4. Staff Empowerment

Your prevention’s success depends on establishing good routes of communication. Constantly communicate your objectives, making sure everyone understands them and knows how to go about performing them. Provide the logic behind why you are incorporating specific activities into your prevention: if your program staff does not fully comprehend the reasoning behind the methods to achieving your goals, they may not fulfill them properly or may not put forth their utmost effort. Providing the logic behind an activity also provides a means of ensuring that unchangeable methodological elements will not be altered. You must be able to clearly define your staff’s responsibilities in order to ensure your prevention operates smoothly. Clearly define your priorities. Do not assume this is obvious, as for many people, it will not be, especially if your staff does not fully comprehend the full picture. If you are working with volunteers, make sure your staff realizes how to communicate effectively with them. Donot forget the value of positive feedback, and nurture a sense of teamwork by allowing individuals to communicate ideas for improvement. Above all, constantly make sure your staff feels as if they are accomplishing something by providing ways to show your objectives have been met. Continually reinforce the positive and find additional ways to make your staff feel important.

Outside communication is necessary for your prevention’s survival; it allows you to network, obtain suggestions about how to modify your program for the better, and enhance community mobilization. Establish a regular communication path with outside professionals working on other smoking prevention programs. There are a variety of ways to do this, including conference calls, monthly meetings, newsgroups, etc. You should also establish a means to enhance your staff’s ability to promote community mobilization and public health advocacy, whether it be through workshops, educational materials, conferences, etc.

Skill Areas:
A Ability to promote a network of information exchanges between program staff and other public health professionals working on programs with similar goals

B Ability to help staff develop and maintain a sense of passion about their work by recognizing accomplishments, building on momentum, and supporting effective staff teamwork

C Ability to strategically develop staff skills related to community mobilization

D Ability to strategically develop staff experience related to public health advocacy

EAbility to strategically develop staff skills related to working effectively with volunteers
F Ability to communicate clearly to colleagues program guidelines and to identify those parts of programs that cannot be modified or changed (the “givens”)