‘Pau-fect’ INSET day enhancing team communication

Good communication between colleagues in education is not a new thing, but it can make a huge difference in how teams deliver together. The International School of Béarn (ISB), in the French city of Pau, made developing team communication their key feature of their post summer INSET days.

They invited Lostock Consulting, who specialise in enhancing team communication, to lead the sessions for the English-speaking international school with both the primary and secondary staff.

What does effective communication look like in an education setting?

Schools can enhance communication in their team by:

·      Understanding colleague personality types and communication preferences.

·      Self reflection and conversations for positive outcomes.

·      Learning simple approaches to coaching and how to approach conversations within a team.

·      Practicing active listening and positive gossip.

·      Understanding the motivations of our colleagues and empathising with their tasks.

·      Committing to collective exercises and tasks where teams work towards a set goal.

John-Mark Hanrahan, Head of Foundation and Primary School for ISB, said: “We asked team communication specialists Lostock Consulting to deliver a training session on conversations and relationship-building for my team and it was genuinely excellent.”

“The session felt completely tailored and was engaging, fast-paced, fun and thought-provoking. I would highly recommend fellow leaders look at their team’s approaches to communication and hold an engaging, relevant and impactful session themselves.”

Heather McCluskey, Deputy Head at the ISB, said: “It was great to learn more about the team’s different communication styles and how these can affect the way we work together. We undertook activities that got us thinking, and most importantly, we can already see a positive impact on the way our staff were interacting with one another afterwards.”

Ian Pattison, who led the session for Lostock Consulting, said, “It was great to spend time with the teams at the ISB getting an insight into their dynamics and providing them with new approaches to team working. The preparation we did with their leadership team really helped the delivery of the sessions and allowed us to get the best out of everyone.”

If you or your organisation would like to discuss approaches to communication, to equip your team with coaching skills, develop active listening or enhance team dynamics get in touch with Lostock Consulting or for more information click here or sign up to their newsletter.

The author

Ian Pattison

Ian Pattison has decades of experience in the public and private sector and has held a range of leadership roles with expertise in change management and effective communications. Ian uses his skills and knowledge to deliver team development sessions for Lostock Consulting. Lostock Consulting are based in Bolton, Greater Manchester and have links nationwide across multiple sectors.

http://lostockconsulting.co.uk