Effective School Communication Tips – [from 2 different communication specialists]
Headteachers and schools are very busy and need to communicate many messages to all their different audiences as easily and quickly as possible. We share our expert tip on how visual communication and modern telecommunication technology can helps schools to communicate effectively?
Introduction
After meeting at the BizEd Wakefield event earlier this year and speaking at length about how many schools faced similar issues when it came to their communication both internally and externally, we thought that it would be useful to share some of our expertise in our relevant specialties.
Over the course of two articles over the next two weeks, we (Kathryn Johnson from School Postcards and Nick Cohen from Time Communications) will explore the different ‘pains’ that many schools experience, and what can be done to solve this in the hope that we can provide some help for what is in place currently, and also what schools may want to look at going forwards.
What makes you a specialist in school communications?
Nick, Time Communications: In 2001 we were awarded the contract for the Leeds PFI Project and so installed the phone system into several newly built primary schools & two large high schools. Following on from this we have continued to work with these and many other primary schools, secondary schools, and colleges; so we have a great deal of experience in installing and managing the systems at schools.
Kathryn, School Postcards: I have a degree in Illustration and have worked as a corporate identity designer for over 12 years. During this time I began working with more and more schools and saw the huge impact my work had on these schools. As a result, in 2012 I set up School Postcards to help schools communicate with impact. I have worked with many schools and academies helping them with various things such as redesigning their school logo, developing their brand identity, creating school characters, producing engaging wall and window graphics or introducing new school values. I have often been recommended to other schools in the same area by the headteachers I have worked with. I have also been a Young Enterprise Volunteer for several years and I am currently a STEM ambassador.
Please share your top 3 tips for effective communication for schools?
Be clear what your aims and objectives are before deciding how you want to communicate it to your audience. Stick to one main message at a time, be consistent, keep it simple and to the point.
Upgrade your analogue & ISDN digital phone systems to Voice over IP to save you time and money; to drastically reduce your bills and gain access to a whole new range of features such as making and receiving multiple concurrent calls on the same number. The call quality is far superior and there are more measures in place for disaster recovery in case the phone lines were ever to go down.
Involve your pupils. Encourage them to think creatively and share and develop their ideas. You may be surprised with what they come up with. It helps them consolidate their understanding and engages them more fully with the school. The parents are more likely to show an interest if their children have been involved.
Consider cordless handsets & wall mountable handsets in some areas; both for the safety of the children, and also cordless if the teachers need to dial an emergency number without having to move away to the nearest phone.
Use relevant imagery to visually communicate what your message is about at a quick glance. It also makes it easier to understand – particularly for people with English as their second language or that are not fluent readers.
Programme certain extensions to allow only particular calls; for example barring international calls from all extensions other than those in the main office, and barring outbound calls from some extensions that only require internal calls – a simple way to save money and avoid potentially expensive bills.
Visual communication tips from Kathryn Johnson, School Postcards
Telecommunication tips from Nick Cohen, Time Communication
If you have any questions or comments about any points raised in this article please do feel free to comment and we will be more than happy to provide a response, or alternatively follow and tag us in any questions on Twitter @schoolpostcards & @TimeTele to get the discussion started!
Come back next month and read part 2 to find out how effective communication can help you and your school…
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