Running Head: EVELYN DUARTE COMMUNICATION PLAN 1

Critical Standards Project: Communication Plan

Evelyn Duarte

The University of Houston-Main

EPSY 8341

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

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Every organization communicates, through the words and actions of its leaders

and workers, and through its formal and informal means of information distribution

(Gunther, et al., 2011, pg.xiii). As a principal it is important to know the power that

communication, in all of its forms, can have on the impact of a school campuss parental

involvement, culture, and student success. In the effort to address the case for

communication at a campus the role of an administrator is to create a plan that will enable

the school to communicate with all stakeholders in a way that is clear, transparent, and

honest (Gunther, et al., 2011). The communication plan that is developed in the following

pages places emphasis on three main areas of communication: verbal (Spoken/Recorded

communications), visual (Printed/Published communication), and nonverbal

(Culture/Action Based communication).

The first step in the creation of a solid communication plan lies in the creation of

a strong and solid vision that will drive the campus in all facets. A shared vision will only

be successful if all members of the staff work in unison to develop a vision that they

believe in and understand. As Bernhardt (2016) states, If a school does not have one

clear, shared vision, it has as many visions as it has people (p. 69). Therefore, it is

important that a campus works together in order to formulate the details that go into each

step in the development of a schools shared vision of purpose and success for the school.

If there is not one clear vision, then everybodys individual agendas and visions will be

working independently rather than working in collaboration.

However, a shared vision can help to address this issue. A shared vision is

comprised of individual visions that come together to form a cohesive and collaborative

unit of purpose for the school where all goals in the schools agenda can be achieved and

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all members have the same vision. Of course, such shared vision is not achieved in a

matter of seconds. Campuses must follow certain steps that allow a school to come to a

consensus of shared values, beliefs and principles about learning (Bernhardt,

2016). These steps will enable the staff to come together in order to develop a shared

vision that will ensure a plan for school improvement. When a school does not have a

shared vision that is when Random Acts of Improvement can be expected which can

result in a temporary pause in the flow of improvement at a campus. Random Acts of

Improvement result when there is no specific target. A shared vision that is based on

guiding principles, is shared, and to which all staff are committed is the key to getting

Focused Acts of Improvement (Bernhardt, 2016, pg. 70). Focused Acts of Improvement

are as the word says focused on the guiding principles which are the vision, mission,

values and beliefs, and standards of the school (Bernhardt, 2016), while Random Acts of

Improvement are not aimed toward any one of the guiding principles but rather all over

the place.

A study done in India showed, Companies that attach higher importance to

internal communication (such as setting up a separate [internal corporate communication]

department) are known to have higher levels of employee engagement and better

reputation (Sharma, Kamalanabhan, 2012). Although a school may not be viewed by the

public eye as a company, a school can take many of the same tools successful companies

use in order to improve their communication plans. The school should have a

communication team that is in charge of making sure that all communications are

consistent and being used in the proper ways to their full potentials.

With this in mind, I will create a communication committee that will be in charge

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of making sure that all verbal and visual communication is accessible to everyone on the

campus despite their language or preference of receiving information. They will be the

team in charge of social media, school flyers, program agendas and other forms of

communication. They will be part of the approval process and the principal or

administration team will be the last step in the process before printing or publishing

online. This committee will be comprised of several stakeholders involving members

from the school administration team, teachers, parents, community, and even some

students (depending on the level of the school; elementary, middle, or high school).

Therefore, this communication plan can only move forward if the vision is strong enough

and believed in by all stakeholders of the school and those involved in the

communication committee.

In the matter of verbal communication the school will have a spoken component.

All outcalls will be sent out by a member of the administration team in order to make our

campus leaders accountable for building that communal relationship with our school

family and stakeholders. Additionally, the principal or member of the administration

team will serve as the opening speaker in every school function such as literacy night,

STEM night, seasonal programs, and any other school function with a community

audience in order to send the message that everything we do is of importance to us and

our students achievement. Verbal communication will also always have the vision of the

school at the forefront in order to make sure that everything we communicate is aligned

to the goals we have established for our campus and our students.

Under the umbrella of the schools verbal communication will be that of the

administrations towards the faculty and staff and the verbal communication between

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teachers and parents and teacher and students. All of these relationships will also have to

run with the vision of the school. All teachers will utilize a communication system that

will be outlined by the communication committee. There will be face-to-face meetings in

addition to printed communication.

In the department of visual communication the committee will be in charge of

sharing the branding that the administration has decided to use in all of its printed

materials to all members of the school. This may be in the form of a school logo,

letterhead, or any other distinct visual look that is exclusive to the school. The campus

will utilize printed materials such as flyers, handouts, and letters. As well as published

materials like websites, social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, and

Instagram in order to make sure that we reach all audiences of all ages in all forms and

languages (Gunther, et al., 2011, Ch. 4). Teachers can use applications such as Remind

and ClassDojo in order to ensure they are communicating with parents in a way that is

efficient and easy to access. Teachers will also take upon the role of communicating the

work of their students through bulleting boards outside of classrooms, which will change

each month. This will be a way to showcase the wonderful effort of teachers and student

learning. We will let our visual communication do the talking for us in regards to student

achievement (Gunther, et al., 2011, Ch. 6).

The principal will model communication by sending a weekly newsletter to all

faculty and staff that includes any important information and any shout outs or special

tips. This will be a way to inform faculty and staff about events, deadlines, and

responsibilities. There will also be several calendars that will be utilized and shared that

will include important information about professional development assignments, district

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deadlines, and any other important academic and social information. Visual

communication is one of the largest components of the communication realm and it is

one that can surely drive the success of information distribution.

Furthermore, the school will place special emphasis on the nonverbal

communication that takes place on and off-campus. This will be addressed through our

culture building and the actions we take in order to respond to certain issues on our

campus and in our school community. In order to build culture at the school faculty and

staff will participate in several team-building activities in the first two weeks prior to the

beginning of the school year. Activities that are fun and have an educational tie in will

work best towards driving the idea that we are a team and everyone is a part of the effort

to better the school.

These activities will also occur throughout the year in order to ensure an

environment that nurtures cooperation. Activities will be school wide and grade level

specific. A little friendly competition is always healthy and can really bring a grade level

team together. The administration team must set the tone by fostering trust and buy-in in

the school members. They must be able to lead by example and model the type of

teachers they want at their campus. Additionally, the leadership team will be in charge of

addressing those members that refuse to be team players and will have to work towards

incorporating them into the team in one way or another.

Finally, we will be sensitive to any event that is timely in nature and in which the

school must ensure that we address issues in a manner of legality, and honesty. We want

to be the ones who give the first news when something positive or negative occurs on our

campus or affects our school family in any way. Although we may wish that something

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negative never affects our campus, we need to make sure that we have a statement ready

for any unforeseen incident. In the event of a crisis we want to make sure that we have a

plan for student safety first and foremost. The communication committee will also work

in conjunction with our safety team in order to develop a plan of action that is appropriate

in all aspects.

We must remember that the purpose of a school is to create strong individuals

ready to take on the world an shape it for the better and in our mission of doing so we

must ensure that we are clear, transparent, and honest (Gunther, et al., 2011). Verbal,

visual, and nonverbal communication come together and they triumph in each part of that

statement by Gunther in order to create a communication plan that is striving for student

achievement. Such a communication plan will ensure that all members of the school and

school family are aware of the internal and external workings of the campus that helps a

school create successful individuals.

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Works Cited

Bernhardt, V. L. (2017). DATA, DATA EVERYWHERE: bringing all the data together for

continuous school improvement. S.l.: Routledge.

Gunther, V., McGowan, J., & Donegan, K. (2011). Strategic Communication for School

Leaders . Lanham, MD: Rownman & Littlefield , Inc.

Sharma, N., & Kamalanabhan, T. (2012). Internal corporate communication and its

impact on internal branding. Corporate Communications: An International

Journal, 17(3), 300-322.