by Jolanta Maria Nitoslawska-Romer, M.Ed.
International Director of Academic Affairs, BE+Live
To say that Covid-19 has upended our personal lives is an understatement: the educational world has also been turned upside-down. Many of us are worried about our schools, about our students and their families, about our teachers and how we will all survive and continue to flourish. More than ever, it is essential that all school stakeholders communicate effectively both externally and internally if they want to survive, let alone grow.
Here are some points that you may find helpful:
- Engage
With countless educational platforms generating massive amounts of content and advice, and with many parents trying to understand and do what they think is best for their kids, you might think it’s easier to sit back and ride this out. Don’t. Your communications reflect your values and help promote your school, your community, and interests at a critical time while defining your standing as an educational leader. Get in the game! It does not matter if you are the school owner, the principal, a coordinator, or a teacher. Get in the game! Your engagement may determine whether your school will survive; it may even grow if you get into the game!
- Plan
As a school, as a coordinator, or even as a teacher, you need to have a communication plan with your students and their families. As a school, you may consider having a core communication team to continue developing your top messages and talking points, determining who you want to reach, and how you will measure your impact.
- Be flexible
Have a plan, and then regularly evaluate your communication efforts. What’s working, what isn’t? What new circumstances demand a course correction? Be flexible enough to adapt, trim, or add to your plan depending on the circumstances.
- Target
Keep in mind who you’re speaking with. Your teachers, your parents or your students, or possibly some future families? Some points may resonate with one audience but fall flat with another.
- The Boss leads the way
If you are the principal or the owner, your teachers and parents want to hear from you! Establish a direct channel of communication. Avoid gossip or rumor, be transparent and honest, and remember that you won’t always have all the answers, and it’s OK to say so.
- Communicate regularly
Information is being consumed at a record pace, so your community is expecting you to communicate regularly. Let your teachers and parents know what’s happening, what it means, and what you are doing about it. Will you be changing the ways your teachers work? How will you be organizing your school in August to keep children and teachers safe? Are you thinking about adopting a new curriculum or program? Explain it!
- Be creative
Be thoughtful with everyone in your community. Email is not our only communication tool. Use video, webinars, show your lighter side on social media, feel free to share anecdotes, and always strive to be authentic.
- Pick up the phone
We have lost the art of the phone call in recent years. Pick it up! Call your key community members. Call old friends or people you have not talked to in years. People are feeling stressed or stretched thin, but most will feel glad you have reached out. And you may just pick up some valuable advice.
At BE+Live, we want to provide you with helpful ideas and support, so drop us a line to let us know what would be of most interest to you and your school community. As part of Santillana, and as experts in bilingual education, we have lots of experience. In our future blogs, we plan to continue sharing tips and advice on topics of interest for bilingual schools in Latin America. Is there anything, in particular, that you would enjoy reading about?
CLICK here to send your comments, questions or concerns.
References:
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/a-leaders-guide-communicating-with-teams-stakeholders-and-communities-during-covid-19#
https://www.nhbr.com/communicating-in-the-time-of-covid-19/ Communicating in the time of Covid-19 – NH Business Review
Date Accessed:
June 22, 2020
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