Using Communication Skills to Enact Change

The role of communication is vital when soliciting policy change. It is important to be straightforward and specific about what needs to change and how that will be achieved. Often the time allotted for delivering your message is short therefore it is important to be concise, know your audience, and the intended outcome of your message.

For example, soliciting change for parental involvement will constitute knowing who to present the information to regarding the importance of the issue and where the biggest impact will take place. When addressing colleagues and parents at an in-service I would present the information using vocabulary that all could understand, explain the urgency of the pressing topic, and solicit ways for change outside of the school community.

Reference

Grant Makers in Health (2007). Communication for Policy Change. Retrieved from,

            www.gih.org/usr_doc/communicating for policy change.

Mind Tools. (n.d.). The 7 Cs of communication: A checklist for clear communication: A

            checklist for clear communication. Retrieved October 15, 2013, from         

            http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCS_85.htm