Communication

Whether in person, in writing, in social media, in a staff meeting, or via virtual meeting, school leaders communicate almost nonstop each day. Even when you’re silent, there may be nonverbal signals that others “hear”. It is vital that communication with stakeholders be clear, concise, effective and efficient. Keep in mind what is clear to one stakeholder may be confusing to another. Let’s look at some tips for communicating with different stakeholder groups.

Communication with teachers and staff occurs more frequently than with other stakeholder groups. These are the people school leaders encounter all day, five days a week for a minimum of eight hours. Emails, hallway conversations, newsletters, staff meetings, etc. are part of school life. With all the verbal communication, also comes nonverbal communication. As leaders, controlling words may be easier than controlling nonverbal communication, such as those faces being made; body language indicting boredom, excitement, engagement or even frustration; and the checking of the watch. Just a reminder, as a leader you set the tone for acceptable verbal and nonverbal communication, so be cognizant of both. Just an example from personal experience: Once upon a time, a teacher stopped me in the hall and asked for a moment of my time, which I really couldn’t spare at that exact moment. I stopped, acknowledged the request and asked that she send me an email to remind me to come back her. Simple process, took a few seconds and I made sure to follow up. As a leader, keep in mind that communication is vital to the success of the school.

Communication with parents occurs with great frequency for a school leader. Using websites is a wonderful tool as long as someone is responsible for keeping it up to date. Today there are different apps that allow teachers and parents to communicate without sharing phone numbers. One example is Class Dojo, which works much like Facebook except that a parent can only see the school story, the class story (of his/her child) and their child’s digital portfolio of work. In addition, this app has a message feature allowing the teacher and parent to message one another in real time. School leaders can also be messaged using this app. When I was a principal, I found this app to be indispensable especially during our Covid closure. There are the more traditional methods of communication such as weekly folders, monthly newsletters, and billboards. Having a school calendar available in multiple forms also helps parents as they plan for the school year. Remember when communicating with parents to be clear and concise, while resisting the use of language that only fellow educators understand. In short, tell parents what they want and need to know in terms that are clear.

Finally, communication with the community is part of your responsibility as a school leader. Again, use your website but keep it up to date. Local media outlets (newspapers and/or webpages) can be another way to get your message out. Word of caution: What they publish is up to them. Most schools and districts have a social media presence. Often districts have a preferred platform to use. For example, in two districts I’ve worked in, one preferred Facebook and the other Twitter. As a school leader, you may want to be in charge of the school’s social media presence or designate a staff member or team for this. No matter which platform, follow the guidelines of the district and the platform while keeping the community informed of your school’s events and news.