What is effective communication? How do we know we did it?

Weaver (1953/2017) defines communication as “all processes in which one mind may affect another” (p. 136).  To put it a little clearer, communication is anything that allows one person/group to make a change in the other person/group. For example, if I tell you we have a meeting today at 3:30 p.m. and you (a) put it on the calendar, (b) show up to the meeting, or (c) respond to me about the meeting, then we have had good communication. You took some action due to my message (email, verbal, written, sung, interpretive dance, etc.) about the meeting.

Effective communication is when we agree on the meaning of what was shared between us (Gudykunst, 2012). If I send out the message about a meeting today and you show up to the meeting at the right time and place, that is effective communication. We both understood that the message was about being in the same place at the same time to discuss something.

So, how often does effective communication occur in a schoolhouse? My personal conclusion is: Not very often.

“The great enemy of communication, we find, is the illusion of it.“

“Is Anybody Listening?” by William H. Whyte which was published in “Fortune” magazine in 1950

As a school librarian, I send what feels like hundreds of messages every day.

• I send Instagram messages (intended for students and the community)
• I send emails about the Media Center or a clarification (intended for all staff)
• I send email reminders about overdue books (students)
• I send email resources to teacher departments
• I post signs outside the Media Center (students and staff)
• I post signs inside the Media Center (students and staff)
• I hang newsletters in staff bathroom which also reach visitors to the building
• I teach classes (when I can wrestle 15 min away from their classroom teachers)
• I speak one-on-one with staff and students to inform, teach, and remind
• I send Remind messages to students in my clubs
• I send GroupMe messages to students in one club (special circumstances)
• I ask for announcements to be read on the intercom in the mornings
• I create handouts including brochures on classes offered for teachers, and instructions on technology for students and teachers.

And, despite all of these methods, I feel like I touch only a few people at most and ONLY if they are not distracted by other messages. I have 1,600 students and over 180 staff members. What am I doing wrong?

Maybe nothing.

I have proposed before that providing more methods of communicating actually make it harder to reach people. Everyone has their preferred method of communication and you can’t provide the one-on-one support to over 1,000 people each day. It’s just not possible. (Reference: Communication Challenges in the Strangest Year Ever)

I cannot seem to stop the tsunami of methods I have to communicate. Here are some things I’m doing to work on being a more effective communicator:

• Focus on teaching one adult per hallway or content. Rather than try to effectively encompass the entire faculty, I try to find a person on each hallway who is open to learning. This person, if they connect with the teaching, will share with their colleagues. It appears to be the best way to bring new ideas to every corner of the building. The more teachers engage with each other, the more student learning improves (Harrell, 2018). 
• Asking students for help communicating with other students. When one of my Makerspace Club students wanted to have more sessions to finish a project, she contacted those in the group and others she thought might enjoy the project. While I sent out my Reminds, she provided the personal touch that was far more effective than anything I did.
• Handouts. It is amazing how a piece of tangible paper helps. When I was offering a technology lesson this week, it was something that several teachers wanted to learn. While I walked them through the steps on my device, I found that printing the instructions helped them move forward. (FYI, they had received the instruction sheet the day before via email but it was not as effective as listening, watching, and then holding a piece of paper.)
• Listen. Communication isn’t one way. Listen to the issues and complaints from everyone. Do not say “I told you so” or something like “it was in my email.” (FYI, I do this, but I’m trying really, really hard not to.)

Effective communication is about relationship-building. It’s not about whether they read my email, but whether they trust me to help them out. I’m a librarian. Of course, I’ll help.

References:

Gudykunst, W. B. (2012). Bridging differences: Effective intergroup communication. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc. 

Harrell, J. H. (2018). Communication that reflects a healthy school culture: Design thinking can be the primary lever for applying practical strategies for meaningful communication that ensures a school functions each day and that adult problems don’t get in the way of student needs. Leadership, 47(3), 38–39. 

Weaver, W. (1953/2017). Recent contributions to the mathematical theory of communication. ETC: A Review of General Semantics, 74(1/2), 136–157. (Reprinted from ETC: A Review of General Semantics, 10(4), 1953, 261-281.)