02 May Communication Tips!
Howdy CAFAA members!jill
With the early FAFSA and PPY on the horizon I know we are all working hard in our offices to try and come up with the perfect communication to our families. That one magical email/letter where our students and parents tell us, “this makes perfect sense.” A reality check tells me that response is unlikely but I think there are things we can do to better communicate this change. This may be a no-brainer but sometimes we forget the simple things. Here are three rules that may help you with this task at hand.
#1 Simplicity – Eliminate the use of jargon (financial aid has its own language), use simple phrases and vocabulary. The email/letter is more likely to be read thoroughly if the reader understands words being presented.
#2 Brevity – Today’s students and parents have limited attention spans and too much information can overload their circuits. If the information seems unorganized or wordy it is less likely to be read.
#3 Consistency – The language used in an email vs a letter vs the website should all coincide. Figure out what you are going to call the early FAFSA/PPY and stick with it. I know that CAFAA has been discussing just this so we can hopefully be consistent across institutions as well.
Good luck my friends and know we are all in this together.
Jill Robertson
Director of Financial Aid
Colorado School of Mines
303-273-3207
Fax: 303-384-2252
