The “We’ve got this” Vibe

In preparation for the webinar I recently ran called “The Comeback Kid” we looked at what schools around the world are doing when it comes to the Covid stuff and lockdown returns – masks, social distancing, air flow, hand sanitizer, etc.

What we found was an almost ridiculously wide spectrum of both approaches and parental support, proving that you really can’t please everyone all the time.

But, what’s also clear is that the schools who had the most support are the ones who proudly and repetitively communicated their decisions. This created a sense of confidence in the parent community that the school has things under control.

We noticed that anxious parents seemed to deeply appreciate sending their kids to schools who send a vibe out to the community of “It’s all good. We’ve got this” regardless of what this is.

Anxiety is often triggered by the absence of a plan. After all, don’t we all sleep poorly when we’re less than ready for the next day of teaching. No plan pretty much equals anxiety and unease.

Communications experts will tell you that the first three rules of effective communication are:

1. Communicate
2. Communicate
3. Communicate

… even when you’ve got nothing to communicate.

Everything that your school communicates at this time needs to send a distinct and subliminal “We’ve got this” message about your plans. Because you do. You really do.

Keep fighting that good fight,

PS. I’m running my acclaimed 3-hour “Leading A Restorative School” workshop in January 2022. I’ll be in Brisbane on 14 January, Melbourne on 18 January and Sydney on 19 January. If next year is going to be different for your school, then you need to click here and register.

 PPS. I’m running my final free webinar of 2021 next week on Wednesday 17^th November at 2pm AEDT. Titled “Individual Behaviour Plans … That Work!” you’ll be getting practical wisdom, a downloadable instructional guide and a user-friendly IBP template. Click here to register for that one if you teach or lead in a school with challenging students and would like a few wins for a change.