Craig Verley

We all know about two-way communications and the important role it plays in school communications.

I had a recent bout of laryngitis. When you have laryngitis, the number one rule in recovery is to stop talking. While trying to do just that, it would sometimes get frustrating when my wife would ask or say something to me from another part of the house or from out of sight, so there was no way for me to respond. Either she would have to come to me, or I would have to go to her for that visual confirmation that the message had been received and to provide a response. This got me thinking about something.

How often do our employees, students, and parents feel like they are just shouting into the void when they comment or make suggestions through social media or other channels that you may have for communicating with them? Are you frustrating them with the silence?

Even if you are lucky enough to be in a district with a dedicated social media person, the task of keeping up with all the comments and messages can be daunting. But you should also not leave your audience wondering if they are not just being heard but really listened to.

Try to make a habit of popping in with some reactions or comments letting the audience know that there is actually someone on the other end reading and paying attention. That is also another great source for gauging and getting input on all sorts of topics. Sometimes the unscientific listening in all your interactions can provide some great input.

If something new is implemented or an idea from the public is taken and used for making improvements, make sure you acknowledge that in your stories, posts, etc. Something along the lines of: “Based upon recent input from parents,…” The simple mention thanks your audience for their ideas but also closes the communications loop by letting them know their message was not only received but resulted in a positive change that impacts others.

This does not mean you should be expected to respond to all the comments. Just don’t treat them like a person with laryngitis in the other room and frustrate them when they don’t know if their response was heard. Close the communications loop and keep the two-way communications street traffic moving smoothly in both directions.