Archive for October 2014

The ideal costume for school communicators… – SCN Encourager

… is a fitting one for the best elected officials, too. It’s been my contention all week that Halloween and political campaigning share many similarities. #5 in this five part series reminds trick-or-treaters and office seekers alike that it takes more than just relying on all of the respective tools associated with their chosen quest. Much more. And this reminder is an appropriate…

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When a disaster strikes, confidently respond with an effective crisis plan.

A school communicator’s day often feels like a whirlwind. To prevent activity from spiraling out of control, you need a crisis plan – especially if you’re responding to an actual tornado. That’s the message Zac Rantz will share with school communicators attending the Michigan School Public Relations Association’s Fall Drive-In the morning of Nov. 14 at…

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More than counting candy. More than counting votes. – SCN Encourager

Your evening’s really not finished ’til you assess what’cha got. Similarity #4 shared by both trick-or-treaters and political campaigners alike has to do with “taking stock.” After a night of trick or treating with the girls years ago, I always had a blast watching them sort and separate their bounty. They wouldn’t take a bite out of anything…

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Trick or treat! No, wait. I meant to say, “vote for me!” – SCN Encourager

#3 in the ghoulish five-part series highlighting the similarities between Halloween and political campaigning. “Hey, Tom!  Why are you picking on politicians?” C’mon, Do I really need to explain this? But I’ll try… just for you. Despite the fun I’m having this week comparing our current political campaign season with Halloween, I do sincerely hold 93.4% of our office…

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Tuesday Tech Tip: Apply a screencast to your life

“I need to share this!” How many times has this screaming thought crossed your mind, only to evaporate in a mist of deadlines, duties, and doldrums? Consider using a screencast software that records a video of the actions on your screen, then allows you to add arrows, shapes and text to explain your project to…

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Where Halloween and political campaigns collide (#2) – SCN Encourager

Similarity #2 in a fresh fright-filled five-part series Yes, I know it’s “Tech Tip Tuesday.” But since SCN video and podcast expert Jim Camenga made me look like a cheapskate in today’s short video tutorial, I’m not going to give it the usual whopper build-up. His tutorial deserves one, of course, but my heart’s not in it. Jim worked hard on…

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