Mastering the Top Five: It’s Easier Than You Think

No matter where you are in your Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) grant cycle—receiving your award, getting your initiative up and running, or generating true system change—communication is key to success. This Communiqué features simple tips to help even the busiest project director master five essential skills for communicating effectively from startup through sustainability.

1. Thinking Strategically
   Believe it or not, it’s easy to apply strategic thinking to all your communication efforts. Not only does strategic thinking make each task easier, but it helps ensure that your finished product—from a public presentation to a printed piece—will be appropriate and effective. Whether or not you’ve discovered the value of using the Communication & Social Marketing Center’s 8-Step Communication Planning Model, you can work through these simple, but essential, questions:
   
   
   • What results would I like to see?
   • Whom will I need to reach to get those results?
   • What does my audience want or need to know to buy in?
   • How does my audience prefer to receive information?
   • How will I know my efforts are working?

   With the answers as your guide, you’re sure to stay focused on your goals, your audience, and your outcomes. And that’s thinking strategically!

2. Crafting PowerPoint Presentations
   If you’re like most SS/HS project directors, you’ll make at least one PowerPoint presentation in the course of funding—and probably many more. The software is a terrific tool. But it requires your strategic input—and sometimes restraint—in order to be effective.

   As you plan your next PowerPoint presentation, remember that most presentations contain too much information. The slides are jam-packed with text, numbers, graphics, and photos. They contain many different fonts or use lots of animation. Keep these tips in mind as you create your slides:

   • Realize less can be more. An audience can absorb only so many words and images before it tunes out. Don’t pack your slides with information.
   • Avoid using slides as a script. Don’t overload your slides with words. They should support what you’re saying, not replace or duplicate it.
   • Keep it simple. PowerPoint’s many bells and whistles—from animation to endless font options—can actually detract from your presentation. Use them sparingly.
   • Use supporting materials. If you have a lot of important information to share, prepare a factsheet or other takeaway to augment your slide presentation.  
3. Speaking in Public
   Whether you’re delivering a formal presentation, speaking to the media, or talking informally with a group, public speaking can be intimidating. But, like it or not, you’ll often need to muster your courage and skills to engage parents, influence district leaders, interest new partners, or inform your community.
   

   Good speakers have certain things in common: They know their material, vary their delivery, make eye contact, and are passionate about the topic. Here are a few tips to help you master those important skills:

   • Show your enthusiasm. If you’re not excited about your subject, your audience won’t be either. Let your passion come through, and it will be infectious.
   • Write out what you want to say. Some speakers like to memorize a word-for-word script; others use notes that highlight their key points. Do whatever works for you, but do write out something.
   • Practice, practice, practice. There’s no substitute for delivering your speech to others. Ask colleagues or family members to listen and provide input. Then take time every day to rehearse, preferably in front of a mirror. With each session, you’ll become more comfortable with your content and your delivery.  
4. Designing Print Materials
   Whether they’re posters to promote an event, data factsheets for partners, program flyers for parents, or resource binders for schools, print materials are a communication mainstay for SS/HS initiatives. You don’t need a big budget to create effective materials. You do need to think strategically and, perhaps, get a bit of creative help. Always remember these simple ideas:
   
   
   • Make your messages resonate. Do you want teen mothers to enroll in a parenting class or businesses to support your afterschool program? Your goal and your audience will drive the message and tone of every piece. 
   • Design each product with your audience in mind. What will grab your audience’s attention and keep it focused on your message? A poster to attract teens to an afterschool program will look quite different from a data report for partners.
   • Choose the right vehicle. A brochure to help parents understand school security measures will be useless if parents have low literacy. Perhaps a refrigerator magnet with an information hotline would be better.
   • Use the help at hand. You don’t have to be an expert—and you don’t have to do it all yourself. Enlist staff members or partners who are interested in writing or are knowledgeable about design. 

   And remember always to get input from members of your intended audience before you produce your materials. No piece can be effective if it ends up in the circular file!

5. Leveraging Available SS/HS Resources
   Planning and incorporating communication into your initiative can seem overwhelming. Keep in mind that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Use the many free resources at your disposal:
   
   
   • Visit the Communication Web site at http://www.sshs.samhsa.gov/communications for tools, templates, logos, and a wealth of resources available 24/7. 
   • Check out the Communication Coach Online archives at http://www.communicationcoachonline.org. Each issue has in-depth coverage of one communication topic to help SS/HS grantees.
   • Tap your communication specialist, who is committed to helping you solve your site’s specific communication challenges.