Many times, the school principal encounters problems, conflicts or challenges; especially the novice school managers.  One reason that researchers found out about this problem is the lack of communication between the school manager and his people.

            Communication is the key to fostering empathy and building relationships of openness, trust and honesty with your team. The first step in effective communication, according to Crossing (2006), is to create the time and space for people to talk, and to ask questions. 
            Both Crossing and Lee emphasize the importance of clearly communicating your goals and expectations, and defining people’s roles and responsibilities in line with these. After all, you can’t motivate people if they don’t know what you want. Crossing advises managers to set clear objectives for both the organization and its people, to discuss and negotiate them, let people know what support and resources they have access to, and to clearly link rewards to objectives. 
            Providing timely and meaningful feedback to your staff is crucial, as is determining how best to give them this feedback. Crossing recommends tailoring your approach to each individual, with some people requiring regular assurance and support, and others preferring more autonomy. Lee adds that it’s important to let your staff know what they’re doing right as well as what areas they need to work on. 

            Management in an organization must know how to communicate, create an atmosphere for staff to communicate, be able to teach communication, and have a communication plan that is used, works, and is continued with. As Geraldine Kilbride says, “Communication is the ‘lifeblood’ of every organization. People in organizations typically spend over 75% of their time in an interpersonal situation              Communication is easier understood in the business environment when viewed as being a personal process that involves the reception and transfer of information.    Communication is a two way process of giving and receiving – understanding what has been communicated and the transfer of information from you to others. “Communication is a basic human activity” and “enables us to connect with each other” (Pihulyk, 2003, Michael Langley, 2006).A successful business must have good interpersonal, organizational, and external levels of communication.   It is not just the flow of information between people but also a process of “creating, shaping and maintaining relationships and enacting shared values, common culture, agreed goals, and means for their achievement. Clegg (2005);pointed out that communication is critical in all aspects of life, in business and personal relations. On the other hand, Langley (2006) emphasized that without communication “our whole way of life would crumble.” How do we know we are an effective communicator? Langley further said that an effective communicator is measured by “how well the listener is heard”. What this means is how the person who is listening understands, responds, and acts within the timeframe requested            

           

Reference:

            B. Corpuz, G. Sacdalan  Principles of Teaching. Lorimar Publishing.  (2006)

By: Imelda N. Martin | Nagwaling Elementary School Pilar District | Pilar, Bataan