ASSESSMENT TASK TDA 3.1

Communication and professional relationships with

children, young people and adults.

Resources: Hoy W. and Miskel C. (1996). Educational

administration, theory, research, and practice, (5th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.

Lunenburg F. and Ornstein C. (1999). Educational administration concepts and practices, (3rd Ed.).Belmont, CA:Wadsworth

Owens, R. (1991). Organizational behavior in education (6th ed.). Portland, OR: Alyn & Bacon.

PRINCIPLES

Why is effective communication important in developing positive relationships with children, young people and adults.

Being able to communicate is vital to being an effective person. Communication not only conveys information, but it encourages effort, modifies attitudes, and stimulates thinking.

Without good communication , stereotypes develop, messages become distorted, and learning is stifled.

Effective communication is about conveying your message to other people clearly and also about receiving complete information that others are sending to you.

5 MAIN PRINCIPLES OF RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

What role does non-verbal communication play in the process?

What are the barriers to effective communication? What symbol systems do humans use in their efforts to communicate?

What are some techniques we can use to overcome these barriers?

What influence has technology had on communication?

Importance of Communication

Communication is the life blood of the school organization, just a walk through a typical school and one can observe numerous communication activities.

Admin staff are typing memos, reports and letters, and communicating with the public on the telephone.

Headteachers are in conference with teachers or students, or members of the community, as well as with school Govenors

Teachers are communicating with students, exchanging information

Kitchen staff are exchanging ideas with the lunchroom staff on how to run dinner hall

In a school enviroment everyone has a complex job and effective communication is vital for all

The steps involved in the communication Process:

Ideating – developing an idea or message – information to be transmitted

Encoding – symbols, words, non verbal cues, pictures or diagrams

Transmitting – memos, letters, telephone, e-mail, policies, face to face verbal communication

Receiving- listening, reading, observing Decoding – translating a received

transmission into an interpreted meaning

Acting – the final step- the receiver has a choice at this point to either ignore the transmission, save it for a later response, or do something else with it.

DEVELOPSIDEA

ENCODESTRANSMITSBARRIER

SENDER MESSAGE RECEIVER

RECIEVESBARRIERDECODES ACTS

SENDER

ADMINFACULTY

STUDENTS

GOVENORS

PARENTSLOCALAUTH.

GOVT.ENCODING

VOCAL INFLECTION

PICTURES

DIAGRAMSNON

VERBAL

WORDS

CHARTS

STEPS IN THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

TRANSMITTING

BODYLANG.

MEMOSPHONE

POLICY STATEMENTSCLOSED

CIRCUT

EMAIL

LETTERSFACETO

FACERECEIVING

ORAL MESSAGEREQUIRES GOOD

LISTENEINGSKILLS

WRITTEN MESSAGESREQUIRE ATTENTION

TO STATED AND IMPLIED

MEANINGS

DECODING

RECEIVER MUST TRANSLATE TO:

PERCEIVED OR INTERPRETEDMEANING

MEANING CANNOT BE TRANSMITTED

BARIERS CAN OCCUR ANYWHERE BUT MOST LIKELY IN DECODING

ACTINGTHE FINAL STEP

IN COMMUNICATION

SENDER

CAN IGNORE

STOREFOR

LATER

OR DO SOMETHING ELSE

WITH IT

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

KINESIS

HOW WESTAND FACIAL

EXPRESSIONS

USEOF

HANDS

USEOF

ARMS

USEOF

LEGS

POSTURE

PARALANGUAGE

LAUGHING

SPEECH RATE

VOLUME

YAWNINGVOICE

QUALITY

PITCH

PROXEMICS(PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT)

INTIMATE ZONEZERO –TWO FEET

PERSONAL ZONETWO-FOUR FEET

SOCIAL ZONEFOUR-TWELVE

FEETPUBLIC ZONEMORE THAN

TWELVE FEET

MUST KNOW THEM INTIMATELY WELL ACQUAINTED

USUALLY TREAT THEM AS IF THEY DON’T EXIST ACQUAINTANCE WITH A PURPOSE

PHYSICAL SPACECONSIDER THIS:

EMPLOYEES OF HIGHER STATUS HAVE BIGGER, BETTER, OFFICES, BETTER FURNITURE, MORE WINDOWS ECT.

OFFICES OF HIGHER STATUS EMPLOYEES ARE BETTER PROTECTED

SUPERIORS FEEL FREE TO WALK IN ON SUBORDINATES

SUBORDINATES HESITATE TO WALK IN ON SUPERIORS

DIRECTION OF COMMUNICATION

DOWNWARD UPWARD

HORIZONTAL DIAGIONAL

Downward Communication

Used by most large schools that are hierarchical in nature

Flows from Superintendent to Assistant Superintendent to Principal to Assistant Principals to Faculty to students

Necessary to clarify district’s goals, provide a sense of mission, assist in indoctrinating new employees, inform employees about educational changes that impact the district and to provide subordinates with data regarding their performance

PROBLEMS WITH DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION

SUBORDINATES SELECT AND PRIORITIZE MESSAGES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEIR PERCEPTION OF THEIR BOSS’S CHARACTER, PERSONALITY, AND MOTIVATION

SENDER DOES NOT DEVOTE ENOUGH TIME TO LEARN WHETHER MESSAGES HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AND UNDERSTOOD

THOSE AT THE TOP MAY SHUT OFF THIS CHANNEL AT CERTAIN TIMES AND ON CERTAIN SUBJECTS OR WITHHOLD INFORMATION ON A NEED TO KNOW BASIS

DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION TENDS TO BE DOMINATE IN MECHANISTIC ORGANIZATIONS, AS OPPOSED TO ORGANIC SYSTEMS WHICH ARE MORE OPEN AND UNIDIRECTIONAL IN FLOWS OF INFORMATION.

WAYS TO IMPROVE DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION

ADOPT TRAINING SESSIONS FOR ADMINISTRATORS TO HELP THEM LEARN BETTER WAYS TO COMMUNICATE

GET OUT OF THE OFFICE AND WALK AROUND, TALK TO EMPLOYEES ON “THE FIRING LINE”

CONDUCT REGULAR SUPERVISORY-SUBORDINATE DISCUSSION SESSIONS, WHICH WILL HELP IDENTIFY, ANALYZE, AND SOLVE PROBLEMS IN COLLABORATION WITH SUBORDINATES

UPWARD COMMUNICATION

FACULTY

ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS

PRINCIPALS

ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENTS

SUPERINTENDENTS

BENEFITS PROVIDES FEEDBACK TO

ADMINISTRATORS FROM DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION

HELPS MONITOR DECISION MAKING EFFECTIVENESS

HELPS GAUGE ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE

DEALS WITH PROBLEM AREAS QUICKLY PROVIDES NEEDED INFORMATION TO

ADMINISTRATORS

PROBLEMS WITH UPWARD COMMUNICATION

SUBJECT TO FILTERING AND DISTORTION BECAUSE SUBORDINATES DO NOT WANT SUPERIORS TO GAIN INFORMATION THAT COULD BE DAMAGING TO THE SUBORDINATES

HIGHLY COHESIVE GROUPS TEND TO WITHHOLD INFORMATION THAT MIGHT BE DAMAGING TO THE GROUP AS A WHOLE

LOWER LEVEL SUBORDINATES SHOW LESS OPENNESS TO UPWARD COMMUNICATION THAN THOSE WHO ARE AT HIGHER LEVELS IN THE ORGANIZATION

WAYS TO IMPROVE UPWARD COMMUNICATION

EMPLOYEEMEETINGS

OPEN DOORPOLICY

EMPLOYEE LETTERS

SOCIAL GROUPS

EMPLOYEE MEETINGS

MEETINGS TO PROBE JOB PROBLEMS, AND NEEDS

DETERMINE WHAT ADMINISTRATIVE PRACTICES HELP OR HINDER SUBORDINATE JOB PERFORMANCE

PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO ADMINISTRATORS AND ENCOURAGE SUBORDINATES TO OFFER IDEAS

HELP SUBORDINATES FEEL SELF WORTH AND IMPORTANCE

STUDIES SHOW THESE MEETINGS REDUCE TURNOVER AND IMPROVE SUBORDINATES ATTITUDES

OPEN DOOR POLICY

ENCOURAGES SUBORDINATES TO WALK IN AND TALK TO ADMINISTRATORS MANY LEVELS UP

THEY ARE ENCOURAGED TO TALK WITH IMMEDIATE SUPERVISORS FIRST TO ELIMINATE RESENTMENT AMONG ADMINISTRATORS WHO ARE BYPASSED

SOME BARRIERS EXIST SUCH AS SUBORDINATES WHO DO NOT WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED AS HAVING A PROBLEM

EMPLOYEE LETTERS

SUBORDINATES CAN SUBMIT LETTERS TO ADMINISTRATORS OR SUGGESTIONS

ALL LETTERS ARE ANONYMOUS ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE ANSWERED

WITHOUT DELAY REPLIES CAN BE DELIVERED TO THE

APPROPRIATE LOWER LEVEL ADMINISTRATORS IN CASES WHERE THE COMMUNICATOR IS ANONYMOUS

PARTICIPATION IN SOCIAL GROUPS

ACT AS UNPLANNED UPWARD COMMUNICATION

EXAMPLES ARE: PARTIES, PICNICS, GOLF OUTINGS,

COOKOUTS, RETREATS, AND OTHER EMPLOYER-SPONSORED EVENTS

MAIN BARRIER CAN SOMETIMES BE A LACK OF ATTENDANCE

HORIZONTAL COMMUNICATION

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

FACULTY MEMBER

FACULTYMEMBER

OFTENOVERLOOKED

ASUNIMPORTANT

FACILITATECOORDINATION

BETWEEN UNITS

ACHIEVED THROUGH

CROSS-FUNCTIONALCOMMITTEES

FURNISHESEMOTIONAL

SUPPORTAMONG PEERS

ASSIST. SUPT. FOR PERSONNEL

DIRECTOR OFPERSONNEL

CHIEFNEGOTIATOR

SUPERINTENDENT

ASST. SUPT. FORINSTRUCTION

ASST. SUPT.FORBUSINESS

ELEM. ED.COORDINATOR

SECONDARY ED.COORDINATOR

ELEMENTARYPRINCIPAL

SECONDARYPRINCIPAL

DIAGIONAL COMMUNICATION

ACCOUNTANTS

I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE

USED WHEN EMPLOYEES FEEL THE ORGANIZATIONAL FORMS OF COMMUNICATION HAVE FAILED

EXISTS IN ALL ORGANIZATIONS NEARLY FIVE OUT OF SIX MESSAGES ARE

CARRIED THIS WAY RATHER THAN FORMAL METHODS OF COMMUNICATION

THIS FORM OF COMMUNICATION IS VERY RAPID IT HAS BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE

FEATURES POSITIVE FEATURES INCLUDE:

KEEPS SUBORDINATES INFORMED ABOUT IMPORTANT ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS

GIVES SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS INSIGHT ABOUT SUBORDINATES ATTITUDES

PROVIDES SUBORDINATES A RELIEF VALVE TO VENT EMOTIONS

PROVIDES A TEST OF SUBORDINATES FEELINGS ABOUT A NEW PROCEDURE OR POLICY WITHOUT MAKING FORMAL COMMITMENTS

HELPS BUILD MORALE BY PASSING POSITIVE COMMENTS REGARDING THE ORGANIZATION

RUMOR- IS THE ONE ITEM THAT GIVES THE GRAPEVINE ITS BAD REPUTATION

BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

FRAMESOF

REFERENCEFILTERING STRUCTURE

INFORMATIONOVERLOAD

SEMANTICSSTATUS

DIFFERENCES

FRAMES OF REFRENCEPEOPLE INTREPRET COMMUNICATIONS DIFFERENTLY DUE TO:

LEARNING CULTURE EXPERIENCES

IF PARTICIPANTSHAVE A

COMMON FRAMEOF REFERENCE

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

IF FRAMES OF REFERENCE ARE

DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION

MAY BEDISTORTED

FILTERING

CA

N O

CC

UR

IN

EIT

HER

DIR

EC

TIO

N

CAN BE INTENTIONAL

OR UNINTENTIONAL

ERRORS INENCODING

AND DECODING

DUE TODIFFERENTFRAMES OFREFERENCE

EXPERIENCELEARNING CULTURE

ADMINISTRATORSWITHHOLDNEGATIVE

INFORMATION

EMPLOYEES MANIPULATE INFORMAITON

IN ORDER TO AVOID THE APPEARANCE

OF HAVING A PROBLEM

STRUCTURE

NEW YORKCITY SCHOOLS

MANY LEVELS OF

AUTHORITYMESSAGES OFTEN

MODIFIEDSHORTENEDAMMENDED

MIS-INTREPRETED

SMALL RURAL SCHOOLSFEW LEVELS BETWEEN TOP AND BOTTOM

TENDS TO IGNORE THE FORMAL HEIRARCHYPROBLEM:

SUPERINTENDENT MAY SUFFER FROM INFORMATION OVERLOAD

INFORMATION OVERLOAD

UNCERTAINTYDUE TO

EXTERNAL TURBULANCE

INCREASED SPECIALIZATION

LEARNING DISABILITIESEMOTIONALLY DISTURBED

EDUCABLE MENTALLY HANDICAPPEDPHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED

ADVANCES IN COMMUNICATIONTECHNOLOGYCOMPUTERS

THE INTERNETMORE INFORMATION

THAN SCHOOLS CAN ABSORB

ADMINISTRATORS SELECT PARTS OF INFORMATION IN ORDER

TO MAKE DECISIONSWHICH RESULT

IN BAD DECISIONS

SEMANTICS

DIFFERENT WORDS

HAVE DIFFERENTMEANING TO

DIFFERENT PEOPLE

SENDER CANNOTTRANSMIT

UNDERSTANDINGOR

MEANING

CONCRETE WORDSHAVE LITTLE

DIFFERENCE FROMSENDER TO RECIEVER

ABSTRACT WORDSMAY

CAUSEDECODING PROBLEMS

(SEMANTICS)

COMPUTERTYPEWRITER

BOOKOFFICE

LOVEHAPPINESS

LIBERALCONSERVATIVE

STATUS DIFFERENCES

CREATED BY:TITLES

OFFICE SIZEFURNISHINGSCARPET STYLESTATIONARY

PRIVATE SECRETARYRESERVED PARKING

SALARY

THOSE WITH HIGHER STATUS HAVE MORECOMMUNICATION

DEMANDS ON THEM

NECESSITATESLIMITING

COMMUNICATIONTO THOSE WHO

HAVE DIRECT INFLUENCE

ELEMENTS THAT CAN HELP WITHOVERCOMING COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

EMPATHY UNDERSTANDINGREPETITION

FEEDBACK LISTENING

REPETITION

SEND THE SAMEMESSAGE

OVER, AND OVERAND OVER

USE MULTIPLE CHANNELSTELEPHONE

LETTERMEMO

FACE TO FACE

USING THIS METHOD

REDUCES CHANCE OF

COMMUNICATIONERROR

EXAMPLE:FOLLOW UP

FACE TO FACE WITH A

LETTER ORMEMO

LETTER OR MEMOALSO SERVES AS

REMINDEROR

DOCUMENTATIONIF NEEDED

MULTIPLECHANNELS

EXPRESS TO THE RECEIVER

THE IMPORTANCEOF THE

MESSAGE

EMPATHY

A TECHNIQUE TOUNDERSTAND THE

RECEIVERSFRAME OF REFERENCE

SENDER SHOULDPUT THEMSELVESIN THE RECEIVERS

SHOESWHEN COMPOSING

THE MESSAGE

THE GREATER THEGAP IN LEARNING,

CULTURE, AND EXPERIENCES THE

GREATER THE EFFORTMUST BE

UNDERSTANDING

COMMUNICATIONIS ONLY

EFFECTIVE TO THEEXTENT THAT THE

SENDER AND RECEIVER

BOTH HAVE A HIGHDEGREE OF

UNDERSTANDING

ADMINISTRATORS MUST ENCODEMESSAGES IN

WORDS AND SYMBOLSTHAT ARE

UNDERSTANDABLE TOTHE RECEIVER

SOME RESEARCH HAS SHOWN

THATMUCH OF THE

COMMUNICATIONSENT TO

EMPLOYEES ISBEYOND THE LEVELOF THEIR READING

ABILITIES

FEEDBACK

FEEDBACK IS A MUST TO

ENSURE THAT MESSAGES HAVE

BEEN UNDERSTOODAND RECEIVEDAND HELPS THESENDER AND

RECEIVER OBTAINMUTUAL

UNDERSTANDING

STUDIES SHOWTHAT SCHOOLS

THAT USE DOWNWARD

COMMUNICATIONNEED EFFECTIVE

UPWARD COMMUNICATION

TO HAVEEFFECTIVE

COMMUNICATION

TWO WAY COMMUNICATION TAKES MORE TIME BUT PROVIDES MORE SATISFACTION AND IS RECOMMENDED IN ALL BUT THE SIMPLEST AND ROUTINE TRANSMISSIONS OF INFORMATION

TO SOLICIT FEED BACK TRY THESE QUESTIONS:

How do you feel about my statement?What do you think?

What did you hear me say?Do you see any problems with what we have talked about

SUGGESTIONS REGARDING FEEDBACK

PROMOTE AND CULTIVATE FEEDBACK BUT DON’T FORCE IT

REWARD THOSE WHO PROVIDE FEEDBACK AND USE IT

WHEN POSSIBLE GO STRAIGHT TO THE SOURCE AND OBSERVETHE RESULTS-DON’T WAIT FOR FEEDBACK

GIVE FEEDBACK TO SUBORDINATES ON THE OUTPUT OF FEEDBACK RECEIVED

LISTENING

ADMINISTRATORS SPEND OVER 70% OF THEIR TIME COMMUNICATING

ESTIMATES INDICATE THAT OVER 30% IS DEVOTED TO LISTENING

TESTS OF LISTENING COMPREHENSION SUGGEST THAT THESE

INDIVIDUALS LISTEN AT ONLY 25% EFFICIENCY

ADMINISTRATORS MUST LISTEN MORE EFFECTIVELY IN ORDER

TO COMMUNICATE MORE EFFECTIVELY

SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING LISTENING SKILLS

STOP TALKING

PUT THE TALKER AT EASE

SHOW THE TALKER YOU WANT TO LISTEN

REMOVE DISTRACTIONS

EMPATHIZE WITH THE TALKER

BE PATIENT

HOLD YOUR TEMPER

GO EASY ON ARGUMENT AND CRITICISM

STOP TALKING

SUMMARY

COMMUNICATION IS AN IMPORTANT SKILL BECAUSE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS SPEND OVER 70% OF THEIR TIME COMMUNICATING

THE PROCESS INVOLVES SIX STEPS: IDEATING, ENCODING, TRANSMITTING, RECEIVING, DECODING, AND ACTING. NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION INVOLVES ENCODING AND DECODING BODY LANGUAGE

VOCAL CUES, USE OF TIME, AND SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS HELP US TO UNDERSTAND VOCAL MESSAGES

SUMMARY CONTINUED

COMMUNICATION WITHIN SCHOOL ORGANIZATIONS FLOW IN FOUR DIRECTIONS, DOWNWARD, UPWARD, HORIZONTALLY, AND

THE MAJOR INFORMAL INFORMATION FLOW IS CALLED THE GRAPEVINE

THE GRAPEVINE CARRIES BOTH ACCURATE INFORMATION AND RUMORS

THE BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION INCLUDE DIFFERING FRAMES OF REFERENCE, STRUCTURE, INFORMATION OVERLOAD, SEMANTICS, AND STATUS DIFFERENCES

SUMMARY CONTINUED

TECHNIQUES FOR OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION INCLUDE REPETITION, EMPATHY, UNDERSTANDING, FEEDBACK, AND LISTENING

Communication Skills Overview

Effective communication skills are a critical element in your career and personal lives.

We all must use a variety of communication techniques to both understand and be understood.