Customer service is public relations

Think about your favorite retail store and why you like to shop there. Your list probably includes quality products, a welcoming atmosphere, competent employees and helpful attitudes. In other words, the stores have good customer service.

We expect it from stores, and parents expect it from schools

Some educators say parents should be partners in educating their children, not customers. But the truth is parents are both. Parents pay the taxes that pay staff salaries. If they become unhappy with the service they or their child is receiving, they can take their business elsewhere. More and more, parents have choices about where their children are educated, from charter schools to online schools to home schooling.

Like it or not, parent satisfaction is critical to the success of any school or district. Parents who feel welcome, appreciated and heard tend to be happy with their school and active in their child’s education.

When retail business customers are unhappy about something, they tend to share it with friends and neighbors, not just with others in the grocery store checkout line but also on Facebook, Instagram and personal blogs. If they are unhappy, they share it even more widely.

Some research says it takes 12 positive experiences to make up for one unresolved negative one. The takeaway is that it’s worth the time to address unhappy parents and do everything possible to address their concerns.

Customer service begins at the front door. It’s the welcoming environment offered by greeting parents  with a smile and a warm welcome, whether you’re the custodian or principal. It’s the help given to parents who have questions or concerns, assuring them they are not an interruption of your work but the purpose of it.

Provide customer service training to all staff

Customer service is something schools should teach and use in training, just like other important practices. It should be outlined in the staff handbook and emphasized in staff meetings.

By embedding it in everything you do, it becomes part of the school’s culture. Training shouldn’t just be for the secretaries and teachers, though. Every single employee is a representative of your school and district.

Everyone, including cooks, custodians, classified staff and teachers, should know and understand your school’s expectations for customer service.

Great customer service is not just happenstance. Schools must be purposeful in identifying what it looks like and what is expected of employees in delivering it.

For example, to establish open lines of communication with parents, a principal may require all teachers to develop a class webpage or send weekly e-newsletters to parents. Perhaps, teachers will be required to respond to emails and phone calls from parents within 24 hours.

To encourage parent involvement and participation, the principal might establish a written volunteer handbook and protocols, inviting parents to volunteer and outlining benefits and expectations. Training could be provided to teachers on how to effectively use volunteers.

To create a more welcoming environment at school board meetings, the district could create clear, written guidelines for how the public can participate so parents know when it’s appropriate to make public comments.

Address problems and respond to concerns

An important part of customer service is properly handling problems. When parents come to the school or district office with a concern, stop what you’re doing and give them your full attention. Look them in the eye, and don’t interrupt or argue. Really listen to what they are saying.

Parents want to have their feelings acknowledged, not minimized or ignored. Be honest, and don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know,” if you don’t. Offer a solution, and then follow through on what you said you would do.

Research shows that for every customer who bothers to complain, 26 other customers remain silent, according to the White House Office of Consumer Affairs. That’s why it’s a good idea to make it easy for parents to give feedback.

Some schools have a link on their website where parents can email concerns and give positive feedback. While it takes time to read the emails, it sends a  powerful message to parents that you really are interested in what they think and want to know about any issues.

In dealing with parents, the Six Rs of Customer Service is a good guide in Cathy Abraham’s 2010 resource, Parents as partners — and customers (http:// links.ohioschoolboards.org/74814):

  • Recognize — Accept parents as partners in children’s care and education.
  • Respect — Value parents as people and actively listen to what they say.
  • Respond — Act promptly and sincerely to answer their questions and resolve problems.
  • Research — Study child and family issues in the community and support professional development.
  • Resolve — Work together with parents to resolve any concerns and problems.
  • Re-establish trust — If trust falters, communicate often, keep promises and demonstrate integrity.

Contributed by Connie Potter, communications consultant

Free and easy tips to measure your social media engagement

If you rely on social media to reach and engage people, you’re doing the right thing. Social media is a highly effective way to interact with your audiences. But you don’t have to blindly post content and hope for the best. Your research will show if your audiences are growing interaction on your sites.

First things first: Do your research. Some old- fashioned focus groups and surveys can help you learn what your staff, parents and taxpayers prefer.

It’s safe to say that social media should become your main tool for both pushing out messages and two- way communication, although, face to face is still the go-to tool for important, complicated topics like bond measures and boundary changes.

That said, don’t just “check the box” and call it good if you use Facebook, even if you use it a lot. Use the platform’s analytic function to learn what your fans are reading or watching when they visit and how much time they spend on the site.

Spend your time more effectively

Tracking reader patterns could save precious time by steering you away from posting content few people click on. Instead, post the right thing at the right time to hit a bigger jackpot.

Here’s a good example: How popular is your message from the superintendent or principal? How many people read it, compared to a quick video or photo of students learning something fun? How about budget info? How many read a story or message rather than a colorful infographic on how your district’s money is spent?

Many companies and organizations have dedicated web professionals or content managers who measure patterns on Facebook pages to learn what moves people. Including a photo with a message — and reducing that message to five or six sentences — boosts readership dramatically and increases shares rather than just posting the message.

You may be surprised by what you learn, but the insights can help you develop more effective ways to connect with people. If most people spend less than a minute watching videos on your Facebook page, then you will have guidelines for video production. Post shorter videos or find the right platform.

Interest in Facebook videos starts to drop off after 30 seconds. If your video is longer, post it on YouTube instead and drive people there in other ways. Don’t let it get lost in a Facebook feed that competes for attention with friends and family on a user’s feed.

Use the free tool

Most social sites have insight tools for users and page managers. Try Business Manager, a free option for your Facebook page that puts a tab on the menu bar  to help you look deeper into who reads your page and watches videos when and for how long. You also will learn who likes and shares your posts on their own page, and what trends over time.

If you manage a website, you also can get valuable feedback about your site from Google Analytics. Like Business Manager, it is free and holds a wealth of data that can help you check your site’s effectiveness.

Measure before you cut

To  measure any changes you’d like to make —  and to make the most effective changes — consider measuring your content before making any changes. For example, if you post standard messages or greetings from the superintendent, post as usual, then click the

“View Insights” button to check data. Next time, write a much shorter message and use a photo or two to see if readership increases.

Using the insights function on Business Manager will fuel a communication plan you can really measure and, therefore, make your case to not only spend more time on social media but also increase the type of  content your audience will engage with. Insights lets you view data over a six-month period, so you can track your progress.

Going deeper if you have experience

For more advanced metrics, download the free Power Bi from Microsoft Corp. This connects to your Facebook data and creates charts with numbers for hits, shares, time of day, trends over time and more.

Lastly, Facebook is all about interacting and engaging. If users ask you a question or make a comment, get back to them within a day with an answer or rumor correction. That habit fosters relationship building, the key to building support for your school or district.

Contributed by Shannon Priem, APR, freelance writer and former public information director for the Oregon School Boards Association

The joy of responding to social media criticism

Out for a walk the other day, I ran into a neighbor who was in her driveway cutting up a log.

A first-grade teacher, she likes to provide different seating arrangements in her classroom, so she was sawing the log into first-grader-sized seats.

As we chatted about school, I mentioned that my only memory of my first-grade teacher was her laughing at me when I cried after breaking a shoelace. Coming from a low-income family, I didn’t think we could afford new shoelaces.

As I continued the walk and reflected on the neighborly conversation, it seemed like an apt illustration for discussing social media:

A good post is straightforward and gets right to the point:

Name A. Teacher is turning this log into seats for her first-grade classroom at Hippity Hoppity Elementary School in Hughestown. Teacher, who enjoys woodworking, has found that fidgety first-graders learn better when they can sit in different places during the day.

A good post avoids editorializing. Instead, it lets readers draw their own conclusions. Avoid the temptation to add, “This is just one of the ways that teachers spend their own time and resources preparing for the school year.” That sentence states the obvious and inadvertently invites naysayers to criticize the post with something like, “I’m tired of teachers complaining about … .”

Even so, someone invariably will grouse about a well-written, seemingly benign post by saying things like:

  • Name A. Teacher should be teaching the three Rs instead of coddling her students.
  • Teachers are overpaid and have way too much vacation.
  • My daughter/son has a lousy first-grade teacher.
  • Not surprising. That’s why I’ll vote against the bond measure.

Yes, some of those hypothetical responses are off- topic. More about that in a moment.

What should you say in response? Start with whether you should respond at all: First, do no harm. Consider my negative memory of first grade, and how the teacher laughed at my fear of getting in trouble at home for a broken shoelace.

People remember such slights for a long time; in my case, for more than 50 years. That is why a well- intended but thoughtless response to a post, such as “Thanks for your note, Mr. Perennial Grump, but you misunderstood what I was saying,” is worse than no response.

Here’s a lesson I learned: A frequent poster on the Facebook site where I worked claimed I had called him stupid. Now, I can’t remember ever calling anyone stupid — at least not since grade school, if then.

No matter, his perception was his reality. Whatever criticism I leveled in response to his post, he took it as me labeling him stupid. And, as with most people who feel they’ve been treated unjustly, he shared his complaint widely.

I eventually won him over by:

  • acknowledging his criticism instead of arguing;
  • apologizing for my inept wording without saying I called him stupid;
  • most importantly, finding subsequent opportunities to support and agree with his social-media comments.

I had to put myself in his reality instead of protecting my ego.

Jayson DeMers, a contributor to Forbes.com, suggests several responses to social media critics, including using self-deprecating humor; being gracious instead of aggressive; admitting mistakes; and if you think you’re correct, acknowledging that while mistakes can happen, your post is based on this-and-that data and here’s a link for more information.

Every school district needs a social media policy that allows for efficient, effective and timely responses. The policy should include a firm understanding of when to delete posts. Your policy should be long enough to give overall guidance but short enough so it is practical.

In a blog post, Justyna Polaczyk writes, “Social media is all about a quick reaction and swift response … you need to be ready to do the same.” Consider using Google Alerts to be notified of social media comments about your brand: your school or district. Polaczyk recommends responding within 15 minutes — and certainly no longer than an hour — if you can.

This is one reason why social media can be time- consuming and why you should only use as many social media platforms as you can handle well. Quality beats quantity.

During a crisis situation, finding time to post can be difficult. But that’s when social media are most important to the public. Even a brief update is helpful; it shows the public you’re attuned to their concerns:

No new information about the criminal suspect supposedly spotted in neighborhood near Hippity Hoppity Elementary. Lockdown continues. Hughestown Police on scene. Will update in 30 minutes or earlier if we get new info.

By the way, schools should consider their social media posts to be public records, which is a reason to avoid posting to Snapchat.

As for responding to critics on social media, Polaczyk suggests one overriding guideline: You need to respond calmly and politely. It is not your role to convince the poster that he or she is wrong or misguided. It is your role to be polite, considerate and informative.

A quick response can be as simple as, “Thanks for the note, so-and-so. Will you send me a direct message with more details so we can look into this?” This shows the social media community that you’re responding but also moves the back-and-forth out of the public eye.

Another common response is, “Thanks for your question. I’ll look into this and follow up by such-and- such time.” Caution: Never promise more than you absolutely know you can deliver.

Often, I’ll simply respond with, “Interesting observation. You’ve given me something to think about.” That acknowledges the validity of the person’s comment but does not promise action on my part other than thinking, which is inherent in my response.

If the person points out a mistake, I’ll thank him or her and acknowledge the error. Don’t waste time and goodwill by rationalizing how the mistake occurred.

Sometimes, I’ll use a light touch, such as, “Oops, I sure blew that one. The ceremony is Tuesday at 8 p.m., not Thursday. Thanks to Twiddle D’Twiddledum for pointing that out. My apologies. I’m sending myself to timeout.”

If the person is an internet troll — someone who invades conversations to provoke arguments for fun — the best response might be either to ignore or invite the person to follow up via private message. The danger of calling out a troll per se is if the person isn’t actually trolling (http://links.ohioschoolboards.org/58392). In that case, you’ve violated the principle of first, do no harm.

Social media sites may rate you on how often and how quickly you respond. However, avoidance sometimes is better than argument. I stopped responding to one local blogger because he twisted whatever I said, regardless of whether I responded by email, social media or phone message. Other community organizations adopted a similar strategy.

In conclusion, let’s go back to the beginning of this column and consider how to handle the hypothetical criticisms I listed. Remember not to be frustrated or defensive. Gracious brevity is a virtue. Following are potential hypothetical responses:

  • “She should be teaching the three Rs instead of coddling her students.” — This is a valid view, even though most of us would disagree. Either ignore the post or respond politely, such as inviting the writer to participate in the district’s next public forum or back-to- school days. Be specific about how to participate.
  • “Teachers are overpaid and … .” — It’s tough for the district to respond to this. It’s a valid view, although sort of off-topic in this instance. It sounds as if the person is uninterested in a rational discourse. You could acknowledge the person’s  comment and ask why he or she thinks that way. However, it could be more appropriate for a teacher or the teachers union/ association to respond.
  • “My daughter/son has a lousy first-grade teacher.” — This is a time to say, “I’m so sorry to hear that. Please send me a private message (or email at MyName@DistrictEmail), so we can discuss what to do” or “… so we can look into this.” Again, follow up by being gracious instead of bureaucratic. Often our first inclination is to defend the school and teacher, especially if the parent is a frequent complainer. That just incites more criticism.
  • “Not surprising. That’s why I’ll vote against the bond measure.” — This is another tough one because it’s off- topic, and district officials generally cannot take political positions during work time. A potential answer might be, “As a public employee while I’m at work, I should not get engaged in the pros and cons of the bond measure. I encourage you to contact school board members at schoolboard@emailaddress or the bond measure campaign at bondmeasure@emailaddress.” Again, this is a case where your legal counsel or election officials could provide guidance.

Above all, heed the advice of Carola Finch on TurboFuture.com: “We can thank people for their feedback, even though we are fuming inside at their effrontery, and tell them that we will consider what they have to say. The main thing people really want to know is whether they are heard” (http://links.ohioschoolboards.org/93400).

Contributed by Dick Hughes, writing consultant. Contact Hughes on Facebook (Facebook/Hughesisms), Twitter (@ DickHughes) or thehughesisms@gmail.com.

Leadership for school administrators

There are a million different leadership programs with their own spin on how to lead effectively. As an administrator, you deal with a variety of personalities and situations while trying to achieve strategic objectives with the help of your staff. Leadership is how you get there.

The most common leadership techniques are:

  • laissez-faire;
  • autocratic;
  • participative;
  • transactional;
  • transformational.

Depending on your organization, one style may be more appropriate than another, but a good leadership style often incorporates all styles when appropriate. At times, decisions need to be made by committee. In some situations, the decision needs to be made by you and you alone. Part of being a good leader is learning which opportunity calls for each response.

Laissez-faire — Don’t bother me, I’m napping

A laissez-faire leader doesn’t supervise employees directly or provide regular feedback. While it may be like an abdication of leadership, it actually can be a very useful technique when employees are highly skilled and highly experienced.

It also can be helpful when you are assessing your staff. A new school superintendent might choose to employ this leadership style at first so not to “step on toes” while he or she learns the skills and abilities of highly experienced staff.

The drawbacks to this leadership style are predictable since it depends on a crew of self-starters. Not every employee falls into that category. A wise leader would choose to use the laissez-faire leadership style judiciously and infrequently.

Autocratic or top-down leadership

Making decisions without the input of others defines the autocratic leadership style. A couple of famous autocracies are Cuba and North Korea, where creativity is discouraged and dissent punished.

While no one challenges the decisions of autocratic leaders, that shouldn’t lead one to believe this style is more effective. But its association with some famous dictatorships also shouldn’t lead you to avoid it completely. An autocratic leadership style can be beneficial for employees who require close supervision or have yet to learn all the ins and outs of their positions while still being required to perform at a high level.

This style also can be necessary when coming into a leadership role that was previously occupied by an autocrat. Your employees may be out of practice with volunteering their opinions and making decisions on their own, needing you to step in with more authority.

But an autocracy should be a short-term solution at best. When a leader consistently chooses his or her own advice over others, it kills creative problem-solving and team cohesiveness.

Left unchecked, an autocratic leader can prompt high turnover and low morale, destroying a school from within. Again, there are times when autocratic decision- making is ideal, but it is best used sparingly and quickly replaced with a more team-focused style.

Participative or democratic leadership

Often called the democratic leadership style, participative leadership values input from team members and staff with the final decision resting with the leader. Participative leadership boosts employee morale because employees make contributions to the decision-making process. It causes them to feel like their opinions matter.

When a district needs to make changes within the organization, the participative leadership style helps employees easily accept change because they play a role in the process. This is important for new leadership to note because one of the biggest leadership mistakes is choosing autocracy as the best way to quickly make big changes. That would be an illusion. Instituting big changes without community support is a great way to see those changes fail, costing not only time but also relationship capital, making future change even more difficult.

The weak spot with the participative model is when decisions need to be made in a short time frame. However, if you have a finely developed participative leadership style, you will earn your employees’ trust, making infrequent autocratic decisions more acceptable on face value.

Transactional

Administrators using the transactional leadership style provide rewards or punishments to team members based on performance on assigned tasks. Administrators and team members set predetermined goals together, and employees agree to follow the manager’s direction and leadership to accomplish those goals. Employees receive rewards, such as bonuses, when they accomplish goals.

This can be a good technique in concert with the participatory style. Once everyone agrees on a goal and the steps needed to achieve it, rewards can be set for participation. This is especially helpful if the goal that was agreed on through a participative process was not as enthusiastically supported as the administration might like. Adding a transactional step to it can help “sweeten the pot.”

For example, the district decides to make a big push to increase reading skills among kindergarteners and first-graders, which means each school needs

to push kids to read more at home. Sixty percent of teachers were on board. The rest like the idea, in theory, but already are chafing from having to factor recent additional state requirements into their daily schedule.

In this case, the school principal might choose to add a transactional aspect to the new challenge: The class that reads the most books gets a pizza party. The pizza party reward takes some of the pressure off teachers by creating an additional incentive.

Transformational — the good stuff

Transformational leadership is about change. In this style, a leader works with subordinates to identify needed change, creating a vision to guide the change through inspiration and executing the change in tandem with a group’s committed members.

The transformational leadership style depends on high levels of communication from directors to meet goals, motivate staff and enhance productivity through high visibility.

Transformational leaders focus on the big picture within an organization and delegate smaller tasks to the team to accomplish goals. This style of leadership is the most demanding of its leaders. They must be in constant communication with staff and not only be aware of district goals but also each employee’s personal career goals and exactly where staff members fit in the strategic plan.

An administrator who wants to make a big transformation needs to gather input on the problem and potential solutions via the participative style. When employees have the skills and resources and show they are on track, the administrator can use the laissez-faire leadership style with these staff members, giving him or her a chance to focus more attention on employees that need more support, possibly with a more autocratic style.

When the participative process results in goals that not everyone supports, a transactional leadership style can help push the team over the line into success.

Each leadership style has its own strengths and weaknesses. The secret of transformational leadership is that it uses all of the other leadership styles, when appropriate, to transform the system. With proper attention to goals and good communication with staff, the organization under your leadership can achieve amazing results.

Contributed by Megan J. Wilson, Los Angeles-based freelance writer and communications consultant

Making the most of your communications consultant

Thinking of hiring a communications consultant or firm to help with a specific project or upcoming campaign? Make sure you get the most from your investment and achieve your desired end result. The following tips can help you find the right match and make the most of your consultant relationship.

Making a good match

Hiring a consultant — whether for a communications project or other purpose — should be taken as seriously as hiring a new employee. Making sure you have the right fit, both for the work you are doing and for your team, will be critical to having a good experience and getting the results you want. A few things to keep in mind:

  • Do your homework — Not all consultants are created equal. Experience, timeliness, quality and cost can vary greatly. Taking the time to do a little research on your potential consultants can save on headaches in the long run. Ask for samples of past work that align with your project. Dig around online, on their website or elsewhere to get a sense of their style and work. Don’t be afraid to ask detailed questions about their qualifications and style.
  • References — When possible, getting a personal recommendation from someone you trust is always a good starting point. Going off list will generally get you the most honest feedback, as provided references often have been heavily vetted.
  • Shop around — Considering multiple consultants or firms will give you greater choice and perspective on the range of prices, skills and experience available.
  • Know what to expect — Someone who likely is a good match with your project should have prior experience with a similar project and be able to provide a portfolio  of high-quality work samples and a precise cost estimate or project bid.
  • Meet in person — When possible, meet with your potential consultant or, at a minimum, connect by phone. Personal rapport and chemistry matter. If you don’t feel like you will be able to work with someone easily or if they don’t seem like a good fit for the project or team, consider other options.
  • Prioritize communications skills — You are hiring a communications professional. This individual should understand communications objectives, be able to communicate effectively with a range of staff and stakeholders and have top-notch verbal and written communications skills.
  • Know who you are hiring — If you are hiring an independent contractor or sole proprietor, this shouldn’t be an issue. But, if you are hiring a larger communications firm, make sure you are clear on who will be leading your project and doing the work. Some firms will send their “A-team” to the interview and then have more junior staff do the work. Make sure you know who will be doing the work and what their background and experience are.

What will they do

Communications consultants can be hired to do a range of work, from low-level communications tasks you simply don’t have time for to more strategic or specialized projects. A consultant could:

  • handle things you can’t do — or can’t do well — in-house, such as graphic design, marketing, video, multimedia or speech writing;
  • take care of projects you don’t have time to do, such as grant writing or research, materials development or general writing projects;
  • provide specific expertise in strategic communications, conduct a communications audit or consult on a specific communications challenge or campaign;
  • strengthen your brand through developing a branding strategy that aligns with your vision and goals.

Know your needs

You  know the saying, “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” Even the best consultant can’t help you reach your goals if  you don’t know what those goals are. Before hiring a consultant, make sure you have a clear vision of what you want your end result to be and the role you want the consultant to play in reaching those goals.

When you meet with your consultant, be as specific as possible about your needs, goals and vision. Having the basics of who, what, why, where, when and how pinned down before you bring someone in will save you time and money and result in a better outcome.

Setting clear expectations regarding deliverables, workflow, deadlines and budget will help your consultant meet those expectations or inform you if they need to be adjusted.

Budget

While it is generally true that you get what you pay for, prices can vary greatly. More expensive does  not always mean better; it simply may mean a more well-known firm or more high-profile consultant. A few budget tips:

  • Determine if you will be paying by the project or deliverable or by the hour. If you are paying by the hour, compare others in the profession to see if the rate seems appropriate.
  • If you are paying an hourly fee, ask for a project estimate or range and set a not-to-exceed amount for  the project. If the consultant finds the project is running over budget, he or she will need to request approval before spending more.
  • If you are paying by deliverable, be clear about what each deliverable should be, when they are due and the process for requesting revisions if deliverables are not up to your standards.

Investing the time

Consultants can be a wise investment financially but only if you are able and willing to invest the time into their success. From doing the necessary planning and visioning before hiring a consultant to allocating the staff time for meetings and materials review, money is not the only thing you will need to invest in the project. A few things to keep in mind:

  • Consultants will need information from you, like data, organizational information and vision in order to do their job. The faster you are able to get them what they need, the faster they will be able to turn around your project.
  • Make sure you have the right internal team in place. If your consultant does not have easy access to people with decision-making authority, you aren’t going to get far. Make sure you assemble a team of people with the skills, time and authority to effectively support the consultant in his or her work.
  • Review materials carefully. Yes, consultants are professionals and should produce high-quality materials. However, they also are human and not always familiar with your organization or vision, and can make mistakes. Don’t  assume the materials meet your needs or standards. Invest the time to carefully review all deliverables, and if you notice issues, errors or poor- quality work, ask for corrections.

Make them feel like part of the team

Consultants often function like temporary employees or team members. Helping them feel integrated, supported and part of the team will result in better outcomes, an improved client-consultant relationship and a more enjoyable process all around. Make sure you:

  • Set up clear channels of communication with your consultant. Do you prefer email, text, phone calls or in-person meetings? Make that clear at the beginning and ask if the consultant has a preference on how to communicate. Set up a schedule of how frequently you will engage — daily, weekly, monthly or at specific milestones. Make it clear which internal staff the consultant will be working with and who will be the ultimate reviewers and decision-makers.
  • Allow their expertise to inform and guide your process as appropriate. It’s important to have some sort of a vision before hiring a consultant, but it’s just as important to trust in his or her experience and expertise. The consultant may have ideas, suggestions or perspectives you hadn’t considered that can enhance your project or save you headaches down the line.
  • Give credit where credit is due. When something looks good, say so. Saying “thank you” and “good job” can go  a long way in building a strong rapport and developing a productive working relationship. On the flip side, however, never be afraid to point out work that isn’t up to snuff and ask for improvements or corrections.

Reviewing your take-aways

Consultants can be immensely helpful, but no consultant can guarantee that a communications campaign will be a success, you will receive every grant you apply for or your bond will pass. Whether your effort was a rousing success or a complete flop, take the time after completing it to assess your key take-aways.

Most efforts not only will have lessons learned, but they also will leave you with concrete materials you can repurpose or use again. Whether it is a project deliverable that can be used elsewhere, strong grant language you can repurpose for another application or simply an increased understanding of your community and stakeholder’s views and reactions, take some time after your effort to review the lessons learned and the resources gained through the endeavor. This will help you truly make the most of your investment and prepare you for future communications efforts.

Contributed by Crystal Greene, communications consultant

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