Dressing to impress & presenting your school The importance of image Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer

Dressed to impress? Dressing to impress = image Image = perception Perception = reputation Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer

Image Look at: Image – how important is it? Your school image? How good is it? How do you contribute to the image of your school? Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer

Image and brand What image does this brand convey? Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer What image does this brand convey?

Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer What image does this brand convey?

What is your personal brand? Do you regard yourself as a professional? Is your work something you take pride in? Do you take pride in the school you work in? If you answered yes to all the above, does your personal brand reflect this? Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer

What is your personal brand? The way you dress Personal grooming Your image The way you deal with people – customer service Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer

The job interview How would you dress to impress? Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer Dressing to impress

OR Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer

In the workplace If you dress like this to secure a job – then this should be the dress standard for the job. Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer Dressing to impress

Don't forget the shoes! Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer Dressing to impress!

Dressing to impress - men Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer

Dressing to impress – or not Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer

Your personal brand Not just the way you dress BUT The way you deal with people. Your customer service style Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer

Customer service What is your customer service style? Warm and welcoming Cordial Efficient Bland You are interrupting my real job! Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer

Customer service style School office reception - If you sit a little way from the window: Do you get up and go to the window / reception desk to deal with the person? Do you respond from a seated position? Do you immediately stop what you are doing to attend to your customer? If you are on the telephone, so you cannot immediately attend to a customer, do you look up and acknowledge their presence? Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer

Presenting your school The image or reputation of a school is very much determined by the way in which the school is presented. Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer

How does your community see your school? Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer In a positive light? In a negative light? What affects a schools reputation? Presenting your school

Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer What affects a schools reputation? First impressions Exterior physical appearance – perimeter, entrance, gardens, lawns, playgrounds – where is the dumpster? Interior physical appearance – foyer, front office, corridors, classrooms, public areas Student presentation – uniform, behaviour on the streets, in the school grounds Customer service – this is an all school responsibility Staff presentation – dress, contact with parents Communications materials Word of mouth

Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer First Impressions The presentation of a school starts on the street – at the school gates.

How does your community see your school? Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer When they look at the school from the street?

How does your community see your school Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer When they look at the school from the street? When they walk from the front gate to the office? Are there clear and welcoming directional signs to the office? What do the paths and gardens look like? What does your foyer look like?

Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer Customer service and school image

Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer

Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer Dressed to impress Welcoming Professional Proud of the school Academic excellence Care and leadership Opportunities The right messages

Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer When I walk into my local school – I feel great. From the moment the office and teaching staff greet me with a smile I know this is my school. Last year I received a thank you certificate at a morning tea. Because of all this I turn up and work in the canteen, help out on sports days and whenever I have the chance I tell everyone what a great school this is… Word of mouth is the most powerful form of image building

Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer On average people will tell five people about a good customer relations experience…but theyll tell ten about a bad one And those ten will tell ……? Industry figures show that 80% of negative advertising is word of mouth and 80% of positive advertising is word of mouth Word of mouth is the most powerful form of image building

Customer service and school image Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer

Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer Customer service Customer focused public contact areas front office welcome Signage Answering the phone on-hold message after-hours message Customer-friendly professional presentation: staff (all school) dress and attitude Complaints handling Accessibility – customers ability to access: key personnel information enquiries Parent-teacher and information events Welcoming customer feedback that informs continuous improvement

Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer Presentation of written materials Positive corporate ID Consistently applied Remember, every piece of paper which goes out of the school is part of your public face

Communications madness Word has a lot to answer for: Clip art mania Font mania Border mania Template mania Get rid of them all – develop a simple and effective school style and stick to it. Every school should have a simple style guide. Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer Simplicity and white space rule!

Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer Presentation of written materials

Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer The right messages

Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer The right messages

Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer The right messages What people hear What your students are saying What your parents are saying What members of staff are saying What the local community is saying What the local media is saying What you are saying – phone etiquette And… What people, including all teachers and SAS staff are saying about public schools in the area

Look carefully at your internet presence Your school website What other people are saying about your school on social media How the school is presenting itself to the global community The Pocket Public School Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer

Do you work at a fabulous school? Tell everyone about the fabulous school you work at! The most persuasive people are the people who work in schools – you are a powerful image builder! Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer

Sydney Region Public Schools Ros Bastian – Regional School Promotions Officer And remember……….