Communication

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

~ George Bernard Shaw

What you put forth orally or in writing represents who you are to the audience.  Can you spell, or pronounce words correctly?  Was your thought clearly communicated?  Were your thoughts cohesively conveyed, or did the audience walk away with more questions than answers?  Did your tone and word choice alienate, offend, endear, or empower your audience? Will your communication haunt you in future years by way of potential litigation and possibly jeopardize your career?   Was your mission accomplished through your communication?  HOW DO YOU REALLY KNOW?

So many questions arise when you consider the oral and written communication skills of the school leader.  I was in a meeting recently, and the legal team for the school system advised all administrators to refrain from communicating certain issues in writing, and especially via email.  While we aware of The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) that protects the privacy of student education records, we were also reminded certain details of our state's Open Records Act (OPA). See Title 50, Chapter 18, Article 4, section 70(b) of the Georgia Annotated Code (Ga. Code Ann.).  In fact, certain emails had been requested regarding the present redistricting proposal via the Open Records Act.