EDITING, LEADERSHIP & TEAM BUILDING
When I envisioned my year as an editor, I couldn't wait to stand in front of the class for announcements, conduct brainstorms and bond over the blasting music at deadlines — I never imagined almost all of it would be spent on Webex.
But through my six semesters on staff, I've learned leadership is all about adaptability and communication. Managing a staff of 70 through a screen took innovation and patience, but we didn't just scrape by — our online site placed 1st Best of Show at the 2020 NSPA conference.
STAFFERS SAY...
The most important measure of my leadership is how the staff views me — they're the ones who I've trained and the ones who've seen me in the most stressful moments.
"
Riley's kind personality made me feel really comfortable as a new staffer. She helps me with just about everything possible, makes sure I am doing my best work and really keeps me on track to improve as a writer and designer.
- FIRST-YEAR STAFFER ANNA MITCHELL
"
Riley is always there with a helping hand and a positive attitude. She works so hard to keep everyone on staff motivated and she truly cares about the work she publishes. She is the mother of staff because she looks after all of us, but makes sure we keep our deadlines.
- PHOTO EDITOR TREVOR PAULUS
"
Whether she is organizing our next brainstorm or personally taking the time to walk through an error with a younger staffer, Riley is always one step ahead of the game, making sure our staff is as prepared as possible for each upcoming cycle. She not only works hard on her own material, but will assist anyone who needs the help along the way. Her kind spirit, hardwork and approachable personality makes her a clear leader in the classroom. I couldn’t ask for a better partner and leader to share the Co-Online Editor position with.
- CO-ONLINE-EDITOR LAUREN WEST
"
Riley has pretty much been my mentor since I joined staff. She’s edited almost every story of mine, and is one of the reasons I’ve grown so much as a writer. Her sweet personality makes her easily approachable, and she's contributed to every aspect of staff — even if it’s not her job. I’m so happy that I’ve gotten to work with her. She literally helps everyone around her, while also keeping things on track.
- ASSISTANT PRINT EDITOR SYDNEY NEWTON
COMMUNICATION
Daily announcements, in-class brainstorms, face-to-face editing — it was all gone. After our district announced this school year would be spent online, I constantly stressed that excellent communication is more important now than ever before. And as an editor, I strive to communicate everything so no one is left confused.
GROUPME
GroupMe is one of our main forms of communication, so I consistently send out messages to keep everyone on track and give announcements.
Click through the gallery to see examples.
FACETIME/WEBEX BREAKOUT ROOMS
During virtual school, we've utilized FaceTime & Webex for practically everything. As a copy editor, this allows me check in and make sure everyone in my group is on track.
We've also used video chat as a brainstorm method while discussing a page so the photographer, designer and writer can all work together.
To the right are photos from my copy editing group that I watch over, as well as a brainstorm for one of my pages.
POST SKETCH
This year, I created a template for something we call the "post sketch," which is sent to the staff every week so we maintain a consistent scheduling method before these stories are posted on the website.
This has been incredibly successful because each box includes the names of each person who will work on the story so a group chat can be easily created for great communication.
This number is formatted as "Issue.Week" so everyone can clearly see if they're looking at the correct schedule.
Each section on our website has a row on the post sketch. Any story scheduled in that section is positioned under the section header so it's easily found. This is also how the section editor knows which stories they need to keep track of every issue.
STORY:
WRITER:
PHOTOG:
SOCIAL:
DATE:
This is the format for each story on the schedule. I include the name of the story, the writer, the photographer, the social media person and the date it's supposed to go up so everything is easily found.
EDITING
Whether it's editing someone's first story or their 100th, I still go through the same process and take my time because I believe everyone can improve.
TRAINING STAFFERS
I vividly remember being completely confused my first semester on staff — my hands would shake and my voice would tremble anytime I thought about admitting my confusion with the online cycle or the posting process.
So as an Online Editor, I strive to make the transition onto staff as smooth as possible. Especially in a year as hectic as 2020, I made sure all staffers could easily access information that would help them improve and stay on track.
I also recognize the need to train the future leaders of this staff, so I've created resources for copy editors and have held consistent meetings with our online section editors and online assistant editors.
NEW STAFFERS
After brainstorming
through the summer,
I developed these steps
to train new staffers
this year.
1
GROUP CHAT & WEBEX CALLS
Normal years would've included an all-staff meet and greet to help get new staffers acquainted with how The Harbinger runs. Since we didn't have that chance because of COVID-19, we created a group chat specifically for new staffers to streamline communication, and we held Webex calls so they felt connected immediately. Our main goal was to provide them with our contact information and help them feel comfortable asking questions.
2
SMALL IN-PERSON MEETUPS
We could eventually meet in small groups outside with masks on. We spent that time introducing InDesign and going over a few online terms so they could learn the basics before school started.
3
TRAINING THROUGH THE SCREEN
Since I wasn't able to teach each staffer how to post an online story from the journalism room, I created a video with step-by-step instructions. This received very positive feedback, as I helped each staffer understand the ropes of our online website. Paired with in-class Webex instruction, the new staffers got the hang of things quickly — even through a screen.
RETURNING
STAFFERS
All staffers need to refresh their skills every once in a while, so here are some methods I've
used to help them.
1
EXPECTATION MEETINGS
My co-editor and I organize meetings for both our online section editors and our online assistant editors so they clearly understand our expectations. We want them to know how much we appreciate their work, and also what they can help with throughout the year.
2
REMINDERS
Whenever I notice common mistakes throughout the staff, I either make an announcement on Webex or send out a message to the GroupMe so everyone is on the same page.
3
PRACTICE
It's not just new staffers that need practice and training — even the copy editors need refreshers on what they should be looking out for while editing stories. We had issues in the fall with some editors not putting full effort into editing, so I created a doc to go over some general guidelines.
TEAM BUILDING
Our typical team building occurs in the J-room during deadlines or in-class activities. But this year, the other editors and I had to get creative so we could connect the staff members safely. Community has always been a huge focus for our staff, and we weren't going to slack off on that this year just because we're online.
This year, our online team created a Thanksgiving cookbook as a compilation of a few staffers' favorite recipes. Not only did it produce content for our site, but it was a virtual way for us to learn more about each other.
THANKSGIVING
COOKBOOK
Lack of motivation has been a huge issue for our staff this year, so I've sent out shoutouts to our group chat when I notice someone who worked hard on a piece of media. Not only does it make that person feel recognized, but it inspires others to keep going.
STAFF SHOUTOUTS
Since this year is online, I put extra effort into reaching out to the people in my copy editing group practically every day to make sure they were connecting with each other and with me. We have a large staff, so I wanted the two new staffers in my group to feel a sense of community with Webex calls and consistent texts.
COPY EDITING GROUPS
Secret Santa is always our main staff bonding activity throughout the year. Even though we couldn't enjoy the in-person laughs and gift giving this year, we wanted to make sure to do a virtual version where every staffer dropped off a present at someone else's house. The reveal was over Webex and everyone was able to learn a little more about other staffers through their requested gifts.