Be the LIGHT: My Approach to Effective Communications with Faculty

The onslaught of emails faculty received pre-covid could barely be described as manageable – a few student requests, communicating with colleagues, listserv items, committee meetings, the list goes on. Something that was already a problem became exacerbated by COVID-19 and the emergency transition to remote learning (ugh! That phrase makes me queasy these days). The number of emails that faculty were receiving grew exponentially overnight as panicked students tried to stay on task, as faculty tried to keep students from falling off the grid, as the administration tried to make sure everyone was still working and doing their job.

As the sole leader of online learning, teaching, and pedagogy at a university of over 300 faculty (about ? being part-time) and 2600 students, I felt the weight of their needs resting squarely on my shoulders. Yes, I had support and a fantastic partner in the Center for Teaching and Learning Director, but the online learning space was my domain. I needed to reach my faculty (and students, for that matter!). I needed my emails to stand out in the sea of emails they were treading. The faculty needed to notice my emails and take the time to read them.

But how????

Well, let me tell you, Johnny!

(Also, I hope you read that in your infomercial announcer voice!)

Be the LIGHT

Just like a lighthouse shines through the darkness guiding ships, I needed to break through the sea of emails to stand out. And to do that, I decided to be the LIGHT.

1. Loving
2. Inventive
3. Genuine
4. Humorous
5. Timely

(Not always in that order, but hey… acronyms are essential!)

As I further explore each of these elements, I’d like to highlight why I found this to be a successful approach.

• Out of 62 emails sent to the faculty listserv from March 24, 2020, through December 31, 2020, 55 of them (a whopping 89%) faculty responded with questions and comments.
• The average email chain length was 7 (the initial email, plus six replies).

During the period that email inboxes were often dinging nonstop, faculty were taking the time to respond, and frequently, multiple people were responding.

Additionally, faculty were not only asking questions, but they also took the time to respond with their appreciation for this LIGHT approach:

• “That was such a great email! Thank you for all you do!”
• “BTW - I love your emails!”
• “Some great ideas, thanks!”
• “Thanks for everything! You have been amazing during this time!!”

So with that tiny bit of quantitative and qualitative support in hand, let’s dive in!

Be Loving.

Everyone likes to feel loved and cared for. COVID-19 pushed many faculty beyond their usual output, spending hours learning the LMS, making online resources, and answering student emails. After that output, faculty needed caring and encouraging words to help replenish their internal reservoirs.

In the faculty communication spectrum, showing love or care could be kind words, or it could be something like tips or tricks to address a problem at hand; it may even be proactively addressing needs they haven’t even thought of yet. Here are some samples from an email sent to the faculty in early April 2020.

• If you are not feeling the groove of our temporary remote teaching yet, hopefully, you will be by the end of this week~; Every week is better than the last, and every week is another step towards the end of social distancing!
• Be sure to consider what the end of this week looks like for you. Had we been in the classroom, Thursday, Friday, and next Monday would all be scheduled days off for the Easter holiday. This can be a weird concept to plan for or address in the online setting.

Be Inventive.

Imagine an inbox overload – an email comes in, the subject: November TIC Event. Then another, This Week, and another requesting help locating missing book and finally, Hey Faculty! <<Hey, What??>> Can you See it??? <<See what??>>.

Scanning the subject lines, which one do you want to read? Maybe the first to find out what TIC means? But I’m going to guess the last one-- or more accurately, pretend that this one might have piqued your interest the most with its playful banter and unanswered question.

The first three subjects are actually in my inbox right now as I write. The last subject line I wrote and sent to my faculty during the 2020-2021 academic year. When faculty have limited time and are skimming through email, it’s essential to find a way to stand out among the crowd. An email sent from the President’s secretary is bound to get a quick look simply because of positioning within the university. Still, until you have built up that rapport and value within your institution, a catchy subject line is an excellent way in the door.?

Be Genuine.

Emails (like some articles) can be very bland, boring, and devoid of emotion. But they don’t have to be. When I first started in a college administration role after a stint in K-12 (covering the East Coast to beyond the West Coast) and as a full-time higher education faculty member, I spent much time worrying about the formalities of higher education in my communications. Higher Ed can be a bit prescriptive and, for me, felt a bit stifling at times until I let my regular personality shine through-- as I’ve done here in this writing. My silly comments might have made you laugh, or they might have made you roll your eyes. In either case, I consider your reaction a job well-done on my part, and now, for good or for bad, you might be more likely to remember the message I was trying to share.

I often signed emails with a fun closing line as well. For example, the early April 2020 email referenced earlier was signed, From my temporary home office/daycare. This was true to me with a 3-year-old and 7-year old at home at the time. Noticeably, it helped humanize my communications to my faculty.

Be Humorous.

When I was a child, I always wondered why when a TV character was giving a speech, they would be overly concerned about their opening joke… then I became a teacher, and it started to make sense. Humor connects us, and even if we don’t see eye to eye on other issues, humor can generally bring us together.

During Covid-19 especially, humor was also welcomed because of all the sadness, stress, and isolation that we were experiencing as a society. By aiming to be a sunny spot (or should I say bright spot? LIGHT pun intended!) in someone’s day, it helped me get through some of the more mundane tasks in my position or stressful moments of my day.?

One of my favorite silly emails,” We’re Zooming Along!” was a just-in-time email before the start of the Fall 2020 semester. It had tips and tricks about using zoom that ended with a perfectly placed (if I do say so myself) YouTube reference to a Disney Channel Original Movie Song titled “Zoom, Zoom, Zoom.” [[WHERE ARE MY FELLOW ZENON FANS AT???!]] While it may seem silly, which it was supposed to be when someone responds with “This made my day,” it was definitely worth the risk!

Be Timely.

Lastly, use your email scheduler!! At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was essentially working 24/7. I might have written an email for my faculty after typical working hours, but I always did my best to avoid sending listserv emails outside of traditional working hours.

Primarily, I was hoping that faculty were setting boundaries for themselves as they adjusted to the online teaching environment as I had been encouraging them to do. By sending late-night and weekend emails, I would be undermining all of the messaging that I had been leading and supporting regarding this topic.

Additionally, randomly timed emails ran the risk of being lost in the shuffle of other listserv emails, automated marketing, and subscription emails, students who work at all hours of the night emails, etc. Scheduling the emails during working hours gives a better chance of reaching the faculty while they are engaged and ready for this type of information.

Shine Bright!

To get a bit technical, essentially, this approach boils down to humanizing your communications, implementing something similar to the Pedagogy of Kindness with your faculty, providing support and scaffolding their needs with a humorous twist :)?

I am grateful to have been a light for my faculty when they needed it. Though the examples here focused on experiences throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it is an approach that can be utilized for any communications with your faculty as you strive to build relationships and effectively share information.

Hopefully, “Didn’t you read my email?” will no longer be part of your regular conversations!