COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELYPTA Officers TrainingMay 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

District Executive BoardPTA Unit

District President

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 ParkerTitle- bold Second District PTA, VP CommunicationsPTA email communications@sfpta.orgPersonal (opt) michdparker@gmail.comWebsite www.sfpta.orgBest 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 available

• Speak in sound bites• Talk about why the issue is important

• Be positive, have a solution

• Be factual

• Don’t use jargon and abbreviations

• Don’t speak off the record

• Return media calls promptly

• Know your audience• Plan your speaking time

Speaking Tips continued…• Outline your presentation

• Practice, practice, practice

• Listen to questions asked

• Dress comfortably and simply

• Breathe• 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 COMMUNICATIONWill 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 MediaBe 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 ParkerVP Communicationscommunications@sfpta.org