Elevator Talk - An Advocacy Tool

There are times when you only have a brief opportunity to make a personal contact with someone, perhaps a key decision maker in your community or school district. There's an old adage that says "you only have one chance to make a good first impression." In those cases, you want to be prepared to share a personal story about your school or about an issue you care about.

These short, often no more than 30 seconds, stories are called "elevator talks" because they occur quickly, on the spur of the moment and don't last long. People tire quickly of tedious talk but they can be motivated to action by a short, engaging story about some event, some success, some person at your school. When I was a principal I quickly learned the importance of having a whole set of "elevator talks" that I could use when casually meeting parents or community members. The encounters were often in the aisles of a grocery store, in the parking lot after church, on the sidelines of a soccer game, in the stands at a basketball game or many other places. And it often started with a questions such as "how  are things going?" Each encounter provided a unique opportunity to share about my school.

Advocating for their school, for their students and staff, and for assuring that every child has an engaging academic experience is one of a principal's most important roles. And one of the most compelling ways to advocate is through the use of stories or short "elevator talks." I'd encourage you to develop your repertoire of stories and would enjoy hearing from you about your success advocating for your school.

The Principal as Advocate

Whether you recognize it or not, you are an advocate, always advocating for your school and the resources you need to improve the educational experience of your students. Advocacy is often compared to public relations but is actually quite different. When a leader advocates for their school they are committed to providing information to stakeholder groups that will build support for their vision of a high performing school. It is a recognition of the importance of building networks and alliances to support their efforts.

One helpful tool is to build a "Key Communicator Network." The network, developed by the National School Public Relations Association includes several key steps.

• Bring together a small group of trusted people who know the community. Talk with them about those whom others listen to. They may not be in formal leadership roles but communicate regularly with lots of people (barber, cab driver, supermarket checkout clerk).
• Be sure and represent all segments of the community.
• Invite these people to join your communication group and then ask them to meet regularly with you to provide honest, objective, information about your school.
• Encourage them to keep their ears open for any questions or concerns community members may have about the school. It's always good to learn about issues early.
• Establish a way to maintain communication with the group consistently throughout the year.

The most effective leaders need, and build, a network of people who provide them with accurate, timely information about their school. These same individuals can also share information with the larger community about your school's successes and your vision for your school's success. The Key Communicator Network is one way to establish two-way communication with your community. I'd enjoy learning about other ways you've found to advocate for your school and its students.

Advocacy and Emerging Technology

Principals and other school leaders are advocates. They are always advocating for their schools and ways to improve the educational experience of their students. Advocacy can be an effective way to press for change. It is also an important part of our democratic system and allows ordinary people to shape and influence policy at all levels.

Technology has changed the way we advocate, the way we share information about our schools. A recent story in the NY Times discussed how parents increasingly crave timely information about their children's schools. While traditional media will remain part of any advocacy plan, emerging technology is increasingly used by schools to communicate with parents. Many schools have created Facebook pages and Twitter accounts as a tool to quickly share information with families and others about their school and its successes.

Here are some things you might want to consider as you assess your use of technology to advocate for your school.

• How often is your school website updated? Is the information current and easily accessible to families?
• Does your website include information about your vision for your school?
• Does the website provide information that families can use to become involved in the education of their children?
• Does your school have a presence on social networking sites (Twitter, Facebook)?
• If so, what sort of messages and information do you share? Doe you use it regularly to communicate?
• Do families and community know your school has a presence on these sites?

As I work with my friend Howard Johnston to finish our book on social media we are looking for examples of principals using emerging technology to advocate for their school. We'd enjoy hearing from you about your successes and your challenges.

Creating An Advocacy Plan For Your School

Principals are advocates, always advocating for their school and ways to improve the educational experience of their students. It's one of your more important roles.

Advocacy is a way to effectively press for change. It is the foundation of our democracy and a process that allows ordinary people to shape and influence policy at all levels.

So, how do you get started on creating an advocacy plan. In our new book, Rigorous Schools and Classrooms: Leading the Way, Barbara Blackburn and I suggest an seven-step process.

• First, analyze your environment: Scan the environment in which your school exists---district, community, state, nation, world. Then identify the issues that affect your school and those that affect your community more broadly.
• Monitor changes in your environment. Read voraciously, talk with a wide selection of people in your community and stay current with trends at the state and national level.
• Identify the factors needed for success: Look beyond traditional factors (good teachers, money) and consider emerging issues such as the acquisition of technology, the ability to respond to changing conditions. Identify groups in your community with which you can partner.
• Think about your assumptions: Identify the assumptions you hold about your school and community. Test them by assessing the degree of certainly (high, medium, low) and the level of impact (high, medium, low). Assumptions play an important role in constructing the future.
• Develop a vision of an alternative future: Consider the issue of rigor and identify the factors you identified that are critical for success. Develop a vision of the future different than the current circumstances. Creating several alternatives is better.
• Consider allies and opponents: Identify individuals or groups that may support your efforts as well as those who may resist. Be sure to include those you know and those who may emerge. Develop a plan for building alliances with your allies and understand the opposition.
• Develop a plan for advocating for your desired future: Identify specific steps that can be taken to achieve the anticipated future. Develop both "hedging strategies" that can cope with undesirable futures and "shaping strategies" that help create the desired future.

I'd enjoy hearing from you about the ways you advocate for your school and its students.