Using an Analogy to be a Better Communicator

If you are a school superintendent, principal, secretary or an employee, it is critical that you use as many tools as possible to help you communicate effectively. Most people will criticize things they don’t understand.  In order for you to be convincing, you must keep your communication tools as sharp as possible.

One of the best ways to verbally convey ideas that may need some explanation, is to use something called an analogy. An analogy is taking something that is familiar and comparing it to something that is not familiar. By taking this approach, it allows the listener to bridge the gap between something they are already accustomed to, to something they are not. Using an analogy can be the difference between having the person or group you are talking to agree or not agree with you.

For example, if you were trying to explain what the office paper shredder does, you could use an analogy of how a cheese shredder works. A cheese shredder takes a block of cheese and slices it into tiny fragments. The office paper shredder does the same, only it takes paper and cuts it up into very small pieces

Another example is, if you were trying to explain how easy it is to accomplish a major project. You could use the analogy of how a large bundle of twigs cannot be broken in half as a bundle, but when taken apart, each twig could be easily broken. It is similar to how you can break a major project down into small enough tasks that would allow the person to easily complete them one at a time. By taking this approach, the entire project would gradually be completed.

Using an analogy to communicate your ideas can help you gain the understanding and support you need to communicate your ideas effectively.

For more information on how Tom Borg Consulting, LLC can help your school system please call us at 734-404-5909 or visit our website at:  www.TomBorgConsulting.com

Shifting Paradigms for Public School Administrators

Times have changed and it is critical that the leaders of public school systems begin reshaping the way they and their team of administrators, teachers, transportation personnel, food services personnel, school board members, coaches, volunteers and anyone else they have on their team,  represent their school district.  Why? Because coupled with declining birth rates and an economy that has forced some adults—often with children in tow-- to leave the state in search of new jobs, school

systems are losing enrollment.

Leaders of school districts must look at what they can control that will retain their present student base and attract additional students. That is, the need to look at the quality of the experience students and their parents experience within their school system. School of choice has given parents and their children the powerful option of attending the school they want to attend. They are voting with their feet, choosing different options for schooling, and taking their state funding dollars with them.

Some of the places that are competing for students today are
    Private schools
    Charter schools
    Other school districts
    Voucher schools
    Online schools
    Home schools

Leaders in public school districts no longer have the option to believe that if they just wait a little while, this whole idea of treating students and parents like customers will just go away. Why should it? The people they and their respective school districts serve are human beings who want to be treated with courtesy and respect.


For more information on how Tom Borg Consulting, LLC can help your school district change it's paradigms and thrive in today's world please contact us at 734-404-5909 or visit our website at www.tomborgconsulting.com

The 4 Things the Parents You Serve Really Want to Know About You

Among the many things that people want to know about the people who serve them, research shows that four specific items are at the top of the list. Here is what the studies have identified.  Customers

typically want to know the answers to four questions. They are:
          1. Do you like me?
          2. Do you care about me?
          3. Can I trust you?
          4. Do you know what you are talking about?

The first thing they wanted to know was if they were sincerely liked by the person serving them. The customer knew this from how the representative interacted with them. Did they use their name, did they really listen, and did they have sincere empathy in their voice?
The second thing people wanted to know about the professionals who serve them was, did the representative care about them. The customer could sense this from the questions they were asked, again, the tone of voice, the little things they said or did that indicated they indeed cared, and how helpful the representative tried to be.

The third question they wanted answered was, could they trust the representative. Indications of trust could be seen in how confident the representative was and did they follow through as promised. One example of how trust can be lost by a public school administrator, secretary, teacher or some other representative, is by how promptly a phone call or email is returned  to the parent. When there is a long period of time that elapses between the time the parent contacts the school and there is follow up by the school, or worse yet, no follow up, trust diminishes rapidly. A good rule of thumb is to have all phone calls and emails returned within 24 hours or less.

Finally, the fourth thing people want to know about the professionals who serve them was, was  the person serving them knowledgeable and competent. Indications of these qualities were demonstrated if the individual was familiar with the particular situation the customer was experiencing and had they solved similar types of problems for other customers in the past.

In summary, to build lifetime customer satisfaction with the parents you serve, make sure your school system is able to provide customer service training that teaches the right kind of customer service skills. These skills should empower all of your administrators, secretaries, teachers, bus drivers, food service and all other employees to treat your parents in such a way that consistently answers their four most common questions about your school system.

For more information on how we can speak at your next in-service or provide consulting and training to help you attract and retain more students, please contact our office at 734-404-5909 or email Tom at Tom borg@TomBorgconsulting.com or visit our website at www.TomBorgConsulting.comwww.tomborgconsulting.com

Public Schools MI-What Public Schools Can Learn from Other Failing Institutions

There are several examples of how large institutions or organizations lost power because of their unwillingness to listen to their customer base. Following World War II, the railroad industry started its’ nosedive. When President Dwight Eisenhower enacted the interstate and highway system in 1956, it sent a huge signal that times were changing. The highways being built  enabled people who could afford it, to buy their own cars which would transport them to anywhere they wanted. The interstate trucking industry began to develop at a rapid rate which took even more business away from the railroads. Add to that the development of jet airplanes and the railroad industry, as it was known at

that time, began to shrink.

Despite government restrictions that had been placed on it, the railroads also, in a way, caused their own downfall by the shoddy and monopolistic practices they took part in during the 19th and early 20th centuries (which resulted in many of the regulations imposed on them).

Their disregard for the people they were serving led to a general overall dissatisfaction and was a major factor leading to a shift to other forms of transportation.

Another more current business example is the fall of K-mart Corporation. Some of the major problems that were identified included: lack of customer focus, poor inventory management resulting in empty store shelves, and a poor, undifferentiated marketing strategy.1.

One final example is the United States Postal Service. With the steady decline of first class mail, the increasing use of electronic communication, unwillingness to make changes that were being demonstrated in Europe in the early 1990’s, and a history of a less than stellar customer service, the USPS started losing money in 2000.

“What didn’t help was “The USPS was slow to react to shifts in the industry. In the late '70s, Congress prodded it to allow private companies to carry letters needing urgent delivery. FedEx and UPS built enormously valuable businesses on the USPS's turf.”2

With these three examples cited, is doom and gloom all there is for public schools to look forward to in the United States?

The answer is a resounding no, if public school leaders and their team of employees can begin changing their paradigm of the business they are really in. We use the word business to describe the approach school systems must follow in order to be successful. It could be called a non-profit business, but it is still a business.

We would like to suggest that public schools are in the business of not just educating their students, but they are, in part, in the business of creating a solid foundation that will prepare  these students for a successful life and professional career. They are also in the business of helping parents feel secure, knowing their children are getting what they need and want to prepare them for future learning, whether or not it includes college.

For more information on how Tom Borg Consulting, LLC can help your school district attract and retain more students please contact us at 734-404-5909 or visit our website at www.tomborgconsulting.com

1. Source: K-Mart: Fall of a Marketing Giant Case Study, ICMR, Center for Business Research, 2003
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How to Praise Your Team Members

In one of my training sessions with a school system, I explained to the participants the importance of sincerely complimenting fellow team members.

No matter what your position is, one of the best ways to build your school district is to find the strengths in your employees and fellow staff members and praise them on a regular basis. Whether they admit it or not, from time to time, everyone loves to receive sincere recognition. It doesn’t cost anything to give this, and yet, it can pay huge dividends in the form of productivity.

An easy way to pay a sincere compliment to others is through the use of the SES formula.  Let’s take a look at what it is and how to use it.

The first S stands for the word “sincere”. Find something about the person that you can sincerely compliment. It could be something they did, something they own or a personal quality they possess.

The E stands for the word “evidence”. Give some solid evidence that would support what you are saying. It is hard for someone to deny a compliment when you are sincere and give some form of proof of what you are communicating.

The final S stands for the word “short”. Keep you compliment short. The reason for this is twofold; one it is easier to give and two, it is easier for the person to receive it. Most people are uncomfortable receiving a compliment and the easier you make for them to hear it, the better. Once you finish the compliment, move on to another topic or walk away.

An example of how to give a compliment might sound like this: “Mary, nice job on the Smith company report. I say that because it was concise and to the point. Keep up the good work, I will see you tomorrow.”

In summary when we properly pay sincere compliments, it can build good will and help us to feel better too.

Tom Borg is president of Tom Borg Consulting, LLC., a company that specializes in working with public school districts. They show their clients how to attract and retain students and build connections with the business community. For information on our services, please contact us at: 734-404-5909 or visit our website at www.tomborgconsulting.com

Don’t Worry About Criticism

I remember when I was recreation director for a small township in Michigan, and my department had been invited by four other recreation departments to participate in a regional winter festival. It was agreed that my small department, which was composed of a few part-time employees and myself, would organize and facilitate a fun run.

Much planning went into organizing this winter festival. Many of the activities were based on having a reasonable amount of snow on the ground. Usually in southeastern Michigan you can depend on having plenty of snow on the ground during the month of February, but this particular year was a different story. The weekend of the winter festival came and there wasn’t even a trace of snow on the ground. No, nada, nyet snow. Oh, it was very cold, but absolutely no snow. Most of the winter festival activities were cancelled due to the necessity of having snow, but not the fun run. As matter of fact, it was perfect for it. The dry roads were ideal for the runners. Our race was a huge success and actually made a profit for the festival.

A few weeks later, all of the regional recreational directors came together for our follow up meeting. The first person who spoke, was the director of the park where the entire event was held. This gentleman lashed out at my program because of some trite mistake we had made in conducting the fun run. Much to my surprise, the rest of the group spoke up and defended my event by saying it was the most successful, well attended event, and that I should be congratulated. My critic was soon silenced and the meeting continued.

What I learned that day, is that when you are doing anything that garners some success, you will have critics who will find something to criticize about it. It just comes with the territory. As Dale Carnegie once said, “”Remember that unjust criticism is often a disguised compliment.” Here is my point. Do your best at whatever you do, and don’t be surprised by the critics. Your benefit, you will be able to have fun and more fully appreciate the experience.

Tom Borg Consulting, LLC., is a consulting group that specializes in without the box strategic planning, leadership training, team building, and customer culture transformation, for public school systems in Michigan and the United States. For a free 30 minute consulting session or for more information please call 734-404-5909 or visit our website at www.TomBorgConsulting.com

Three Ways to Effectively Deal with People and Reduce Your Stress

The late author, Og Mandino, said, “In life we always headed towards a crisis, in the middle of a crises or headed out of a crisis”.  In other words, if you are experiencing problems, you are alive and be thankful.

That may not make you feel much better so let’s talk about how you can make the most of the stress you do experience working in your public school district.

The important thing to remember is that everyone experiences stress, and if they can deal with it, so can you!  When you can develop a system for successfully dealing with stress, you will have something that will be a dependable tool that you can use whenever you find yourself facing a stressful situation.

The three most common areas where people experience stress in their lives are coping with:
    Financial concerns
    Family members
    Co- workers, customers, managers and bosses

As you look at the list of the most common areas of stress, it is interesting to note that people make up two thirds of this list. Successfully dealing with people is an art. The human race is composed of individuals who are similar in some ways and unique in many others.  People’s values, expectations, upbringing, and a host of other variables make them different from you. These differences can serve as a stumbling block, or a stepping stone. The choice is yours.

Here are three tools you can use to be more effective when dealing with others in a stressful situation. First is communication. Most successful people are able to communicate with others in a way that creates a connection. Even though they may not agree with the other person, they are able to find some common ground or area of agreement.

The second tool is listening. When you can simply listen to the other person without interrupting them, you can resolve most disagreements. The real challenge is truly listening to the other person and not rehearsing what you are going to say to them when they stop talking.

Finally, the last tool is flexibility. Being flexible with others and not rigidly adhering to your own view point can allow you to come to a compromise and resolve the issue being discussed. One analogy that demonstrates this concept is comparing the oak tree to the willow tree. The oak tree which is very rigid and hard will lose several branches or have its’ trunk severely damaged in an ice storm. The willow tree which is very flexible will simply bend but not break.

So, by using these three tools: communication, listening and flexibility, you can effectively reduce your stress when dealing with other people.

Tom Borg Consulting, LLC., is a consulting group that specializes in outside the box strategic planning, leadership training, team building, and customer culture transformation, for public school systems in Michigan and acrross the United States. For a free 30 minute consulting session or for more information please call 734-404-5909 or visit our website at www.TomBorgConsulting.com

Seven Tips to Better One-on-One Communication in Your Public School System

Clear communication is one of the key result areas that allows your staff and employees to successfully perform at their job. My recommendation is that you invest in your team by taking the time to communicate with them more effectively.

Here are 7 things you can do to enhance your one-on-one communication process with them.

1. Stop finishing the other person’s sentences. Marshall Goldsmith reminds us that this approach does nothing to help your employees and managers think for themselves.

2. After a team member shares with you some great revelation they have discovered, don’t say “I knew that.” All that does it extinguish the flames of excitement for their learning process.

3. When others praise you, just say “Thank you”. Don’t deny or talk down or trade the compliment. By simply receiving the compliment, you give the person giving it, a chance to feel the power of giving something special.

4. Stop using the word “no”. Instead, give people options. They may not be able to do something a certain way, but usually there are other possibilities that could be considered.

5. Stop using the word “but” or “however”, and start using the word “and”. When you do this, it prevents you from negating what the person is saying and allows them to be more open minded to what you suggest instead.

6. Don’t allow yourself to “multi task” when you are communicating with another person. Keep your eyes on that person and not your computer or the paperwork in front of you.

7. Stop trying to impress your subordinates with how smart you are. Just because you are the boss does not mean you are always right, nor does it mean you have all the answers.

By taking the time to communicate in a more focused and proactive fashion with your staff, you will be creating the kind of work environment that is destined to improve both the productivity of you and your team.

Here is your assignment, should you decide to accept it. Pick 3 items from the seven suggestions listed above and use them for five days.  Evaluate the results and decide for yourself whether or not they are worth using on a regular basis. I have a hunch you will be glad you did.

Tom Borg is president of Tom Borg Consulting, LLC. He is public schools consultant, trainer and author. He can be reached at 734.404-5909  or visit his website at: www.tomborgconsulting.com

Partnering with Your Business Community

Watch and learn from this Michigan Association of School Administrators (MASA) video/webinar program entitled "Partnering with Your Business Community". In it we discuss how to develop a working relationship with your business community that will allow your school district to develop this very valuable resource. http://vimeo.com/53118773

For more information on how Tom Borg Consulting can help your public school retain more students, call our office at 734-4040-5909 or visit our website at:
www.TomBorgConsulting.com

How to Create the Right Brand for Your School District - Brand Awareness – Part 1 of 4

There are four basic levels of branding you can create for your public school district:
Brand Awareness - people know about you.
Brand Image – what people think about you.
Brand Preference - they prefer your services or products to others, but they will use others.
Brand Insistence - they demand your services or products and no one else.

In this article let’s look at Brand Awareness. Brand Awareness is something your school district earns by being visible in the marketplace. Some of the things you can use to create brand awareness are advertising, publicity, public relations or word of mouth. In other words your prospects become more aware of who you are and what you do.

For example, Target Department stores, advertises on a regular basis. Their post cards and newspaper advertising help create an awareness of who they are and what they sell.  Target could get publicity by building a new store. In order to develop public relations they might sponsor or contribute to some charitable event. Of course, word of mouth would come from what their customers are saying about them to their friends and business acquaintances.

Regarding your school district, you could advertise in many different ways. One great way is to do what Wayne-Westland Community Schools does. They create and periodically mail out a publication called Wayne-Westland Connections to the parents of the students in their school district. This excellent piece does a number of things. First it communicates to the parents timely and important information about their school district. In the fall edition, it publishes the start and dismissal time of all of their schools. It also includes a school bus schedule of all of the pickup times and locations. This is vital information to most parents and their children.

Publicity is another way to build your brand awareness for your school district. Articles about your school that you can submit to your local newspaper are a good example of this.

Public relations can go a long ways in helping create brand awareness for your school district. It is here that a good public relations firm can help you craft a campaign of messages that are communicated to the community.

Word of mouth, by far the most powerful, is what people say about your school district to their friends and acquaintances. This is the result of all of the other efforts you put into place, i.e. the quality of service you provide, how you handle the problems that come up, and how you deliver what you promise.

In summary, good brand awareness is something your school district earns by consistently doing the right things to be visible in the marketplace.

Contact our office for more information on how we can help you build your customer service culture and market your school district effectively. You can reach us at Tom Borg Consulting, LLC 734-404-5909 or visit our website at:
www.TomBorgConsulting.com

Charter Schools - How to Help Your Staff Think Positive in Your School District

A number of years ago my wife and I attended a Detroit Tiger baseball game. We sat in the left field section just far enough back from the fence that we had a clear view of the field. In the third inning a little old man walked up in front of our section and said, “ Alright everybody, we’re gonna do the Wave.” I said to Elizabeth, my wife, “what’s this guy doing? Does he think he can get all of us to actually stand up and do the Wave?” I would soon find out. This spunky little guy was determined. He launched into his shtick. He went on to say, “That’s right everyone, if you just work with me, eventually we will get this entire stadium to do the Wave.”

I commented to Elizabeth,  “This I’ve got to see.”

Then he continued his routine and said, “Alright here we go. Ahh one, ahhhaa two, ahhhhhaaa three!” and approximately 13 kids jumped out of their seats, waved their arms, giggled, laughed and then sat down. Well, I thought to myself, he had just failed. And now he would just give up and walk away. But, he didn’t. He kept cheering the crowd on to do it again and again. After several attempts, much to my surprise, he was able to get the entire stadium of about 30,000 people, including my wife and I, to do this thing called the Wave. Needless to say I was totally impressed.

I said to myself, “This is a man I must meet.” A few innings later I saw him near a hot dog stand and walked up to him and introduced myself. I then asked him how he able to get the entire crowd to do this thing called the Wave. He went on to explain that he believed when he was able to get  fans to cheer for, and support the home team by doing the Wave, the players performed better. When the team played better the crowd enjoyed the game even more. It created a win-win situation. He went on to tell me that when he walked into the stadium, he knew exactly the results he was looking to attain and he added, “I’m just crazy enough to do what it takes to get those results.”

I learned something that day about life. I learned that was if I wanted to truly get the results in my life that make a difference, I must be determined enough to do what it takes and persist long enough until I get those results.

How about you? Whether you are a superintendent, principal, teacher, bus driver, food service employee, school board member or any other staff person that works for your school district, are you determined enough to do what it takes to create a positive mind set of delivering service to your students and parents? If you are, good for you. If not, why not? What do you need to do to change your mind set?

One key to breaking a negative and pessimist mind set is to look around your school district and  become a detective to discover what is positive and good. Look for what is going right. What are some of the things for which your team can be proud? List a few of them here.
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Tom Borg Consulting, LLC.,  is a consulting group that specializes in student attrition,public school consulting, strategic planning, leadership training, team building, and customer culture transformation for public school systems in Michigan and the United States. For more information please call 734-404-5909 or visit our website at www.TomBorgConsulting.com

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