A critical aspect of every CTO’s job is the ability to communicate effectively with all school stakeholders. This includes, administration, faculty, students and the community. The CTO must have a clear vision for technology and where the district is headed. As the district’s tech leader, the CTO needs to be able to express that vision in a way that gets the school community on board. Strong communication skills cannot be emphasized enough.
At CoSN’s 2015 CETL Summit, Charlene Blohm, president of C.Blohm & Associates and Dennis Pierce, shared tips on how to communicate effectively with school stakeholders. Key tips include:
You can’t over-communicate. In his book You Can’t Not Communicate, David Grossman says: “As a leader, not communicating isn’t an option. In fact, the most effective leaders know that their success hinges on being leader communicators.” There is no such thing as too much communication—and many CTOs aren’t communicating as often as they should be with key stakeholder groups.
Plan your communications. Determine how often you’ll provide regular updates and when to share interim alerts. What sources will be included in your communication strategy?
Think like the recipient. Learn the communication styles of various team members and target audiences: What do they want to know? What are their sources of information? Who do they trust to deliver new information?
Communicate 360 degrees. Communicating effectively involves reaching out in all directions. Communicate up to your superintendent and your school board; communicate sideways by collaborating with your curriculum team and other departments; and communicate out to principals, teachers, and others.
You can read the rest of these tips on the CoSN blog.
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