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