By Greg Howard – February 11, 2013
When it comes to managing school PR, principals and superintendents must often wear that hat without having formal training. Larger schools and school districts will have a full-time communications director on staff, but administrators at smaller schools and districts may be responsible for handling public communications themselves. Being ready to talk to reporters during difficult times, as well as being proactive and seeking positive press to earn goodwill in the community, should be on the mind of school leaders regardless of school size.
The archive of our recent webinar on school press relations is now available on the SchoolReach Professional Development page to help school administrators who may not have easy access to an experienced communications professional. This free, one-hour presentation will teach you the basics of communications planning and instruct you on how to interact effectively with members of the media. You’ll find out what to do, what not to do, and learn some practical, tested tactics that you can use right away.
Learn how to:
- Build relationships between your school and the media
- How to talk to reporters and what you should say
- How to keep parents informed
- How to communicate in a crisis situation
Some of the facts and strategies discussed in this webinar may surprise you if you don’t have a background in public relations. That’s why we recommend that school administrators at schools large and small attend our school media communications webinar. Think about it: you never know when an unexpected event, such as a lockdown or a sudden crisis, will occur. Speaking the wrong words to a reporter can make a bad situation worse. In addition, you also want to get good news on your school or district out to the community to enhance your public image. You need to know how interact effectively with the media, whenever they call or visit your campus.
In our webinar on public relations for school leaders, you’ll get to hear from the communications director of a large public school district in Ohio. Sandy Nekoloff (pictured above) of South-Western City School District has 15 years of experience in communications, and her district serves 20,000 students scattered across an area that is part urban, part suburban, and part rural. Considering the wide area that the district covers, Ms. Nekoloff interacts with every imaginable type of media outlet, from reporters at well-known media outlets to local publications and community bloggers. In just one hour, she’ll give you the scoop (pardon the pun) on how to get your message out to the media in your area.
Click here to view a recording of this free, informative webinar.
