PRECONFERENCE SESSIONS
Monday, February 21, 2022, 1-4 p.m.

Preconference is a great way to ease into your conference week and start making connections. During this day of powerful learning, attendees choose one of the following sessions. The cost is only $100 and can be added on during conference registration. Questions? Email info@tspra.org.

It Takes A PRo: Putting APR in YOUR Professional Portfolio
Danielle Clark, APR, Harris County Department of Education, and other TSPRA APRs

School PR is tough. Come find out how getting your APR can put your career and daily job tasks on a path you never imagined! Affectionately referred to as #It takes A PRo, getting your APR is an investment in yourself, your career and your future. Don’t let another year pass without adding this prestigious credential to your professional portfolio. This session will provide you with a roadmap to earning your APR and hook you up with a mentor to support you through the process. You will get insight into the APR process, see how it will change the entire way your approach your job and meet with an APR mentor to get a jump start on the process with your portfolio project.

Mastering the Visual Code (EMP)
Julie Jones, Director of the National Photographer’s Association News Video Workshop

Telling a compelling video story is dependent on knowing a hidden visual language that has been with us since early cinema days. The language is ‘hidden’ because it is a visual code embedded in every TV show, every video message and every movie you have ever watched. Although it is ever present, this visual code is easy to over look simply because it is visual. Julie Jones, director of the National Photographers Association’s (NPPA) News Video Workshop, will introduce you to this language and show you how to harness it so you can build better stories from the concept all the way through to the last edit.

The Building Blocks of a Successful Bond Program
Amy Jones and Jessica Bazan, O’Connell Robertson

A successful bond election requires a strong foundation. As communication leaders for your District, understanding the required building blocks to support this effort is essential. This workshop will provide information on facility issues that prompt a building program, planning and design terminology, how facilities impact educational instruction, project team members and roles, and strategies for stakeholder engagement and communications.

Rookie Bootcamp
Ian Halperin, Wylie ISD & other TSPRA members

Every school PR professional needs tools to help navigate school communications. TSPRA Rookie Boot Camp will provide you with some basic tools, tips and techniques to finding your way through the day-to-day adventures we all face. Get to know your fellow rookies and meet some veterans who will help maximize your TSPRA experience.

Get Your Google On! Measurement (Analytics) Intensive Workshop
Fran Stephenson, APR and Principal of Step In Communication

It’s time to take your measurement and analytics skills to the next level. If you’re not already harnessing the power of Google Analytics (GA) to evaluate and enlighten your communications footprint, then this workshop is for you.

In this 3-hour, hands-on workshop you will learn:

  • The types of data you can see using Google Analytics and how communicators can use that data
  • How to navigate the default reports in GA and what they mean for communicators
  • Where your web traffic is coming from – social media, newsletters, search engines or referrals and why it’s important to see those sources
  • How to set up custom and recurring reports and how to share them with leadership
  • How to set up a basic dashboard to report on and share what you’re seeing in GA
  • What the future outlook of measurement is using GA.

Requirements: Your personal computer, access to your organizations’ Google Analytics environment.

***This workshop will include a one hour Zoom presentation in advance of the TSPRA conference, to make sure that all registrants are prepped and ready to take full advantage of the interactive elements of the workshop. The virtual meeting is on Feb. 8, 2022, noon-1:30 p.m. prior to conference. Limited to 30 attendees.

Finding the Time – How to Manage Social Media in Under One Hour Per Day
Andrea Gribble, #SocialSchool4EDU

Struggling to make time for social media? Andrea will share tools, tactics, and boundary-saving tips to help you make a bigger impact, while also saving you a ton of time. We’ll even spend time taking action – to help save time once you get back to the office!

  • Grab a proven system to get content from your schools
  • Identify weekly features that you can prep ahead of time
  • Learn phone shortcuts to save you time when you are on the go
  • Establish boundaries to avoid the 24/7 stress of social media
  • Finish with a plan to manage social media – instead of letting social media manage you!

Listening and change management: Better engagement with diverse and minoritized audiences
Jacqueline Lambiase, CPC, TCU

Using change management principles and better listening strategies, how might your district improve its engagement with all audiences, especially with people who may be underrepresented in decision-making spaces? In this interactive session, we’ll inventory your district’s listening architecture and create new pathways for communication through old channels and new. How might you build listening ambassadors inside your district, and how might you welcome new ideas and change along the way, as you begin to hear more about your stakeholders’ needs? How do you use change management systems to spark new programming, activities, and community engagement in new ways?