How do you use communication skills to drive change in your institution?

Listening to your teachers and your customers can be beneficial in determining what you need to communicate more effectively. Several ideas for opening the lines of communication include developing an advisory board, hosting coffees, or conducting listening lunch sessions. You could also send surveys out periodically to determine if your teams and customers are receiving your communication in a manner that is effective.

True change happens when committed people listen to others carefully and communicate effectively. Vision without action is just a dream.

people around you and in your organization will listen your ideas and your views for any reform ,change or improvement if they trust you ,and you have good communication skills. Molding others way of thinking and making them accepting your concept of bringing any change in the system depends on if they think that you are representing their ideas or feelings. Communicating your views in a way, at a level, that your words, your behavior, your body language should be in a way that others feel you are representing them.

Before driving change, It is important to comprehend the current organizational culture, beliefs, and attitudes. Listening skills are essential here; conducting focus groups, interviews, and surveys can help.

Identifying the need for change is crucial and it can only be done properly with the whole picture drawn. If the picture is inaccurate, the change proposed will most likely be either not adapted or not welcomed by others. Let's first focus on why and how to identify the need for change before talking about implementation. The role of a leader, first and foremost, is to facilitate the work of others by absorbing stress and setting up the processes that others need. To make that possible, it is essential to have multiple channels where team members and customers may express themselves in a format they are comfortable with. Providing these spaces and processes is a leaders way of collecting data to make future change relevant and welcome.

It is important to first engage your team in defining whatever issue you are trying to solve. Different stakeholders will often experience an issue differently. Without understanding the full scope, experiences and impacts, your change management will likely not be targeted.

One thing I have found to be helpful is having a small group of teacher leaders within the school who meet periodically with each team and then with me. The conversations are more authentic and I learn more specifically what needs attention and what seems to be going well. Additionally, these teacher leaders are empowered to help in the decision making process. Recently, I have been providing some coaching questions to these teacher leaders to use with smaller groups. The dialogue has been authentic and rich. Our teams have reflected on their classroom experiences and our school has seen wonderful growth.

Empathy is a critical aspect of effective communication. It creates a supportive and understanding environment where individuals can connect on a deeper level, listen to one another, and validate each other's perspectives. By showing empathy, people can provide better assistance and support to others, leading to more positive and constructive outcomes. Empathy is also crucial in engaging and motivating a team. Solutions and guidance can fall on deaf ears if they are not realistically grounded in your team's requirements.

Ensure that all voices are heard and respected. Foster an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and supported. Regularly update your teams on the progress, celebrate small wins, and reaffirm the vision.

I completely agree with this sentiment. Frequent, ongoing communication is the key. Some specific methods of communication that I believe are beneficial include: coaching questions related to the topic, face-to-face conversations to provide clarity and allow for questions, and written follow-up in an email or newsletter.

One thing I would add to this point is to try on different approaches to communicating change. With so much change going on within organizations, employees can get “change fatigued.” So, mix it up! Try a fun video, a wall in busy hallway with a storyboard update, a cupcake hour with posters of updates around the room and leaders available to engage or answer questions. Don’t let communicating change just be a “check the box” activity. Take the extra step!

A few examples I have used to provide recognition and encouragement include: staff shout outs where various team members can compliment others who are meeting or exceeding goals, written feedback to celebrate their achievements, and tangible prizes to celebrate remarkable work.

I train school teams in Positive Behavior Interventions and Support, and when I ask staff to share how many times over the past seven days that they've received positive recognition, the answer is usually, 0-2 times. The graph rarely tilts beyond 3-5 instances. Usually, four instances of positive feedback to every instance of negative feedback is considered the 'sufficient dose' to lead change.

Change management is hard. It is really, really hard. Construct your narrative, over-communicate, enable the positive agents in your organization and all that jazz you’ve been told for decades. There is so much change management literature out there, and you’ve probably been through the slush pile, but if you haven’t already you may want to check out Chip and Dan Heath’s smart little book ‘Switch’ which addresses human behaviour with deceptively simple and actionable methods. It might just offer a fresh perspective on the job you’re about to do, and how to do it. Good luck.

Resistance and conflict are inevitable. Change is hard for all people. Thoughts and feelings about the process that has been developed, especially for those who weren’t a part of the development team but will be impacted by the change will vary wildly. Because we are living in polarized times, the chances of 100% agreement are slim to none. The prepared leader will have anticipated dissenting views and be prepared to hear them out, be empathetic, and find ways to come to solutions with which all can move forward. This takes a high level of skill and the ability to put social and emotional learning competencies and dispositions at the forefront of ones interactions with others.

I find that the best method for handling conflict is face-to-face. Additionally, it is important to address it quickly and accurately.

Often, resistance is due to a lack of understanding or the necessary skills to adapt. Organize training sessions, workshops, or seminars to equip your staff with the knowledge and tools they need. Recognize that change often brings anxiety and uncertainty. Be available for one-on-one conversations, listen empathetically, and address concerns sincerely.

Sustaining and embedding change is critical to ensuring that the improvements made are not short-lived To ensure that this change becomes become a lasting part of the culture and practices reinforce and reflect on the change, Identify lessons learned, Seek feedback for further development and Create transparency.