13A COMMUNICATIONS LODGE NEWSLETTERS: ADVANCED TUTORIAL Session Length: 50 Minutes Learning objectives:! Learn the purpose of a newsletter and the items included.! Discuss a thorough scheduling/backdating approach to the production of Lodge newsletters.! Set up appropriate roles for everyone involved in your newsletter s production and design.! Realize why your newsletter needs to be customer-focused.! Learn basic rules about newsletter design and layout.! Understand the importance of making the newsletter part of an integrated strategic communications network within the lodge. Required Materials:! Powerpoint Presentation with Data Projector! Flip Chart (optional for writing down ideas) TRAINER PREPARATION Trainer Tip: Although this course is advanced, it still covers some basic principles of newsletters that are probably new to the audience unless they are extremely experienced. Be sure to draw on those with a high level of experience within the session and on your own knowledge for further examples and elaboration of the points within the session. The times allotted are fluid, depending on how much detail you go into, so be sure to spend more time on those areas you think need more attention in your lodge specifically. SESSION NARRATIVE Introduction: 1 Minute Your lodge newsletter is a vital tool of lodge communications in fact, it may be one of the only lodgewide communication tools. This is an advanced course on newsletter production and design. We will cover all aspects of creating a newsletter and some of the best methods to use in each area. What to put in your Newsletter: 10-12 Minutes Content Order of the Arrow 13A 1 Boy Scouts of America
Of course, the most important thing to learn about a newsletter is what the content should be. In order to decide what to include, first we need to determine what the purposes are of each item within the newsletter, and then, what is the purpose of the overall newsletter. Content & Purpose What is the purpose of each of the following things commonly found in an OA newsletter? What is their point, or why are they there? Why do we want people to read them?! Profiles (eg. Award recipients, officers)! Editorials (eg. Adviser s corner, Chief s chat)! Summaries (eg. Past event wrap-up, We all had a great time articles)! Reminders (eg. Change of details for an event, reminder to pay dues)! Reports (eg. Committee report, special trip such as NOAC or NLS)! Promotional Articles (eg. Future event promo, new program, upcoming meeting, special opportunities) All of these types of stories have one thing in common they help market the Lodge. Many times we think of marketing as something we do outside an organization (eg., a business does not focus marketing to its own employees, right?). However, in any voluntary organization like the lodge, it is vital to market yourself to your members, to encourage their participation. The Lodge newsletter is a key tool to accomplish this goal. Now, let s think about some ideas to enhance a lodge newsletter, building on these articles we ve already mentioned. In news terms, the words or articles in your publication are called copy, but there should be other things in our newsletters besides just words, right? What are some ideas? Trainer Tip: Accept all ideas. After brief discussion, show the slide with the items below and elaborate on any that haven t already been proposed by the group. There may be some not on the powerpoint slide that are worth discussing as well. Newsletter Supplements! Pictures (note to always include a caption and identify people in the picture)! Games! Humor! Quizzes! Forms! Flyers! Special Letters Newsletter supplements are not a good idea they are a necessity! One of the biggest benefits of a newsletter (although it is expensive compared to email, web sites, and word of mouth) is the ability to include things like forms. Make sure your newsletter is top quality and take advantage of including a variety of materials to get your money s worth. Design and Layout: 4-5 Minutes Once you have your conent, the next step is putting all these things together into an attractive product. Here are three tips to keeping your publication top notch. Design Tips Order of the Arrow 13A 2 Boy Scouts of America
1) Make your newsletter familiar. If you make your newsletter reader-friendly, then your readers will get comfortable with it, know where to look for the information they want, and be more likely to actually read it. Be sure to include regular columns or features from issue to issue that your readers can rely on and look for. Whenever possible, place these items in similar places so that your newsletter has a familiar feel. 2) Don t clutter; Keep it Simple. You want a variety of things in your newsletter, but keep it looking professional. The way to accomplish this is mainly through trial and error. Don t neglect your layout; it is a crucial step in the process of creating a good newsletter. Find someone with artistic ability or who is well-organized to be in charge of this phase of production. 3) Develop a Style Guide. A style guide is simply a set of basic rules about how your newsletter s text and other items will be. This will give your newsletter a smooth feel. For example, a style guide might include how your text will be aligned, what to include in captions, how to abbreviate certain words, or what font and size to use for different headlines. Production Intro: 2 Minutes Once you have a newsletter designed and things to put in it, you need to produce or publish it. Production is actually a process that includes article writing and layout, as well as distribution. There are certain rules you should follow to make sure production of your newsletter occurs efficiently. Trainer Tip: It is important to note here that this session is not a step by step process of making newsletter, but rather covers different aspects of overall production of a lodge newsletter. You may need to point this out to the group. Therefore, some of the topics deal with specific steps in the process and others are notes on overall newsletter production. Your newsletter MUST have a production schedule. This should be created at the beginning of the year and made known to lodge leadership. It is important that they know when newsletters are going out so they can contribute articles, coordinate other communications, and plan for strategic marketing through use of the newsletter. Probably the best strategy for using your newsletter most effectively is to make a production timeline that is based on lodge event dates. Since the main purpose of a newsletter is internal lodge marketing, and your greatest product is lodge events, it makes sense to time your newsletters in order to promote the events. Exercise: Sample Timeline: 7-8 Minutes Get in small groups (or alone, depending on the size of the group) and create a sample production timeline for one newsletter. List the important deadlines you want to have for a single issue. Include what needs to be done, and how many days prior to postmarking the newsletter it needs to be completed. (Review answers and present the following sample timeline). Whatever schedule you create, be sure to make it detailed and allow for reasonable times for all steps of production to be completed. Some of the vital deadlines to include are listed here: Important Production Deadlines! Due date for articles (make this public!)! Proofreading (for style and text)! Layout Order of the Arrow 13A 3 Boy Scouts of America
! Printed/Copied! Ready for mailing! Postmarked (sent) It is also beneficial to publish your newsletter at consistent intervals, if possible. This way your members know when to look for your publication and will anticipate getting it in the mail (people love getting things in the mail). Finally, be sure to stay within your budget. Obviously, the more frequently you publish, the more money it costs. A newsletter is quite expensive, so it is important to get the most bang for your buck. You can do this with a good production timline that plans ahead and helps you stay on schedule. Role Play: 2-3 Minutes The Fletching Trainer Tip: Set up this skit by putting up the sample newsletter on the slide and explaining that this is a conversation about the Lodge newsletter, The Fletching, between two young Arrowmen. If you have talented thespians, they can probably improvise a much funnier script, but the one provided is just a sample of what the point should be of the role play. JIM: BOBBY: JIM: BOBBY: JIM: BOBBY: Hi Bobby, did you get your lodge newsletter yet? Yeah, but I didn t really read it. I started to, but it was boring. I didn t really care about the new OA Troop Representative program or whatever its called, and there was a huge article on the front page about it. I didn t mind that, but I couldn t really read the text. It was kind of small. And did you notice all the mistakes inside? One article apparently wasn t written on time, and it had Put an inspirational quote in bold letters or a picture here to draw the attention of your readers. I just wish they had some pictures or something from the last event. It was a blast! Yeah, maybe they re up on the web site do you know the address? No, they told me at my chapter meeting but I didn t write it down. It sure would be helpful if it were in the newsletter or something. Service with a Smile: 1-2 Minutes Your newsletter is just like a lodge event or a camp promotional visit to a troop: it is a service your lodge provides. As such, we need to be constantly evaluating the newsletter and getting feedback from readers about what they want to see, how to make it more helpful and entertaining, etc. You will be surprised how many good ideas your readers can come up with. Distribution: 2 Minutes Obviously, your newsletter will be mailed to your membership. However, it is helpful to note some secondary distribution methods that will help you incorporate the newsletter into your overall lodge communications strategy. You don t just want to communicate; you want to communicate strategically by integrating your various resources. One of these communication tools is your newsletter. Find ways to make your Order of the Arrow 13A 4 Boy Scouts of America
communications media (newsletter, web sites, phone calls) all part of one network. For example, ALWAYS provide appropriate web links to your own lodge web site or other web sites in newsletter articles when you can. With permission, provide important phone numbers and contact info for officers or event chairmen, etc. in the newsletter. This will make your newsletter a starting point rather than an ending point for lodge communications, allowing you to increase the level of communication in the lodge (a goal that every single lodge or any organization has). Roles: 10 Minutes There is room for a large number of people on your newsletter team. The exact number of positions and what jobs each position has are not specifically important, as long as you follow certain rules: Role Rules! Bring in as many people as possible how many positions should there be on your newsletter team? The correct answer is one for everyone who wants to be involved.! Specialize tasks have people do what they do best. For example, you need people who are committed to taking pictures at events or checking to make sure the dates are correct in your newsletter. No task is too small to have a person doing it, just make sure they know exactly what their role is.! Distribute work effectively make sure all the things that need to happen are someone s responsibility. This may seem silly to even state, but you should be able to have a name for each task that needs to be done, and that person should know that they are responsible for making it happen. Typical Positions Here are some basic, typical positions you may want to consider having for your newsletter. These are based on many of the things we ve already mentioned as important in this session:! Editor-in-Chief this can be your publications chairman or Lodge Secretary. He is the main person responsible for seeing that the newsletter is produced, is a quality product, and stays on schedule.! Managing Editor this is an optional position that does a lot of the things the Editor-in-Chief may do, such as keeping in close touch with the staff or newsletter team and making sure everyone fulfills their roles/responsibilities.! Layout Editor makes the newsletter look attractive. Takes all of the articles and items for the newsletter and lays them out to make the finished product.! Writers you can call upon officers, advisers, and chairmen to write about certain things (events, etc.), but be sure to include some interested Arrowmen who may not have another role in the lodge to write for the newsletter (and be sure to give them a by-line!).! Photographers these people take pictures (make sure they are pictures of the youth!).! Copy Editor checks spelling and grammar (very important) and checks writing to see if it follows your style guide.! Publisher this person works with the Editor-in-Chief (they may be the same position) to make the budget and see that it is followed. They are also responsible for costs and logistics of getting the newsletter published (printed or copied). Conclusion: 2 Minutes Your lodge s newsletter is the premier communications tool. If you don t get a quality newsletter out frequently, even inactive members will take notice and it will reflect poorly on the lodge. Lodge newsletters are the front lines of the battle for membership retention. That is why our newsletters must meet such a high standard and why so much work is involved in their production. Order of the Arrow 13A 5 Boy Scouts of America
APPENDIX: POST-SESSION TRAINER ACTION ITEMS Questions and Handouts: 5 Minutes Be sure to thank everyone and make your contact information available to facilitate future questions. If you have extra time, offer to answer questions now. Also, now is the time to hand out the Sample Newsletter format to participants. Point out that they should read it over for more tips, as well as some of those brought up in the session. You may also want to make available sample lodge newsletters you have access to as well as the National Bulletin for good examples. Order of the Arrow 13A 6 Boy Scouts of America