Communicate with Opinion Leaders

Have you wanted to communicate important middle level messages to a broad audience, but have little time or few resources to accomplish that goal? The answer may be focusing your efforts on opinion leaders.

Every organization and community has opinion leaders, whether it is a school, a state legislature, a business network, or a parent group. Opinion leaders are those people who others believe are well-informed and respected. They, then, are the ones others go to with questions. Those questions may cover any topic and include such things as "Where should I send my child to school," "Is the local middle school safe," "Do schools really need greater financial resources," "Is teaming a good idea," etc.

You can bet these people will answer these questions because they don't want their peers to think they don't know all the answers. The only real question is, do they have accurate information?

The smart middle level educator knows who the opinion leaders in his or her area are and communicates with them consistently. This ensures the accuracy of information and you will reach a greater number of people in your community as opinion leaders deliver your message.

Here is a proven way to identify the opinion leaders in any group:

1. Bring together a small group of people who know the target audience, whether that target audience is the state legislature, your community, or parents in your school.
2. Have those individuals brainstorm, by name, people who are respected and who communicate with that audience. Keep in mind that opinion leaders are selected by people power-the number of individuals they influence-not position power. In some communities, the barber is a more powerful opinion leader than the president of the Chamber of Commerce.
3. Prioritize the names into a workable list. The more important ones you may want to contact personally, either by phone or in person. Talk about the major issues facing middle level education and what's happening in your school. The more people on your list, the better. However, it's better to deal effectively with a smaller group than ineffectively with a larger group you can always expand your list.
4. Determine ways to keep these key people informed about your school and educational issues. Let them know the URL of your Web site, put them on the mailing list for publications, send them a schedule of activities at your school, invite them to be part of a school group, or develop a short newsletter just for opinion leaders.
5. As your relationship with these leaders develops, ask them to alert you to any rumors or misinformation they hear among their peers. You will then be able to communicate the accurate information through your normal channels and head off rumors before they become major problems.

Working with opinion leaders is a proven communication technique. It is used successfully by businesses, government leaders, and school systems throughout the United States and Canada. Make it an effective tool in your job as a middle level leader.

See how NMSA has reached out to opinion leaders from a national perspective.