Change Initiative: Communicating to Key Stakeholders Know your audience

Just as a teacher conveys a lesson differently to students of varied ranges of abilities and age groups, a communicator of change must tailor the change message to the audience. What are his or her needs? Parents may be attracted to the idea of children gaining additional enrichment experiences that can help their children advance in life and get into college. Teachers might be excited by the possibility of giving additional input in how lessons are taught. The psychology and needs of the stakeholders will impact how the message will be shaped and which aspects will be emphasized.

Use different media

All too often, school districts merely deploy one means of communication when dealing with the public and employees. Merely having a meeting is not enough, as only the most interested and highly invested stakeholders will attend. Nor is sending out a flyer to parents or sending a memo to...

Online initiatives may be ignored if people do not check the district website with great enough frequency. Instead, all forms of different media must be deployed to reach the widest range of stakeholders possible.
Step 3: Identify the need for change

Most people are naturally change-resistant, even when they stand to benefit from the changes. Change is often a difficult and uncomfortable process. Often there are "concerns that change will require administrators and teachers to question familiar (and comfortable) routines and habits," or that certain groups will be disproportionately harmed and not benefit from the change (McLeod 2011). Additionally, many teachers and administrators are world-weary, and have seen change initiatives come and go, with little impact. There may be an "expectation that the initiative is temporary and it will stay incomplete, meaning the best strategy is to lay low and not contribute to success"…