Australian school Heads are increasingly forced to address contentious, complex and dynamic issues with their communities. Increasingly, staff, students and parents now turn to school leaders for trusted information and guidance on issues. Thus, school Heads are expected to provide communications that are both accurate and appropriate.
So, how do you decide when to say what to whom?
In the world of independent schools, clear communication isn’t just beneficial — it’s pivotal. The pitfalls of misinterpretations, ambiguous roles and inconsistent messages can profoundly inhibit a school’s growth on all fronts.
Schools, like all organisations, face challenges in achieving effective communication. And it’s holding them back.
You are not alone. Adapting to the changes to the school communication and marketing landscape is challenging for all schools. If you are not finding it challenging, then it’s likely that you are not trying hard enough, and are at risk being left behind.
Some folks think of marketing as something that is done to people. A hustle, a hype, a stealing of attention.
We need a name for that, but I don’t think that’s marketing.
On the other hand, calling dinner, “cold dead fish on rice,” while accurate, doesn’t really help people enjoy their sushi.
Human beings aren’t information processing machines. We’re not hyper-rational or predictable. Instead, we find joy and possibility in stories, in connection and yes, in tension and status roles as well.
When we think of ‘content’ in the modern marketing and communications environment, many minds will immediately go to digital, often bite-sized, content – websites and blogs, social media, video, emails, etc. These are designed to quickly grab an audience’s attention and drive them to action.
To be effective with any content marketing strategy, you’ve got to develop a distinctive — as opposed to distinct — point of view for the story you’re telling or the value you’re delivering at your school.
Good schools will often be good at communicating their vision. They will tell a good story when it comes to delivering on their promises. But I can’t help but wonder what would happen if we started to express our institutional vulnerability a little more. Or as Brené Brown suggests in her book, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, maybe we should start, “ … pay[ing] attention to the space between where we’re actually standing and where we want to be,”
No-one says, “I’m going to be unfair to this person today, brutal in fact, even though they don’t deserve it or it’s not helpful.”
Few people say, “I know that this person signed the contract and did what they promised, but I’m going to rip them off, just because I can.”
Human beings are often more effective when we’re a bit self-effacing. “I think,” “Perhaps,” or “I might be missing something, but … ” are fine ways to give our assertions a chance to be considered.
Before you decide to work with a creative team, particularly on a major project, try your best to meet with prospective candidates in person. More so than a call or video chat, this lets both parties see the other in action. You get to read each other’s body language. You get to have small talk, which can be the foundation for a (work) friendship. And one of you gets to see where the other works, which obviously can tell you a lot about a person and their organisation. Just as crucially, a face-to-face meeting can set the tone for all that’s to come. Here’s a simple plan to get things going in the right direction.
I am by nature a curious person — one of those kids in the class who constantly annoyed their teachers with the question “Why?” Why does this mathematical formula apply to triangles? Why did Napoleon invade Russia? Why do I have to rule a line down the left side of the page rather than the right?
We live in an age where all schools tend to look the same. In fact, if you are a prospective parent, choosing a school in a location that offers a range of options is no easy task.
