In his book Entreleadership, Dave Ramsey contends, "Lack of communication is caused by many things, but there are two main reasons: 1) Companies don’t make communication a priority, and 2) Leadership is so arrogant or fearful that they intentionally under-communicate."
Our school district has taken Dave's advice to heart and been very intentional about making communication a top priority. To show our commitment, we have assembled a Communications Team (see graphic below). As you can see, each individual on our team has a very specific role within our organization. I have found it is important to take the time to define these roles, as well as share these roles with your entire staff.
Furthermore, one mistake I have seen other districts make is when they ask for volunteers for take on these types of positions. Not only do I believe it is unfair to add more work to the volunteer's already-full plate, I also believe it shows that the district is not taking communication seriously. Instead, I would highly recommend schools give each individual a stipend or find roles that tightly align with the job people already have in your district.
While our system is far from perfect, I would highly recommend other districts look at this model as this approach can easily be replicated. Communication must be a priority for schools, and this is one blueprint that has worked in our organization.
