Communication Plan

OVERVIEW

The Westfield Public School District recognizes that clear, accurate, and timely communication is essential to establishing trust, cooperation, collaboration, and a sense of community with students, staff, families, and all Westfield residents.

The goal of the Communication Plan is to provide a more comprehensive and integrated
The goal of the Communication Plan is to provide a comprehensive and integrated communications process for more effective communication with all stakeholders. 

This plan was developed to:

1. Foster strong relationships with district stakeholders.

2. Provide a focus and direction for messages/methods in support of the district’s goals.

3. Enable the district to present itself accurately to audiences.

4. Support students and staff and promote educational programs / extracurricular activities.

5. Assure transparency in school district operations.

Types of Communication

• Routine  (i.e. Principal Weekly Eblast, daily homework assignments, The NEWS Letter)

• Personal (i.e. face-to-face or telephone meetings, in-person presentations)

• Digital (i.e. email, social media, website, mobile app)

• Emergency (i.e. mass notification alerts of emergent matters)

• Feedback (i.e. surveys)

General Considerations

Regardless of the type, format and audience, all communications should meet the same general standards to ensure that the message is meaningful, relevant, and consistent with our goals. To that end, all communications should strive to be:

• Clear and concise

  • Keep messages brief and to the point

  • Use bullet points and other formatting techniques to emphasize key concepts

  • Highlight message in the title / subject to make it easier to identify 

  • Avoid information overload

  • Spell out acronyms and avoid jargon
    
    

• Timely  

  • Communication should be presented early and often

• Accessible

  • Provide translation resources whenever possible for non-English speaking audience

  • Consider ADA best practices when posting online for those with visual and hearing impairments

• Representative of the District

  • Proofread all documents for accuracy and professionalism

  • Emphasize Customer Service

• Personal, not limited: Telephone calls and face-to-face meetings

  • Encourage staff to relay messages through personal interaction when appropriate via telephone calls or face-to-face meetings. 

  • The more difficult the situation, the more important it is to communicate face-to-face

  • Promote a customer service oriented approach

• Quality Images

  • Use high resolution photos that are clear

  • Balance the composition and subjects of the photo for aesthetic value

  • Demonstrate students ‘in action’, not just ‘staged’  photos

Measures of Success

To assist us in evaluating the effectiveness of our communication efforts, the following resources will be considered:

• Surveys:  To solicit feedback

• Newsletters:  To review content and messaging

• Website hits and traffic reports:  To view stakeholder engagement

• Social Media coverage:  To assess impact of social media

• Attendance at school and district events:  To assess stakeholder engagement and determine follow up

• Anecdotal feedback:  To identify specific challenges and opportunities for improvement