Spreading the Good WordCritical Importance of Having a

Communication Professional on your

Leadership Team

Moira Bindner

Communications & Customer Service Manager

Parking & Transit Services

The University of Tennessee

PRESENTER

• Return on Investment for communications

position both internally & externally

• Leverage campus partners to expand your

communications strategy

• Relationships, Relationships, Relationships

OBJECTIVES

• Problem

• ROI

• Activity

• Apply to your organization

• Resources

AGENDA

OBJECTIVES

CORRECTED:

Parking spaces,

citations still pose

problems for UT

By Liz Wood

Nov 6, 2013

UT Daily Beacon

What is the problem?

If everyone read and understood

the parking regulations, special

event request procedures, bus

request timeline, there would be no

need for a communications person.

What is the reality?

What goes on day to day….

Construction, HVAC & Window Upgrades Conferences

Circus, Monster Truck, WWE Paving & Road Repairs

Athletics, Gameday, Tournaments Commencement & Graduation

Gas & Water Infrastructure Concerts

Career Fairs Summer Camps & Orientation

Guest Speaker, Visiting Dignitaries Campus Beautification

Engineers Day, Robotics Competition Homecoming

What is the opportunity?• Improve reputation of department and build network across campus

• Magnify your message by engaging campus partners to help

promote – retweets, social media mentions, website linking

• Transition from a reactive to a proactive communications strategy

• Get a seat at the planning table and articulate the parking and

transit implication

• Synthesize department issues and concerns and translate to

campus partners (also translate campus partner issues to dept)

• Strengthen and cultivate relationships

Before – Reactive After - Proactive

Individual offices responded and might not

inform colleagues

Engagement with each unit to get in front of

issues and coordinate responses

Read the back of the map for regulations and

follow the rules

We know who said what, the context, and we

hold firm to policies

Twitter lack of response Active Twitter strategy including daily

response student concerns

Emails to Chancellor/President Significant drop in angry calls to

Administration

Events scheduled without consulting parking

and assuming they can park anywhere after

hours

Significant increase in events engaging

parking and transit from the planning stage

and clarity on actual policy (24/7/365)

Summer chaos – lines out the door for camp

attendees

Promote in advance a map of how to get

around UT summer construction and repairs

What we have found at UT

UT Return on

Investment

with Internal

Stakeholders

Leveraging

campus

partnerships

UT Return on

Investment

with External

Stakeholders

Activity -

• Requesting large auditorium and parking

• Expecting media coverage

• In the middle of a work day

• Students, staff, and faculty support free speech but

are not excited for this event

• Parents are worried and nervous

• You have 3 weeks notice and cannot cancel

Controversial speaker on campus

Controversial speaker on campus

What are the top 3 pain points?

Who needs to be at the table?

What information needs to be

conveyed to resolve?

30K foot view – impact on campus,

staff, faculty, students, and mobility

How does this impact Administration?

What do you NOT need to do?

Response to scenario

• Follow vs Lead

• Campus Stakeholders

• Consistent Message

• What relationships did you call upon?

• How did you decide what is your side of the street?

• Sanity tip: Not micromanaging

Results of exercise

Next Steps

Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3

What are the top 3 pain points?

Who needs to be at the table?

What information needs to be

conveyed to resolve?

30K foot view – impact on

campus, staff, faculty, students,

and mobility

How does this impact

Administration?

What do you NOT need to do?

How does this apply to your organization?

What is the before? Goals for after?

Permit office

Enforcement office

Special Events office

Maintenance & Operations office

Transit office

IT office

ROI for your organization

“Parking” Serenity Prayer

Abridged Serenity Prayer Applied to Parking

Serenity to accept the things I

cannot change

Sandbox we have to play in – cannot invent

new parking spaces in front of building

Campus construction and repairs impacting

mobility, parking spaces, and bus routes

Courage to change the things

I can

Attitudes

Perceptions

Knowledge

Outreach & Engagement

Wisdom to know the

difference

Discernment, who can we do, stay on my side

of the street and don’t do others jobs

Campus wide issue or isolated

Resources• Monthly Newsletter

• Student Parking Map

• Summer Construction Improvements Map

• Communication Plan Purple Heart Launch

• Monthly Planning and Tasks – “Bucket List”

• Job Responsibilities and Projects

• Blast email construction

• Blast email special event

• Job Description

Moira Bindner

Communications & Customer Service Manager

Parking & Transit Services

University of Tennessee

direct (865) 974-2846

email: mbindner@utk.edu

Communications Professional Resources: https://tiny.utk.edu/CommProRes

Q+A