Communications with Key Citizens and More
Key Communicators are people who are active in the community. They have many connections in the community, speak often to various people in the community who are trusted and widely regarded for their leadership and input. Key Communicators might be local business owners, retirees, parents, or community members. They are sincere dedicated people who want to be involved and care about our schools. The concept of key communicators, I believe, was developed by Dr. Rich Bagin, Executive Director of the National School Public Relations Association.
The NSBA Tip Sheet on Key Communicators
People talk to people … those people talk to other people. And that is how a lot of school news gets around. One problem is that this communication system is unreliable and usually one-way. Bits of information filter outward from the schools into the community along informal channels without accuracy or completeness. Thus, rumors form, spread, and become difficult to counteract. When the misinformation filters back to school officials, it is often too late for a meaningful response, and sparks that could have been quickly snuffed out become major fires. School board members and administrators from every school district can cite examples in which rapidly spreading rumors caused misunderstandings to multiply. In these cases, crises that could have been headed off happened so quickly that the usual newsletters and news releases were useless.
What? To control this grapevine system of communications, set up an active key communicator network. Essentially, a key communicator network is a group of opinion leaders who establish solid two-way communications among organizations and their publics. These opinion leaders talk to lots of people who tend to listen to what they have to say. Key communicators agree to disseminate accurate information and correct misinformation about the school system. They keep in touch with school officials and immediately report misperceptions and inaccuracies.
A key communicator network allows a school district to get accurate news out to the staff and community quickly. It enables school officials to intercept potentially harmful rumors. And it costs very little to set up and maintain.
Why? Research shows that people believe their friends and neighbors more than they believe the media. Marketing research supports this view, revealing that people make major purchases based on what others tell them about a product or a service. It is reasonable to assume that people make decisions about schools the same way. Thus, school officials must spend time cultivating relationships with key employees and community members and keeping them informed if they want to gain understanding and acceptance of their school programs. Studies have found that mass communication generally does not change minds but only reinforces existing positions, activating opposition as well as support. One-on-one communication, on the other hand, is quiet and speaks directly to the target audiences. The aim of key communicators is to build support, deflecting any effects of criticism. The media rarely launch crusades; they usually report the ideas of others. A well-organized, campaign targeting opinion leaders discourages attacks by going straight to the people who bring issues to the media.
Benefits of a Key Communicator Network Being person-to-person in nature, the program enables school officials to establish two-way communication and get a quick pulse of the community. The program helps to bridge the distance between school officials and the community – the community gets to know school officials as people, not distant figureheads. Regular communications to key opinion leaders offers more opportunities to convey the many successes of positive accomplishments in the schools. A major benefit of the program is rumor control or a controlled grapevine whereby volatile issues or confrontations are quickly communicated to these opinion leaders. Communicating negative news or problems to this group also establishes candor and openness and ultimately will establish credibility between school officials and the citizenry.
Who? Key communicators are adults and students who have credibility in the community. They may or may not be in positions of authority or officially recognized leaders. They may be barbers, beauticians, or bartenders. They often are dentists, gas station owners, firefighters, post office clerks, and news agency owners. Within a school, they are often secretaries or custodians. In one way or another, however, these opinion leaders have an interest in their community schools. Interestingly, opinion leaders who make up a successful key communicator network are seldom the loudmouths who complain at every school board meeting. More likely, they are the people who only speak when they feel it is important and when they have a valid statement to make. They are the people others ask
“What do you think about … ?” Key communicators should represent the different demographic segments of the community as well as the various segments of the school district staff. Having good two-way communication in place internally is extremely important. Employees resent hearing school information first from community residents. Key communicators are everywhere, but even though they are highly influential, they may not be highly visible. Their distinguishing characteristics are that they are well-respected and people trust their opinions. Critics should definitely be invited. In a group of 10 people, one or two critics usually add credibility to the undertaking. Experience has shown that after involvement in a key communicator process, critics frequently become supporters.
Where? The work of key communicators is carried out in churches, homes, businesses, organization meetings, clubs, or schools. Only one meeting of all the key communicators is usually necessary, and it should be brief and to the point. Much of the two-way communication between a key communicator and school officials is by phone, brief mailings, or in person. To better communicate with your key communicator network, you may want to set up a telephone system to record 30-second messages relaying the facts of the situation and telling callers to dial another number for more information. If a crisis develops in one school, the system allows calls to the key communicators serving that school. When? A good time to start a key communicator network is in the fall. While key communicators are most helpful in a time of trouble or turmoil, you need to establish mutual trust and credibility before you can depend on them to call you when they hear a rumor or to set someone straight who’s spreading misinformation. Once key communicators are identified, it is critical to communicate with them regularly on a personal, one-to-one basis. Their phone calls to school officials should be returned immediately, and their requests for information answered promptly. If you expect them to share good news about the schools, they must have that information in a timely and understandable fashion.