COMMUNICATION PLENARY II FRAMEWORK FOR SELF-STUDY Bill Bonaudi Big Bend Community College We are not yet talking about standards and exhibits; rather the focus is how you can effectively tell your story, recognizing that everyone in your institution has a part to tell.

EXPLAIN OUR TASK How to effectively tell your story Everyone has a part of the story to tell Not yet about standards and exhibits The first part of communication is explaining the task before you to your entire community. (See Policy 67.2.1..Involvement in the Self-Study).””…Commission requests: Self-study participation by representatives of the entire campus community- administrators, faculty, and support staff, - as well as appropriate involvement of trustees and students….”

COMMUNICATION = TEACHING = COMMUNICATION Plan a lesson to teach self-study Be confident in communication Rehearse As a teacher, we know the best way to embrace a subject or concept is to attempt to teach it. When we get to the part or parts we have difficulty in explaining, that usually indicates areas of knowledge we lack. So planning and rehearsal is key to presenting the entire challenge of seeking accreditation or reaffirmation thereof.

IDENTIFY YOUR COMMUNITY Policy 6.2.1…”participation by representatives of the entire campus community…” Recognize there will be different voices providing parts of the story Not all will contribute equally How you define your community will help you understand the challenge of communication, not only when collecting data, performing an analysis and shaping action based on analysis, but also the different voices that directly or indirectly implement your mission, goals, policies, and of course your actions.Not all will contribute equally, but all will have some role. Explain the concept and necessity for editing of the report.

LISTEN Everyone is an observer/participant Engagement of community sells ownership of the self-study Not everyone is equally adept at writing down thoughts clearly and coherently. Not everyone will have the job of performing analysis, prescribing change based on the collected data, and then implementing and evaluating that change; but everyone is an observer and every community member, by definition, interacts with our various publics both the internal audience, i.e., students and co-workers, and the external audience, i.e., the general public, government and other regulators.

TRANSPARENCY Hold everyone close to the story Openly explore misunderstandings and disagreements Communicate resolution Communication with your community is not only reciprocal, but also on-going, holding everyone close to the story as it develops. The primary emphasis of the self-study is appraisal and analysis, rather than drscription, therefore keeping the process of constructing the self-study as transparent as possible will minimize, but probably not eliminate misunderstandings or disagreements. Should any of these challenges fail to be resolved during the self-study process, be candid in recognizing the problem areas and describe the efforts to address the issue(s).

DEFICIENCIES OR PROBLEMS Easily resolved Visibly resolved Seeing correction is part of transparency and communication Research during the construction of the report will often reveal deficiencies or problems that can be easily resolved or corrected. Feel free to do so and document those actions as demonstration of the use of a process of analysis to take corrective actions. When your audience can help identify those areas and see correction they are more likely to embrace the self-study. As you approach completion of the report, once again remind everyone of the editing process that has probably already begun, and the reason for it.

CELEBRATE MILESTONES Completion of sections/standards Completion of self-study Examination of preparation for visit Demonstration of mock interviews Take advantage of completion of milestones -defined however you choose to- It marks progress and rewards efforts. Finally when the self-study is in final form and all exhibits are assembled, a valuable gesture is to invite your audience to view all of the above, including the arrangements made to accommodate the visiting team on campus. And when the team makes its exit, a celebration of the effort is appropriate to thank everyone for staying around for this long journey.