Page 6 - Leadership Basics 5

Why Communicate

If everybody in the school community, including parents, carers and the extended family, feel that
they and the school are on the same side, this can result in potential benefits for both the school and
the broader community.

Successful school leaders let members of the school community know what is going on, sharing both
good news and bad.

Successful school leaders encourage meaningful dialogue around student achievement and get all
members of the school community focused on high expectations for all students.

Forms of Communication

Positional Communication

It is the sort of communication that takes place in a general school staff meeting, or in a school
newsletter, where one party wishes to have their position understood by another party or parties.
It might be a teacher’s position on the need for more Math textbooks, or the principal’s position on
the importance of meeting a deadline for submitting school reports. In both examples, it is about
one party making their position clear to others, as such, it is unidirectional.

Interest Based Communication

In Interest Based communication the purpose is not to transmit a position but to explore mutual
interests. Take, for instance, a ‘brain‐storming’ session on what to do about a particular behaviour
management problem. This should be a genuine communication to explore teachers’ and parents’
needs, fears and concerns and to generate ideas and strategies for dealing with the situation.
[Teachers often complain that their school Staff Meetings have become forums for positional
communication (being told things) when it should be a forum for interest based communication and
collaborative decision making.]

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