How to Prepare and Execute a Blackboard Announcement Strategy


A. Motivation: Benefits of Using These Guidelines

    1. Blackboard announcements have proven to be one of the most effective forms of publicity.

    2. Blackboard announcements expose the maximum number of students.

    3. Blackboard announcements are your most economical form of publicity.

    4. Blackboard announcements create momentum, enthusiasm and interest.

    5. Verbal classroom announcements are personal.

    6. Verbal classroom announcements stretch the faith of Christian students.

B. Overview of Your Materials and Responsibilities

    1. The next several pages contain three main items that are designed to help you accomplish
        your objectives. (Remember: This is your Lecture Series.)

        a. Responsibility description that highlights the main aspects of your job.

        b. An organizational chart to show lines of communication between the believers working on
            the project.

        c. Helpful guidelines with specific details and ideas for doing the best job possible.

            These items contain ideas that have been used with success around the globe. Many have
            come from the ministries of Josh McDowell, Andre' Kole and the Paragon Experience, as
            well as from Rusty's own speaking ministry. We hope they will help you to glorify our
            Lord though this outreach.

    2. Paul wrote, "Let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner" (I Corinthians 14:40).

        a. The Responsibility Description (RD) shows the purpose and scope of your job and lists
            your main responsibilities. It may seem somewhat cold and impersonal at first glance; but
            remember that its purpose is to briefly explain your job. Please understand that we (and,
            we hope, all  involved in this ministry) love you and care for you as a person. We merely
            use this written material as a simple and accurate means of communication.

            Most of the RD is self-explanatory. One aspect that is sometimes new to some is the
            "Authority" line under each item. This is a simple way of communicating how you should
            act on a given task. There are three main types of authority for our purposes:

                1) "Act" – This means you can act on the item without checking with your "supervisor"
                    first.

                2) "Act and inform" – This means you can act without checking with your supervisor,
                    but you should inform him/her of the action after you have done it.

                3) "Act after approval" – This means you should submit your plan of action to your
                    supervisor and wait for his/her approval before acting on that item.

        b. The Organizational Chart shows how those involved relate to and communicate with each
            other. Most of your communication regarding the work of the lecture series should be with
            the person immediately above you or those immediately below you on the chart. This can
            help keep confusion to a minimum.

            1) The chart is not intended to convey positions of superiority or inferiority but simply
                working relationships. Everyone's job is significant. This is a team effort!

            2) Remember that the best leader is a servant. If ever anyone qualified to be the "man at
                the top" it was Jesus. Yet He turned the organizational chart upside down when He
                said, "Whoever wishes to become first among you shall be your servant; and whoever
                wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not
                come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:43-
                45).

        c. The Guidelines are intended to help you carry out your responsibilities You will want to
            use them to develop a strategy for your area of responsibility that is personalized to your
            ministry location. Go over your strategy with your supervisor to get his or her input and
            feedback.

        d. You probably will not be able to do your job without helpers. Consult your supervisor
            and the Lecture Series Personnel Coordinator for assistants. Once you have your helpers,
            consider them as teammates. Practice "Growth Delegation": Delegate responsibility not
            just to get the job done, but to help that person grow and develop in their job skills and
            their walk with God.

        e. Continue to emphasize "Relational Thinking" rather than "Terminal Thinking." Relational
            Thinking considers every activity in light of how it contributes to the overall objective.
            Terminal Thinking sees activities only as ends in themselves.

        f. Our overall objective is to glorify God by reaching people for Christ and building
            committed multiplying disciplers to help reach the world. If you can evaluate everything
            you do in light of your objectives, your motivation and effectiveness will most often
            increase. Your committee members need you to help remind them of this.

        g. Besides your encouragement, several items will help your team members see how they fit
            into the overall team. You should give them each:

            1) A copy of Rusty's letter, so they can see his heart-desire to be a co-laborer with them.

            2) A list of the benefits for their tasks.

            3) A copy of this "Overview of Your Material" (Section B).

            4) A written responsibility description.

            5) A copy of the organizational chart.

            6) A clear statement of your committee's objectives, their individual objectives and how
                both help accomplish the overall objective.

                If copies of these are not provided for you, photocopy them. In some cases, you may
                need to write them yourself, which will be a good  learning experience. It is best to
                assemble the material in some sort of binder cover before you give it to the committee
                member. This conveys your desire to be sharp and do a good job as well as your
                concern for them.

    3. In order for you and your co-workers to be really motivated in your work, it is important to
        have a vision for how Rusty can be used on your campus. One of the best ways to do this is
        to circulate copies of his evangelistic articles among your volunteers. The Lecture Series
        Coordinator should have access to these. Take the initiative to get them and expose your
        committee members to them, perhaps at a committee meeting. Consider it your responsibility
        to "keep the vision before them."

    4. Be sure that individually and as a group, you bathe everything you do in prayer. A well-
        organized effort without constant dependence upon the Lord can have greatly diminished
        effectiveness.

    5. A priority for you and everyone involved in this project should be to continue to develop
        your personal relationship with God. Never let activity  keep you from seeking the Lord
        often through prayer and Bible study. Our desire is that this be a growing experience for you
        that you are built up (not burned out) through your involvement. Strive mightily to keep this
        perspective in your personal life and to impart it to those with whom you work.



Blackboard Saturation Coordinator

Responsibility Description

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve." (Colossians 3:23-24)

"Serve the Lord with gladness." (Psalm 100:2)

I. Purpose: To saturate classroom blackboards with announcements about Rusty's lectures. To
    have the lectures announced in the classrooms.

II. Scope: Your university or ministry area.

III. Responsibilities:

    A. Determine and list those buildings in which this blackboard project may be put into effect;
        secure approval.

        Authority: Act and inform.

    B. Organize, train and lead a team of men and women to write announce-ments.

        Authority: Act and inform.

    C. Prepare verbal announcements and teach Christian students to make them in their classes.

        Authority: Act and inform.

    D. To submit upon completion a written report and evaluation of your job. Submit this to the
        Publicity Coordinator.

        Authority: Act.


IV. Working Relationships:

    A. Report to the Publicity Coordinator.

    B. Work closely with all committee heads.

    C. Recruit helpers as needed through the Publicity Coordinator and Lecture Series
        Coordinator.

 

Organizational Chart and Lines of Communication

C. Directions: Guidelines for Blackboard Saturation

    1. Publicity is divided into two phases: Phase I and Phase II:

        a. Phase I spans from 3-4 weeks before Rusty's arrival to one week before his arrival. It is
            designed to make the students wonder just what in the world is going to happen! Your
            teasers and publicity create awareness of the intriguing topics but do not indicate who,
            when, where and what.

        b. Phase II spans from 7-8 days before Rusty arrives to the day he leaves. This phase is
            designed to give the students all the information  necessary to make a decision about
            coming: topic, time, place, speaker and sponsor. As a general rule, every time we
            publicize the speaker and topic, we need to indicate the sponsor also as to mislead no
            one.

        c. A major purpose of the publicity, besides to draw the crowd, is to create an atmosphere
            that is conducive to Christian students personally inviting people to the lectures.

    2. Develop your strategy.

        a. The blackboard strategy should be built into the overall "Timed Release" publicity
            campaign. Thus, Phase I messages should arouse interest but omit specific details. Phase

II messages should list time, place, etc.

        b. Plan your strategy at least six weeks in advance.

        c. Determine messages to include. Avoid over-sensational messages. Do not be deceptive.

        d. Determine which boards to write on. The best plan would be to write on every board.

        e. Determine the number of people needed for the job. You will need to figure out how long
            it takes to write each message.

        f. Submit your plans to the Publicity Coordinator.

    3. Implement your plan in an organized manner.

        a. Select specific students to meet your work needs.

        b. Select specific time to write on boards. The best time is early in the morning before
            classes begin.

        c. Have students meet together before you go out. You can use this time for prayer,
            fellowship and training. Perhaps you can meet afterwards for breakfast.

        d. Give each student an assignment sheet like the one at the end of this section.

        e. Send the students out two-by-two.

        f. Try to have each worker responsible for a building that they normally frequent.

        g. Have students place the message in the corner of the board with a block around it so there
            is less chance of erasure. Write “Please Save” by the border

        h. Write neatly and watch the spelling.

        i. Make the message large enough to be seen by the entire class but not so large that the
            professors will have to erase it to use the board.

        j. Have students spot-check blackboards to replace notices that may have been erased.
            Encourage students to do this in their own classes.

    4. Here are some sample blackboard slogans:

        a. Phase I:

        “Hear RUSTY!”

        "DYNAMIC SEX!"
        "DYNAMIC SEX -- Don't Miss It!"
        "DYNAMIC SEX -- What Is It!"
        "How's Your Love Life? Hear ... DYNAMIC SEX!"
        "Getting the Most? Hear ... DYNAMIC SEX!"
        "Doing It more and Enjoying It Less? Hear ... DYNAMIC SEX!"
        "DYNAMIC SEX Is Beyond My Wildest Dreams!" – Sigmund Freud.
        "I Can't Believe My Eye – It's DYNAMIC SEX!" – Cyclops.
        "Hear Something Different ... DYNAMIC SEX!"
        "DYNAMIC SEX ... Rated PG"
        "DYNAMIC SEX Tells It Like It Is"

        “THE DATING GAME: Are you winning?”
        “THE DATING GAME: Are you playing?”
        “THE DATING GAME: How’s Your Love Life”

        “Are You SUCCESSFUL AND SATISFIED?”
        “Want to be “SUCCESSFUL AND SATISFIED?”

        "THE OTHER SIDE OF LIFE!"
        "What Happens On THE OTHER SIDE OF LIFE?"
        "Do the Dead Return?"
        "Can You Live After You Die?"
        "Is Out-of-body Out of Sight?"
        "Life After Life? ... Hear THE OTHER SIDE OF LIFE!"
        "Beyond and Back?...THE OTHER SIDE OF LIFE!"
        "Out-of-body Experiences.-THE OTHER SIDE OF LIFE!"

        "When Rusty speaks, E.F. Hutton listens!"



    b. Blackboard Assignment Sheet Phase II (Follow all these messages by day, time and place.)

        "RESURRECTION: Fact or Fiction?"
        "RESURRECTION: Hoax or History?"
        "RESURRECTION: Who's Got the Body?"
        "RESURRECTION: Legend, Lunacy, Larceny or ...?"

        "Beyond and Back? ... THE OTHER SIDE OF LIFE!"
        "THE OTHER SIDE OF LIFE -- Is There Life After Life?"
        "Can We Survive Death? THE OTHER SIDE OF LIFE!"

        “SUCCESSFUL AND SATISFIED? Learn How!”

        “THE DATING GAME: You both can win!”

        "DYNAMIC SEX – Don't Miss It!"
        "A Fresh Perspective ... DYNAMIC SEX!"
        "Hear About DYNAMIC SEX!"

    c. Brainstorm to think up other slogans. Be creative.

    d. Actually, Phase I and Phase II slogans can be used interchangeably. Just be sure to omit
        date, time, place, etc. during Phase I and include them in Phase II.

D. Directions: Guidelines for Preparing and Making Classroom Announcements

    1. Prepare announcements; for example, for a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday lecture series:

    2. Tell students at Christian meetings or other gatherings how to make class announcements.

        a. Ask the professor during the class period, or …

        b. Go to the professor prior to class time and ask if you can make an announcement about
            Rusty. Show him/her a handbill. Abide by his/her decision.

    3. Getting a professor to give extra credit to students for attending the lecture.

        a. This creative approach can definitely increase attendance! Here is one example: Once
            Rusty was scheduled to speak on Dynamic Sex at a small campus during the first week
            after Christmas break. There were only 6-10 Christian students involved and publicity
            was minimal, with  little advance time. We anticipated a maximum turnout of 100 or so.
            However, Christian workers and students contacted professors (of  psychology,
            sociology, family studies, etc.) and got them to give students extra credit for coming. Four
            hundred students showed up and indicated decisions to receive Christ! The results were
            much greater than had been expected from the publicity effort. This approach can bring 
            large crowds with only a small amount of work.

        b. You'll want to coordinate this approach with the classroom coordinator to avoid overlap.
            As you seek to set up opportunities for Rusty to speak in classrooms, you'll probably
            want to ask the professor first about Rusty speaking in the class. Then, after s/he has
            decided that, you can bring up the "extra credit" option. If you mention announcing the
            meeting first, s/he may take it just as a convenient "out" rather than letting Rusty speak in
            the class.

        c. Go to faculty who teach courses that relate to Rusty's topics. Use his press packets for
            promotion. Some possible courses to consider:

            1) “Dynamic Sex” and “The Dating Game”: psychology, sociology, family studies,
                women's studies, philosophy, humanities, religion, speech, and education.

            2) “Successful and Satisfied”: psychology, sociology, business, leadership, military
                science, speech, and education.

            3) “The Other Side of Life” and “The Resurrection:: psychology, sociology, philosophy,
                humanities, religion, medicine, speech.

        d. Tell the professor about the lecture series. Give him/her a flier and a schedule, and
            mention the possibility:

            "Professor , often faculty members have given extra credit to their students for attending
            lectures like these. Sometimes they have their students go and write a paper or essay
            critiquing the talk. Since Rusty's topic relates so closely to your subject, we wanted to ask
            if this sounded like something you might be interested in."

        e. If other professors on your campus are doing this, mention their names.

        f. Even if the professor says no to the extra credit option, s/he may still be willing to
            announce the lectures in class.

Blackboard Assignment Sheet

Message for the Week: “Dynamic Sex: Don’t Miss It!”

Reminders:

• Check all rooms for blackboards.
• Put the message in a corner of the blackboard and enclose it in a block to avoid erasure. Write "Please Save" by the border.
• Print clearly.
• Make it large enough to be seen by the entire class but no so large that professors have to erase it in order for them to use the board.
• Check the blackboards in your classes during the week. If the messages have been erased, replace them.


Blackboard Saturation Chairperson Checklist

(Work with your supervisor to plan out "target dates" for each responsibility. Then check them off as you complete them.)

Lecture Series Job Report and Evaluation Form

(Please complete this and give to your supervisor soon after the Lecture Series is over. Your input can be very valuable to your fellow believers and your local ministry.)



Your Name                                                                                         Job Title

Today's Date                                                                                         Campus


Description of Your Job

1. Briefly describe your responsibilities.




Evaluation

2. What things went well with your job?




3. What things did not go well?




Recommendations

4. Any suggestions for improvement?