Communication

Brainstorm who your key stakeholders are. Remember to include both those who have influence over your SEL work as well as those who are affected by it. These may include:

• District administrators
• Students
• Teachers
• Parents
• Early education and afterschool program providers
• Researchers
• School board members
• Guidance counselors
• Local law enforcement
• Local businesses
• Community organizations

Once you’ve identified your stakeholders, prioritize them according to two factors: (1.) their influence on the SEL implementation, and (2.) their interest in SEL implementation.

You need to establish clear goals so that your communication plan will be effective. When developing these goals, be sure to link them with the audiences you already outlined.

Here are some examples of goals that are linked with audiences:

• Austin Independent School District wants to reach out to existing and potential funders to help them understand the research findings underpinning the district’s SEL initiative.
• Nashville Metro Public Schools wants to target parents and students in order to build visibility and understanding of SEL work through specific success stories.

Once you’ve identified your goal and target audience, you need to develop your message.

A method called message mapping can help you build effective and clear messaging. With message mapping, you develop the following:

• Core statement: A single sentence that sums up what you want to communicate. Think of it as your “elevator pitch.”
• Key messages: The key messages support your core statement by answering the question, “What does that mean?” With your key messages, you explain how you will translate your vision into action. Typically, you’ll try to develop three key messages.
• Key messages: The key messages support your core statement by answering the question, “What does that mean?” With your key messages, you explain how you will translate your vision into action. Typically, you’ll try to develop three key messages.
• Support points: For each key message, you’ll want to provide three support points. These are your “proof” that your message is true. Often, support points are statistics, case studies, or stories from the field.

For more about message mapping as well as a message map worksheet, download Steps for Developing Effective Communication Strategies for Social Emotional Learning Guide.

There are a variety of ways to get your message out about SEL. To be most effective, you’ll likely want to use a variety of media and communication channels to get your message to your target audiences.

Here are some examples of ways to reach your audiences:

• Create a presentation for professional learning, school-based meetings, or town halls to introduce stakeholders to SEL. Examples include:
  • Sacramento’s Putting Children First
  • CASEL introduction to SEL
  • Nashville: Introduction that Includes Current SEL Related Practices
• Develop and distribute a brochure or newsletter to parents to educate them about SEL and how it will contribute to students’ success. Here are some examples:
  • Austin Independent School District’s parent flyer
  • Austin Independent’s School District’s parent newsletter
• Find or create a video about SEL that could either be shown at a meeting or professional learning session or posted on the district website. Examples include:
  • CASEL’s SEL for Parents (8:31 runtime); also available in Spanish (8:50 runtime)
  • Smart Hearts (English and Spanish): Introduction to SEL (12:51 runtime)
  • PBS News Hour on SEL (Video) (8:04 runtime)
  • Austin: A District Embracing SEL (6:41 runtime)
• Summarize research findings for those in a position to influence budgeting, hiring, or funding for SEL. Examples include:
  • The Positive Impact of Social Emotional Learning for K - 8th Grade Students: Executive Summary of Three Scientific Reviews
  • Essays by Thought Leaders: How Social Emotional Learning Helps Student Succeed in School, in the Workplace and in Life
• Create a web page on your district’s website to help students see the value of SEL, as seen on Anchorage’s SEL for Students web page.
• Place articles in traditional news media, such as newspapers or on local news broadcasts. You can use existing publications, white papers, issue briefs, and case studies to create a base of resources on a topic area. Use these materials to create press releases to demonstrate to news outlets that your SEL initiative deserves coverage. Here are some examples:
• “Can in-school meditation help curb youth violence?” Chicago Tribune
• “Austin ISD Superintendent Cruz discusses achievement gaps, social-emotional learning,” Community Impact Newspaper
• Engage your audience through social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook and online publishing media such as blogs. These platforms allow for “instant” communication and let you engage back-and-forth with your target audiences. Here are some examples:
  • Austin ISD SEL Facebook
  • Atlanta Superintendent Blog
  • Austin ISD SEL Twitter
  • Austin ISD SEL Pinterest
  • Anchorage SEL Facebook

Your plan should include specific outreach activities and timelines. This sample communication plan can serve as a model. You can also download the Steps for Developing Effective Communication Strategies for Social Emotional Learning Guide for a worksheet to help you create your own communication plan.