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):
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- 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
9 Responses
Scenario A (Combined response: Christina Belton and Sam Kordan)
To address this ongoing issue, we would draw on two clear communication strategies that prioritise respect, active listening, and shared accountability, as outlined mostly, in Julian Treasure’s “5 Ways to Listen Better” and the New Leaders’ article on effective communication for education leaders.
Strategy 1: Clear and Constructive Conversation
To begin, we would plan the conversation in advance, gathering relevant evidence (e.g. missed deadlines, vague updates) and choosing a neutral space for the discussion to promote safety and openness. We’d open with a structure such as:
“I’d like to talk with you about something I’ve noticed. I’ll explain what I’ve observed, and then I’d really like to hear your thoughts so we can plan a way forward together.”
During the conversation, we would:
Be specific and factual (avoiding judgemental language).
Use open-ended questions to dig deeper (e.g. “is there any reason why you think this is happening?)
Engage in genuine, two-way dialogue using the RASA method
Apply active listening techniques: resist interrupting, listen for meaning, and pause before responding.
Summarise what we’ve heard back to the staff member, to ensure shared understanding and to show their input is valued.
Strategy 2: Build a Shared Plan with Accountability
Once concerns are explored, we’d shift to a solution-focused approach, using inclusive language that builds ownership and trust: e.g. “Let’s talk about what would work best moving forward so we’re both on the same page.”
Actions would be:
Using language that shows a shared and collaborative approach e.g. “we…”; “Let’s talk about what works best….”
Agreeing to regular check-ins (e.g. “Let’s set aside 10 minutes every Thursday morning to go over progress.”).
Encouraging the staff member’s input, drawing on Treasure’s principle of “silence and space” – give time for them to respond thoughtfully and let them know their input matters/is valued
Reflection:
Both Sam and I discussed in our zoom that we have both used many of the strategies from this module in previous circumstances but found it very helpful to have been reminded of those which are most effective.
We also concluded that in many ways these strategies are ones that we use with our students most days as well. It was a reminder that sometimes when we are dealing with staff, as opposed to students, we might let emotions get in the way more because we perceive them as adults who we shouldn’t be having to “chase up” on things.
How exciting to have a shared response. I heard from Sam that you had planned to work together and it’s yielded excellent results. You point out something interesting which is of course that in terms of having conversations like these, you are so practised and confident with students but speaking with adults somehow seems more complicated. Thank you both for your excellent response!
I was going to look at scenario A – as its quite similar to my situation.
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.
I would first of all start by auditing my own communication skills, to ensure that my staff members and the one in particular is understanding and clear about the deadlines and expectations being placed on them. Starting the communication process with the staff member to get an understanding if they knew what was expected first of all. And whether I am communicating clearly. This would enable me to clarify whether it is a communication issue from my end and be more mindful and able to adjust in future, or whether the staff member is failing to complete what is expected at their end. Asking them how i could communicate differently would be a good starting point to – in terms of the audit. Also gaining intel from other members of staff that I closely work with.
I liked the tennis game match and volley example – building a culture of 2 way communication. Giving time and appropriate questioning or opportunity for the staff member to respond is important. I have a staff member who is tricky. I need to approach delicately and always putting the students in the centre about how we can complete our tasks more effectively / efficiently to ensure better outcomes for them. I have found that she is finds it difficult to discuss ‘issues’ and this does make courageous conversations a challenge. This staff member finds it really challenging to communicate face to face – preferring emails and notes. I however prefer to chat openly, and find that I can use ‘department’ time effectively to try to engage the other member of staff, using the tennis game and idea of acknowledging her work and contributions before seeking feedback or her insight.
Thanks Annette. Did you involve your learning partner here?
I’m really aware of your issue as we have discussed it before haven’t we.
I’m interested in your comment that she likes emails etc rather than face to face.
Face to face is a professional way of communicating and if she won’t engage, she is effectively bullying you. While you are waiting for her written response, time is ticking on and it’s still on her terms.
Have a read of some of the other responses here and we’ll have a talk about it the next time we meet.
Charlotte and I collaborated on scenario 2. I believe she may have posted the final version in her comments. I have pasted into here the scenario, Charlottes initial draft, my comments, then my amended version which is the final one.
Scenario: Parents keep parking in the Staff car Park for pick-up and drop-off, creating more traffic on the street because they can’t get in/out of our gates easily. Two parents have a disabled car park permit.
Charlottes Draft……
This is a notice that the staff carpark is only to be used by staff and contractors.
We have noticed an increasing number of parents driving into the carpark for morning drop-offs & afternoon pickups (sometimes at great speed) – this poses a significant health and safety concern for our students for several reasons. There is a lot of foot traffic walking past the driveway during these busy times, with a lot of small children making their way to school. Having cars speeding in and out of the staff car park is unsafe for all. The other issue is that the carpark entrance is directly next to our road patrollers, and this additional traffic is having a direct impact on how they operate the crossing.
We would appreciate your support with this matter to ensure the ongoing safety of all our students at our Kura
Thanks,
School Team
My thoughts; I think the subject line and opening sentence need to be more focused on student safety rather than enforcing a rule. I love your wording but I think it would be more digestible if it is in bite size bullet points. Here is my version:
Peter’s version/final version….
The safety of your children is important to us. (Subject line)
The safety and well being of our students is very important to us, that is why we are reminding you the staff car park is only to be used by staff and contractors. (Opening sentence)
We have noticed an increasing number of parents driving into the carpark for morning drop-offs & afternoon pickups (sometimes at great speed) – this poses a significant health and safety risk for our students for several reasons. Having cars speeding in and out of the staff car park is unsafe for all because;
*There is a lot of foot traffic walking past the driveway during these busy times, with a lot of small children making their way to and from school.
*The carpark entrance is directly next to our road patrollers, and this additional traffic is having a direct impact on how they operate the crossing.
We would appreciate your support with this matter to ensure the ongoing safety of all our students at our Kura
Thanks,
School Team
You are right Peter in identifying that Charlotte’s version is rather wordy.
Ultimately all of the parents who are parking on site know it is wrong and why they shouldn’t be doing it so clarity is the key otherwise you risk sounding far too apologetic and on the back foot.
Hi everyone, here’s hoping we’ve all had a great start to term 2. I’ve read the readings and pondered on how this fits with the messaging in Brene Brown’s book. Open, honest discussions and information that is easy to understand, relevant and appropriate should be at the forefront of any communication whether that be verbal or written. However, when in written form as in an email, as there is no way to instantly react or gauge reaction, the need to be even more precide and explicit is heightened. The challenge however is to consider the tone of the email. One of the great rules when writing an email that may be in responce to a difficult situation, is to write it and then sit on it before sending it, allowing time to carefully consider its tone and message.
Some say superfluous fluff detracts from the message you are conveying. I however always try to add a personal, human element to the email so it does not come across as condescending or impersonal. Using AI to “cast an eye” over an email to ensure its tone or professionalism is on point can be usefull.
You are quite right Peter about being unsure how your message will be received. Language is so nuanced isn’t it. Maori have always valued ‘Kanohi ki te kanohi’ and there’s a lot to recommend it!
Wouldnt that be great if we all in the same place at the same time. Given it’s not possible we have to connect via technology whether that be zoom, email or text. With face to face or zoom, we can read and react to body language and facial expressions so how we nuance our communication is not so important. Not so much via email or text. Here we really need to think about tone and language. Covid has forced us to think about this alot more as pre-covid, face to face was alot more prevalent.