Producing Effective Game Notes for Media and Broadcast

Game notes are an essential part of each of our jobs. Every athletics communications professional is putting out some version of a pre-game release packet before each event, but the reality is that very few people actually put out a document in a useable format that is helpful to all media outlets covering the event, or even useable for the communications professional him/herself.

I have seen 50-page notes packages without one tidbit of useful information or information in a useable format. Here’s the thing communications professionals need to keep in mind: It doesn’t matter how good of a notes package you believe it to be, if it’s not effective in helping media personnel do their jobs, then you might as well not have done it in the first place. It’s your job to promote your program and assist those giving you coverage.

Seek feedback from the media on what things are helpful in your notes and what things are not. Check with your team radio personnel, see what things they like from the notes of opponents you play. Ask your local beat writer and student beat writer what is most important to them.

A television broadcast of your game is always probably going to be the medium that draws the most in-game attention for your program. That is where you are exposing your program to fans and recruits alike. So why wouldn’t you want to make your notes the most usable for television talent? That’s two-plus hours of non-stop promotion of your program. Don’t you want the talent and production crew to have easy-to-use information so that they can talk about all of the things you want to emphasize about your program?

One of the most useful things I find in helping TV talent is to get a DVD of each of your games that is televised. Watch it afterwards from start to finish. Make note of what things from your notes television seems to like to use and what things it seems to never use. Make sure you continue to do the things that you find them using and try to include in your notes things you see on the broadcast and aren’t using. This is critical to successful promotion of your program.

Here’s a few keys to great game notes:

CHARTS CONTROL TV GRAPHICS: Have a lot of charts included in your game notes. All-time career lists, national individual rankings, comparisons from last year to this year, improvements, streaks and trends - all that stuff is clutch. What many athletics communications professionals fail to understand is that charts can directly be translated into TV graphics by the font coordinator. The more useful charts you include in your notes (knowing what TV is looking for), the more opportunity you have as your team’s publicist to control the graphics that appear on your game broadcast. Include all useful charts you can think of. Just because someone could extrapolate the data from the conference release or the NCAA data doesn’t mean you shouldn’t include it in your notes - do the work for them and you will find more graphics to your liking during your game broadcast.

KEY FRONT PAGE: Put the absolute most important information on your front page. I suggest a narrative summary of three or so paragraphs setting the stage for the game - sometimes that is something that radio or TV broadcasters can just lift and use in the opening of their broadcast. Gives you a good opportunity to get your message across in those parts of the broadcast as well. Also, I suggest a “quick notes” section based on easy-to-read and highly useful, yet succinct information. This is the MOST important information about your program. Just think - what are the 8-10 most important things about your team for the upcoming game. Make this very stat heavy and very tightly written - these are the most important points you want to get across or watch for. The writers will also find this helpful, as far as things to focus on for their upcoming stories and it will often tip off a note or a record that might happen during the game.

STREAKS AND TRENDS: Make the majority of your notes about streaks and trends. A wishy-washy and very wordy four-paragraph note about someone’s individual performance in one game alone is absolutely useless. It doesn’t apply to the current game, it doesn’t signify any trend in performance, it doesn’t identify any records and, for all intensive purposes, is absolutely useless. Things that people can watch for: trends of the wins, trends of the losses, consistent improvement, trends over the last five games, game comparisons, statistical streaks your team is on. These are the things that will make broadcasts, these are the things that will prove useful in your post-game notes, these are the things that will most help the writers. If you aren’t doing this, start immediately. This is one of the only things that really matters as far as information is concerned.

GET RID OF THE RECAPS IN THE NOTES: I am a big proponent of the “game recaps” section of notes with complete box scores. I think this is essential in helping media looking back at past games for “last-time” type of things and comparing games during the season. But it needs to be in the back section of your notes and it doesn’t need to show up anywhere else in your main notes section. Recapping games or series in the heart of your notes section is both useless and counterproductive. That’s not what TV or radio talent is looking for, especially if it is in lengthy narrative form. This type of information just bogs down your notes and makes it really hard to find the things you really need during the course of a game or broadcast. This is a huge inconvenience and often makes people stop referencing your notes altogether because it becomes too tiring to sift through all the general recap fluff that is weighing down your primary notes section.

ORGANIZATION IS KEY: Think about being on the air trying to look up something really quick. You also have to keep the TV official stats and talent stats personnel in mind when doing your notes. They are going to be looking things up on the fly during the game, with announcers and producers shouting in their ears the whole time. It has to be easy and quick to find. To intersperse series notes, team notes, individual notes, etc., makes it nearly impossible to find anything quickly. Have an order to the notes - I suggest: game information, series information, team notes, individual notes, team almanac, updated bios, game recaps and statistics. Bullet points and charts are key. The easier something is to read on the fly, the more likely it is to find its way into the broadcast. It needs to be easy to access and succinct. Those lengthy narrative paragraphs that are in so many people’s notes are absolutely useless, especially for broadcast personnel during the game.

BIOS, BIOS, BIOS: I can’t get over the number of people who don’t include updated player bios in their notes. This is essential for broadcast personnel AND, maybe more importantly, it helps you as the SID answer questions that the media has about each player and helps you with your own recap and post-game notes. A good bio has an updated season summary (three-dot data …), a couple of key “what to watch for” bullet points, game-by-game stats, career stats, season highs and career highs. This is essential. Also, make sure the first few lines of the player bio are streaks and trends (how many games they have played in/started, and some information like “ranks third on the team in scoring with 13.4 ppg” that summarizes their contributions to the team. Bios that are only a summary of what has happened every game without any beginning summary of why that player is important to the team and what they are doing this season are much less useful. Also, with the summarizing of each game part of the bio summary, be sure to have the most current game near the top and summarize, in reverse order, back down to the first game of the season.

ROSTER, PRONUNCIATION GUIDE, RADIO/TV CHART: These should be a given as to why they are essential and important, but you’d be surprised looking at some notes.

OFF-THE-COURT/FIELD IDEAS: One of many things I have learned from the great Susan Lax - it’s really important to have a section of off-the-court/field story ideas in your game notes. This is stuff that you can start by pulling information from the player questionnaires at the beginning of the year and add to it as you hear interesting tidbits on the bus, in the airport or when you are talking to players. Talk about how your player is a great chef or loves solving algorithms or comes from a family of 13 people, all of whom played some sport at your school. These always get positive reviews from TV types and are often helpful to writers looking for feature story ideas. These should be organized by player and should be in bulleted form.

UPDATED RECORD BOOK: Essentially, your entire record book should be updated in each set of notes. It sounds exhausting, but it’s really less tiring than having to update the whole thing at the end of the year and trying to go on memory. Plus, it helps you out immensely when answering media questions at games and putting together your post-game notes. If you rely on the media guide records, you have to find where the performance in that game ranks all time, then figure out if any performances from earlier in the season also belong on the list, and then re-organize the entire list. When doing this on deadline or in a pinch, it’s easy to make mistakes. You don’t want that to happen, and, really, you don’t need the extra stress or work that not doing this causes.

Those are just some key pointers, in my opinion, in how to put together really effective game notes that assist members of the media, especially broadcast media, in better covering your team. I think you’ll find that doing these things will result in a better job of getting your messages across.

To Seek a Renaissance

If big-time Division I college athletics is in its Renaissance age, the athletics communications profession has a long way to go. That’s not to say there aren’t Leonardo da Vincis and William Shakespeares among our profession.

In fact there are countless talented athletics communications professionals with great skills who, if put in the right positions and empowered to be their absolute best, could go down as legends in the lore of intercollegiate athletics.

Too often, top athletics communications professionals (not in positions of leadership) are accused of being negative and too quick to complain. While that may be true for some out there, I think what many of those professionals are yearning for is a revolution.

Take the majority of your talented, yet negative athletics communications professionals and empower them. No one in their right mind would do what we do without an incredible passion, but it seems many of us have forgotten our enthusiasm for our chosen profession.

It is a humbling and exciting thought to imagine just what would happen if these skilled communicators were empowered to let their inner light shine and be committed to reforming the profession to bring out the best in everyone involved.

There is nothing more powerful than a large group of individuals who are confident in their strengths, highly skilled in their trades, unwaveringly passionate about their chosen field and dedicated to wake up every day looking to make their profession, themselves and their school the best it can possibly be.

Can you imagine the endless possibility?

But it’s hard. I was having a great conversation with a sports sales representative more than a month ago. I was fascinated in learning about his craft and where it was evolving. He spoke with such passion and was excited about what opportunities lied ahead.

Later into the conversation, he asked - “What are things like in your profession?”

I thought - Wow! I relish the opportunity to talk about the Renaissance I am looking for in the athletics communications profession. I was so excited to be able to share my ideas for reform. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t coming off in a negative tone, so I spoke carefully, as I do when I’m enthusiastically selling my ideas for reform.

“We have a lot of talented people in our field,” I started. “But I think this is a critical time for our profession. We are in need of reform to reverse the growing disenchantment among our professionals and need to find a way to bridge a gap between the ‘new school’ mindset and the ‘old school’ mindset. If we aren’t willing to accept new challenges and solidify our position at the leadership table, with the growing decline of conventional media, our profession could be dying. At the same time, we can‘t get away from the traditional fundamentals and skills on which our success is based.”

I thought - that’s it! I have finally found a way to put together the perfect summary of what needs to happen in our profession and, I was almost inspired by my own words.

Talk about a way to end a conversation.

Change scares people. I knew immediately once I finished saying my piece that the conversation was over. Mine was a call to action and that’s scary to people. Instead of striving to get better, it’s easier to go with the status quo. Even if he thought I was right, it’s too dangerous to make waves.

So, what many people do is not rock the boat. It may be easier in the short term, but it’s devastating in the long run.

At my very first CATSPY Awards at the University of Kentucky, the annual athletics awards show that honors those of most importance in college athletics - the student-athletes, I was an impressionable 19-year-old freshman. In awe of much of the show, I was inspired by the speech given by athletics director Mitch Barnhart at the end of the program.

“There’s no staying the same,” Barnhart told the contingent of student-athletes, coaches, support staff and administrators in attendance. “You’re either getting better or getting worse. There’s no staying the same.”

That stuck with me and, just like many of you, there have been days when I haven’t gotten better. But there are a lot of days I spend trying to get better.

That is exactly what’s happening when we refuse to embrace reform in the athletics communications field. We are refusing to get better and, in the process, we are getting worse.

There is no staying the same.

I’m not saying that I have all the answers. In fact, far from it. One important lesson for any of us to understand is that none of us have a monopoly on wisdom. It does not exist and, while we should always strive to grow, learn and change, we should not strive to monopolize wisdom.

Any mistake I criticize, I openly say that I have made that mistake at some point or another. Sure, I am probably among those listed when negativity among athletics communications is mentioned. But it’s only because people don’t understand the endless possibilities I see in our field and in college athletics as a whole.

I actually consider myself an optimist, who is regularly disappointed because the potential and possibility I see in everything is endless and, almost inevitably, we come up short of that. I can assure you, I am my own worst critic and am harder on myself and my own actions than I am of anyone or anything else.

There is no question I don’t have all the answers. But, what I want to do is discuss the problems. No, not just with the top communicators and not in a formal setting. When we’re honest, we’re all better off down the road, even though it might be hard for some to hear at the time. Let’s get talented communicators together from all levels - I can assure you we would find an answer and a solution to every issue athletics communicators are facing right now.

Why not have an athletics communications Renaissance? Our schools deserve it, our student-athletes deserve it and we ourselves deserve it. If we aren’t the best then we are selling ourselves and everyone else short. Let’s be our absolute best - all at the same time. How awesome would that be?

As Anne Frank wrote “Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!”

Let’s work collectively on a daily basis to bring out that potential - to truly see how good we can be.

But, in conjunction with that, our environments need to be conducive to that - and that’s why there’s need for reform. Surely with that goal in mind, we can all work together to collectively ensure that we are able to put that potential to work - to let our lights shine.

Here are some starting points for change, for opportunity:

-Convert At-Large members of the CoSIDA Board to Elected Positions - Sure there are a number of talented professionals on our profession’s board of directors, but what incentive is there to effect positive change for the majority of the membership? I want the At-Large Board of Directors members to be able to clearly define their position on issues. What are your key causes? Why do you want to be on the board of directors? What is the change you are looking to effect? Additionally, if these positions are elected, that institutes a system of accountability because, just as quickly as you are elected, if you don’t make progress towards what you have promised, you could easily be defeated in the next election. It’s funny how a little accountability makes things get done faster. Make our leaders accountable. I have aspirations to participate in leadership positions with the CoSIDA board of directors. I want to be held accountable by our constituents. If I am just appointed - then I am representing the membership, but they had no say in electing who represents them. Do you want to be represented in the Senate by someone you didn’t have the opportunity to vote for or against? I think not.

-Increase Professional Development Opportunities - I have mentioned these in previous posts. We are in critical need for an accreditation process. There is no formal education process and, thus, no real way to distinguish a talented communicator from someone off the street. Let’s reward those who have invested the time to improving their skill sets and their careers. I’m not saying every SID out there has to be accredited, but let’s have the process available and reward those who commit to it - higher pay, more impressive professional distinction, more respect, better jobs. It’s a no-brainer. Create an Ohio University-like program for athletics communications. I’ve already detailed the curriculum in an earlier blog post. You have to be a certified athletic trainer and a certified strength coach and a registered nutritionist, but you don’t have to have any designation to be an athletics communications director. Think that’s why we have trouble gaining respect in the overall athletics structure? Hmmmm.

-Measure Monetary Effectiveness - If you look in Sports Business Journal, the majority of its 40 Under 40 award winners are marketing professionals. Wonder why? They can prove their worth to the bottom line of the organization. They brought in this much revenue through corporate sponsorships. A coupon for free tickets they bought in the newspaper resulted in so many fans coming to the game. There’s metrics involved everywhere in marketing. Marketing professionals can easily show how they contribute to the bottom line. As athletics communications professionals, we don’t do that. In fact, many of you might be thinking we can’t do that. Just as a Chief Marketing Officer presents his number figures to the boss, so should the Chief Communications Officer. We should be required to submit similar reports. Let’s employ news-clip services. That cover of Sports Illustrated you got your quarterback on for free - how much would publicity have cost you if you bought the cover of Sports Illustrated to promote your program? That three-hour long college football game broadcast on ESPN where they use your notes to speak positively about your program while the game progresses - how much would it have cost your athletics department for a three-hour advertisement from 7-10 p.m. on ESPN during college football Saturdays? We have to help ourselves by proving our worth to the bottom line. It’s definitely there, but people aren’t seeing it. In fact, we contribute to the bottom line more cheaply than the marketing folks - our publicity is free - we don’t purchase any ads or sell any space.

-End the Rising Disenchantment of Professionals - Let’s talk. Seriously - we need to figure out a way to re-inspire the passion that each of you had when you first began the job. What are the main detractors from your happiness? Does most of it ensue from the fact that you aren’t maximized to your full potential? Let’s figure this out. Forget political correctness - do you want soldiers who sit privately unhappy or do you want a team of people who want to be the best? Let’s all be the best. Let’s end the divisions that exist in our profession, whether that be between administrators/coaches and communicators, senior communicators and junior communicators, or communicators and members of the media. We need to find the answers and reform our industry.

I would love to have your suggestions on what we can do to work on the four issues that I have mentioned, and what other issues exist that need to be addressed. I want each of you out there to seek your full potential and reach it. We can’t do this alone - let’s all work together to try to effect positive change.

What could be more fulfilling and empowering than to reach your full potential on a daily basis? There has been no better time - we have all of the resources, all of the new mediums and all of the new technologies. Let’s all work together to create the athletics communications Renaissance.

Will you join me?

Creating a Dream Team and Being the Best

During my recent visit to Chapel Hill, N.C., on Wednesday, I ventured over to the school’s bookstore and bought a book on North Carolina head women’s soccer coach Anson Dorrance.

I knew very little of Dorrance other than what the numbers tell – 21 NCAA Championships, numerous All-Americans, countless student-athletes who have become mainstays on the U.S. Olympic Team. But I bought the book because I love reading about leaders, especially those who have proven themselves to be among the best.

Sometimes success is dumb luck, a fortune of one’s environment or circumstances. But when success is maintained for a long period of time, there’s often numerous intangible elements that separate those who succeed and those who don’t. Following a successful plan that someone else has used is not going to work for you, necessarily, but by extended study into the lives of a number of leaders, I believe it’s possible to acquire the various elements of success that will make you successful.

One of the stories in the book – The Man Watching by Tim Crothers – that most hit home with me was one of Dorrance’s player conferences with superstar Mia Hamm before her sophomore season. He asked her what she really wanted out of her career and, though it took some time, she eventually blurted out “To be the best.” Dorrance then tells of how he flipped the light switch off and the two sat in darkness for a minute. The then flipped the light back on and said “It’s just a light-switch decision. That’s all it takes, but you have to make that decision every single day.”

I think there’s many great people in the athletics communications profession who have the potential and talent to be the best, but aren’t turning on that light-switch because they haven’t been empowered to. For many, the effort to turn that switch on day after day without the encouragement or empowerment to do so, becomes too much.

Dorrance stresses the importance of making “being the best … something tangible, no longer abstract.” That’s what should be happening in the athletics communications profession. I feel confident in what I’m about to say: If an athletics communications professional walks into a job interview for his or her first full-time (assistant SID) job and when his or her goals are asked, he/she responds “I desire to be the best,” I can say that 75 percent of the time, that person is NOT going to get the job.

It’s too much work. If you hire someone who wants to be the best, they’re going to be needy. They’re going to want added responsibility, they’re going to want constant feedback on how to improve their skill sets. But, most importantly, they’re going to cause problems. Here’s why: In their quest to become the best, that SID will start providing services for their coaching staffs or the media and then – EVERYONE else will want it.

EVERYONE ELSE WILL WANT IT.

That is the phrase of disempowerment in college athletics. You can’t create this Web page for your softball coach, because then the volleyball coach will want it. You can’t travel with the golf team because the tennis coach is then going to want his/her SID to travel with their squad.

That kind of mindset – prevalent at many schools in college athletics – is what limits our programs and limits ourselves as professionals. In reality, each of us should only be limited by the reach of our own imaginations.

When I run my own office one day, it is my aspiration to create the athletics communications version of the “Dream Team.” To create a championship culture to provide first-class media services. We will be regularly recognized as the best within our conference and in the nation.

I want the best women’s basketball SID, the best baseball SID, the best golf SID, the best water polo SID and on and on to be on my staff. My last post was about identifying the best in each respective sport. I want my entire staff to consist of the best, both individually, and collectively as a team.

Here are the key factors I look for in identifying personnel talent to fit into the “Dream Team” environment:

1. Desire to be the best: This is the defining factor in creating an effective athletics communicator. This can’t really be taught and it can’t be faked. Each person has to want to be the best. I know with some of the workplace environment that some SIDs are in, it’s difficult to flip on that light switch every day, but the key is – In the right environment, is this a person who is willing to flip on the light switch to be the best on a daily basis? I want people who are willing to clearly define their goals and evaluate their progress towards those goals. I also want people who are committed to professional development – active in CoSIDA, active in PRSA, pursing an advanced education. As a leader, I want to know – where do you want to go, how can I help you get there, and how does it support the group mission?

2. Desire to push others to be the best: So, everyone else will want it? Great! I want a staff that pushes each other to be the best. You’re doing it, so I now I need to be doing it. Let’s create an environment with a free-flow of ideas – how can we get better? What did you see another school doing that we can adopt in our department? What did you see in my work that I can improve on? We all bring different talents and different perspectives to the table. Why not benefit from that instead of shunning it? If one person is doing it, let’s all do it. And let’s help each other accomplish that goals.

3. Ability to fit into championship culture: It’s all about getting the right people in place in order to be successful. It doesn’t mean having a staff full of best friends (although that would be nice), it means having a staff that works incredibly well together and all supports the mission. I have seen staffs where everyone alone is an All-Star, but no one works well together and it doesn’t work. You can’t create a championship culture with a staff full of individuals, you have to do it as a team. It doesn’t mean hiring all your friends either – the most important goal is that everyone works well together. I have plenty of friends out there who I might not hire. I have some friends who are great SIDs, who I might not hire. The culture I propose does not fit everyone and that’s okay. It’s not a criticism of anyone – it’s perfectly fine. We all have expectations of what we want and they’re not all the same.

4. Willingness to be a 24/7 SID: I don’t care when you come in the office. I don’t care what your hours are. I don’t care if you aren’t at work and don’t take leave. Just get the job done and do it better than anyone else in the nation. In fact, I don’t want you in the office all day. As a communicator, you should be out building and strengthening the relationships with the media, your coaches, your student-athletes and your colleagues, attending meetings in your local PRSA chapter or doing committee work for CoSIDA. But what I do expect is that when your coaches call you, you answer and attend to their requests no matter what time of day it is. If the student newspaper requests a photo at 11 p.m., send it to them. If your coach wants stats at 7 p.m., send it to them. When I call, answer. Don’t want to get into the office until 1 p.m.? Fine with me.

5. Talent: How good is your skill set? Are you a good designer, a good writer, a good communicator? This is critically important, but this is the one thing that can be learned. Notice, I mention this last. While top-notch talent is important to the success of a championship communications office, the other four factors are what define members of a “Dream Team.”

The question then becomes, how does the athletics communications profession morph into one in which its professionals want daily to flip on that light switch and be the best. I think many of us have that potential deep within us – it is for us, as a profession, to determine what is causing the gap between that ability and its reality.

Maybe during these summer months, we would all be well to sit down and determine what holds us back from being the best.

Which of these things can we change and which can’t we? Some things aren’t even directly related to our profession, but hinder us. Do we need to get our finances in order? Do we need to drop a few pounds to give us more energy? Do we need to be more organized? Are we taking enough time for ourselves? How can we recapture our competitive bite to become the best in the business?

It’s hard to evaluate these things and make slight adjustments, but I hope each of you will join me in making these evaluations and tweaks during your offseason. Maybe you too will find yourself blurting out your desire to be the best.

Willingness to Learn From The Best

Perhaps one of the most intimidating obstacles in the athletics communications profession is being assigned to a sport that you have no experience working with, or no knowledge of the sport, its rules and its culture at all. Inevitably, that is going to happen to everyone in this field at one point or another, often early in a career.

Whether its track and field, field hockey, swimming and diving, lacrosse or synchronized swimming, odds are, each athletics communications professional will be assigned to serve as a primary contact for a sport that he or she is unfamiliar with.

The natural human instinct - which is probably exacerbated with the growing disenchantment among talented athletics communications professionals - would be to use your inexperience and lack of knowledge of that sport as a crutch. That is - blame any failures on your lack of knowledge of that sport and your inexperience as a chief communications contact for that sport.

Excuses or actions like that are one of the things that are wrong with our profession.

Instead, look upon your new sport as an opportunity to learn and get better, which each of us should be striving to do on a daily basis.

I have given this advice several times over the past few months, so I felt it would be prudent to write a blog post about how to handle this type of situation. I am delighted that I’ve had the opportunity to give this advice and that there are so many new-to-sport SIDs out there who are eager to learn.

Upon being assigned said new sport, the first task that an athletics communicator should undertake is to find out who the best communications director for that sport is across the country. Ask your friends in the business who they feel the best contact in that sport is, search the web - see what communications directors in that sport have earned recognition, check the CoSIDA publications contest results - see which SID or school is consistently among the leaders in the annual contest. The best method is asking any communications professional in that sport - “Who is the best SID in your sport?”

Once you have identified that person, start studying their work as much as possible. How do they write their releases? What information is most pertinent in that sport? What charts do you like in their game notes and how can you adapt that information? Start modeling your work off of that person - if you need help on a post-game recap, find a recap that person wrote in a game situation very similar to your game and try to use their release as a template.

I’m not saying to be a copy-cat, but there’s no better way to learn (Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?). Really, it doesn’t have to be just one person - it can be three of the nation’s top communications directors in that sport - with you taking what you like from each.

As the games/meets/matches go on, you will slowly develop your own style. It will be a combination of the expert communicator’s way of doing things, plus your own personal touch and style that you probably used with other sports that you have covered in the past.

Another great thing to do would be to reach out to that athletics communicator that you are modeling yourself after. Introduce yourself, say you are new to the sport, admire their work and look forward to meeting/working with them down the road.

More times than not, these “experts” are more than willing to talk the sport with you and, you will probably find that they will become a friend along the way. From time to time, if you have a question, your mentor would likely be willing to help in any way that he or she can.

There is no better way to become one of the best than to study and learn from the best. I am fortunate to have learned from the very best in the different sports I have covered and am so much better for the experience. Odds are, if they care that much about their sport, they’re going to be as much of a caring person in real life and you two will likely be great friends and colleagues for years to come.

From the minute you take on a new sport as the team’s athletics communications contact, immediately begin asking “Who is the best SID in your sport?”

And remember, it’s never too late to learn. Just because you have been a communications contact for a sport for several years, doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of the opportunity to learn from the best. We need to be constantly growing and evolving.

For instance, I was introduced the best athletics communications director in the sport of track and field at a chance meeting at the very first track and field meet I ever covered for the University of Kentucky in 2007.

But, in volleyball, I had been either a primary or secondary contact for the sport for five years at both Kentucky and Florida before I had the opportunity to interact (via e-mail) with the best athletics communications director in that sport. And those interactions, five years into it, have made me that much better.

We can always learn from people, no matter how long we have been doing that sport.

I urge each of you to embrace your new sport and strive to be one of the best in the country. Embrace and be thankful for your mentor relationships each day. Who knows, you may develop a keen understanding of that sport and find a deep passion for the beauty of that particular sport, and you may make life-long friends.

I know I did.

SID Network helps in Crisis Communications

I've often compared facets of the athletics communications profession to that of a lawyer. That is never more true than when managing crisis communications.

Our effectivness as a communications professional almost always depends on our past experience in dealing with a situation. We are more effective when we are able to relate the crisis we are facing with one we have dealt with in the past, and then reflect on the successes and the failures of that communications plan to help direct us in how to handle our current situation.

But the thing is (and this is a good thing), we likely haven't dealt with every crisis out there, or one similar enough to draw knowledge for our current crisis. I was speaking with a friend and colleague this evening about how to handle somewhat of a crisis situation he was facing.

After being briefed on the situation, I offered my advice and then was quick to say "But, you know who would know ..." and quickly rattled off the name of an SID at a fellow BCS school who had faced a similar situation that I had read about on the NCAA.org Web site.

As fellow athletics communicators, we are all in this thing together. While we may not have the experience of facing a certain crisis, I guarantee you there is an athletics communications director who has faced an identical situation or, at least one that is comparable. That's the power of the athletics communication network.

Keep up with crises that occur in collegiate athletics at schools across the country. One of the best ways to maintain your mental database of crises in college athletics is to read up daily on NCAA.org to see what schools have been penalized, reprimanded, etc., and also keep up with the stories in the daily newspapers and Web sites.

Know the crises that happen in college athletics to build your mental library. Just like a lawyer - they may not know all the facts of the previous case (often ones that set precedents) or its decision, but they know the cases exist and where to find them in their legal books. You know the past crisis and have a general understanding of how it relates to your crisis, and you know where to look (meaning who to call who went through a similar situation).

When you keep up with current crises in sports, make sure you're aware of who the "SID on record" is, meaning that you know who the athletics communications director was for that particular crisis and know who to call, even when that person has moved onto another job and another school.

For instance - if you want to find out how to handle a situation where your coach has committed recruiting violations, call JD Campbell of Indiana. If you want to find out how to handle a situation where a player dies and you have players harming fellow teammates, call Scott Stricklin who was at Baylor during a terribly difficult time for that school. If you want to find out how to handle a situation where a coach is suddenly terminated for violating university policies, contact Brian Miller who was at LSU when Pokey Chatman was fired. If you want to find out how to handle an athletics program that is going through a natural disaster, contact Donna Turner, who was at Tulane during the Hurricane Katrina crisis ... and the list goes on and on.

More than likely, a fellow athletics communications director will be willing to help you out. And if you're in the situation where you can help someone out with a crisis you have gone through, please be willing to do so. Remember, they didn't have to have handled the situation perfectly to be of help to you. If they can do an honest evalutation, they can mention their mistakes in the similiar crisis that will help you not to make them in your situation - you're benefitting from their experience.

Remember to keep tabs on crisis communications in college athletics and be willing to reach out and ask for advice. In crisis situations, experience really is the key, whether it's your experience or an experience that was shared with you.

Athletics Communications Opportunities with Kindle

So you think they've come up with every possible means to promoting our programs through athletics communications? After all, we're Twittering, Facebooking, blogging, Covering it Live and much more.

I think there's another medium we're not taking advantage of that could spread the word about our programs and also potentially generate a new revenue stream.

Looking at the holiday issues of the Sports Business Journal, one of the main questions that was asked of major executives in the sporting industry was what they were hoping to receive for Christmas. An overwhelming number of executives mentioned that they were really looking forward to receiving a Kindle, the wireless reading device that can download books and subscription-based newspapers and magazines through WiFi or a non-wireless-based 3G network.

What a great invention - especially for frequent travelers like me who read quickly, but can't lug a sackful of books onto a plane (I have to carry too many pounds of media guides to worry about adding to my load with books to read for pleasure). Although, I do fear that this is getting us one step closer to doing away with printed books.

Scary stuff, considering that I love being able to read books and newspapers without having to be on my computer screen. I'm on a computer enough as it is and it's tiring to the eyes. I like hard copies and I don't want them to go anywhere. There's something soothing about looking through a book store. There's a certain aura and a certain smell that is sterilized by the Kindle and its brethren. My philosophy on all of the new inventions - I think they're tremendous, but I don't think any of them should replace the old methods, especially when it comes to the printed piece. But that's another story for another day.

Bottom line is, sports executives (and presumably sports fans, who often have at least some amount of disposable income) are using Kindles in their daily lives, but not getting the sports fix they could with regard to their favorite teams.

The sports world needs to reach out to the Kindle to promote its programs. More and more teams are relying on their own athletics communications office to serve as its news outlet. Essentially, teams are "breaking" their own news on their own Web sites. A lot of schools have hired bloggers and commentators, more news-reporter based than public-relations based, to to write for their own athletics Web sites.

Have your athletics communications department create subscription-based content, similar to ESPN.com's insider, that is directed solely at the Kindle. Maybe you have your free blog on your athletics department Web site with special "Insider" content to subscribers of the subscription-based Kindle component.

Here's another thought - many of you, like me, probably receive the Sporting News Today e-mails or view the online edition. It's essentially a national newspaper sports section that's completely online. Maybe you produce one of these daily for your athletics department. Your athletics communications directors are the beat writers. Essentially, it is a more "fluffy" re-write of their standard game recap or advance, your blogger is your columnist and your student assistants are your feature writers (great experience for them). This "newspaper" is produced completely by your athletics communications department for subscribers to receieve exclusively on their Kindles or similar devices.

Does your department produce its own monthly magazine? When I was at UCF, our athletics communications office, in conjunction with ISP Sports, produced KnightVision, a monthly subscription-based magazine that featured magazine-length writing, features, creative elements and much more directed at the fanbase. Put your monthly magazine on Kindle and offer a discount for this subscription, as compared to having a paper subscription (but never do away with the printed option). It makes sense, after all, it costs you less (both money + labor/time) to submit the copy electronically than to mail, meter and process the magazine.

Cover It Live fits perfectly with Kindle. Look at the orientation of the Kindle device and the orientation of the Cover It Live module. The shape and size is almost identical. Maybe you have a subscription-based way to access Cover It Live from your Kindle. Maybe you have premium chats. I.E. - Your chat with your tennis star is covered live for free on your Web site, but think of the revenue you could generate with a subscription-based live chat via Kindle with fans communicating with that Heisman-winning standout quarterback who is on ESPN on a daily basis.

Just because you're Twittering and Facebooking doesn't mean you're doing everything you can to promote your program. There's always something more that can be done.

Now, here's the clincher, though - we need to fight for these things to become a reality. The apathy in this profession needs to go away. We need to fight for these positions. Every athletics communications department needs at least one person whose entire job is devoted to social media/new media.

Let's be strategic about this - telling your athletics director that you need this position isn't often going to get you very far. Remember what I have been emphasizing - make this a science, make it strategic. Do your research using PRSA and other outlets - come up with a well-researched strategic plan for why these positions need to be created and how they can contribute to your bottom line. Maybe it doesn't change anything, especially if the money's just not there, but maybe it does.

Continue to promote your champions like a champion. There are always new and innovative ways out there, this is just an example of one untapped resource for athletics communications promotion.

Why Don't We Discuss Goals?

"What are your goals and how can we help you achieve them?"

How often have your leaders asked you that question and how often do you direct that question to those you lead? Chances are, not often.

It seems simple enough - everyone operates based on motivation. Motivation can come from any number of sources or ideas - maybe your motivation is that you want to become the best softball athletics communications director of all time. Maybe your motivation is that you want to get in and get out of work as quick as possible to pursue your on-the-side musical career. Motivations come in many forms and fashions.

The form of motivation that is most powerful is goals-based motivation. Essentially, this means that every decision you make is based on the goals you have set for yourself. Goals-based motivation drives the most successful of people to reach the highest levels of the areas in which they want to achieve.

So, why are we so afraid to talk about goals? From the standpoint of the individual, maybe you are just plodding along and don't have any specific goals, maybe you have incredibly large goals and are embarassed that others will find them laughable.

For employers, some are afraid of hearing an employee's goals. Your goals give you power. They set a clear course for something to achieve and, if you are dedicated enough, make you unstoppable. If your goals are loftier than your current position, then they're often afraid you will leave to go somewhere else, and then there's a position to fill. If they're hiring you and you have lofty goals, that becomes a problem because a lot of leaders just want the golf contact to do golf - anyone who is hired who aspires to the CoSIDA board, aspires to create change and innovation, improve the program, etc., then becomes a problem. Just doing golf turns into doing golf and trying to reform the whole office and the profession. For some leaders, that then becomes a headache they aren't willing to deal with.

Research has proven that leaders who both give their employees the opportunity to express and vocalize their goals, and allow them the opportunity to work towards those goals are more likely to retain their employees than those who don't.

I think it's so easy for us as athletics communications professionals to get off track from our goals, or not even consider them. The work-load is so sizeable and the hours are so irregular that task-based motivation often takes the place of goal-based motivation.

One would logically think that task-based motivation, while not allowing us to focus on our long-term goals, would at least be more effective in the present. After all, it allows us to complete the tasks at hand, meeting their approaching deadlines. But, actually, in addition to hurting our long-term goals, it compromises the effectiveness of the project at hand. If we fail to consider the long-term goals of the particular project or our four-year plan for that specific sport or athletics department, the task loses focus and isn't as good as it could be. Just like you aren't as good at your job as you could be if you operated on goal-based motivation, the job itself isn't as good if it isn't driven by goal-based motivation.

I'm sure this sounds like a situation that many of you have encountered. Here's what you need to do to get started on the process to realizing your goals:

* Write down your goals. These are going to be different for everyone. Some may be professional goals, some may be personal goals. It's great to have long-term goals and I think everyone should have these to strive for. The best thing you can do is create a four-year plan for your career. It may not even be the positions/jobs you want to have, maybe it's a list of skills you'd like to acquire by then or experiences you would like to have. Print it out. Keep a copy in your briefcase.

* Work on verbalizing these goals. Read them in front of the mirror - maybe you do it on a daily basis. Read them to family members and close friends - get their reactions. Maybe there's something here or there that you need or want to tweak that they can help you with.

* When the opportunity presents itself, discuss the goals with your leader. Perhaps that opportunity comes during your annual evaluation. Let them know what your goals are, where you believe yourself to be in achieving those goals and where you see yourself progressing in the future. If they are interested in your development, you will have their attention.

* Don't fear discussing goals in job interviews: Don't fear discussing your goals in job interviews. Bring them up when asked, even discuss your four-year plan. If the employer is threatened by those goals or don't appreciate you discussing them, you know the job's not for you anyway.

There is nothing more powerful than you making goals-based decisions in pursuit of your goals. That drive, that determination is unmatched. With no goals or no clear course in mind to achieve those goals, it's hard to get where you want to be.

Set your goals, verbalize them, look at them daily and use those goals as the basis for your decision-making. I think once you do that, you'll realize how powerful goals can really be and how they get you where you want to go.

Critical Need for CoSIDA Accreditation

I spent a thought-provoking hour this afternoon listening to an online open house (free Webinar) about the Public Relations Society of America's APR (Accreditation in Public Relations). It was incredibly informative and increased my belief (which I briefly mentioned in an earlier post) that CoSIDA desperately needs to offer professional athletics communications accreditation.

One of the key quotes that really stood out to me today on the Power Point slides that really applies to the field of athletics communications is a quote they showed by APR Kelly Groehler - “Anyone can walk off the street and start ‘practicing public relations.’ Accreditation is what sets apart those who are providing counsel that is strategic, managing relationships with constituents through good and bad times, and contributing to the success of the business. It's sorely needed in our industry, more than ever.”

How true is that for CoSIDA? That statement for public relations could be interchangable for athletics communications. Let's be honest, nearly anyone who comes into the office, agrees to work for free and is dependable and professional is immediately a member of the athletics communications department.

Believe me, I am not discounting that. That's how we all got our starts and I think it's one of the truly great things about this business - if you volunteer, work hard, demonstrate passion and continue to sharpen your skill set, you have a bright future. Personally, if Santa Fe CC athletics director Jim Keites hadn't taken a chance on allowing me to work in his sports information department as a 16-year-old high school student he'd never met, I wouldn't be anywhere near where I am today. The experience learned there was absolutely invaluable and I am so thankful for it.

That said, how do we set apart those those experienced and highly-skilled athletics communicators who are providing strategic council to leadership and positively impacting the bottom line of their athletics department? The only answer is accreditation.

For a full understanding of the APR process from PRSA, click to: http://www.praccreditation.org/

That accreditation really has nothing to do with how long someone has worked in athletics communications or how skilled they are at some of the technical aspects. It's all about providing a level of recognition and credibility to those people who understand and take pride in the "science" (another APR term) of athletics communications and have a clear view of its role as a leadership function.

Another key point I took with me from today's Webinar was the fact that the accreditation gives credibility to an often misunderstood profession. Boy, if there were ever a more misunderstood profession than athletics communications! How many people do you know that think all you do is hang out with athletes and coaches and they're all your best friends and you just watch games?

Credibility is key. I think if we, as athletics communicators, want more people to understand that what we do is a leadership function, we could use something that adds credibility to and legitimizes our profession. I can't imagine who wouldn't want that. Your Name, ACoSIDA - instant credibility.

So, how do we go about doing this? CoSIDA would have to establish an accreditation board. Ideally, in the future, the accreditation board is made up of elected senior ACoSIDAs with regional accreditation officers (like the local PR chapter ones) throughout the various regions of the country. These would be fellow ACoSIDAs, current athletics communications professionals, who help administer the readiness review and exam, etc.

It's going to be impossible to start this way. I think what needs to happen initially is for the CoSIDA board to appoint an accreditation board consisting of senior communicators who best understood the process of accreditation and the goals of what was trying to be accomplished. If any current CoSIDA senior communicators have gone through the APR process (not many have I am certain, but I know people like past-president Charles Bloom have been heavily involved in PRSA activities), those people should definitely be on the board. Make it a panel of maybe eight people.

Initially, the readiness review would take place once per year at the annual CoSIDA convention. Maybe the accreditation board and candidates come to the convention site two days early to conduct those activities before the convention, because you wouldn't want to hinder their availability to attend the convention sessions that are so instrumental to our professional development.

CoSIDA could then establish a relationship with the Prometric Testing Centers for purpose of the final examination, where athletics communicators could schedule and take the exams in their own cities, to be evaluated by the accreditation board.

Here are the key topics I would make sure are covered on the examination and review.
* Definitions and Functions of Athletics Communications
* NCAA Compliance
* Crisis Communication Leadership
* Leadership Skills and Issues
* Ethics and Law (CoSIDA Code of Ethics, PRSA Code of Ethics, Mass Media Law)
* CoSIDA Strategic Plan
* Research, Planning, Implementing and Evaluation
* Business Literacy
* Media Relations
* Information Technology and New/Social Media
* History of and Current Issues in Athletics Communications

For the readiness review, we are going to need an answer for what is an acceptable portfolio and plan. I don't know the answer right now. I am still trying to figure out how we can take what we do on a daily basis and make a strategic and comprehensive plan out of it. In a way, the all-consuming combination of a 24/7 mass media news cycle and big-business collegiate athletics does a disservice to us in this regard.

We are so focused on the idea of "get it done." There are so many pressures and demands on us that we get the job done. A lot of times, the approach is strategic in our minds, but almost never does an athletics communications professional compile a strategic plan for their "campaign" or season. This puts us at a real disadvantage when trying to quantify what we do to other (non-athletics) communications professionals.

Don't get me wrong - I don't do this written strategic planning process either. I need to learn how to do this as well and I've started on trying to figure out a way to do so. I don't have the answers when it comes to this - I just know it needs to be done.

How do we come up with a portfolio for our ACoSIDA readiness review? I don't know the answer to that, but I think it should be consistent with the APR standards, with an athletics communications twist. An athletics communicator should be able to leave his/her ACoSIDA process and then successfully complete the APR process.

I think if we can figure out the process, that will make each of us more organized and more strategic in our approach. That's what a number of APRs have said their experience in the accreditation process has done for them. That is a skill that will really validate the legitimacy of what we do. If anyone has any suggestions on this portfolio/campaign plan idea, please let me know - I think it may be the key to elevating athletics communicators to a higher level of respect and leadership. When we promote our programs, we make extra efforts to quantify what we're promoting about our teams or athletes - that's what we should be doing with our own communications efforts.

The candidate would then need to defend that plan/campaign in front of the accreditation board at the readiness interview. They would also need to discuss how the key topics bulleted above factored into their plan, especially research and evaluation.

As the APR study guide says, the readiness review is an opportunity to "demonstrate your professionalism. Treat it as if you are selling your credentials to a prospective client." The candidate will have to answer questions about how the plan/campaign was presented to decision makers, what the key audiences were, what strategies had to be modified during the course of the campaign and potential crises that would have made success in the plan impossible.

The computer-based examination would merely be multiple choice and essay questions that would test the candidate's knowledge in the key areas identified in the bullet points above.

I hope those of you reading this will join with me to try to help make this a reality. It's critical for the credibility of our profession and ourselves as professionals. One of the main principles in the CoSIDA strategic plan is to "Seek to identify and/or develop methods of evaluation and analysis that will enable the profession and its professionals to more effectively establish its role and value as a critical component of organizational success within the collegiate athletics community."

This is the way we do that. It's time we make this a reality.

Losing Teams Sharpen SID Skill Set

Say you're an athletics communications professional who has a great idea of the bigger picture and the reason why we do what we do. But you feel like your technical skills of the profession might be weak and want to find a way to sharpen those skills. What should you do?

Go work for a losing team.

That sounds crazy, right? You're thinking: Wouldn't it be a better experience for me to work with a national championship caliber program? Wouldn't I make more contacts? Wouldn't I learn how to do things on a big stage in front of national media at NCAA Tournaments and working with ESPN?

All of that stuff is true, but that's not what we're talking about here. Those are all big-picture abilities. If you want to focus on building a solid foundation, it comes down to two things: (1) Strong athletics communications skill set and (2) A lesson in how to handle adversity and difficult situations. To do that, you want to work for a BCS-caliber losing program.

You've heard the expression "Winning solves all problems." It often does, including deficiencies in your skill sets as athletics communicators. Sure, your volume of workload is going to increase with a winning team, but your ability is really going to be tested when your team is losing. I say a BCS-caliber program because, in order to really learn how to handle this adversity, there is going to need to be significant interest in your losing program. If there is very little fan or media interest, odds are, it doesn't really affect your job as publicist whether your team is winning or losing.

Here are the some of the situations that working with a losing team is going to expose you to and allow you to improve. But, remember, you can't let yourself get frustrated by the whole situation. You have to know that all of the adversity is going to make you better at what you do.

*Sharpens Writing Skills: There is nothing like working with a losing team to sharpen your public relations writing abilities. Now, granted, if you don't care and write brief releases that are more AP-like stylistically, then you're not going to learn anything. But, if you take the time to craft your releases to display your program in the most positive light possible, you're going to become a heck of a writer. The point is, if you can make your fanbase and media feel like you are winning, even when you're on a 10-game losing sreak, then you have become a great public relations writer. If you can do this, you have directed the mood and attitude towards your program away from the negative things (losses) and on to the positive (i.e. - Susie Smith ranks No. 2 in the nation in rebounding or your coach earned his 500th career win.)

*Accountability: You have to run your athletics communications operation the same when you win and when you lose. That's integrity and knowing how to lose. Can you as a professional do that? Working with a losing team is going to teach you accountability. As an athletics communicator, you are going to have to show that your team is just as accountable for its losses as it is for your wins. You need to make sure your coach and players attend to all of their press obligations whether you have lost 10 in a row or won 10 in a row. That's going to test you professionally, because as a communications advisor, you are going to have to convince your student-athletes and coaches that those interviews are in the best interest of the program. They're not always going to want to do the interviews and it isn't always going to be easy.

Here's why it's harder - Very often, a media outlet isn't going to be too worried if player X misses his or her interview after a win, as long as there are an adequate number of players to fulfill their needs for quotes. Here's when it's noticed: When they player misses two free throws and your team loses the game - and that player doesn't do their interviews - then it looks bad for your program. They are failing to hold themselves accountable for their performance and you, in turn, are failing to hold them accountable to their press obligations.

*Is It In The Best Interest of the Program?: Losing will also teach you how to approve and deny interview requests based on the goal of keeping the best interest of your program in mind. Remember, the best interest of your program and athletics department should always be your main priority as an athletics communicator. When you're winning, nearly all of the coverage is positive and whatever negative coverage you receive is probably overlooked.

Throughout the course of your athletics communications career, there are likely going to be times when you have to decline interview requests. It doesn't feel good. One of my favorite things about my job is the opportunity to work with and form relationships with members of the media. I have tremendous respect for what they do and always do my best to help them with their jobs, keeping in mind, however, that is consistent with the best interest of the organization.

With a losing team, you are going to have to evaluate interview requests and whether they are in the best interest of your organization. Is that article about your star center about how she broke the school's all-time single-season rebounds record or is it about how she has missed 22 consecutive free-throws including two instances when that decided the game for your team? You are going to learn to evaluate these situations. You may get it wrong; we all do from time to time. What you learn from making those mistakes helps you get better, as well.

*Coaching Staff: Depending on who your coaches are and what their personalities are like, their attitudes may be significantly dependent on whether your team wins or loses. How do you handle that? You need to remain the same whether your team wins or loses - same demeanor, same objectives, same professionalism. Your tactics to accomplish those things may change, but your focus cannot change.

Say your team goes 7-22 during a season you work with it and your coach is in a sour mood the whole time. Say they take out their frustrations on everyone, including and perhaps especially you. What a learning experience that is for you! If you get through a season where you get dressed down on a multi-daily basis and are still able to maintain your composure and professionalism in completing the responsibilities of your job, you are going to be so, so much better at your job.

*Generating Publicity: Maybe your problem is not trying to prevent negative media coverage, maybe it's trying to get any media coverage at all. You will learn how to effectively promote specific segments of your program positively to try to generate coverage. Maybe it's also how you cover your own team. If you don't have a beat writer, become your own beat writer. Do a blog, write feature stories, do daily notebooks, make videos of your coaches and student-athletes. Keep the positive energy flowing! These are all skills that are going to make you better at what you do.

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I'm not saying that you have to work with a losing team to be good at what you do, but I am saying it helps you sharpen your skill set and your effectiveness. When you are working with those national championship teams or programs that garner a large amount of media coverage, you're going to be better at that because you can fall back on what you learned from working with those losing teams to help get you through.

It's kind of like how it's also beneficial to have experiences at other levels than Division I. How many big-time Division I SIDs out there freeze up when something goes wrong? They have to call over the IT guy or the phone tech or some other specialist. People who have worked at small schools are absolute masters at how to Win with Plan A, Plan B and 911 (see previous post) and can sometimes think more outside the box than those who haven't been forced into those situations.

It's all about building a solid foundation to solidify your career.

Five Success Tips for Communications Student Assistants

If you're a student assistant in your athletics communications office and you're reading this blog, first of all, welcome. I hope that the things here on the blog have been helpful to you so far. This morning's post is completely directed towards you.

Let's face it - there are a lot of people out there who want to enter this profession. Some people want to enter the field because they're huge sports fanatics, but have no knowledge of the business of sports. Some people (of either gender) want to enter this field because they are so-called "jersey chasers." Some people want to enter this field because they think it will make them a celebrity or they will be able to mingle with celebrities.

How do you differentiate yourself from these people to best position yourself for experience and future jobs? And, I'm not saying this is what everyone wants. If you're volunteering in your school's athletics communications office just because it's something cool to do but you don't have any interest in pursuing it as a career, that's fine. I have nothing against those people. That's what college is for - finding out what you like and what you don't. I'm sure your athletics communications office greatly appreciates the time and effort you are able to provide, and the enthusiasm you bring to their operation.

But what if this is what you want to do for a career? Here's my advice - take it for what it's worth. It may not work for you. But I think many of these principles can transcend departments, schools and people - they're universal.

1.) Treat your position (whether it be paid or unpaid) with your athletics communications office like your full-time job. You've heard of the saying "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have." Let's adapt that - and it's even more true in this case "Work like you have the job to which you aspire." I'm not saying to have the EGO that you have an administrative position (definitely not), what I'm saying is to make your DEDICATION to the job equivalent to that of the top person in a job to which you one day aspire. In actuality, that may not be your own supervisor. Identify people across the country in the job to which you aspire that you can look up to.

How do you do this best? Be the person who is there in a time of need. Most students can't be found over Thanksgiving holidays or Christmas holidays. All athletics communications directors are scrambling for workers during events over the holidays. If you're there and none of your peers are, you're going to get something meaningful to do and have your opportunity to shine. You make your own luck happen. Give yourself these opportunities.

Spend most of your time in the office. It's my experience that a student who works on a schedule gets assigned less tasks and given less responsibility. For me, now as a full-time athletics communications professional, it's more work for me to make sure there is something to do for a student who shows up every Monday and Wednesday at 11 a.m. Fact is, students get assigned better jobs when they just happen to be sitting around and get assigned something when the SID is in need. For example, my freshman year I got better assignments while hanging in the office after 6 p.m. then I did during the traditional work-day. This goes back to dedication.

Make your own assignments. See something that could be done better? See something that other schools are doing that your school isn't? Do it and then present it to your supervisor or specific sport contact. They are less likely to say no to a completed project than they are to a suggestion without a finished product. Suggestions are much easier to give up than are concrete completed projects.

Ask your boss if you can attend the athletics communications weekly staff meetings. Maybe you're not sure you have something to contribute, but you can learn a lot (good ideas and bad) from what you hear in those meetings. Beginning with the summer before my junior year of college, I began scheduling my classes around that weekly meeting to make sure I was always able to attend and contribute.

2.) Never ask "Am I good?": If you are a student helping with an athletics event, never leave before the primary contact for that sport leaves. Always ask "What else can I do" and if there is nothing, just hang around until they are done working. It's always nice to have company and it's always nice to have a helping hand there if the primary contact thinks of something they could use assistance with. If all the work from the game is done, but the primary contact is staying around to update his/her notes for the next game, ask "What section do you want me to take?" or "What can I help you update?" If you ask "Am I good," odds are, the athletics communications director is likely going to release you because they don't want to hear you complain about having to be there. Just hang around and show your dedication.

3.) Always Work the "Lesser" Event: Most students, and some full-time staffers, tend to rank events. I'm definitely not saying this is right - every event your athletics department holds is a major event and should be treated as such without rank. But, for the purpose of example, if your school has a conference football game and a women's golf tournament going on at the same time, many are going to view the "women's golf tournament" as a lesser event. Where should you be as a standout student assistant? At the women's golf tournament. You are more valuable to that golf contact who likely has no help and that will reflect your dedication to being a "team player." And, if there's time when golf is over to go help at football, head that way. But don't rush to leave the golf tournament. Always work the so-called "lesser" event if it doesn't conflict with sports that you are either the primary or secondary contact for.

4.) Get to Know Opposing SIDs: At every event, whether it's football, volleyball or tennis, always make it a point to introduce yourself to the visiting SID before the event. This is a great way to make contacts and, as I've found over the years, a great way to make friends. Plus, people are most likely to hire the people they know, rather than people they don't know.

5.) Be Willing To Carry The Heavy Box: This was something I was terrible at when I first started as a freshman. Back then, I thought (completely wrong) if I was writing press releases and coordinating interviews, something most of the other students weren't doing, then why should I have to carry the heavy box? Isn't there someone else that has more time do this? I was completely wrong and am still somewhat embarrased about my behavior in those early days.

Here's why you need to carry the heavy box. First of all, the box needs to be carried. Someone has to carry it ... why not you? Second, it's good practice for your leadership skills. Employees dislike a leader who assigns tasks that he/she is not willing to perform him/herself. They are more willing to carry a box you ask them to if they have seen you do that task previously. Additionally, employees (or your fellow students) aren't going to respect you if you bark orders to carry a box and then walk to the arena with nothing more in your hands than your briefcase. Carry the heavy box.

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Most importantly, always be humble about it. Your goals aren't necessarily the same as those of your peers. That's fine (a lesson I also had to learn). I guarantee you all of your fellow student assistants are just as driven as you - athletics communications may be there hobby, while it's your career path. Maybe they want to become the next great lawyer or professor or museum curator. That's great. Encourage them to pursue their goals, even if they're not the same as yours. I promise you this, your fellow students in the athletics communications office are going to end up being your best friends for life. Don't miss out on that opportunity.

Always be willing to ask for advice or mentoring from professionals in the field. I'm always willing to help, so feel free to send me a note. Best of luck in your career pursuits.

"Winning" with Alternate Plans

In mid-December, I had the great fortune of attending the American Volleyball Coaches Association annual convention in Tampa, Fla. There were a number of terrific presentations, many of which applied to any role in an athletics department, not just coaching. I felt I benefitted greatly from having attended the convention and, at times, felt like it allowed me to see my role of athletics communications director from a different perspective.

By far, the best session that I attended (and maybe the best I have ever attended) was called "Tips and Tools to Maintain Your Passion in Coaching" by legendary former UCLA softball coach Sue Enquist. The lesson that I most took away from her presentation was what she called "Winning with Plan A, Plan B and 911."

This is a lesson that I think many athletics communications professionals could benefit from. Let's be honest, many times our operation is expected to go perfectly in order to give our coaches and staff (and, also the media covering our event) the best opportunity to be successful. Completely understandable.

I'm going to analyze Sue Enquist's philosophy as it, in my opinion, relates to athletics communications. It took Sue's philosophy to get me thinking about this. Most of what I say hereforth are my ideas and interpretation of her lesson as related to my particular job.

Let's look at the various plans:
*Plan A: Everything goes according to plan - the ideal situation
*Plan B: You are forced to go to your back-up plan, but you're already prepared.
*911: More than one thing goes wrong at once and you may or may not be prepared for handling the situation.

For most of the athletics communicators out there, pat yourself on the back. Most of us are masters at thinking on our feet and adapting to things going wrong. We are resourceful, usually find a way to get through any situation and make things work. But are we "winning" at Plan B and 911? We need to be.

What I mean by winning is that we need to be flawless and seemless in operating under any of these three situations. If fans storm the court following a victory, but you need to get that star player to an ESPN interview, you have to find a way to make it work. Maybe this is a 911 situation for you. You weren't expecting to have to deal with a swarm of fans making your post-game operation an unsafe environment. You still have to remain calm and find a way to accomplish the task in a safe and, most importantly, professional manner. That's winning at 911.

A really effective communications professional can respond effectively to any situation, no matter how much of a crisis it appears to be. Thinking on your feet and coming up with a quick (not to be confused with hasty) and effective decision is a key to what we do. Believe me, I'm as guilty as the next person for what I'm about to say. BUT, we can't allow emotion to get the better of us, especially in these times.

So, how do we prepare for each of the situations?

*Plan A: Make sure you actually do have a Plan A. It sounds silly, but most of the time in what we do, we are operating off the cuff and going with what has worked in the past. "Off the cuff" is reserved for 911. Make sure you have a solid Plan A in place to avoid, at all costs, falling to Plan B or 911 (which will happen anyway, but you are trying to reduce the number of times you have to resort to that).

Have that plan written down and follow it. Maybe it's chronicling your gameday operation from the first thing you do pre-game to the last thing you do post-game. It sounds silly, but writing things down keeps it organized. As Sue would emphasize, leaders know how to articulate their vision.

Most importantly, COMMUNICATE that plan. We are communications directors in our jobs, but sometimes we fail to communicate effectively with our staffs and gameday workers because WE know what we mean, shouldn't they? Bad assumption and one I've made in the past. Communicate that plan, get everyone on board, open it up for questions or input and discuss possible improvements.

If that person has been your scoreboard operator for two years, let's say, they are the expert at that position, not you. Just because you are the athletics communications director doesn't make you the expert at everything, even if it's a position you oversee. Ask their opinion - remember, there's no such thing as a monopoly on wisdom. You don't have it and I don't have it.

Here's why you need to communicate Plan A. You don't want to be forced into Plan B or 911 because your staff doesn't understand their roles in Plan A. Plain and simple. It's preventative, it's easier this way and it just makes sense.

*Plan B: You should also have a written Plan B in place that is communicated to each member of your staff. This is your back-up plan. In all honesty, you learn your best back-up plans from experience. Let me give you an example. Say your printer burned up and died during a basketball game and, since you had no back-up plan in place, you were immediately launched into 911 mode. Since that point, you've always had a back-up printer on site in your arena for such an instance. If your printer dies, you go grab that one and you're up and running with no stress.

I am amazed at the athletics communications students at various places who are assigned to transcribe quotes at a press conference and show up with only their recorders. Record the press session and keep shorthand that would allow you to as closely replicate the quotes as possible, if for some reason your batteries die or the sound quality on your recording is poor. Sure, the recorder is your Plan A, but it shouldn't be your only plan. Why are these students being taught not to have a back-up plan?

Let me clarify one point, however, and that's how long you try to ride out Plan A before going to Plan B. Since most athletics communications directors are perfectionists and Type-A Personalities, you're going to want to go with Plan A.

A phrase that a lot of perfectionists - especially myself - mire themselves in is "supposed to." This is how this is "supposed to" work. This is how they were supposed to react. I'm supposed to get that promotion. And the list goes on and on.

I'm not telling you to change how you think or that you shouldn't be a perfectionist, I'm saying that in a situation where you have to make a split-second decision, this is going to work against you in a big way.

Here's my suggestion: the third time's the charm, right? Try Plan A three times and if it doesn't work, abandon it IMMEDIATELY. If you printer jams and you try to print again, don't try it more than three times. You're slowing yourself down. Disconnect that printer and grab your Plan B printer. Now you have a printer that works and you're not stressed.

We want to keep pressing that key or shaking that toner or testing that phone cord. Because it's SUPPOSED to work. But, guess what, it doesn't. Odds are extremely high that if it doesn't work on the third try, it's not going to (at least under the time constraints and under the pressure you are feeling. You don't necessarily have a clear head when Plan A goes awry.)

Again, Plan B should not be stressful. For everything you have listed on your task list for Plan A, you should have a complement in Plan B. You and your staff should be able to easily shift into Plan B for either that component or the entire operation upon your direction. Your staff, if qualified, should be empowered to shift into Plan B mode in his or her task at their discretion. If possible, they would inform you so you can adjust the "big picture" success of your operation.

Say the copier in Plan A is out of staples when making final books, make your copy chief aware of where the copier in Plan B is located and how quickly they can slide from Plan A to Plan B.

Why is it important to have everyone aware of the back-up plan? Because, if you don't, you're likely going to cause panic and jump from Plan A to 911 without ever hitting Plan B. You're going to approach your staff in a panic saying "If this happens, then do this, then do this and try this and try that ..." That's incredibly confusing for them and odds are, you won't win. The job may get done, but you won't win.

If your staff knows what Plan B is, they are empowered to jump to that plan on their own. They don't have to check with you to see "what do I do now?" You're not stressed and they're not stressed. You don't have to make a decision on your feet because you've already made it in your planning and preparation months before that game was even on the schedule.

Remember, you have to articulate that plan to empower your staff. That's what leaders do - they empower their employees to achieve their best. If everyone knows what Plan B looks like and when to slide into it, you're winning. From the outside, one would think you had planned to do things that way all along, because things are running smoothly and efficiently. There is no lapse in performance and no panic in execution.

*911 - Here's where your real skill as a leader is going to come in. Both in how you handle this situation and how your staff responds to your leadership and subsequently performs.

In my personal belief, don't ever let your staff think they are in 911 - maybe call it Plan C. There may not be a clear plan in place, but your global view and their empowerment places your team on a good path for winning, despite the odds.

You as the leader are going to most likely need to make the call in these types of situations but, remember, you don't have a monopoly on wisdom. Quickly ask the person in that role what their suggestion would be and take that under advisement before making your on-your-feet decision.

911 occurs when either both Plan A and Plan B fail, or it was a situation that you didn't forsee and thus don't have a Plan B in place. Try to have as many Plan Bs as possible to reduce the likelihood of 911 status. Maybe both of your copiers in the venue die. Have enough paper, enough ink and a manual stapler in your supply closet readily available so that you can print final books from your courtside printer and can compile them with your manual stapler.

Maybe a critical member of your staff doesn't show up. Always know the strengths of the members of your staff that are there. Maybe Person A, your scoreboard operator, can work the scoreboard and can do the shot clock. Maybe Person B usually answers the ScorePhone but can also handle the scoreboard. Put Person B on the scoreboard and Person A on the shot clock. Sure, these are things you deal with on a daily basis, but you need to have a plan in place to go about it strategically so you can Win and operate with ease.

It's like those GMAT math problems - how many combinations can you put together in what order to make a situation work. To win. Sometimes in 911, you're quickly working your Rubik's Cube, but you'd better be experienced in how to work one and you'd better remain calm. That's really what it's all about. Knowing how to handle even the worst crises with a combination of experience and resourcefulness that make it seem as if that was the way you planned to handle that situation.

I am greatly simplifying the principles - there are far bigger crises in the athletics communications world than a jammed copier, but I have chosen situations that all of you can easily relate to, for the purpose of an example.

One of the most valuable lessons I have learned over the past year is how to win in Plan B and 911 (even before I knew what that meant). It has helped my "win total" go up and I hope it will help yours as well.

Change to Communications Much More Than Name Change

I have to admit that when the trend started a few years ago to change the name of sports information to communications, I didn't quite understand it. At the time to me, the term "communications" seemed to more characterize someone who worked with telephones rather than public relations.

(On a side note, I'm very fortunate at Florida because I work with one of the best phone communications specialists out there. He was hired at about the same time as I was and he's really great because - ironically enough - he's a great communicator. He really understands the people he works with, what their cell phone needs are and operates in a really practical manner with regard to his job. Plus, he's extremely helpful and always willing to go the extra mile.)

Over the past couple of years, I've really come to embrace the communications title. By definition, communication is "the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs." That's what we as SIDs do. We advise our head coaches, student-athletes and administration in the realm of public relations, we work well with members of the media and use our communications skills to serve as a mediator between all kinds of different parties. On a daily basis, we coordinate an interview time that works with a student-athlete's practice and class schedule, the reporter and ourselves. We do this, generally seamlessly, without even giving it much thought. We are master communicators in doing this and we just regard it as a routine task.

I have to admit, I kind of like the acronym SID. People know what it means, it's easy to say and it covers all of the people in our profession whether their department calls it sports information, media relations, public affairs, public relations, external affairs or communications. We know what it means, and we've been using this term since practically the start of our profession. (Actually, one of the early terms often used in the 1950s and 1960s was sports publicity director.)

Why is the "sports information" label bad for us at times? I think when the people you report to (your administrators and coaches) think "sports information," they think of a person who provides "information about sports." Well, of course, you might be saying. That's common sense. But, we do much more than that. While providing "information about sports" is an important part of our jobs, that's not all we do. A person who provides "information about sports" goes to games, does the stats, sits in their office and pours through research, is a sports fanatic and then goes home. While we do, actually, do all of those things (and enjoy them), I don't think those should be our defining traits. It would be like calling an athletic trainer an "ankle taper." Sure, that's generally what you see, but it takes a highly trained professional who has keen medical insight and a knowledge of preventative care to be an athletic trainer.

One of the common definitions of public relations is "the management function that builds and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on whom its success or failure depends." I almost completely agree with one caveat.

I strongly dislike the terms "management" or "manager." Why? Management and managers are one-way streets. Management is a hierarchal classification that dictates to non-management what tasks they are to perform, how they are to inform them and in what amount of time they have to complete them. Managers manage their employees. A tyrant (defined: "an absolute ruler") could qualify as a manager. There is no two-way street. You are being managed. There is someone in a position of power and someone who is not. No debating that.

"Leadership" and "leaders" are much, much better words. A leader empowers his or her employees to do their best and exceed the job expectations. Leadership is people-based, not results-based. Sure, someone has to oversee an operation and, ultimately mentor junior (in experience) employees. But it needs to be a two-way street and the leader needs to empower his/her employees, not supress them.

With that, here's why it's important for us to be known as communications professionals. We, as athletics communicators, practice the leadership function that builds and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an athletics department and its key publics, serving as internal public relations advisors to top administration. That's my definition.

If you're an effective athletics commmunications professional, you read and anticipate trends, issues and questions that will affect the positive public image of your organization and advise that athletics department's leadership how best to handle that situation from a communications standpoint.

That's why I was so pleased to hear of CoSIDA's new rebranding campaign. "Strategic Communicators for College Athletics." That's what we are and that's why the switch to communications is beneficial for all involved.

Again, in my definition, athletics communications is the leadership function that builds and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an athletics department and its key publics, serving as internal public relations advisors to top administration.

It’s Academic: My Dream for an Athletics Communications Training Ground

For seemingly as long as many can remember (1966, to be exact), Ohio University has set the standard when it comes to sport administration graduate programs. It was the first of its kind and continues to be the best of its kind.

Sure, there are many accredited graduate programs in sport administration and management across the country that are extremely challenging academically and provide excellent training to become a sport administrator at any level.

But, the truth is, Ohio University is where one goes to set him/herself on the fast track to becoming a major Division I collegiate athletics director. Since revered baseball administrator Walter O’Malley began the program from a vision he had in the 1950s, the list of graduates who have become collegiate athletics directors is a Who’s Who of talented administrators who have shaped the college sports landscape. During my career, I’ve had the honor to work under two athletics directors who earned their graduate degrees at Ohio – Mitch Barnhart at Kentucky and Jeremy Foley at Florida.

Walter O’Malley’s biggest concerns centered around the fact that he felt there was a deficiency, even in his own Dodgers organization, of properly-trained administrators in the front-office side of athletics organizations. Look at collegiate athletics during that time – many athletics directors were either the retired or current football coaches of their programs who had little formal training in the areas of business, ticketing, marketing or public relations.

Am I saying those early athletics directors did a bad job? Absolutely not – many were extraordinary leaders and administrators who learned how to manage and run a program based on what they learned on the fly both as a coach and later as an athletics director.

That’s kind of where we are as athletics communications practitioners. At this time in collegiate athletics, our role is almost as important as ever. With the various forms of new and social media, as well as message boards and the traditional media, our respective programs need expertly trained public relations personnel.

There’s a lot of great SIDs out there, who are developing and implementing new and creative ideas every day. But I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone who would say the knowledge they use in their day-to-day activities came primarily from the classroom.

Most of us major in the communications-based disciplines: journalism, public relations, integrated marketing communications or something similar. That’s a good general training ground and I think that should still remain the standard for undergraduate education. It builds a solid foundation for the communicator. Without a solid foundation, the house is going to crumble one of these days.

If you’re like me, you spent most of your undergraduate time dashing back from class to the sports information office. Almost everything we learn about the day-to-day approach to our job – from writing press releases (the athletics way), to transcribing quotes, to gameday management to crisis communications – was learned on the job.

It’s an instinct. It’s developed over time with experience. I compare our instinct and thinking-on-our-feet ability to that of a lawyer. Just like a lawyer refers to previous cases as precedents and looks back on former cases for advice on how to handle current cases and situations, we are the same. What did I (or a colleague) do the last time this happened? Was that a good solution or a bad solution? Often, we call our colleagues at other schools to see how they handled a certain situation that’s confronting us.

How many times does a curious student come to you and ask you to describe your job, what a typical day is like, why you work all those hours or how you learned the craft? How hard is it to answer those questions? I would say most of us have a hard time coming up with answers to those questions.

We need a professional training ground that stems from the classroom. .

My dream is that one day, we will have an athletics communications equivalent to Ohio University’s Sport Administration graduate program. Essentially, if you want to get on the fast track to becoming a leading athletics communicator, you go to the graduate program I am proposing.

It will be a two-year graduate program that admits anywhere from 12-15 top students per year. Students can apply, but the program will also be in touch with SID offices from around the country to target and “recruit” the best undergraduate athletics communications student workers from across the country.

The formula for the ideal student will be simple: A great communicator with a strong academic record, a variety of different volunteer/internship experiences as an undergraduate (with a primary emphasis on his/her own collegiate SID office), a rock-solid work-ethic, a keen instinct and an incredible drive.

The course-work will be similar to that of Ohio University’s sports administration program. In conjunction with the university’s business school, the student will earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in his/her first year. That will be something that sets the communicator apart from his/her peers. How many SIDs do you know that have graduate business degrees? It’s all about acquiring those skills that will set the graduates apart from their peers.

You might say, why would an athletics communicator need a business degree? If you’re going to go to the top of this industry, you’re going to have to handle a budget sooner or later. Not only are you going to have to handle this budget, you’re going to have to be savvy about it.

As a friend and colleague of mine has often told me – there are two main bottom lines to a sports organization. The organization measures its success based on wins and generating revenue. If you can effectively manage and streamline your budget, guess what? You’re helping with its revenue generation and budgeting. You are contributing to the success / bottom line. You’re going to be an effective employee for your organization.

Also, the leadership principles and management techniques taught in business school will be invaluable to your success in any avenue of life.

Let’s be honest, based on the structure of your organization, you may be able to be an effective men’s golf contact without ever knowing or touching the media relations budget for that sport. In fact, in my three-and-a-half years as an undergraduate, I never touched the media relations budgets for my sports.

But, you’re not going to advance very far up the ladder if you don’t have a keen understanding of key business principles and management techniques, odds are (unless you have friends in high places) you’re not going to climb the ladder.

The second year (Master of Athletics Communications – MAC) will focus on classes central to the athletics communications profession. The courses I propose include: Communications Research Principles, Sport and Mass Media, Crisis Communications in Athletics, Social Media for the Athletics Communication, Gameday: How to Plan, Implement and Adapt, and Graphic and Web Design in Athletics Communications. There will also be a solid foundation of typical sport management type classes – Sport Finance, NCAA Compliance and Leadership in Sport and Society.

The gem of the academic program will consist of a Seminar / Topics in Athletics Communications each semester. The idea is for it to be taught by a visiting professor on a variety of special topics. Maybe it’s Bill Hancock spending a semester engaging students in how to run the media relations operation for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and having them mock up media relations operations for something similar. Maybe it’s Langston Rogers talking about promoting Margaret Wade and a Delta State women’s basketball program in a culture that hasn’t yet embraced the sport of women’s basketball to the national level it is today, and how we generate communications plans for the Olympic sports of today. Maybe it’s Indiana’s J.D. Campbell talking about running his SID operation during basketball season while the Kelvin Sampson situation unfolded. There’s many more topics that could comprise a semester-long seminar.

More importantly, the student will be encouraged and provided with contacts to volunteer with sports teams and programs in the area. The student should be engaged in active athletics communications activities the entire time they are in school. Even with my program proposal, there’s no better way to gain experience than doing it first-hand. A relationship with the school’s athletics communications department will be established to ensure quality first-hand professional experience.

Lastly, the students will be required to prepare and turn in a comprehensive portfolio demonstrating their expertise in athletics communications (and its various forms) and business. After reading through PRSAs requirements for its APR, it’s clear to me that we as athletics communicators don’t really do a good job of creating organizational campaigns in a way that demonstrates our abilities to future employers.

Sure, we do a great job of promoting our project and running campaigns. What’s a season of SID work – it may be one of the biggest PR campaigns of all time. It’s what we do and we excel at it. But, do we plan it out on paper, save our supporting materials and build a portfolio demonstrating our research, plan, supporting documents and evaluation? I know I don’t do a good enough job with that. Odds are, you don’t either. The graduates of this program will learn how to do this in a way that effectively promotes their most important brand – themselves.

I hope one day to be involved in the process of making this a reality.

MBA/MAC Graduate Program

First Year – MBA Program
In the first year of the program (Summer 1 through Spring 1), while volunteering in the school’s athletics communications office, students are enrolled in the school’s MBA program. This program will follow the exact curriculum of the school’s typical one-year MBA program.

Second Year – MAC Program

Second Year Summer (12 credit hours)
Introduction to Athletics Communications
Sport Finance
Communications Research Principles
Gameday: How to Plan, Implement and Adapt

Second Year Fall (15 credit hours)
Seminar / Topics in Athletics Communications 1
NCAA Compliance for the Athletics Communicator
Crisis Communications in Athletics
Sport and Mass Media
Practicum in Athletics Communications

Second Year Spring (15 credit hours)
Seminar / Topics in Athletics Communications 2
Social Media for the Athletics Communicator
Graphic and Web Design in Athletics Communications
Leadership in Sport and Society
Practicum in Athletics Communications
*Turn In Portfolio*