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:
- Critically analyse and evaluate your own communication style and its impact on various stakeholder groups within the school and wider community.
- Strategically apply advanced communication techniques to navigate complex interpersonal dynamics and foster shared understanding amongst diverse teams.
- Develop and implement proactive strategies to cultivate and maintain high levels of relational trust with staff, students, whānau, and external partners, even amidst challenging circumstances.
- Articulate the nuanced relationship between relational trust, effective communication, and their role in leading school-wide initiatives and fostering a positive school culture.
- Evaluate and apply relevant leadership frameworks and research to inform their approach to communication and trust-building within a leadership context.
As Deputy and Associate Principals, you are pivotal in shaping the relational landscape of your kura. This module challenges you to consider communication and trust through a strategic leadership lens.
Deepening Understanding of Communication Styles:
For Deputy Principals, a nuanced understanding of communication involves:
- Contextual Agility: Recognising how different contexts necessitate adaptable communication approaches, considering power dynamics and potential sensitivities.
- Strategic Messaging: Crafting clear, consistent, and compelling messages aligned with the school’s vision and values.
- Active Listening and Inquiry: Employing sophisticated listening techniques to understand perspectives and facilitate constructive dialogue.
- Non-Verbal Communication and Presence: Cultivating a leadership presence that conveys confidence, empathy, and approachability.
- Conflict Navigation through Communication: Utilising advanced communication skills to mediate conflict and guide teams towards resolution.
Resources:
- MindTools – offers numerous articles and tools on communication skills. Explore what is useful for you, from effective written communication to listening skills and everything in between!: https://www.mindtools.com/c_CommunicationSkills.htm
- TED Talk: Julian Treasure – “How to speak so that people want to listen”: https://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_how_to_speak_so_that_people_want_to_listen
- Article: “Four Ways to Communicate with More Empathy” – Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2022/08/4-ways-to-communicate-with-more-empathy
Elevating Relational Trust in Leadership:
For Deputy Principals, building relational trust involves establishing a school-wide culture of trust through:
- Leading with Transparency and Integrity: Demonstrating consistent ethical behaviour and fostering open communication.
- Empowering and Distributing Leadership: Trusting staff with autonomy and fostering shared ownership.
- Strategic Vulnerability: Demonstrating appropriate vulnerability to encourage shared learning and support.
- Navigating Difficult Conversations with Empathy and Courage: Addressing challenging issues directly and with empathy.
- Building Trust with Diverse Communities: Adapting communication and engagement strategies to build meaningful partnerships.
- Accountability and Follow-Through: Consistently following through on commitments.
- Systemic Approaches to Trust Building: Implementing school-wide initiatives that promote trust.
Resources:
- Article: “The Trust Factor” – Educational Leadership (ASCD): https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/the-trust-factor
- Video: Brené Brown – “The power of vulnerability” (TED Talk) – while not education-specific, offers valuable insights into building trust through vulnerability: https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability
Task:
Reflecting on Communication and Trust in Practice:
Consider a recent situation where effective communication significantly contributed to building or maintaining relational trust within your school, or conversely, where a communication challenge impacted trust.
Discuss with your learning partner the key communication strategies employed (or not employed) and their impact on the level of trust. Post a summary of your discussion and key insights on the forum (150 words maximum).
Assessment:
- Completion of all readings.
- Participation in the online forum discussion.
- Conversation with learning partner and subsequent post on forum
14 Responses
Recently there have been some concerns raised from a parent around the communication and forming of relationships towards their children with a teacher and the leadership team. This initially arose from a small incident that they felt was unresolved which has then led to a range of other problems. It became very evident during this time that effective communication and open and honest conversations are pivotal when addressing problems and issues as they arise no matter how small they may seem. It is important to not overlook what may seem small for one person as this can be a big thing for others. There has been lots of growth and learning for the teacher and leaders involved around open and honest conversations, being an active listener, building trust and ensuring there is effective communication with all parties involved. It is important to be empathetic to all and really listen to each perspective to build a bigger picture. We need to ensure that the mana of everyone involved remains and that everyone involved feels listened to and supported. The way this was approached and communicated has meant that relational trust has remained both with teachers/leaders and whanau.
To reduce workload, our team agreed to use Word or Google Docs for report drafts, allowing grammar checks, buddy proofreading, and easy corrections using ‘find and replace’. One teacher, who particularly benefits from support, chose instead to write directly into the app (which has American spelling, and does not have adequate grammar checking capability, or find and replace) after a management leader casually mentioned that others had done this faster. This unintentionally undermined the process I had established as team leader, and created inconsistency across the team. I discussed the issue with the leader, explaining why the agreed system was important, particularly for this staff member. The leader acknowledged the error, apologised, and met with the teacher. It was agreed this could be a trial, but that I would have final say on process going forward. As expected, significant errors followed, but rather than making a point, I offered to assist. The teacher chose to complete it independently. The situation reinforced the importance of clear processes and respectful communication to maintain trust.
Recently, due to a staff shortage, I was asked to take on a teaching load of 4 days per week alongside my Deputy Principal responsibilities. While I stepped in willingly to support the team, the additional workload made it challenging to complete key leadership tasks. This led to concerns being raised about my time management. I listened openly and acknowledged the impact, then took time to reflect before responding. I communicated honestly and respectfully, outlining how the increased teaching load affected my capacity to fully carry out my leadership duties. I recognise that taking this approach was far more effective than resenting the comment and taking no action. By being transparent and authentic, I was able to maintain trust and open the door for more collaborative problem-solving. This experience reinforced that honest, thoughtful communication—especially during times of pressure—is vital in sustaining professional trust.
A recent situation that highlighted the importance of clear, supportive communication in maintaining trust at school: a parent had some concerns about her son’s teacher and sent a strongly worded email- not just to the teacher, but also to our office and the whole leadership team. Naturally, this left the teacher feeling pretty rattled and concerned about how it might affect her professional reputation.
I made time to talk with the teacher first. I wanted her to feel supported and reassured that we had her back. I listened to how she was feeling and gave her space to talk through what had happened from her perspective. I also made it clear that I trusted her and valued her as a teacher.
I then set up a meeting with the parent and the teacher so we could talk things through face to face. During that meeting, we were able to clear up a few misunderstandings and work together to come up with a support plan for the student. Both the teacher and the parent felt heard, and it helped reset the relationship in a much more positive way.
Afterwards, I followed up with an email to those who’d been copied into the original message. I explained that we’d had a constructive meeting and that the parent had acknowledged her approach wasn’t ideal- she actually apologised and said she’d “f-ed up,” and would check in before jumping to conclusions in the future. It felt important to share this so that the teacher knew her mana and professionalism had been recognised and supported.
This whole experience reminded me that good communication, especially when tensions are high, can really strengthen trust. Taking the time to listen, respond with care, and follow through makes a big difference for everyone involved. It took a lot of time but the outcome was well worth it.
Our discussion highlighted how effective communication is crucial for building and maintaining trust, even in challenging situations. My learning partner shared an experience concerning a student returning from stand-down, where she communicated concerns about winter sports participation to the whānau via email. The strategies employed included careful drafting, seeking feedback from my SENCO, and choosing a less immediate communication channel to allow for thoughtful responses. This led to a positive outcome as the whānau understood her genuine intent to support the student’s success. I recounted a similar situation where honesty about a student’s behaviour was appreciated by a parent, who valued the directness over previously sugar-coated reports. A key insight for both of us was the unconscious application of the HAIL acronym (Honesty, Authenticity, Integrity, Love) in these successful interactions. Having a conscious framework like HAIL will serve as a valuable “checklist” for future sensitive conversations, solidifying communication as a goal for growth this year.
Excellent comments on the importance of trust in effective communication Eden. The HAIL acronym isn’t so much rocket science but the basic expectation that a team member would want from an effective leader. If you aren’t honest, authentic or possess integrity you are going to struggle to get buy in from team members. You have to also to “Love”even the most unloveable if you are going to have any connectivity.
After having the discussion with my learning partner, we both found that approaching difficult conversations with honesty and a genuine desire for a positive outcome (aligning with HAIL principles) led to better understanding and positive results, even without prior knowledge of the acronym. It was interesting to see that both of our recent experiences, despite being in differing contexts, truly highlighted the effectiveness of the principles included within the HAIL acronym. This also shows that it can be used across a variety of situations and not be narrowed down. After the module, we have both now recognised the value of the HAIL framework as a deliberate tool for future sensitive communications. I think it will be something I print out and put somewhere for me to see when having the conversations or make sure I have looked at it before having the conversations so that it helps keep the conversation within those key principles. I appreciate my learning partner for sharing their insights during our discussion and their scenario too.
Great to hear how well you and your learning partners have together reflected on this area and it’s importance when it comes to difficult conversations. I liked the recognition of how important the HAIL principles were to your people management even before you knew about the acronym. I suppose the benefit of the acronym is it helps keep those principles to the forefront of communication with others.
We’ve recently completed our annual review of courses and learning pathways offered at our school. Factors like student numbers, staffing, and sustainability all influence whether a course remains. While major changes are rare, a yearly review in a large high school is essential. In the past, this process was largely top-down, with SLT making decisions independently, often out of practicality/expedience. However, this limited the range of perspectives considered and risked making imbalanced decisions, especially if SLT aren’t directly involved in classroom teaching or student learning for a particular course.
This year, I led a more inclusive approach by involving a wider range of stakeholders in the review process. Decisions reached about courses may/may not have changed significantly as a result, but what has improved is the level of institutional trust. Simply broadening the consultation process has strengthened relational trust and shown that important decisions will involve listening to a variety of voices, rather than imposition. This inclusion has made it easier and more palatable when some hard calls have been taken re. keeping / removing programmes of learning.
I often have often thought Campbell that a discussion on course viability or staffing are areas that potentially can generate a defensive response from a curriculum leader if is going to adversely affect their subject area. It can be hard to get LOC’s to look at things from a big picture perspective. Some seem to only know what they know from their sphere of influence! If the process is applied with integrity, transparency and in a respectful,inclusive manner then it has the best chance of real success. It sounds that was what you achieved with your review.
We have a cycle of negativity that regularly builds up among our teacher aides, they feel left out and that their voices aren’t being heard. This can affect morale and lead to divisiveness and a culture of negativity . I have increased the frequency of our meetings to weekly rather than fortnightly where they can share their thoughts and concerns and be heard. During the meeting I do my best model active listening, audibly acknowledging their concerns, and thanking them, reiterating the important work they do. When appropriate, I’ve involved them in more of the communication with teachers and parents to plan for our high-needs students. Just making space for them and verbalising that we value their input has already made a big difference. It reminded me how powerful honest, empathetic communication is for building trust. Whether or not I can act or affect the change for them being heard is making a difference.
Love this…our teacher aides are so valuable, they need to be heard. Awesome mahi
I often have often thought Campbell that a discussion on course viability or staffing are areas that potentially can generate a defensive response from a curriculum leader if is going to adversely affect their subject area. It can be hard to get LOC’s to look at things from a big picture perspective. Some seem to only know what they know from their sphere of influence! If the process is applied with integrity, transparency and in a respectful,inclusive manner then it has the best chance of real success. It sounds that was what you achieved with your review.
A great topic to explore Helen. How do you empower and give voice to a group in our school that do a very challenging role and are important for the learning of both those they support and the engagement of the wider cohorts which they work in. The meetings you describe are an opportunity for the LA’s to be heard in an authentic way and for the leadership of the school to be able to communicate the rationale for systems and processes in a non defensive environment. It is very important. Well done on being willing to ‘let the genie out of the bottle’ and provide an opportunity to not just discuss operational processes with your teacher aide /learning assistants.