June 6, 2022:

7:00-8:00 pm Complimentary Welcome Reception
The Chocolate Bar

June 7, 2022 Agenda:

8:00 am Check In

9:00 am The Fires are Burning  and The Waves are High: Best Practices for responding to your critics
Julie Thannum, APR, Senior Strategist, CESO Communications and
Susan Brott, APR, Senior Strategist, CESO Communications 
Click here for more information about the presenters.

There have always been critics of public education, but the current politicized climate has made navigating the waters a bit more rocky for school leaders. Whether the conversation is heating up about mask mandates, what’s being taught, how students are learning or your district’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, opponents are organizing and responding. In this session, CESO senior strategists and experienced school PR professionals will share effective messaging and communication strategies that can help school leaders proactively promote a positive narrative around their district’s decisions and strategic work while also lessening the need to react and respond to negative and inaccurate messaging. Participants will gain insight into the well-organized strategies of opposition groups. They will learn best practices for responding to critics, and how to lower the temperature and navigate through difficult conversations with credibility by focusing on transparency, truth and by cultivating long-term trust.

10:10  Break Out Sessions

• Crisis Communication
• Deep Dive into The Fires are Burning and the Waves are High
• Tips for Improving Your Newsletters

11:15  Goldmine Roundtable Discussions

12:15 Lunch

1:00 pm Keynote Speaker Presented by Blackboard
Julie Thannum, APR, senior strategist, CESO Communications
Click here for more information about Julie Thannum, APR

2:15 Breakout Session

• Work Smarter Not Harder
  Put your Mass Notification System and District App to Work for You
  

3:20 Breakout Sessions

• Employee Recruitment and Retention
• Its More Than a Logo

4:20 Closing remarks