Craig Verley

I am guessing that several hundred members of the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) returned to work today (March 1) after attending the organization’s annual conference in Sugar Land, professionally renewed, mentally drained, and physically tired.

There is so much networking, idea sharing, and learning that goes on during the annual conference, and most of us return to work eager to implement many of the new things we learned. You may want to pull back on the reigns a little bit.

The spring semester is a crazy-busy time for school communicators with the pace picking up as high school graduations draw ever closer. So, the spring semester may not be the best time to try to quickly implement a bunch of new things and just add to your already lengthy to-do lists.

Perhaps now would be a good opportunity to thoughtfully go over the notes you took at the sessions you attended and think through a few things. Try to avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome urges or the new technology impulses that may be pulsing through your mind. Pause and think through the whole implementation process for each item as well as the purpose, and possible goals. Creating a realistic priority list for the implementation might also help. Then look at your organizational and operational plans and think through when you could start to work on the new ideas and projects in a manner that won’t just add to your spring semester stresses.

Another approach is to look at everything you learned, as well as the things you want to implement and select just one item to implement now. Then plan the other stuff into your calendar for after the graduation ceremonies. This way you get the rush of implementing the Shiny New Object and possibly see some quick, positive results that are always fun for the boss to notice. We all know that possible budget issues for many Texas school districts for the 2024-2025 school year, travel to a conference may be a tougher sell. Being able to show how the new tools and lessons learned at the TSPRA conference can go a long way toward allowing you to attend next year.

Was there a session at the conference you really wanted to attend but couldn’t because work pulled you away or did it conflict with another great session? It has been my experience that TSPRAns love to share any time of the year. So, keep those conference programs handy. Then, as time allows, reach out to the presenter of the session you had to miss. The member directory available to all TSPRA members is a great resource.

One other thing to consider if you are already completely swamped at work and the thought of trying to implement even one small new item learned is overwhelming. Take a quick look at your calendar and think about when there are traditionally small pauses in the workflows and loads. Then make a reminder for yourself to revisit your TSPRA notes and thoughts at that time.

No one says you HAVE to implement your new TSPRA conference-based ideas immediately if it will have a negative impact on your stress loads. It is okay to build a slower, more intentional way of addressing the new things you want to do. Sometimes the hardest part is allowing ourselves that small luxury.