Five Tips for Comms Prep in Election Season
Better to be prepped than just braced for impact
Welcome to the Talking Out of School newsletter! If you were forwarded this email, hit the subscribe button to get weekly insights into indy schools today. Thank you for your support! For more information on program offerings from Julie Faulstich and Stony Creek Strategy, scroll to the end of this article.
Welcome, new subscribers! And thank you readers for passing TOOS along - it’s been such a wonderful response to both last week’s “Women and Leadership” article and the “Insights from an Admissions Pro” interview with Alex Ragone of Norwood School the week before that. I am so pleased these articles connected with you all.
I was also delighted and moved by the emails I received about the “Women and Leadership” article sharing some of your thoughts and what resonated. I am not the only woman who has felt professionally invisible among peers and that effect seems to extend to men who work at girls schools as well. So weird and so interesting! Definitely something to investigate further…and more of the W&L series to come.
But for now, on to the presidential election!
I know there is still significant anxiety out there around managing the impact of election season. I recently gave a talk to INDEX school directors of communication about being prepared as the presidential election continues to heat up and I thought I’d share these tips plus a few more, with all of you. (And thank you to Mary Beth Lambert of UPrep in Seattle for invitation.)
If you don’t have a clear understanding of your guidelines for responding to national or world events, get that in order sooner than later. (If you want to chat, reach out to me - happy to discuss how to get this in order quickly.)
The communications office needs to be ready to support messaging to any and all constituents - this presidential campaign that has already thrown unprecedented curve balls and I would not be surprised if the twists and turns keep coming. And comms folks need to be on the same page as the head of school now, well before election day, and the clock is ticking.
1. Act like a partner to the HOS - have an explicit conversation about the election
This can be challenging as the head is the “big boss.” And the “authority effect” is always a thing and it can be a powerful force in preventing a direct report to step forward with ideas, particularly on a topic as emotionally fraught as politics. But it is such an assist to have a senior administrator who is proactive, bringing potential solutions to a head’s desk rather than waiting for direction. I also realize that depending on the culture of the school and the head’s leadership style, there is a line to walk between proactive and over-stepping, so approach this in a way that works for you - and take baby steps if necessary. But the head needs your expertise, your knowledge and your ability to see around corners. It’s worth it to shift the dynamic if it needs shifting because when the crap hits the fan, you need each other to do what is best for the school.