The Next 26: Editor Tips
Each day for the first 26 days (more or less) of school, I send out Editor Tips.
Well, we’ve chosen editors, now what?
This problem plagued me for quite some time. I think it’s actually a problem that plagues quite a few advisers on a yearly basis and it is often a subject of the JEA listserve.
We plan things out, get our staffs set, name our editors, and then we expect them to be the leaders we know they can be. The problem is, we don’t often give the editors the necessary training it takes to be an effective leader.
One of the things I have done to help develop my editors is supply them with Tips of the Day for their first 26 days on the job. I email the tips to them nightly, but could just as easily distribute the tips to them during class.
The tips that you will find within this manual are more of a guide than anything. I’m sure you will find some you agree with and others you don’t. Depending on the year, I find myself agreeing and disagreeing with some as well.
There will also be tips you find redundant (I’ve used them to drive a point home) and others you may just want to toss out. Again, it’s a guide and specific to me in my situation. It is a living and breathing document that changes from year to year.
During the course of the tip distribution, I usually send an email out to the editors asking them for tips they would give to an editor if they were in my shoes. It helps make the process a bit more interactive and I usually try to work in a few of their ideas to the final 10 tips. Actually, some of their ideas are pretty impressive and make the manual much stronger as a whole.
In any case, it’s in this format or another, do something to prepare your editors for what’s ahead of them. You want them to be successful. They want to be successful. And if they’re successful, it will be a much better year for the staff as a whole.
Use them as you wish. Make them specific to your room, your staff, and your situation. And get your voice to come though.
If you have further questions on these tips or just have a tip you’d like to share since I just shared 26 with you, I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to contact me and I'd love for you to keep the discussion going in the comments below.
Good luck and may the force be with you.
- Aaron
26 Editor Tips
- Lead By Example - This one is pretty self-explanatory, but to be seen as a strong leader, you need to be setting the bar.
- Give Guidance - You need to be a vocal leader that gives them a mission each day.
- Plan Prior to Class Each Day - This doesn't need to be a lot of planning, just enough to give your staff direction and focus for the day.
- Get Upset with Me - My job is to push you. Sometimes that means I need to push you to do better. You might not like that. Use that energy to do something great.
- Bring Treats on Your Birthday - Here I explain the philosophy of the room which is to bring treats on your birthday, not someone else's and why you should make the birthday song a special one in the room.
- Be Visible - Often times, staffers see the most visible people in the room as the leaders. Be at school as much as possible, be in the room when available.
- You Gotta Love it - If you want to do this job right, it's got to be one you really want. It can't be something you just want because it looks good on paper.
- Tell People You Appreciate Them - Sometimes we have to force ourselves to do this as it's not human nature for most people.
- Know the Editorial Policy - It's the document that runs the room. Make sure you are well-versed on the ins and outs of it.
- Making Fun of Someone Does Have Its Place - The rule here is that it's ok to joke about someone in the room -- as long as that person is yourself.
- Be The Best - Any job worth doing is doing well. Why would you want to commit so much time to something to just be 'ok' at it. You will not always be the best, but if your goal is to be great, you'll hit that mark much more often than if you just settle for doing decent.
- Tie Day - This is one of my favorite. To me, getting people to refocus is not about yelling and screaming at them, it's about wearing a tie and speaking softly.
- Senior Skip Day - I'm not a fan. I let the eds know about it from the start. That way, they can make an informed decision when the time comes.
- Monday Stories - It's great to take time at the beginning of the week to let staffers share their (PG-13) stories from the weekend. It helps build a sense of community in the room.
- Pick Your Battles Wisely - There will be lots of battles throughout the year. You'll have choices on which ones to take head-on, and which ones to just let pass. You can't fight them all.
- Be Happy - Seems like a pretty simple rule, but one that takes work. Attitudes are contagious. Make yours the best it can be.
- Take Some Time Off - While you need to make sure you don't do this on a deadline week, everyone does need some time off to get away from things and reset their clock.
- Senior Day - While I am not a fan of Senior Skip Day, I am a fan of Senior Day in May. It's a day when seniors can leave campus. It's a perk for being a senior. No matter what deadline we are on, seniors are expected to stay out of the room that day. I'd be a Grinch if I took that benefit away. I try to live a Grinch-free life.
- Address the Situation. Correct the Problem. Move on. - This is another important one to let the editors know how I work and give them some advice on how I think they should work.
- Know a Little About a Lot - As an editor, you need to be versatile and able to answer a variety of questions. You need to either know the answer or be able to point the staffer in the direction of someone who does.
- Sing Praises Often - Make sure you work to tell people they did something well.
- Handouts Can Be Great - While I'm not a fan of worksheets, I think handouts can be great reinforcement tools for important lessons, skills or concepts you want your staffers to get.
- Follow Through if you Give an Ultimatum - If you levy a threat like "Have your spread done by Friday or you will be removed from it and receive an 'F,'" be prepared to follow through. If you don't, your voice will soon become white noise.
- When Something is Your Fault, Fix It - These editor tips are actually a result of this simple philosophy. You can read about it here.
- Say Hi to Everyone Each Day - Let them know you notice them and that you're glad to see them.
- Make the Room a Fun Place to be - This can be done in a variety of ways.
What tips would you add to this list? Add them in the comments below, share with the masses and keep this spark going.