E-Mail Blasts, Paper Trails, and Talking Heads …
I was part of a panel discussion (which was titled the same as this blog) during the TASB Winter Governance and Legal Seminar in Corpus Christi. Along with Margaret Holmes (Trustee at Iraan-Sheffield ISD) and Keith Forsey (Trustee at Kemp ISD), we discussed communicating with our communities during good times, bad times, and difficult times.
Does your community want to hear everything? Our discussion found that most communities do, although they are less interested in the good stuff. It seems that there is always more of a buzz and interest when things become controversial or gossipy. One of the things that I have discovered in my years of school PR is that people care the most about things that effect them or their families. Constituents may not care so much about what the new school you’re constructing looks like, or how much it costs. But they will care if the new boundaries drawn eliminates their child from going to that new school.
What is transparency? It seems that there is great confusion between transparency and communication. So many school districts feel that being transparent means that they are doing a great job of communicating. Always remember that communication is two way, transparency is not. Communication listens, transparency does not.
