William Allan Kritsonis, PhD - Lecture Notes

1. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD
Lecture Notes

2. What is Communication?
Communication is the process that links the
individual, the group, and the organization together.

3. How we communicate in the world…

4. Why is Communication in school organizations important?
Communication plays a vital part in the success of a
school.
Communication mediates inputs to the organization
from the environment and outputs from the
organization to the environment.
School administrators spend over 70% of their time
communicating in some form.

6. The communication process:
Ideating
Encoding
Transmitting
Receiving
Decoding
Acting

7. Ideating :
The first step is ideating- this is developing an idea,
message, or information to transmit to some
individual or group.

8. Encoding:
This symbolizes the ideas that the sender wishes to
transmit. Symbols(words, nonverbal, cues, or even
pictures and diagram) are designed to communicate
only messages.

9. Transmitting:
Once the message is developed, transmitting is the
next step by one of several methods including
memoranda, telephone, close-circuit television,
computers, board policy statements, and face-to-face
communication.

10. Receiving:
Receiving is the next step, which requires that the
receiver be a good listener if the message is oral.

11. Decoding:
Decoding is h translation of a received message into a
perceived or interpreted meaning.

12. Acting:
Acting is the final step in the communication process.

13. Click on screen to watch video:

14. Nonverbal Communication:
This is the way we stand, the distance we maintain
from another person, the way walk, the way we fold
our arms and wrinkle our brow, our eye contact,
being late for a meeting-

15. Nonverbal communication comes in many forms:
Kinesis
Paralanguage
Proxemics
Chronemics

16. Kinesis:
This is body movements and position…
Kinesis applies to ways in which facial expressions,
the use of hands, arms, and legs, and posture affect
communication.

17. Paralanguage:
Nonverbal Communication
Voice quality
Volume
Speech rate
Pitch
Nonfluences (ah, um, or uh)
Laughing
Yawning

18. Proxemics:
This is the space and proximity…(Physical
environment and space)
Intimate Zone ( 0 to 2feet)
Personal Zone ( 2 to 4 feet)
Social Zone ( 4 to 12 feet)
Public Zone (Beyond 12 feet)

19. Chronemics:
This is the determination and definition of time…
Example: being late for a meeting may convey any
number of messages including carelessness, lack of
involvement, and lack of ambition.

20. Communication is interlinked with most of the processes
that take place in school districts, such as planning,
organization, staffing, directing, coordinating, and
reporting.

21. Downward Communication:
• This is when people at
higher levels transmit
information to people
at lower levels.

22. Upward Communication:
This is when the lower
levels transmit
information to higher
levels.

23. Horizontal Communication:
This is when employees
at the same level
communicate
information.

24. Diagonal Communication:
This is very important in
situations in which
participants cannot
communicate effectively
through channels.
This is a form of
mediation.

25. Communication Patterns:
Network Patterns:
Wheel Network
Chain Network
The “Y” Network
Circle Network
Star Network
-Two level Hierarchy
 -Only two people communicate
 -Similar to the chain but
members fall outside the chain.
 Three level Hierarchy
 Extension of the circle network

26. Conclusion:
Communication is vital in the success of daily school
operations.
The ability to communicate effectively can truly affect
the performance of the students as well as the
teachers.
Administrators must realize that effective
communication involves understanding as well as
being understood

27. Reference:
Lunenburg, F. C. & Ornstein, A.C. (2008). Education
Administration: Concepts & practices. (5 ed., pp.
177-198). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Lowder, S. Ph.D. (Performer) (2011). The importance
of communication [Web]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwrFOobTy6c

28. Discussion Questions
As an administrator, why is communication so
important in the educational system?
What are the five Network Patterns? Which is most
effective for interschool relationships?
What are the six steps in the communication process?
Give a personal example of each.

29. TExES Questions
1. Community interaction and sponsorship is highly important between the school and its community. What are some ways that an
administrator can promote student success by using this realm? (Competency 002 G)
a) Allow students to bring in community persons on a daily basis
b) Allow faculty members to remove students to experience the community during the school day.
c) Connect with outside businesses by allowing them run a booth at or sponsor a student led event on campus during the weekend.
d) Allow the local businesses to advertise with billboards on the side of the school building.
1. A student refuses to stand for the pledge and this gains state and national media attention; what are some ways in which an administrator at
the school might communicate with the media about the situation. (Competency 002 I)
a) Call a press conference and explain that the student is un-American and should be banned from the school
b) Use a twitter account to bash the student and their parents
c) Suspend the student and ensure that the media knows about it
d) Refer the student, parents and media to the communicated guidelines that the district has in place for the situation and adhere to them.
1. Two teachers are vying for the same newly created position on the same campus. They are trash-talking one another behind the other’s back
to presumably get an edge in the hiring process. As an administrator, what is the proper response after hearing the bickering? (Competency
002 D)
a) Call both teachers in and fire them on the spot.
b) Clearly post the requirements for the position and fully note that only applicants with a positive attitude toward their coworkers will be
considered.
c) Allow the trash talking to continue until one teacher drops out.
d) Call both teachers in after discussing the matter with their supervisors in their departments and coming to a decision about the issue.

30. TExES Questions Cont..
4. A mother calls and is upset because her son failed a course but was not notified by the teacher. What is the best way to handle the situation
(Competency 002 A)
a) Let the mother say her piece and explain that there is nothing you can do.
b) After hanging up with the mother, call the teacher in and explain the issue. Ask the teacher to speak with the mother and the student
about the issue.
c) Call a meeting with all of the student’s teachers to discuss his grades; then have the teachers decide what to do about it.
d) Tell the mother you will have the grade changed by the morning.
5. A parent is being belligerent towards a sponsor of a campus organization, what is the proper way that an administrator can interact with the
parent. (Competency 002 B)
a) Schedule a meeting with the sponsor, child, parent and administrator to discuss the issue and its ramifications
b) Allow the parent to continually harass the sponsor until the sponsor quits.
c) Set up a meeting that does not involve administration, after school with no supervision
d) Have the parent arrested, fined and banned from all school activities.