Communications Planning

Tip 9: What works in one district may not work in another.

Communications Assessment and Planning

Joe Donovan