Leadership – School PR 365

Branding, Communication, Culture, innovation, Leadership

Unboxing of What’s Worth Doing: Cards for Your Next Step

April 16, 2020April 16, 2020 Jessica Johnston

Several years ago I happened upon a Kickstarter campaign for a company seeking support for what they called a “Brand Deck.” I supported the campaign, received my Brand Deck, and have used it several times – most recently with my team at the beginning of the year to help define our departmental identity and set goals.

A few months ago I came across another Kickstarter campaign for a company seeking support for their newest project, “What’s Worth Doing: Cards for Your Next Step.” It looked intriguing and sort of resonated with me, like the Brand Deck did, so I decided to pledge my support of the project and secure an advanced order.

My “What’s Worth Doing” cards came in last week and I was SO EXCITED to dive in. I took pictures as I opened the package and tried the sorting activity so I could share the experience, in some way, with you! They also have a nice video explanation on their Kickstarter page here. I think I could do this exercise a dozen times, and at different points in my life/career, and come up with new and different ideas to shake things up.

Many of us have had to pivot in these last few weeks to learn new ways to do our jobs, find creative solutions to problems, and innovate with others in a space we never dreamed we’d be in. I am excited to keep exploring how “What’s Worth Doing” might help me break out of my traditional boxes to find new and exciting ways to adapt to these changing, and challenging, times!

Communication, Culture, Leadership

Set up a “good news stand” on your campuses to capture the best stories and reconnect with your staff and students

February 27, 2020 Jessica Johnston

One of the hardest parts of my school PR role is balancing administrative tasks with my role as chief people person and lead storyteller. It’s easy to get sucked into the “at my computer” and “in meetings” duties more than the “get out and see real, live kids and staff” responsibilities. Here’s the saddest part of that scenario, the longer you go without visiting campuses regularly, the more you feel like an imposter when you do visit.

Now, I have worked on almost every campus in Brenham ISD over the last 18 years, so admittedly, I still feel very much at home when I visit most schools. BUT, staffing changes and the growing distance between me as “one of them” and me as “one of THEM” have created some challenges. The start of 2020 (+ our AMAZING #k12prbooks title Stories that Stick by Kindra Hall) renewed my desire to get out there, connect with my people and tell our district’s stories. To help facilitate that and take a more intentional approach, I decided to set up “good news stands” across our district. Here’s what I did…

Good News Stand Plan

{email to admins with idea}

Subject: I can’t wait to share your good news!

Good morning! I am so excited to office from your campus soon to spend an ENTIRE DAY spreading the good news about your students and staff! You don’t have to do anything special on this day, but I do need help selecting a date that will work for you and your campus. I also ask that you please allow me to use a space on your campus (empty classroom, conference room, library, closet, hallway, corner) that can be easily accessed by your staff on that day.

Please click here to select a date. {link to Google Form here}

On your preferred date, I will be asking your staff to stop by and “tell me something good” and/or invite me into their classrooms to see your students in action. All of my media posts that day will be about YOUR staff and students!

THANK YOU for being our district’s best storytellers and for allowing me access to your campuses! Great things are happening all over Brenham ISD and I am so proud to be able to share your good news!

TECH TIP: Create a Google Form with your available dates in a dropdown question format. (Be sure to give admins plenty of choices!) Then, use “Choice Eliminator” in your form to remove options from the list when they have already been selected.

{email to campus conference}

Subject: Raise your hand if you want a jeans pass!

The start of a new year has renewed my focus on finding the good news on our campuses and sharing it with the world! Tomorrow I will be on your campus all day long and I’d love to hear some good news. Find me and tell me something good, any good news at all, and I will give you a jeans pass. EASY!

OR, click here to book an appointment slot {link to your preferred appointment tool} and invite me into your classroom for a few minutes to see your good news in action. In return, I’ll give you a jeans pass AND enter your class into a drawing for a class pizza party. Mmmmm!

You see the good news on your campus and in your classroom each and every day. I need your help to make sure our community also sees the great things happening in Brenham public schools. THANK YOU for being your campus’ storytellers and for allowing me access to your classrooms! Great things are happening all over Brenham ISD and I am so proud to share your good news!

TECH TIP: Use Google Calendar appointment slots to add the classroom visit invitations to your calendar and the requestor’s.

My first good news stand was last week at one of our elementary campuses. I’ll be honest, I was nervous. I had NO idea how it would go (perhaps they’d think this was the dumbest idea ever?!). Nope – it.was.awesome. I hadn’t even been on the campus for 10 minutes and someone had already shared good news with me! (Jeans passes are VERY powerful!) I literally set up my laptop on a metal rolling cart in the hallway of the front office – it was the most perfect, visible place to be! At the end of the day, 17 staff members had shared a piece of good news and I had been invited into 5 classrooms! There were several times when I thought I might burst into tears – it was that good.

I have to give a shout-out to my pal Corey Ryan who is the chief communications officer in Leander ISD and the Central Area TSPRA VP. He did a great activity at a CASPRA meeting called a “school story takeover.” Check out his NSPRA Tip Sheet below for even more ideas!

I would love to know how you are engaging with your students and staff, being intentional about campus visits, and telling your best stories. Share your ideas in the comments below or email me to collaborate!

Good new stand jeans pass template

Leander isd school story takeover tip sheet

Communication, innovation, Leadership

Are you thinking of earning a school PR master’s degree? See my 5 reasons for choosing this one!

January 22, 2020January 21, 2020 Jessica Johnston

Over the last couple of weeks, several of my school PR friends have reached out to get more information or ask questions about the master’s degree I recently earned from Texas Tech University. In December, I earned a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication and Innovation from TTU and I cannot say enough good things about this program. I would go back and do it again in a heartbeat and here are 5 reasons why:

Although the work was challenging, the workload was realistic for a working professional. I have a full-time school PR job and two boys under the age of 10 and managing it all was totally doable. Admittedly, there were some late nights and more than a few weekends, but that should be expected in any post-graduate program.
Each professor provided relevant and thoughtful content, timely feedback, and meaningful projects. I am MOST impressed with the faculty at TTU. They truly took the time to get to know me and I felt a connection with each one of them. There were several video chat opportunities that I took advantage of and I really think that contributed to my personalized learning experience.
Each discussion board was rich with diversity, as I was one of the only school PR pros in the cohort. In the beginning, I was intimidated that I did not have a communications background; however, I soon realized that we can learn A LOT from our industry friends, and vice versa! I loved digesting the varied approaches to communication situations that were presented.
Each course offered me new insight into how to approach strategic communications. Without a doubt, 100% of the content presented throughout this program could be applied to my work in school PR! One of these days I am going to post “42 lessons this 42 year old graduate student learned about communications and school PR” to share it all with you! 🙂
This is a fully online, non-thesis program. The TTU program is 100% online and does not require a thesis. Instead, you will complete an applied project, which is SO MUCH MORE fulfilling. I chose to do my project on brain science and bond election visuals. It was FASCINATING and incredibly applicable to my field.

If you have any other questions or would like to know more about my experience, please feel free to reach out. I am happy to share! I am also attaching my degree plan and the program handbook that might give you some more information about the content and pacing. As we say in Red Raider country, “Wreck ‘Em!”

jjohnston-ttu-graduation-plan Download

omp-handbook-10.19.17 Download

Communication, innovation, Leadership

20 years (- 4 days) later, I walked the Texas Tech University stage again!

December 15, 2019 Jessica Johnston

On Friday, twenty years minus four days after graduating from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, I walked that stage again to earn a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication and Innovation. It was a joyous night with my whole family in attendance and I am sure my parents are glad they didn’t foot the bill this time! A special thanks to my sister who helped with my school bond election research and to my husband for allowing me to cut into our family time (and funds!) to do this thing … again.

The Rambo Family, Texas Tech University, 1999

The most special family members in attendance were my children. They were really too young to understand the gravity of what I was doing when I earned my first master’s degree, but they were fully engaged in the process this time. They saw me work hard, they supported me when I had to do homework (sometimes bringing me drinks and snacks and hugs), and they were patient and understanding when I was largely unavailable during the evenings and on weekends. I walked the stage for them, so they could experience the celebration of completing a postgraduate degree and reaching a goal. I hope I get to see them do the same one day.

The Johnston Family, Texas Tech University, 2019

I cannot say enough good things about this program. Each course offered me new insight into how to approach strategic communications. Each discussion board was rich with diversity, as I was one of the only school PR pros in the cohort (we can learn A LOT from our industry friends, and vice versa!). Each professor provided relevant and thoughtful content, timely feedback, and meaningful projects. The work was challenging and sometimes frustrating, but oh so rewarding!

I must admit, I am a big ol’ NERD and I love to learn. There was a time when I thought I’d pursue a doctorate and the hooding of the doctoral graduates Friday night made my heart pitter-patter; however, I solemnly swear I will not go back to school ever again. 🙂 My next goal is to earn my APR. Until then, I am excited to be continuing my work TTU professor of public relations Dr. Paul Bolls. Dr. Bolls taught the first course I took for this program, Neuromarketing for Professionals, and was also my final project advisor. He completely hooked me with his course on neuromarketing and brain science and then coached me through an exciting content analysis of school bond election materials. Dr. Bolls directs Media Mind Insights, an academic Neuromarketing research group at TTU, and we feel like there is more work to be done in the area of brain science and school bond elections.

If you’re considering a graduate program in communications, I HIGHLY recommend the online master’s program in strategic communication & innovation from Texas Tech University. I did a lot of research when I was thinking about earning a degree in communications and the coursework for this program was just fascinating. I can tell you with absolute certainty that I got my money’s worth! Feel free to reach out if you want additional thoughts or have questions. Happy to share!

Wishing you all a safe, restful and UNEVENTFUL school PR holiday season! Wreck ‘em!

Communication, innovation, Leadership

11 books about strategic communication and innovation that challenged my approach to school PR

September 2, 2019September 2, 2019 Jessica Johnston

I am a nerd. I love to learn and I love to go to school. I have a Master of Education in Instructional Leadership from Sam Houston State University and I just started my last semester to complete a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication and Innovation from Texas Tech University. My husband {lovingly} calls me a nerd and I wear that label proudly (although I have promised him that I will NOT get another degree!).

I also love books. I love to read and make connections between what the authors are proposing and how I live my life or do my job. Being relatively new to school PR, I challenged myself 14 months ago to earn this degree to become a better, more informed resource for my district. The books below are all of the texts I have read as part of the TTU MCOM master’s program. Some made me scratch my head and others made my head spin, but they all challenged my way of thinking about school PR.

What are your favorite communications and public relations books?

Also, be sure to check out my new favorite podcast, School PR Happy Hour! Big high five to my school PR pals Justin Dearing and Erin McCann for this new project, and thank you for letting me be a part of it!

Communication, Culture, Leadership

Three communication/leadership/PR presentations (you’re welcome to steal!) from day 1 of our back-to-school PD conference, Brenham U

August 5, 2019 Jessica Johnston

Today was THE BEST day! Today all of my Brenham ISD “frens” came back! Although I love the summer for strategic planning and catching up, it’s just too quiet. I always feel like a little kid on the first day of school when convocation rolls around. 🙂 It’s like a family reunion!

Our theme this year is Great Things Happen Here!

We had an OUTSTANDING speaker who I highly recommend if you’re looking for someone engaging and funny with a CRYSTAL clear message that this is more than a job, it’s more than a paycheck, it’s a calling. He is a wonderful mix of magic and illusions with stories that will hit you right in the heart. And he’s from Austin, Texas, so he’s right in our backyard! Click here to learn more about Billy Riggs.

After lunch I presented the 3 sessions below (click the links to access the Google presos, File > Make a Copy to create your own version!). I am so grateful to each of you who attended and added to the conversations. You filled up my bucket today and I can’t wait for day 2 tomorrow!

Are you BrandED?

Each of us has a brand, whether we consciously shape it or allow others to do it for us. You may not be intentionally building your brand, but every post you make and hand you shake conveys your identity and communicates the value you offer. Come explore some easy steps to define, build and manage your brand. It’s time to get brandED!

Hard at work on their leadership brand statements!

Find Your Mojo with a Year of Yes

Shonda Rhimes, creator of popular TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, committed to a “year of yes” to get out of her comfort zone and find a balance between career and family. Come hear her Ted Talk story and join in a discussion about how you can say yes more often to stay energized and satisfied at work and at home.

After watching Shonda’s Ted Talk we did a “Chalk Talk” activity and discussed the trends.

Confident Communication – Come find your voice!

Effective communication is one of your most powerful tools. In an educational environment it is important to get it right – both externally with students and parents and internally with colleagues. Come learn how to engage in the two-way communication process, build effective listening skills, and break down barriers to effective communication.

I love the Chalk Talk activity. It gives everyone, event reluctant sharers, a chance to have a voice.

We had SO MANY good conversations surrounding these questions!

Communication, Culture, Leadership

SUPER fun back-to-school staff icebreaker … Never Have I Ever (campus/office edition!)

July 18, 2019 Jessica Johnston

A while back I saw a clip of The Ellen DeGeneres Show where Ellen played Never Have I Ever with Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow and Paul Bettany. It was hilarious! (You can watch it here.) I thought – HEY, that would be a fun icebreaker to do with district leaders!

I can tell you now, from personal experience, that it is a MOST ENJOYABLE icebreaker to do with your staff or team! I can’t remember the last time we all laughed that hard! In fact, those paddles were held up long after the icebreaker was over in support or denial of statements throughout our leadership retreat, eliciting further chuckles.

I won’t tell you what question this was to protect the innocent! 😉

This is nothing groundbreaking or particularly creative, but I am sharing the questions I asked and a printable PDF of the I Have / I Have Never cards in case you need something fun to do with your staff to kick off the year. It is super easy – I just printed the cards on cardstock, then folded them over, cut them in half and glued a popsicle stick in the middle.

Never Have I Ever Questions

Worn two different shoes to work
Fallen asleep at my desk
Laughed at a student’s inappropriate joke
Taken work home that never made it out of the car
Yelled at my computer screen
Fallen in the hallway of my school or building
Cleaned my desk by piling everything into one stack
Dozed off during professional development
Rolled down the hallway in my office chair
Played on my phone while trying to look like I am doing something important

never-have-i-ever-signs Download

What is your favorite icebreaker to do with staff upon returning from summer break?

Communication, Culture, Leadership, NSPRA, TSPRA

Full bucket, grateful heart reflections from my first NSPRA Seminar

July 17, 2019 Jessica Johnston

I started and stopped this post several times because I don’t really know how to do justice to my first NSPRA Seminar experience with mere words. How do I write a feeling? How do I adequately convey the true impact of building new relationships? My school PR bucket is full and I can’t wait to get back and start planning for the new school year! The day before I left for Washington, D.C. I cleared off the “Dreaming-Doing-Done” board in my office. It will no doubt be full of new ideas very soon!

I can easily move the sticky notes from dreaming to doing to done as the ideas come to life!

I am so grateful to each person I met over the last 5 days. I loved the New Professionals Pre-Seminar. It was comforting to be in a room with other new school PR practitioners, soaking up knowledge from two veteran PR pros (thank you Susan and Chris!). Although I am entering my fourth year in school PR, I walked away from that experience with a wealth of ideas and a renewed focus. My biggest takeaway was utilizing RACE / R-PIE in all communication efforts. One of my goals this year is to focus on the research step before diving into implementation.

To the AWESOME #k12prchat family, THANK YOU for welcoming me with open arms and thank you for the Chatty Award! I distinctly remember my mouth falling wide open when Cathy called my name. I did not see that coming AT ALL! I love my hashtag, #jumpin. You all have made it easy for me to jump into the chat and into the group. I am constantly learning from and with you and I am so grateful.

Having presented at conferences in the past, I fully understand the preparation and hard work that are required to plan and deliver quality content. My sincere thanks to those of you who presented at the NSPRA Seminar. I took 10 pages of notes! Your willingness to share your vast expertise and experiences will make me a stronger resource for my district. I am better because of you!

For those of you who may be reading this but were unable to attend the NSPRA Seminar, please feel free to peruse my notes below. I have also included links to notes I have taken at past TSPRA conferences. I hope you are able to fill up your PR bucket with some new ideas, tips, or tricks. #sharingiscaring #bettertogether 🙂

Safe travels to all who are heading back home from Washington, D.C. and thank you, again, to the NSPRA scholarship committee for giving me an opportunity to learn from the best in the nation. I am hooked and I will find a way to see you all next year in St. Louis!

With my friend Heidi Otero who encouraged me to reach for the stars and apply for an NSPRA scholarship!

Communication, Leadership, NSPRA

My first day at the 2019 NSPRA Seminar did not disappoint! Follow along with me here!

July 14, 2019 Jessica Johnston

First of all, I want to thank the NSPRA scholarship committee again for awarding me the Armistead New Professional Scholarship, making it possible for me to attend my first national school PR seminar! The scholarship provided my seminar registration, along with registration for NSPRA’s New Professionals Pre-Seminar Workshop, which started yesterday. By lunchtime yesterday, my bucket was already full! SO many great tips and ideas shared about research, strategic planning, and developing key messages. A big thanks to Susan Brott and Chris Tennill for hosting this awesome learning opportunity.

Every time I attend a conference, I share my live notes for others to follow along. I am a nerdy note taker, but I using Google Docs allows me to go back and search through all of my conference archives when I’m looking for “that” idea. 🙂

Click here for my 2019 NSPRA Seminar notes!

Branding, Leadership

Looking for summer reads? Here are my 10 favorite girl power, school PR and leadership books!

June 27, 2019 Jessica Johnston

I – love – to – read! I love to read fiction, non fiction, mystery books, girlie books, biographies, self help and academic books whenever I get the chance. Now that my children are a little older, I am able to find a bit more time to read, which is awesome. I put this list in ABC order because it’s too hard to rank them by my favorite. They have all impacted my life and/or my career in some way and I hope you are able to find a new read for your summer list from these recommendations!

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Hi reader, because I may not know you very well, I may have to ask that you put your political views aside for this recommendation. Or perhaps not. Either way, this book is full of girl power, beautifully written, inspiring and empowering. I loved learning more about Michelle Obama’s childhood, her upbringing and how she lived as the First Lady while trying not to lose herself. I also loved the feeling that I got to peek behind the curtain of the White House. (I am on a little First Lady kick right now and am currently reading Spoken from the Heart by Laura Bush!)

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

This book doesn’t have anything to do with school PR, but it is 100% about girl power, perseverance, family, love and survival. The author, a young journalist, began experiencing psychiatric symptoms that baffled doctors and specialists and landed her in a catatonic state. Thankfully, her family wouldn’t rest until a diagnosis was made and she was on the road to recovery. I found this story absolutely fascinating for the medical mystery factor, and also for the resilience of the author and her family.

BrandED: Tell Your Story, Build Relationships, and Empower Learning by Eric Sheninger and Trish Rubin

This is one I read in hard copy and I wore out my highlighter as I read it! There are many applicable real-world examples and case studies that you can apply to your own situation, plus an appendix with great worksheet-type resources. One of my favorite quotes is: “Do yourself a service: Create your own brand.” We hear about branding in the corporate world ALL the time, but I don’t think we talk about it enough in public education. This is a great book to get that conversation started!

Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown

I like to listen to books on Audible when I am traveling or driving back and forth to conferences and meetings. This is one I listened to and I am SO GLAD I did! I loved hearing Brene’s own voice tell her stories and share her recipe for true belonging. The message is so good … we can truly belong without giving up who we really are. Who knew?! I bought this book for my entire team after I listened to it and will definitely be reading it again … next time in hard copy so I can highlight and take notes!

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh

I – loved – this – book! It was so uplifting and inspiring! This is another one I listened to on Audible during my nightly walk in my neighborhood and it definitely put a pep in my step! Tony Hsieh is the creator of Zappos and in this book he shares everything he learned about company culture and customer service. One of my favorite culture builders was “The Face Game” but you’ll have to read the book to find out what that is!

How to Get Run Over by a Truck by Katie McKenna

The author LITERALLY got run over by a truck! In this memoir she takes the reader through her accident and her LONG journey to recovery. If you’re needing to fill your bucket and find the strength to overcome adversity, give this one a try!

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

I have no doubt that this book is the very reason I have the job I have today. I listened to this book at a pivotal time in my career. I was looking for a new challenge, but I was feeling sheepish about trying to pave my own way. I remember walking through my neighborhood one night listening to Sheryl on Audible and literally fist pumping as she talked about empowerment, asking for a seat at the table, and NOT apologizing for it. So, I did. And here I am.

Let’s Take the Long Way Home and New Life, No Instructions by Gail Caldwell

Grab your tissues for this duo! The first title is a beautiful story of unlikely friendship, unconditional love and loss. The second title is a sequel that chronicles Caldwell’s life, the loss of a friend, recovery from a hip replacement, and triumph in the face of adversity. These do not directly fall into any of the three categories of this post, but definitely have themes of girl power and leadership woven into each beautiful story.

Your School Rocks, So Tell People by Ryan McLane

This is an easy read that provides practical ways teachers and administrators can give parents a behind-the-scenes look at what’s really happening in school. There’s a large focus on social media with tips for videos, hashtags, blogging and more. I read this one digitally on Kindle and did quite a bit of click-and-drag highlighting throughout! Great for those just getting started with social media storytelling.

There are at least a dozen other titles that I could add to this list, but this is a good place to start. Maybe I’ll do a part 2 after I finish my summer reads. 🙂 I would love to know what you’re reading! Share your favorite girl power, school PR or leadership book in the comments below so I can add them to my list!