WHAT THEY DIDN'T COVER IN YOUR TEACHER TRAINING
The higher you get in the teaching world the more you have to deal with events and perceptions beyond the classroom.
Whether it's talking to the media about your latest Ofsted report; enticing parents to choose your school at open days; or inspiring the pupils at prize-giving, a lot is asked of senior teachers, head teachers and "super head teachers" presiding over a collection of schools.
And a lot is expected of those who aspire to fill these roles.
The communication requirements of senior leadership teams in education - through the media and face-to-face - go beyond what you were equipped with in your teacher training.
Outside guidance in presentation skills for big occasions, media interview techniques and public relations planning can make the crucial difference.
I've been training Ofsted inspectors to talk to you.
So it's only reasonable that you get some training to talk to - and about - them!
Communications-boosting master classes on these topics can be done on Inset Days - or take place within the normal teaching day.
This special education issue of this e-newsletter looks at what can be done to equip you and your fellow teachers to project your message within and outside your school boundaries.
|
PRESENTING WITH HIGH IMPACT OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
There's are big differences between talking with pupils in the classroom and making a presentation in front of parents, Ofsted inspectors and members of the wider community.
Not surprisingly, even for people who have spent much of their careers talking on their feet, it often proves daunting.
This is especially the case when it comes to answering tough questions that can be thrown at you during or after your presentation.
The good news is that teachers tend to be fast learners - so they can typically put the learning into practice with impressive speed.
Together with my colleague in the Professional Speaking Association, Nicci Roscoe - who specialises in making a "fabulous impact" - we've been helping senior teachers, aspiring heads and those already at the top to transfer their skills into presentations that grab, hold and inspire your audience.
Our sessions are entitled "Presenting for Teachers - with Confidence and Positivity."
We help you plan the right content for each audience you face - and give you a magic structure that works.
We work on your delivery style so that you look, sound and feel right on the big occasion.
You get to understand and apply the golden formulae for answering tough questions, nasty questions and emotionally charged questions.
And we equip you with confidence-enhancing performance techniques that put you in the right frame of mind before you utter your first words.
Here's what some participants have been kind enough to say...
"Nicci and Michael: I wanted to mail you to say how powerful I found the course you ran. I attend many courses, but rarely do I remember so much of the content, days later. I can now clearly see how to structure any presentation and am so eager to get on and do my next one." Emily Haywood, Paddock School, Wandsworth
"Nicci and Michael's master class was utterly inspiring. I have now taken away so many valuable ideas that I can put into place immediately - and I am now excited about presenting with confidence." Helen Palmer, Deputy Head, St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School.
"Nicci Roscoe and Michael Dodd led a master class focused on Presenting With Confidence And Positivity. Over a week later I am still talking about it! The impact on the day was evident in the way the participants had developed their confidence in public speaking. Presentations changed from the ordinary to the extraordinary - engaging, interesting and influential." Barbara Chevis, Senior School Improvement Partner, Education Kingston
And one other thing...
If we run a presentation-enhancing session on a regular school day it can include a talk for your students.
Sessions for pupils include "Coping with Exam Stress", "Give Winning Answers at University Entrance and Job Interviews" and "Becoming An Inspirational Communicator". |
EQUIPPING YOUR TEAM FOR MEDIA ENCOUNTERS
Dealing with the media can be very scary when it goes wrong - and very rewarding when it goes right.
The starting point in planning to get it right is delving inside the minds of journalists.
When you know what reporters need from you in order to do their job then it gets a whole lot easier.
Here are the one-day master classes which can be conducted in groups for the top team - or can be conducted one-to-one.
 At times there's been need to train selected pupils who can be great media ambassadors for your school. |
HANDLING THE MEDIA FOR THE BENEFIT OF YOUR SCHOOL
This master class fosters an understanding of what makes news.
When you know this, you can work out what to give journalists - and what to leave out.
We work through the pro-active tactics for dealing with the media when you have a positive story that you want to get out - as Bury St Edmunds County Upper School managed when they got the Ofsted "Outstanding" they wanted to convey to the wider world.
And the master class deals with reactive tactics if the media start chasing you after something has gone wrong.
We show how you can turn a negative situation into a positive by saying the right things at the right time in the right way.
It's learning-by-doing which gives you practice in doing media interviews, the opportunity to review what you've said - and doing them again at a higher level.
We measure your progress along the way so you can appreciate the difference between your starting point and where you finish.
You can focus on interviews for the written word - for the local newspapers and websites which are hungry for the right kind of education news.
And if you are seeking to project to a wider audience, we can look at interviews for the national papers and their websites as well.
The master class can also include broadcast interviews for radio and television.
If you want to be ready for TV, a camera operator can be provided.
This may sound daunting, but there are enormous benefits for your communication skills when you see yourself back as others see you - and make the appropriate adjustments.
Each participant gets individual copies of their interview material to look back over afterwards and further embed the learning. |
WRITING EFFECTIVE SCHOOL PRESS RELEASES
Press releases are a standard way of getting your message in front of the editors.
Most of them are written badly and end up in the "circular file".
Great press releases shine out - because they are written in the style a journalist would write them.
This master class shows how to write the way journalists do - and maximise your chances of media success.
It shows you the kind of newsworthy aspects of your school that the media will be prepared to run with.
You learn how to write a press release when your school is becoming the subject of adverse attention - and how to put it in the best possible light.
Importantly, this session also shows what makes a great media picture- and how to set up attention-grabbing photo opportunities.
|
DRAWING UP A PUBLIC RELATIONS PLAN FOR YOUR SCHOOL
This master class works with key members of your school to foster a strategic approach to establishing or improving relations with your target groups.
Typically these targets includes the media, the families of prospective students and the wider local community.
We identify the core school values and develop a series of PR aims and objectives in order to project these outside the school.
Key members of your education team are identified to deal with aspects of the media - from fielding the first phone call from a journalist to timetabling press releases and planning media photo and interview opportunities.
One school which I've worked with on this is the Freeston Academy in Yorkshire.
Before it became the thriving academy it is now, Freeston was beset by regular damning local media headlines and a poor image amongst many of the parents and prospective pupils.
Its dynamic head teacher, Dr Gill Metcalfe, felt the impression the outside world had of the school was outdated and unfair.
And we worked with her governors and senior teachers through the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust to turn things around.
Here's what Dr Metcalfe (pictured) says, looking back on the jump she and her team achieved in the way the academy was perceived by parents, pupils and the media.
"We wanted to agree and convey the school's messages in a way that maximises its attractiveness to others.
"We wanted to be clear about what is different and unique about our Academy.
"We wanted to be able to get the messages across with confidence and be able to illustrate our headlines with real stories.
"Michael Dodd was the catalyst we needed to get the ball rolling, challenge our thinking and cut through the waffle and jargon we often use.
"The session was split into sections so that senior leaders, Governors and community ambassadors could take part in different practical tasks where they could explore what their ideal narrative might be.
"This meant working through 'uncomfortable' situations and being challenged with tough questions to get our key points across.
"The day was thought-provoking, inspiring and exhausting.
"We worked together to produce ten simple and 'straight to the point' statements that we all feel are the key messages about the Freeston Academy.
"Governors formulated conversations around these, and staff came together to write their own stories to illustrate the key points, with specific and accurate information.
"We decided upon strategies for the launch of the Academy, new press releases, targetting the Year 5 market, Open Evening and Awards Evening, all opportunities we intend to seize and utilise so that everyone knows clearly what is so special about our school.
"We now realise that as communicators we, ourselves, are an important part of the message and now intend to use our community ambassadors more effectively to promote the positive aspects of the academy.
"This training session allowed us to practice communicating our new messages within a safe environment, and also gave us the impetus to take this much further.
"Without Michael Dodd to push us on, we would not have planned our next steps.
"By implementing the techniques we now know, I am certain we can confidently paint the picture, and communicate what it means to be part of The Freeston Academy."
Thank you Gill.
Whether it's turning around public perceptions, shining out in media interviews or giving presentations that inspire your audiences, a little outside help can go a long way.
For further details on any of the sessions here, email:
Taking part in an education sector communications-boosting master class is always confidence-enhancing.
Even if, as Gill Metcalfe warns, they can be exhausting.
Oh, and they are fun!
Keep smiling,
Michael
|
No comments:
Post a Comment