4 Communication Strategies Every School Leader Should Know

Whether they’re charting a big vision, rolling out new policies, or addressing day-to-day challenges, the communication style of a school leader can shape the experience of an entire school community.

Matt Abrahams—a lecturer in strategic communication at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, host of the podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart, and a former high school English teacher—has spent nearly two decades thinking about the implications. When school leaders fail to communicate clearly, contextually, and authentically, he says, they can leave key stakeholders like staff, students, and families grasping to understand what’s happening, why it matters, and what role they’ll play.

Of course, knowing how important strong communication is doesn’t mean it always happens in practice. With so many responsibilities competing for their attention, school leaders often move straight into “get it done” mode and push communication decisions down the priority list, Abrahams says. “A lot of administrators—and I have been around a lot of them—they just get the facts out,” he says, and skip the context: “Hey, here’s the information. Here’s the new thing we have to comply with.”

This utilitarian approach, which overlooks audience needs and lacks thoughtful structure, can lead to confusion, a lack of transparency, and missed opportunities to build connections.

In a recent conversation with Edutopia, Abrahams outlined key questions and strategies that school leaders can use to strengthen their everyday communication—and, in turn, foster stronger, more connected school communities.

BE THE AUDIENCE

According to Abrahams, effective communicators start by asking a simple but essential question: Who am I talking to, and what matters to them? School leaders require this reflection more than most, because they must switch contexts constantly between stakeholders with very different needs and pain points: teachers, parents, students, and even district staff.

The goal should not be one-size-fits-all messaging, but multiple threads of communication that consider each audience’s specific needs, baseline knowledge, and points of “resistance, hesitation, or concern,” Abrahams says.

For instance, messaging around a new pedagogical policy will need to be framed differently for teachers, who may need to make significant adjustments to their instruction or classroom routines as a result of the policy, than for parents, who might only need to sign a form or stay informed. Spend some time trying to see through the lens of your unique stakeholders. The core information may be the same, but each group may need a different message, perhaps even via a different medium, to fully understand and embrace the message.

“Too many school leaders think their job is to simply convey information,” Abrahams says. “But people filter everything they hear through their own concerns and hesitations. You have to understand where they’re coming from.”

SET COMMUNICATION GOALS

In addition to considering your various stakeholders, think about your communication objectives. Every message a school leader delivers—whether by email, in a meeting, or at a schoolwide assembly—should be guided by a clear purpose. “Teachers have daily teaching goals, lesson plans to shape how they will deliver content, and rubrics to assess their students,” Abrahams says, “but often school leaders don’t apply that mindset to their own communication.”

To clarify intent and ensure that next steps are understood, he recommends asking three simple questions:

• What do you want people to know?

• How do you want them to feel?

• What do you want them to do?

If you’re going to introduce a new outdoor learning initiative, your goal for teachers might be for them to walk away understanding how it will integrate with existing curriculum standards and instruction time, while for students, the goal might be to emphasize how the initiative is meant to give them some fresh air and improve their well-being.

Some of your goals may be emotional rather than informational. Part of setting goals is deciding how you want your stakeholders to feel: “Excited? Reassured? Validated?” Identifying an emotional target ahead of time can help center your messaging, Abrahams says.

Finally, be clear about what you want stakeholders to do. “‘I want your support’ is too vague,” Abrahams explains. “Be specific.” In the outdoor learning example, that might mean teachers signing up for professional development, parents providing consent forms or volunteering, and students coming to school with appropriate clothing for outdoor lessons.

PREPARE TO BE SPONTANEOUS

A school leader’s job doesn’t just entail assemblies, planned meetings, and newsletter dispatches. Fires spring up, and sensitive moments must be handled with a degree of urgency and thoughtfulness. Abrahams encourages leaders to prepare for these difficult conversations—whether it’s addressing student behavior or navigating unexpected staff concerns.

“We can prepare to be spontaneous,” Abrahams says, likening this preparation to how athletes run drills before game time. Difficult situations are inevitable, so it helps to mentally rehearse key moments in advance—such as how to remove but also support a student who is repeatedly disruptive to others, or how to handle a tense conversation with a veteran teacher frustrated about a new directive. “What might you need to say? Play it through before it happens,” Abrahams says.

Practicing responses to scenarios like these ahead of time can help school leaders strike the right balance between being firm and being empathetic, Abrahams says. He recommends creating communication cohorts with fellow administrators or mentors to exchange advice and role-play tough scenarios, and also experimenting with AI tools like ChatGPT, which can simulate difficult conversations and offer feedback on how you come across in your responses.

“It’s not about memorizing answers, but about getting those reps in and practicing your answers to those tough questions, which can help you when they arise in the moment,” he says.

TELL HARD TRUTHS

An issue that many school leaders face—especially new ones—is that they worry more about being liked than about being clear, Abrahams says. “The goal is to be respected,” he says. “You will be respected—and ultimately liked—if you are clear, if you are empathetic, and if you are supportive.”

Authentic communication can feel like a vague target, but at its core, it means being upfront and honest, Abraham says. That includes being direct about hard news—budget cuts, staffing changes, policy shifts—even if your impulse is to sugarcoat it.

“Tell the time, don’t build the clock” is an aphorism that Abraham’s mother, a veteran elementary school teacher, used to say to urge people to get to the point. If there is something that is likely to disappoint your staff or whomever you’re speaking to, don’t bury the lead.

“Say it clearly and directly,” he advises, “then follow up with empathy and reassurance: ‘We’re here to support you and figure out how to make this work.’”