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
17 Responses
Apologies for being late to post. To my learning partners, I’ve misplaced your emails! Please get in touch
Scenario A: I would start by focusing on understanding the underlying reasons for the missed deadlines and vague communication, with a view to collaboratively finding solutions and offering support. The initial communication would be direct about the observable issues (missed deadlines, vague comms) but delivered in a supportive tone. Asking clarifying questions and summarising/paraphrasing the conversation to ensure a shared understanding of the issue. The conversation would be around hearing their perspective, and guiding them to solve the problem collaboratively. Setting clear expectations for the end of the conversation (what is to be done by when, who is doing what, setting the accountability measure). The ‘Accountability Dial’ is a tool I would employ (The Mention, The Invitation, The Conversation, The Boundary, The Limit) to manage performance and escalate as necessary.
Kia ora Ashleigh. A leaders supportive tone is really important in these conversations. Start off with the wrong tone and the team members defenses go up straight away and you’re in for a difficult time. Asking those clarifying questions to ensure you’ve understood the issues before looking at problem solving collaboratively, ensures you’ve understood the issues and shows the team member you’ve been actively listening.
Pō marie,
Tazmeen and myself chose the first scenario to work on:
Scenario A: Supporting a Staff Member Who Misses Deadlines
Building a culture of two-way communication means creating safe, regular opportunities to talk about what’s going well and what could improve. If a staff member often misses deadlines and gives unclear updates, I would use two key strategies: begin with strengths and use collaborative problem-solving.
I’d start by acknowledging what they do well, then gently raise the issue: “I’ve noticed some deadlines have passed—can you walk me through what’s been challenging?” This shows empathy and invites openness. I’d then clearly set expectations: “Going forward, I need weekly updates by Thursday. Can you commit to that?”
To avoid confusion, I would ensure expectations are clearly outlined at meetings, followed up with a reminder email, and possibly use a shared Google Doc for tracking progress. I’d tailor my approach depending on whether they are a beginning or experienced teacher. With a BT, I’d offer support and share my own experience. With a more experienced teacher, I’d check for underlying issues and work together to make a plan. In both cases, open dialogue and clear expectations help build trust and shared responsibility within the team.
Response by Samantha Simons (Selwyn Park School) & Tazmeen Atik (Te Uho ote Nikau Primary School)
I enjoyed reading your response. Thank you for sharing your approach to this scenario.
Kia ora Samantha and Tazmeen.
Collaborative problem solving is a great way to ensure both parties are on board with a way forward. A chance to possibly brain storm and then wittle down to 2-3 ideas that are workable. Having a tailored approach depending on the experience of your team member demonstrates that one size does not fir all, just like with our students.
Pai ahiahi kapa Barbara.
Apologies for our late submission but here is what Kirsty, Alicia and I came up with for scenario A:
Constructive One-on-One Conversation: Schedule a private kōrero to express observations clearly and respectfully. Use “I” statements to show openness, e.g., “I’ve noticed some deadlines are being missed and updates are unclear, which impacts team progress.” Watch your own tone and body language. Ask open-ended questions, practice active listening, paraphrase their response and validate their perspective. Let them know you’re taking notes for both parties to refer to and Invite staff member to contribute to the notes so they feel empowered, not disciplined. Ask how you may be able to assist them. Agree on solutions and actions for both parties to complete and confirm follow-up checkpoints.Follow up via email the action points / discussion summary of the conversation. This helps ensure clarity (whilst keeping a formal record).
Collaborative Planning and Team Review: Use reflective discussion and feedback face to face. Revisit agreed timelines in a planning session, asking colleagues to restate key points to confirm clarity. Open a space for the team to discuss workload challenges, possibly pairing staff to share responsibilities. Agree to check in at future team meetings, recording follow-ups in minutes to ensure ongoing accountability and support. Receive what the person is saying, appreciate what is being said, summarise their point, ask questions.
Kia pai to wiki.
An in-depth and well-thought-out response. I appreciate you recognising the need to be aware of your tone and body language and keeping a record of contact/communication is super important for all parties involved.
A great piece of thinking for ways to navigate this sometimes tricky space. Love the planned use of ‘I’ statements and thinking about body language and tone. Everything matters when people are under stress and feeling the pressure. Keeping a record is vital – you can’t be having these conversations over and over! Great work!
Scenario A: Building a culture of two-way communication means creating regular, safe opportunities to talk about both what’s working well and where improvements are needed. In addressing a staff member who constantly misses deadlines and communicates vaguely about progress, two verbal strategies can support this culture. Firstly, using a strength-based conversation allows you to acknowledge the staff member’s contributions before clearly outlining concerns and expectations—for example, affirming their creativity while gently raising the issue and asking how you can support them to meet deadlines. Secondly, a collaborative problem-solving approach grounded in active listening can help uncover underlying barriers. By inviting the staff member to share their process and working together to identify solutions—such as setting up regular check-ins—you demonstrate that communication is a shared responsibility. Both approaches rely on clarity, empathy, and a commitment to open dialogue, reinforcing the idea that effective communication connects people and inspires positive change.
Response by Shasta and Susie
Great response Shasta and Susie. The first part of your solution still means the issue is potentially not going to address the issue but the combo works together to assure a positive outcome and keep everyone’s mana in tact.
I agree that a focus on strengths is a valuable approach when having tricky conversations.
Kia ora Shasta and Susie. Shared problem solving lets your team member knows that they’re not alone and that they have someone to communicate concerns with, ideas with, thoughts with on how to productively move forward. This will also build trust in each other and a positive working relationship.
Collaborative Goal-Setting Meeting with Checkpoints Approach: Use a coaching-style conversation to co-create clear next steps, define expectations for task completion, and how progress will be communicated. Ask the team member how they prefer to share updates and agree on regular, short check-ins to support accountability.
Example Script: “Let’s work together to ensure the next set of tasks are manageable and completed on time. I’d like us to agree on some clear deadlines and how you’ll keep me updated along the way. What method of check-in—email, verbal, or shared document—works best for you?”
Why it works: This approach applies New Leaders’ principles of consistency, clarity, and shared ownership. When expectations and timelines are co-developed, people are more likely to commit to them. It also demonstrates adaptive leadership—adjusting communication methods to fit individual team members while keeping expectations visible. Regular, agreed-upon checkpoints provide structure and reduce ambiguity, supporting both performance and confidence. By inviting the team member to help shape the solution, you’re also reinforcing mutual accountability, which is key in building a culture of reliability and responsiveness.
Coaching-Oriented Conversation with Reflection and Forward Planning Approach: Take a supportive, growth-focused stance in your conversation. Instead of focusing solely on missed deadlines, position the issue as an opportunity for professional growth. Ask reflective questions that help the staff member identify patterns, build self-awareness, and take ownership of improvements. Offer your support as a coach or thought partner, not just as a manager.
Example Script: “I’d like to talk about how things have been going with task deadlines and communication. Rather than focusing just on what’s not working, I’d love to reflect together on what helps you stay on track when things are going well. Can you think of a time when you met a deadline successfully—what made that possible?” “What support or systems might help you feel more confident and clear about your progress?”
Why it works: This approach supports the New Leaders’ emphasis on active listening and developmental feedback. By shifting the tone from correction to coaching, you create a space for self-reflection and empower the staff member to identify their own strategies for improvement. This taps into the idea that adult learners thrive when they are treated as capable, reflective professionals. You’re still being clear about what needs to change, but you’re framing it as a shared journey of growth. According to the New Leaders framework, this helps foster a culture of high expectations with high support, improving both performance and morale.
Response by Alix Osbaldiston (RPS) and Ana Pepa (Te Nikau School)
Great response Alix and Ana:) Your move into the coaching space builds everyone’s competencies in some way, shape or form and has a real chance of being mana enhancing for all. A great example of the New Leaders principles in practice. Ka rawe korua!
I liked your positioning of using the issue as a growth opportunity through a coaching model with reflective questioning.
Nicely written Alix and Ana. Every conversation should be seen as a chance to grow a team member, as you have done. Too many leaders look at why haven’t you done this or why haven’t you done that. You have looked at a positive way of building your team member up.
Safety First – New Drop Off and Pick Up Procedure
Recently, multiple road safety incidents have occurred during drop-off and pick-up times. Some changes are necessary to ensure the safety of our ākonga. The changes, effective immediately, are as follows:
NOTE: Information would then follow in bullet points. This post was written collaboratively by Nathalie, Caroline and Andrea