Engaging Everyone Naomi Frierson Family & Community Engagement Committee Florida PTA
Objectives Identify the differences between Involvement, Engagement, and Empowerment Recognizing diversity in your team and community, as it relates to personality and resources Utilizing tools to gauge effectiveness and connect with others Building a deeper, higher quality leadership pool
Getting People in the Door: What Does it Take? Involvement
How to Gain Involvement Welcoming - not overwhelming Flexible - given realistic opportunities Clarity - listening and understanding each others needs Making a connection being sincere Identifying then removing barriers
Hindrances to Involvement FEAR ASSUMPTION ATTITUDES ISOLATIONS
They re involved, now what? Engagement Involvement
What does engagement get us? People Members Labor/volunteers Outcomes Supporting the school Holding events Shared workload School/Community spirit
Systemic Change: Creating Actual Empowerment Engagement Empowerment Involvement
Empowerment Increased awareness Sense of value and success A set of day-to-day practices, attitudes, beliefs Shared power in ownership and decision making Creating solutions, visions, and strategies Advocacy - creating a larger voice or foundation to speak from True collaboration - trust and viewing each other as partners Enable, Empower, Entrust
Affirm and Value Diversity Be inclusive, not exclusive Recognize and Respect ALL View diversity as rich resources and opportunities Ensure that your committees reflect the entire community it serves
Involvement > Engagement > Empowerment No single approach will engage everyone Understand and plan for turnover Request help from influencers Find and remember triggers and be on the lookout for tolerance level(s) Be conscious and aware of practices, attitudes, beliefs and interactions (from multiple viewpoints)
Communication What s the goal? Simply put, your communications plan gives you an opportunity to connect and engage with more people in you school and community. In the end, the better we can work together, the better experience and education our children will get at school.
Newsletters Newsletters are a great way to get in front of your families. Creating a well-organized, informative document is key. Calendar of school and PTA events PTA/PTSA articles (membership, volunteering, etc.) Use Google Translate to offer your newsletter to non-english speakers
Email Services Add sign-up forms to Facebook and website Can post links to social media sites Use custom or pre-made templates Create an e-newsletter Use for updates and reminders User-friendly
Websites Websites are best used for information that doesn t change often. User-friendly platforms like WordPress are easily customizable and maintained. Contact Information Membership information Calendar of events Links National PTA website Florida PTA website Capwiz (National/Florida PTA s) Volunteer Information Copies of your Newsletter Downloadable Membership Form Use Google Translate to make your site accessible to a broader audience
Social media good or bad? GOOD Efficient form of communication Builds a sense of community Provides useful, instant feedback Allows sharing of experiences Increased reach BAD Heat of the moment communication Bad experiences can be magnified (the bandwagon effect) Cannot control negative feedback
Social Media - Platforms Facebook It s FREE Post updates to gain feedback from followers Post events to keep your community in the loop Provide links to videos and forms Share PTA/PTSA information easily with a quick click Hashtags are now usable on Facebook (#NaomiIsAwesome) Twitter It s FREE and great for PTSA s Mention other followers using the @ sign followed by the username (ex. @floridapta) Update events while they re happening Remind members of meetings/events Others Website/Blog YouTube Pinterest Instagram Vine Snapchat
Hints & Tips for Communications Have a social media policy Schedule posts when users are online 8-9 AM 4-6 PM 9-11 PM Engage your users Ask questions/surveys Post and print pictures Suggest interactions Be a person, not a page Users want to engage a person, not a computer Don t be afraid to use your voice Increase your reach Incentivize participants Share content from other sources and encourage them to share yours (FLPTA, NPTA, other units) Create content others WANT to read and share Monitor and respond Share your page On your personal page On other member s pages In newsletters and flyers
Surveys Formal and informal Include many groups (who you have, who you don t, new recruits, those leaving) Use surveys to determine: What do they want, when do they want it, and are we being effective: communication direction/training acknowledgements (limited, or not; public recognition or not) Find motivator or trigger Use to keep checking temperature
QUEST Quick Enneagram Sorting Test
Scoring Your QUEST 2-Digit Code Type AX 7 AY 8 AZ 3 BX 9 BY 4 BZ 5 CX 2 CY 6 CZ 1
The Caring, Interpersonal Type: Generous, Demonstrative, People- Pleasing, and Possessive Basic Fear: Of being unwanted, unworthy of being loved Basic Desire: To feel loved Key Motivations: Want to be loved, to express their feelings for others, to be needed and appreciated, to get others to respond to them, to vindicate their claims about themselves. The Success-Oriented, Pragmatic Type: Adaptable, Excelling, Driven, and Image- Conscious Basic Fear: Of being worthless Basic Desire: To feel valuable and worthwhile Key Motivations: Want to be affirmed, to distinguish themselves from others, to have attention, to be admired, and to impress others. The Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic Basic Fear: Of being corrupt/evil, defective Basic Desire: To be good, to have integrity, to be balanced Key Motivations: Want to be right, to strive higher and improve everything, to be consistent with their ideals, to justify themselves, to be beyond criticism so as not to be condemned by anyone. What makes us different, makes us stronger
The Sensitive, Introspective type: Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental Basic Fear: That they have no identity or personal significance Basic Desire: To find themselves and their significance (to create an identity) Key Motivations: Want to express themselves and their individuality, to create and surround themselves with beauty, to maintain certain moods and feelings, to withdraw to protect their selfimage, to take care of emotional needs before attending to anything else, to attract a rescuer. The Intense, Cerebral Type: Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated Basic Fear: Being useless, helpless, or incapable Basic Desire: To be capable and competent Key Motivations: Want to possess knowledge, to understand the environment, to have everything figured out as a way of defending the self from threats from the environment. The Committed, Security- Oriented Type: Engaging, Responsible, Anxious, and Suspicious Basic Fear: Of being without support and guidance Basic Desire: To have security and support Key Motivations: Want to have security, to feel supported by others, to have certitude and reassurance, to test the attitudes of others toward them, to fight against anxiety and insecurity. What makes us different, makes us stronger
The Caring, Interpersonal Type: Generous, Demonstrative, People- Pleasing, and Possessive Basic Fear: Of being unwanted, unworthy of being loved Basic Desire: To feel loved Key Motivations: Want to be loved, to express their feelings for others, to be needed and appreciated, to get others to respond to them, to vindicate their claims about themselves. The Success-Oriented, Pragmatic Type: Adaptable, Excelling, Driven, and Image- Conscious Basic Fear: Of being worthless Basic Desire: To feel valuable and worthwhile Key Motivations: Want to be affirmed, to distinguish themselves from others, to have attention, to be admired, and to impress others. The Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic Basic Fear: Of being corrupt/evil, defective Basic Desire: To be good, to have integrity, to be balanced Key Motivations: Want to be right, to strive higher and improve everything, to be consistent with their ideals, to justify themselves, to be beyond criticism so as not to be condemned by anyone. What makes us different, makes us stronger
Four Domains of Leadership Strengths Executing (Make Things Happen) Influencing (Help Teams Reach a Wider Audience) Relationship Building (Keeps Team Together) Strategic Thinking (Focused on What Could Be)
Executing Executing (Make Things Happen) Ability to catch an idea and make it a reality Deliberative or Discipline strengths will establish a quality process Achiever works tirelessly toward a goal Arranger will determine the optimal configuration of people needed to complete a task
Influencing Influencing (Help Teams Reach a Wider Audience) Help their team reach a broader audience by selling the ideas inside and outside the organization When you need someone to take charge, speak up, and make sure the group is heard Command or Self-Assurance may use few words, but confidence will continue to project authority and win followers Communication or Woo might get people involved by helping individuals feel comfortable and connected to the issue at hand
Relationship Building Relationship Building (Keeps Team Together) Essential glue that holds the team together Unique ability to create groups and organizations that are much greater than the sum of the parts Positivity and Harmony may work hard to minimize distractions and to keep the team s collective energy high Individualization might use a more targeted approach Relator or Developer may be a great mentor and guide as he pushes others towards bigger and better achievements
Strategic Thinking Strategic Thinking (Focused on What Could Be) Keep us all focused on what could be Constantly absorbing and analyzing information and helping the team make better decisions Continually stretch our thinking for the future Context or Strategic might explain how past events influenced present circumstance or navigate the best route for future possibilities Ideation or Input may see countless opportunities fro growth based on all of the information at hand Analytical might help the team drill into the details of cause and effect
Ultimate Test of a Leader Its not what you are able to do in the here and now but instead what continues to grow long after you re gone.
Naomi Frierson Family & Community Engagement Committee Florida PTA Have Questions? I ve got answers! Treasurer Hillsborough County Council PTA/PTSA Vice President Carrollwood Elementary PTA Naomi@CarrollwoodPTA.org Please complete the workshop evaluation.