War and Peace in a Sound Bite: Standards for Effective Board Presentations

Kim Cranston, Rockwood School DistrictChris Tennill, School District of Clayton

MSBA – Fall, 2006

We’ve All Been There

Board Meetings AsCommunication Tools

• A school board is the “face” of the school district.

• Board meetings are:• A reflection of the culture and climate

of the school district.• An opportunity to present a positive

image of the school district.• A tool for communicating with large

groups.

The Research Doesn’t Connect

• 51% of BOE members “rely a lot” on BOE meetings for community input.

• 83% of BOE members believe meetings are “somewhat or very effective” in communicating with large groups

• 75% of BOE meetings are not highly-attended.

Where’s the “Disconnect”?

• There is one audience at BOE meetings.

• There are actually multiple “audiences” at BOE meetings:• Board of Education• District administrators and staff• Parents• Patrons • Media

Keep Your Audiences in Mind

• Effective Presentations:

• Increase attention and retention

• Improve persuasiveness

• Impact understanding

Keys to Effective Presentations

• Simple• Succinct• Short

Simple + Modest = Credible

Keys – Keep it Simple

• Avoid educational jargon

• Limit use of complicated charts and graphs

Keys – Keep it Succinct

• Tell ‘em what you’re going to tell

‘em

• Tell ‘em

• Tell ‘em what you told ‘em

Keep It Short

A good presentation technique is the “Rule of Three.”

• People tend to remember three things. • Put your message into a list of three.• What are the three most important points

my audience needs to know?  

Use Visual Aids

• Emphasize/reinforce verbal message

• Clarify complex concepts• Increase retention• Focus attention• Stimulate interest• Organize your ideas

Power Point Presentations

1. Slide content2. Fonts, colors, backgrounds3. Images and transitions4. Delivery techniques

Content - Information on Slides

The biggest mistake a presenter makes is overloading slides with information. Too much information will redirect the audience’s focus from you to your presentation. Audiences will also spend more time reading your slides than listening to your presentation.

Content – Information on Slides

• Use text and images carefully.• Use adequate “white space” (60% -

70%).

• Use the “6 x 6” rule:• Six words per line• Six lines per slide

• Provide additional detail in handouts.

Never use green on red

Never use red on green

Fonts, Colors, and Backgrounds

• Serif vs Sans Serif• Bold titles• Avoid italic, decorative, &

condensed fonts• Spread out your bullets

Images and Transitions

• Use images that are:• Clear• Relevant to the slide• Not cliché clip art

• Use transitions:• To divide presentation• In a systematic pattern

Delivery Techniques

• Speaker/slide interaction is the key.• Slides ≠ Notes• Don’t read slides.• Pointer tips:

• Don’t cross over your body.• Avoid the firefly.

People came to hear you speak, not to hear you read your slides.

Delivery Techniques – Final Prep

• Rehearse presentation out loud.• Practice with the equipment.• Practice in the room where you’ll

present.• Have a backup plan.• Check for spelling and grammar

errors.

Some Other Tools

• Paperless Board meetings

• Board meeting summaries

Three Points to Remember

• Keep your audiences in mind.• Keep presentations simple,

succinct and short.• Use visual aids effectively.

Contact Information

Kim CranstonRockwood School Districtcranstonkim@rockwood.k12.mo.us(636) 458-7337

Chris TennillSchool District of Claytonchris_tennill@clayton.k12.mo.us(314) 854-6015