And last, but not least, are my two remaining school communication trends – SCN Encourager

Remember, this is a “to learn” list, not a “to do” one.

Let’s take it easy.

Is this really the time to “over-do it” on an extra “to do it?”

Nope.

Working through our current Back to School checklist items is enough.

Thank you for checking in every now and then with my list of Top 10 school communications trends this week.

I hope it gave you something new to think about.

Even if it’s just to wonder why I’m finally getting around to discovering right now what you already knew.

But at least you didn’t gloat!

I’m grateful for that, too!

Here’s the tweetsmart review of  Trends #1-8:

#1   Act FAST. Example: Think 10 minutes or less for launching your school crisis response.

#2   Be CONCISE. Don’t add to the growing pile of communications clutter.

#3   Begin the slow dance with CUSTOMER SERVICE. It’s the new marketing.

#4   Choose your own METRICS THAT MATTER. The others are secondary.

#5   Protecting your BRAND’S ONLINE REPUTATION will take a superhero.
         Is last year’s cape still in style? 

#6   People have high TRUST IN THEIR PEERS. Empathize with humanity, not authority.

#7   Jump on board with LIVE STREAMING VIDEO. It’s hot now. Hotter later.

#8   Look for opportunities in ON DEMAND education. Motivated learners are.

Here’s the link that got this all started last Monday.

And here’s #9.

#9   Push, push, push BIG ASPIRATIONS & BIG DREAMS whenever, however, and wherever.

Frequently legislative edicts and the squeals coming from the testing bureaucracy can cause us to forget what business we’re in.

Not good.

This hurts our ability to focus on our positive school messages, especially in competitive school-choice environments.

All of the non-stop blips about testing, data collection, and score comparisons obscure what we’re all about.

The legacy of public education deserves better than this!

While politicians may dictate mandates, flip-flop on resources, and routinely move learning targets, this doesn’t mean we should let them diminish our core message of hope and promise.

People want to hear more about this.

They NEED to hear more about this.

Now, when you see #10, you may think it contradicts the high flying spirit set forth in trend #9.

And maybe I am ensnarled in another one of my dizzying round-a-bouts.

But think about the various ways the future will challenge our students.

Although we strive to deliver emotionally connected messages rooted in the character of our district, my #10 trend recommends we should do even more to highlight what our schools are doing to empower our students to take risks and learn from authentic real-world experiences.

So…

#10   The winners in tomorrow’s economy will be confident and content “free agents” who are increasingly mobile, more loyal to their causes than their employers, and incredibly resilient.

This truth places every school communicator in a unique situation.

The world is becoming more entrepreneurial.

We’ll now need to attach our standard “aim for stars” school themes to fresh descriptions of how our schools are encouraging new mindsets of problem-solving, taking action, and learning from mistakes with the persistence necessary to eventually arrive at “what works.”

Well now, doesn’t that sound like a lot of fun?

At least the word is entrepreneur is a snap to spell.

—————————————