Due: 12th May
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero.
What is the food of the leader? It is knowledge. It is communication.
Module Objectives:
Upon completion of this module, you will be able to:
- Analyse your current communication style and its impact on interactions within the school community.
- Apply strategies for crafting clear, concise, and culturally responsive messages for diverse audiences.
- Demonstrate active listening techniques to enhance understanding and build stronger relationships.
- Facilitate open and honest communication within your team and across the school.
- Develop clear, concise, and appropriate written communication for various school contexts.
- Foster a culture of respectful and inclusive communication within your sphere of influence.
Learning Material:
As middle leaders, your ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, is fundamental to your success and the well-being of your teams and the wider school community. This module will explore key aspects of communication, empowering you to build stronger connections and foster a more collaborative environment.
Crafting Clear and Concise Messages:
Effective communication begins with clarity. To ensure your messages are easily understood and impactful, consider the principles outlined by the Plain Language Commission New Zealand. Their resources emphasise using clear and direct language, structuring information logically, and tailoring your message to the audience – crucial elements for effective communication within our diverse school environments. This article is a good place to start thinking about your own communications at your kura – https://www.newleaders.org/blog/inclusive-effective-communication-4-strategies-for-education-leaders Also have a look at this resource from TKI, which is aimed at principals but has many helpful points for all leaders in improving communication in a school environment – https://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Managing-your-school/Guides-for-managing-your-school/Effective-communications
The Power of Active Listening:
Truly understanding others requires more than just hearing their words. Julian Treasure’s TED Talk, “5 ways to listen better” (https://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_5_ways_to_listen_better), offers practical techniques to enhance your active listening skills. By focusing on presence, asking clarifying questions, and empathising with the speaker, you can build stronger relationships and gain a deeper understanding of perspectives within your teams.
Fostering Open Communication:
Creating a culture where open and honest dialogue thrives is essential for trust and collaboration. Explore this article for some tips on how to do this – https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescoachescouncil/2023/05/31/20-smart-ways-managers-can-foster-more-open-dialogue-in-the-workplace/
Developing Effective Written Communication:
In your role as a middle leader, you will frequently communicate in writing with various stakeholders. Focus on the strategies of clarity and conciseness, knowing your audience, providing opportunities for clarification, and being consistent and transparent. Again, this article is aimed at principals but has tips that are applicable to all. To ensure your written communication is professional, clear, and achieves its intended purpose, consider the guidance offered here – https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-principals-here-are-4-simple-tips-to-communicate-better/2023/06
Task: Reflecting on and Applying Communication Skills:
Consider a recent interaction (verbal or written) you had within the school community.
Discuss one of the following scenarios with your learning partner and post your collaborative response on the forum (max. 150 words):
-
- Scenario A (Verbal): A staff member on your team consistently misses deadlines and their communication about progress is often vague. Brainstorm two distinct communication strategies you could use to address this verbally, incorporating principles of clear communication and active listening.
- Scenario B (Written): You need to inform parents about a change in the school’s drop-off procedure. Draft two key elements of your written communication (e.g., subject line and first sentence, or two key pieces of information conveyed) ensuring they are clear, concise, and audience-appropriate, drawing on the principles from the New Leaders article.
Assessment:
- Discussion with learning partner
- Collaborative post on the forum
- Engagement with reading materials
8 Responses
Learning Partners – Siouxzan Barlow & Leanne Sharman
For any approach, using your knowledge and relationship with your team member/s would be key in deciding how to address an issue to ensure the best outcome. It would also be dependent on previous conversations that had been had with that person and the communication systems that are already set up within your kura.
The first communication strategy we would use would be silence. Once we had explained our concerns in an empathetic manner around professionalism, we would simply listen. Being silent can be challenging when there is the urge to rebut or share more of our point of view. By listening in silence we are able to focus on the person, their body language and their emotions. We resonated with this principle of active listening from Julian Treasure’s Ted Ex talk. It also displays to our colleague that we have their full attention and we are listening deeply, which assists in forming a connection with them.
The second strategy after being silent would be feedback as referenced in ‘Effective Communication: 4 Strategies for Education Leaders’. We would make it clear before we began that the purpose of the feedback was for growth and learning not criticism. We would then give them constructive feedback around the effects that missed deadlines and vague communication was having on students and staff. Once we explained the impact we would engage in dialogue to see how we could help them. We would make sure our feedback was supportive and solution orientated, so it becomes a collaborative goal with ourselves there as support and to offer expertise.
That’s an excellent approach, starting by acknowledging the importance of knowing your team members and their context – that’s crucial for any successful communication.
Your first strategy, using silence to actively listen, is powerful. It shows real respect and creates space for understanding, as Julian Treasure highlights. This will definitely help build that essential connection.
For your second strategy, framing feedback as an opportunity for growth, not criticism, is spot on. By focusing on the impact and offering support to find solutions, you’re creating a collaborative path forward. This balanced approach, blending deep listening with constructive, supportive feedback, sets a great example for effective leadership.
Learning partners: Kara Napier, Melody Liu and Fiona Rua
Scenario A
After discussion with each other and using the readings we decided on the following two strategies
1. Collaborative Coaching for Support
We feel this approach builds trust and uncovers barriers through reflective, supportive conversation. Start with a neutral observation (e.g., “I’ve noticed a few recent deadlines have been missed”) and invite their perspective: “Can you walk me through what’s been happening from your side?” Use active listening to understand challenges, then collaborate on solutions and identify support needs. Agree on checkpoints to monitor progress together.
2. Direct Accountability Conversation
We think this strategy reinforces expectations clearly and respectfully. Begin by stating the issue and impact: “Our standard is to meet deadlines and give timely updates. When that doesn’t happen, it affects the team.” Give specific examples, check understanding, and invite ownership: “What will help you meet this going forward?” End with a goal and a set follow-up date.
We felt that both approaches balance empathy with clarity—choose based on the context and the relationship.
It’s excellent that you’ve developed two distinct strategies to address this. The Collaborative Coaching approach focuses on understanding and support, while the Direct Accountability Conversation clearly outlines expectations. This provides a flexible and considered way to manage the situation. “I’ve noticed….” is such a handy sentence starter to have in your back pocket.
Learning Partners- Nathan Hinton and Monique Riddle
Scenario A
With reference to the Effective Communications article on the Ministry of Education website under the ‘Visiting Staff Workplaces’ section it refers to meeting with staff members in their own workplaces as it allows them to put their views across more clearly and they can tell you the reality of what’s going on more quickly. Therefore firstly, we would have an open discussion with the staff member in their own classroom about why they are consistently missing deadlines.
We would also have a coaching conversation (informally) with this staff member around clarity in their emails, but remaining empathetic and linking it back to the “why” or the reason of the email, and is this being proof read and is it clear. It may be reflection for our own practice to build more of a self-reflective culture within our teams where we seek feedback for ourselves to better our practice which could become a part of our team meetings.
In the article Inclusive and Effective Communication: 4 Strategies for Education Leaders we have read that it is essential for teachers to receive feedback, not only to improve their skills and level up their confidence, but also to improve the outcomes of the students in your care. By creating a coaching conversation, this would provide this staff member with the opportunity to grow and develop themselves in the profession.
That’s a really thoughtful approach, grounding your strategies in the MOE and leadership articles. Meeting in their workspace and having an informal coaching conversation sound like excellent ways to build understanding and trust. And fostering a self-reflective culture within the team is a fantastic long-term goal.
After lots of dicsussion and refering to readings we have decided these two strategies to ensure effective and clear communication to support team members. (Aimee Redknap, Suzanne Parkinson and Elleen Davids)
Strategy 1: Actively listeners and creating an inclusive environment
Know your people and the best platform for them to communicate. Setting up with communication norms (what we the whole team needs and how you can meet that)
Effective communication is a two way process and you will learn more when you actively listen and answering questions and not assume (effective communication reading):
Strategy 2: Exaplaing the why and purpose for the task at hand. https://www.newleaders.org/blog/inclusive-effective-communication-4-strategies-for-education-leaders (tips for administering)
Discussion and what can you do to help us get there. Why we need them to be more forth coming. How will you let us know, when will you give us feedback and how. Pick the right method of communication /action plan (bit size bits)
Building a shared timeline and having a collaborative action plan. What is the best way forward for you. How can we work together and what is your role in achieving deadlines.
It’s great to see your emphasis on knowing your people and tailoring your communication approach accordingly. Building a shared timeline and collaboratively creating an action plan are practical steps towards improving both communication and meeting deadlines. Your focus on understanding the ‘why’ is also really important.