If you're looking for an economical training option in communication, we've got your answer: NSPRA's School Communication Workshop Kit. It's a CD resource with a PowerPoint presentation and all the materials needed to conduct school-level communication training. With the kit, district leaders, principals, community involvement specialists, parent-school liaisons, and school communication professionals can lead sessions with faculties and staff that result in specific communication plans for schools.

The kit includes findings from NSPRA's research on the role communication and accountability play in creating successful schools and helps motivate staff to become better communicators and ambassadors for their schools. Some examples include:

• Staff learn that effective communication is all about relationships. Characteristics like honesty, transparency, listening, kindness and trust are all discussed as critical components of communication;
• Schools can be more effective when they speak with one voice. If all employees are singing from the same hymn book, the communication effort will create more support for their schools. The workshop empowers participants to create their school's own hymn book;
• Defining key target audiences and the best way of reaching these audiences eliminates waste and saves time. A few new strategic tactics can be more effective than doing the same thing year after year;
• Defining the "brand" of your school gives staff the opportunity of communicating what they want their school or program to be known for. A separate section of the kit offers a mini-workshop on branding;

The kit includes participants' workbooks, a leader's guide and PowerPoint, certificates, evaluation materials, tip sheets, and more to use and copy for a two one-hour staff workshops. This kit is available for purchase online.