Effective Church Communications

Effective Church Communications provides Timeless Strategy and Biblical Inspiration to help churches create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission

Effective Church Communications provides Timeless Strategy and a Biblical Perspective to help churches create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission. Our tools constantly change; our task doesn’t; we can help.
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Assignment: Teamwork

15 April, 2014 By grhilligoss@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Teamwork
Not only when we are preparing for holiday activities, but all year-long, we need to work as a team for truly effective church communications.

Ministry assistants say they hear a lot about the concept of teamwork, but not so much about the specifics of what makes a good team player. These basics apply to every member of the team. On excellent teams all follow the rules.

• Be genuine
Team members like to know that the person they are working with is who she is—not one person with Sally and another with Bob. Be straightforward, authentic, sincere. Never play games.

• Keep your word
Before you commit to a task be sure you can deliver. Once you promise, you must follow through. Those who give their word lightly or fail to produce may find it difficult to regain the trust of those they have let down.

• Meet deadlines
A huge problem in some teams is that a member or two consistently ignore or break deadlines. The person  who does this is, intentionally or not, showing disdain for the others. Honoring deadlines is a tangible way to show your respect other members of the team. The team functions better when everyone’s priorities are considered.

• Communicate
No one enjoys being in the dark. Build stronger team relationships by keeping all members in the information loop. Ask opinions; share insight and information. Teams benefit by pooling creativity, expertise, and knowledge. Very often mistakes and missteps can be avoided by simply running ideas by others before actions are taken.

• Give your best
Set standards for your personal best and consistently strive to meet—or even exceed—them. Establish an impeccable reputation for the quality of your work, your dependability, your positive attitude, and your integrity. These attributes build trust and confidence—two indispensable qualities essential to excellent teamwork.

Sometimes the assistant is the leader of the team. Whether you are supervising volunteers, working with officers in your professional organization, or chairing a committee, these guidelines help you handle the task like a pro.

• Match worker to task
Every person has something productive to contribute; everyone excels in something or has a favorite type of work. Tap into using those skills by choosing the right person for the task. If someone is reluctant to take on the task you have in mind, ask what task would be preferred. Or, your person might be willing to take on the responsibility along with one or more others.

• Keep work fresh
Doing the same job in the same way is not always the best system. Look for ways to streamline and improve whatever processes you use. Get ideas from the team. Provide opportunities for those who are proficient in one area to choose another if they like. New experiences keep workers interested.

• Be clear about the job
Prepare a written outline of the job and discuss it with the candidate. Begin with the overall goal and then list the smaller tasks to be done. Identify who the worker is responsible to and the deadlines involved. Answer any questions and get the person’s acceptance of the job.

• Be generous with appreciation
Don’t wait until the assignment is over to give thanks and encouragement. Notes written after the fact are nice and are essential, but they can’t measure up to words spoken during the effort. Make heroes of your helpers and they will be eager to work with you on the next project.

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Filed Under: Church Communication Management, Church Office Skills, Columnist Gayle Hilligoss, Contributors Tagged With: Church Administrative Assistants, church communication teams, Church Office teamwork

Add Value to Your Service

15 September, 2013 By grhilligoss@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Add Value to Your Service
Add value to your service in the church office by following the tips here.

All administrative assistants are valuable to the ministry of the church. Some, their pastors say, have become indispensable. How have these outstanding assistants risen above the norm? And, how can you use value-added strategies to enhance your own professionalism?

• Learn something new every day.

Once basics are mastered it is easy to become complacent. Make it a priority to add to your work knowledge daily. Listen, read, ask questions, check websites, attend seminars, network.

• Promise a lot; deliver even more. Be so well qualified that you can confidently commit to getting the project done. Then, as often as possible, put a little frosting on the cake: do more than just what is necessary, get jobs done before the target date, keep costs less than budgeted.

• Give tasks appropriate effort. While quality is as important as quantity, realize that all tasks are not of equal value. Routine jobs need to be dispatched quickly. Look for and use shortcuts that don’t adversely affect your results. Special projects may demand a higher level of excellence. Sometimes it is more valuable to do fewer tasks and do each one better.

• Put your personal stamp on what you do. A ministry assistant recounted a story about a member who told her, “As soon as I saw last week’s bulletin and newsletter I knew you were on vacation. They were fine, of course, but just didn’t have that ‘Margie’ touch.” What a nice compliment. It affirmed to one assistant that people do notice her efforts.

• Establish rapport. Use regular meetings with your supervisor to demonstrate your management skills. Summarize projects in progress, review completed assignments, offer suggestions for upcoming events. Anticipate needs; be prepared. Take the initiative in managing your work. When faced with a problem, handle it or bring it to your supervisor along with a possible solution or two. Share information with others; show newcomers the ins and outs of daily routines, computer programs, and office machine quirks. Show by both word and action you are supportive of each team member. When someone needs help, be the one to lend a hand.

• Volunteer for more responsibility. After you are able to handle current responsibilities well, increase your contribution to the office by asking to take on other tasks. These might be ministries you envision or special jobs usually outsourced or handled by other busy staff members. Assistants have done research for ministers, organized pastors’ libraries, created various databases, started food pantries, and volunteered for many other “optional” ministries.

• Keep a personal work record. Documenting your work is an excellent way to chart your progress and to plan goals for future growth. One effective way to do this is with your computer’s calendar program. Note your accomplishments and contributions. List the location of any supporting documents or examples of your work. Track training events you attended; indicate how you use what you learned. Although the primary purpose of the record is for your own planning, you just may find occasion to review with your supervisor as well.

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Filed Under: Church Office Skills, Columnist Gayle Hilligoss, Contributors Tagged With: Church Administrative Assistants, church office professionals, church office skills, church officed advice

A Boss Views Church Administrative Professionals

17 April, 2013 By grhilligoss@gmail.com Leave a Comment

The opinion of our Boss is our most important evaluation.
The opinion of our Boss is very important and here are the most valued characteristics.

Administrative Professionals Week is a time when we celebrate the contributions of Administrative Professionals in the church office. But no matter what the celebration, the wise assistant knows what counts in the long run is not so much what you view as professional behavior, but what the boss sees as admirable.

As you access your skills and abilities, consider these attributes that supervisors consistently list as relevant.

  • dependability
    Some say the best “ability” is dependability. Even the most outstanding skills are diminished unless the assistant is consistently in the office on time and equipped to do the job. The boss wants to know his assistant is where she is supposed to be when she is supposed to be there, that she says what she means and means what she says, that she delivers what she promises.
  • competence
    A reasonable expectation is that the person at the desk can and will field well whatever the day brings. Competence is doing more and doing better than just enough to get by. A supervisor shared, “Our assistant learns something new about the job every day—a software technique, a time saver, a helpful website—and in staff meetings she often passes along tips the rest of us can use. I appreciate that.”
  • confidentiality
    Along with ministers and other church staff, the assistant must be a person who can be trusted to keep the information she handles to herself. Every person has a right to know that the private information coming into the church office is not randomly “shared.” The importance of this essential attribute cannot be overstated. Many would say that loose talk causes more discord in churches than any other behavior. Everyone appreciates those who are above reproach when it comes to confidentiality.
  • time sensibility
    Understanding the value of money, you would never tell a salesperson, “I’ll take that new Mac; I don’t care what it costs.”But sadly, we often do the equivalent with our time. Never spend more time on a project than it is worth! Determine the smart amount of minutes the results are worth to you; then don’t allow yourself to spend more. Keeping priorities straight in the church office is never a one-way street. While it is fair for the boss to expect the assistant to respect what is important to others on the staff, in the most effective offices the pastor and staff likewise respect the assistant’s priorities.
  • accountability
    “In this office, when we do well we all get the credit; when a mistake happens we all share the blame.” That was the often stated philosophy of one wise pastor. Still, his assistant noticed he appreciated when she took personal accountability for her errors. Mistakes happen. Owning up to them is the right thing to do.
  • positive attitude
    Having someone at your side who looks for and appreciates what is right with others adds to the effectiveness of any office. “I expect my assistant to give people the benefit of the doubt, to believe the best of them, to never gossip or bad-mouth, to never hold a grudge, and to look for the bright side in every situation.” You would have to believe a boss with these expectations is a positive person too.
  • calmness under pressure
    Schedules can fly out the church office door in a hurry. The assistant who can keep things in perspective and adapt to whatever crisis arises is a valuable asset to the staff. Not handled well, events quickly get out of hand; often the way an issue is handled is remembered far longer than the problem itself. Keeping one’s composure allows smarter decisions and sensible solutions.
  • testimony
    While a Christian is a witness wherever she works, working in a church office is different from working at a secular job. The excellent assistant sets a high bar for personal standards: thoughtful conversation, nonjudgmental listening, honest actions, gracious deeds, steadfast support, enthusiastic cooperation, conscientious service, respectful interactions. When the assistant sees herself as a Christian professional, when she thinks, acts, and looks like such, others tend to see her as a Christian professional too.An observation: No two pastors are alike. The wise assistant observes, asks questions, and discovers personal likes and dislikes. The insightful supervisor does the same. The result is an extraordinary team.

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Filed Under: Church Communication Leadership, Church Communication Management, Church Office Skills, Columnist Gayle Hilligoss, Contributors Tagged With: Church Administrative Assistants, church office professionalism, church office skills

Administrative Assistants: 25 Things your boss wants you to know, part one

11 August, 2011 By grhilligoss@gmail.com 3 Comments

Gayle Hilligoss Picture
Article by Gayle Hilligoss

Ed. note: Though the job description under discussion here is for an Administrative Assistant, the characteristics would serve all of us well. No matter what your position in the church office, these characteristics reflect those of a servant of Jesus—enjoy the article and be inspired.

Wanted: administrative assistant. Excellent interpersonal and technical skills required; friendly outgoing personality and ability to organize, essential; mind-reading skills, helpful.

Few formal guidelines identify the job of the church office assistant. Many churches operate with no written job descriptions. The truth is, your minister (I use the word “boss” as a term of endearment here) has some expectations not even the best written job descriptions could identify. In order for you to perform at your best, you must know the boss’ standard of excellence. When expectations are identified they can be met. Sometimes while the minister expects certain staff behavior, those expectations are not clearly defined or shared with the staff. The most effective executives realize the importance of letting the assistant know how the support position is viewed from the boss’ side of the desk.

In the best of worlds, you will always work with a super administrator who sees you as a vital member of the team and shares expectations. Realistically, this may not always be the case. Still, you can gain insight on your own boss’ perspective by considering what other bosses have said—things your boss wants you to know, but may never tell you.

1. Be dependable. Dependability is viewed by many as the greatest ability. Without it, few other abilities matter. The effectiveness of the church office depends on you being at your post at the assigned times. Even staying overtime won’t make up for coming in late. Ministers must often be away from the office. They count on the assistant to answer the phone, to respond to the needs of visitors, and to carry on the business of the church office. Habits dictate nearly 80 percent of what we do. Cultivate the habit of dependability. Be there, be on time, do a good day’s work, and then leave on time.

2. Keep confidences. You have access to much sensitive information: who gives what, who is having problems, and often, what those problems are. Moreover, not only members, but pastor and staff may use you as a sounding board. The assistant is expected to make a commitment to confidentiality. By being trustworthy you show your loyalty. Be patient and, over a period of time, your executive’s faith in you will grow and you will be entrusted with more and more of the information you need to perform your work effectively.

3. Communicate frankly. The best office teams operate in an environment where the assistant can share her work concerns honestly with her executive. The wise boss appreciates honest input from the staff. Team members should feel free to discuss questions knowing it is acceptable to express another opinion.

When concerns cannot be voiced, negative feelings can grow into major problems. Sometimes assistants feel pastors tell them too much, more than the assistant wants to know or is comfortable with. If that is your situation, your boss wants to know you feel your role as a listener is being abused. Avoid communication game playing. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

4. Maintain your sense of humor. Researchers say a healthy sense of humor is a sign of mental well being. Surely “a merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” A good laugh can often save the day. Exercise your ability to see the humor in office situations. You know you are really growing up emotionally when you can laugh at your own mistakes.

5. Forget about excuses. The reason why an assignment wasn’t done is usually of little interest to the boss. Rather than offer excuses, determine what the problem was and take steps to prevent its reoccurrence. Assigning blame is a waste of time. Assess the situation, determine a constructive course of action, and move on. In every instance, focus on where you want to go rather than on where you’ve been.

6. Follow through. Once you start a project, see it through to completion. Tie up all the loose ends on every assignment. When your boss has confidence in you, tasks are assigned with the complete assurance they will be taken care of properly. No one will be looking over your shoulder.

The key to having more freedom in your job is gaining the confidence of your boss. Picture a weight scale with your job freedom on one side and your executive’s anxiety on the other. When the boss’ anxiety is up, your freedom is down. But, when you lower that boss’ anxiety level, your freedom goes up. Establish a reputation for follow through by delivering quality results on time consistently. You boss will respond by giving you greater freedom in how you schedule your work and prioritize your tasks.

7. Think positively. Look for the good in people, situations, and in yourself. Take credit when it is deserved—and never when it isn’t. Be reluctant to turn every issue into a crusade. Certainly, some circumstances should be addressed. But avoid fault finding and petty problems. Pick your battles, address the important issues constructively, and realize that no one wins ‘em all.

8. Keep personal problems out of the office. The rule of separating one’s personal from one’s professional life has long been observed by successful business assistants. Wise ministers and their assistants alike recognize this is a good rule for them too.

No one is suggesting you hide your problems. The Christian professional should be transparent—honest and open. But, you must not allow your problems to interfere with your work. Once personal problems invade office hours they seem to take on a life of their own. Time spent on personal matters infringes on time that both parties have committed to the business of the church. Before bringing your personal problems to the office consider other options. Assistants who work for their own pastors may choose to schedule an appointment and to confine problem sharing to that time. Share problems only with those people directly involved in their solution.

9. Forget about perfection. Concentrate instead on excellence. Eric Severeid said it well, “Human beings are not perfectible. They are improvable.” You and I and our work can constantly improve; neither we nor our work will ever by perfect.

The goal is not mediocrity. Far from it. Carelessness causes more problems than anyone cares to admit. Strive for excellence but recognize the value of “good enough.” William James, the father of American psychology, wrote, “The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook.” Remind yourself that Jesus was perfect but not a perfectionist. He entrusted his work to us; no perfectionist would delegate like that.

10. Be willing to go the extra mile. Ministry is seldom convenient. Sometimes, but not always, service above and beyond the call of duty is required. When that extra effort is called for be willing to function in or out of the spotlight depending on what is needed. If you are asked to minister beyond what is outlined in your job description, do it and do it with grace. Just be on guard not be make fire fighting your standard operating procedure. It will burn you out fast!

11. Stay flexible. Times change. People change. Today’s assistant must be able to turn loose of the way things were. Work to adjust to how things are now—how this boss works, how this program will be implemented, how this change will take place. You may find the new way is even better than the old, comfortable one. Gain assurance from knowing that you tackle every job by mastering the same basics: do adequate research, be as accurate as possible, meet the deadline.

12. Keep growing in your job. We live in an information society. Our information supply is multiplying beyond calculation. The challenge is to transform information into usable knowledge. Take advantage of seminars and resource materials directed toward your work. Granted, you pay a price for training. But think of the price you pay for not training. Invest in yourself; challenge yourself. Look up every word you come across that you cannot define. Do things that increase your skills and force you to stretch your brain. Spend time every day in God’s Word. It will keep you on track.

To read PART TWO of this article, CLICK HERE.

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Filed Under: Church Office Skills, Columnist Gayle Hilligoss Tagged With: administrative Assistants, Church Administrative Assistants, church office skills

Administrative Assistants & Church Communicators, remember who you are!

1 April, 2010 By Yvon Prehn Leave a Comment

Celebrating youIt's easy to forget in the midst of lots of hard work and deadlines the real importance of your work, but what you are doing literally changes the eternal destinies of people. I created the little Postcard pictured here for you to either download (Click here to download the PDF) or as a jpg image (click here to download the jpg). Please print it out and put it somewhere you can see it and be reminded. You can also use either one to create encouragements to other Administrative Assistants or Church Communicators.

This was originally done for Administrative Assistants Day, but I'm keeping it on the site because we always need encouragement.

Today may be lots of hard work, but in your future you will "shine like the stars forever!"

And why? Because your work brought lots of people to heaven with you.

Many blessings, prayers and love to all of you this Administrative Assistant's Day,

Yvon Prehn

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Filed Under: Misc. Advice and Articles Tagged With: Church Administrative Assistants, Recognition for church communicators

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