Creating an environment within your organization that fosters healthy relationships, growth, and strong teambuilding is important to the success of your Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE) program. Building a culture that positively impacts your staff will extend to community partners and ultimately impact your program participants.
Internal Staff
Lead with empathy
- Don’t ask your staff to do anything you wouldn’t do or haven’t done yourself.
- Consider the perspectives, feelings, thoughts, and experiences of others.
- Be sensitive to broader life circumstances that may be impacting performance.
- Be available to listen and offer guidance/support.
Ensure staff feel supported and valued
- Encourage staff to express any needs related to their role.
- Let presenters know you are aware of their presentation locations and schedules.
- Consider creating small care packages for presenters containing items such as bottles of water, energy bars, tissues, hand sanitizer, breath mints, etc.
- Text/call presenters after program delivery to inquire how things went.
Encourage teambuilding
- Share experiences from the field to foster a sense of camaraderie.
- Consider reading a book, listening to a podcast, or brainstorming ideas together.
- Build trust: do not gossip, recognize great ideas, give credit where credit is due, engage in teambuilding exercises such as learning each other’s personality types, etc.
- Empower the team by seeking everyone’s input when changes are needed.
Community/School Partners
Be reliable
- Always be on time for scheduled presentations.
- NEVER cancel a presentation unless in the case of an extreme emergency.
Be courteous
- When a program contact doesn’t reply to you in a timely manner, do not assume the worst; emails may get lost, busy schedules can interfere, etc.
- When frustrated, err on the side of kindness.
Be professional
- When people are unprofessional, do not respond in kind.
- If the venue is not arranged as requested, ask permission to help make the environment conducive to presenting.
- Thank the host for allowing you the opportunity to speak with his/her class.
Program Participants/Students
Engage effectively
- Make good eye-contact with the audience when speaking.
- Give your full attention and focus to your presentation; refrain from allowing unnecessary distractions and interruptions.
- Overexplain detailed/complex instructions when necessary and repeat important pieces of key information in different ways.
- Empathetically consider the background/homelife that may drive some difficult attitudes and behaviors.
- Explain concepts with sensitivity; do not presume participants are not/have not experienced the issues you are addressing.
- Assume sincerity when asked inappropriate questions.
Finish strong
- Ensure participants know you care about their health and well-being.
- Communicate your confidence in participants’ ability to make healthy decisions.
- Express enthusiasm for participants’ goals.
- Communicate hope for overcoming obstacles.
- Thank participants for listening/participating.
More Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE) Implementation Tip Sheets:
Tip Sheet: How to Implement Effective SRAE Programming
Tip Sheet: Important Facts About SRAE
Tip Sheet: Considerations for Implementing an SRAE Program at the Local Level
Tip Sheet: Cost Considerations of Implementing an SRAE Program
Tip Sheet: Choosing an SRAE Curriculum
Tip Sheet: Sample Job Descriptions for SRAE Administrators and Presenters
Tip Sheet: How to Interview Candidates for the SRAE Presenter Role
Tip Sheet: Qualities of a Successful SRAE Presenter
Tip Sheet: Finding Effective SRAE Presenters
Tip Sheet: Training and Retaining SRAE Presenters
Tip Sheet: Enhancing Your Relationship with the SRAE Program Host
Tip Sheet: Getting Your SRAE Program into Schools
By Ascend under contract with Public Strategies. (2021) [SRAE Quick Tip Guide] Public Strategies, Oklahoma City, OK.