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
7 Responses
Good points. Just as feedback, you could consider moving the first two statements and dropping them in further down. So ‘The safety…..’ and ‘The safety and wellbeing……’ come in after ……..operate the crossing’? So you are leading with the what, the issue and then the why, before mentioning the global issues, by finishing with these two sentences (And perhaps combining them “The safety and well being of your children, our students is very important to us, as it will be to you.That is why we are reminding you that our staff carpark is only to be used by staff and contractors”). And then the last sentence could also become ‘.We would appreciate your support with this matter, that is: no parent cars in the staff carpark, to ensure the ongoing safety of all students at our Kura.’
Kylee and I have merged our ideas for Scenario A:
Merged Response from Empathy and Storytelling and Schedule a private, honest check-in
Begin by dropping into the staff member’s classroom and respectfully asking if they’re available to meet at a specific time to discuss progress. During the meeting, start by showing empathy — acknowledge the busyness of teaching and, if appropriate, share a time when you too missed a deadline. This creates a safe, human connection. Then, move into a private, honest check-in using open-ended questions like, “Can you walk me through where things are at?” to encourage open dialogue. Listen actively, reflect back what you hear to check understanding, and gently explore what might be contributing to the vagueness or delays. End the conversation by offering support, clarifying shared expectations, and suggesting a follow-up check-in to maintain momentum and accountability.
Merged Response from Direct and Firm and Co-create clear expectations and checkpoints.
Begin by scheduling a conversation via email, clearly outlining the purpose. For example, you might write, “I’ve noticed that X task hasn’t been completed by the due date we discussed in our last meeting. I’m also noticing this is becoming a pattern. Let’s meet to talk about what support you may need to meet upcoming deadlines.” This sets a direct and respectful tone, while opening space for dialogue. In the meeting, use a solution-focused approach by co-creating clear expectations and realistic checkpoints together. Collaboratively decide what progress updates should look like (e.g. weekly check-ins, shared planning tools), and establish agreed-upon timelines. This helps promote accountability while ensuring they feel supported, and aligns with strong communication principles like clarity and purpose.
Good strategies in both of these responses. I like the maintenance of sense of purpose, and future focus, while still addressing issues effectively.
Josh and Connie’s ideas:
Decide if you want the answer straight away or if you’re willing for a bit of time for the answer to come in. Eg: “Let’s sit down tomorrow at lunch to go through your maths planning” vs “Show me now…”
Plan the meeting. Send through the talking points – a formal/informal agenda.
Sit down with them and ask what their current organisational strategies are. What are they doing to keep track of their deadlines, planning commitments?. Bring a range of solutions – share what I do to manage these things.
Progress checking – the quality of the question is probably important. Eg: and open question like “How’re you going with…..” vs “What stage are you up to with..” – ask the question you want the answer to with specific detail.
Some questions we have as further thoughts…
Following this – set up some accountability measures – how is it going to be done differently next time?
How to micro manage in a high trust model?
Should you communicate how the ripple effect of their decision making is impacting you? How to do this openly and authentically without being overly emotional
Good strategies. To answer that last sentence, perhaps posing that as a question? ‘So that we have everything addressed, we need to spend a little time on the ‘ripple effects’ of your behavior, so could you please outline them for me, and what you think you need to do to address them? or more simply, ‘Now that you have committed to change could you please tell me how you intend to also address the ‘ripple effects’ of your behavior to date?’
Setting boundaries is not micromanaging if they are agreed, measurable and there is a process for checking, which can be self-checking, not just external.
Good emphasis on safety and giving parents a clear ‘Why?’ as well as the directive to stay out of the space.
Peter and I chose to respond to Scenario B. We wrote a communication that would go on a school management system or be emailed to whanau. We wrote….
The safety of your children is important to us.
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.
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
Peter & Charlotte