In my first year as a principal, I led a magnet school of JK and SK students. As a mom of an 8-year-old at the time, I drew on my personal experiences and pain points to hone my communications and be of service.
I discovered an amazing 3-step communication hack that will *transform* how I connect with families! The secret? Creating a customer avatar for our parent communications. Inspired by strategies from the world of marketing, I realized just how powerful it is to deeply understand our parent community. By doing so, we can build stronger relationships and address their needs more effectively.
Here’s how I applied these principles to our school.
Communication Hack #1 - I started by painting a detailed picture of the parents in our school community:
Age: Recognizing the range of ages, from younger parents in their 20s and 30s to more experienced parents in their 40s and 50s.
Occupation: Understanding their diverse occupations helped me appreciate the different schedules and stresses they manage daily.
Family Structure: Acknowledging whether they were single parents, co-parenting, or part of large extended families provided insights into their unique support systems and challenges.
Communication Hack #2 - I then delved into the values, concerns, and communication preferences of our parents:
Values: Identifying their core beliefs about education and family life allowed me to align our school’s messages with their priorities. I did this through one-on-one discussions, social media comments, and questions I received, etc.
Concerns: Understanding what worried them most about their child’s education and development helped me address these fears proactively. Since I knew what was keeping them up at night—such as nap time being removed, their children not eating enough during lunches, and separation anxieties—I could directly address these issues.
Communication Preferences: Learning whether they preferred emails, phone calls, text messages, or in-person meetings enabled me to tailor our communication methods for maximum engagement.
Communication Hack #3 - By identifying the specific hurdles they face and their hopes for their children, I could more effectively support them:
Challenges: Balancing work and supporting their child, managing time, and ensuring their child’s well-being were common themes.
Aspirations: Their dreams for their child’s academic success, social development, and future opportunities became focal points in our communications.
Since our school community demographic was small, I opted to maximize the Stories feature on Instagram to offer parents a behind-the-scenes view of daily life at our school. This approach allowed for more transparency and connection with families. I share more about this strategy in my book, ​The First-Year Principal: 52 Practical Lessons to Help New Principals Thrive As Conscious Leaders​.
By adopting this This 3-Step Communication Hack I was able to offer a tailored approach, our messages began to resonate more deeply, addressing specific needs and concerns. This personalization not only made our interactions more meaningful but also fostered a more supportive and engaged school community.
Now over to you! I'm confident This 3-Step Communication Hack Will TRANSFORM How You Connect with families too!
If you find this approach valuable and want to learn more about effectively communicating with parents, I invite you to explore our upcoming training, ​Getting To Dialogue​, which will launch on August 2!
Drawing from my experiences, this training will provide additional insights and tools to enhance your communication skills during more challenging times. You can ​pre-order​ it now for only $7 ($15 as of August 2).
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to transform your school community!
📢 This just out: If you're seeking to better engage with your families and get them involved in your school life like partners who go beyond bake sales, then check out this new resource: ​100 Ways Principals Can Engage with Families!​
I hope these strategies have been of service!
Let me know in the comments how they work out for you - and HAVE FUN with them!
See you soon!
Daphne
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