Communication and Resistance to Change in Education Articles Review

In education, communication is an important aspect. The effectiveness of communication is essential to ensure proper strategy implementation. Some of the challenges in the education sector include execution of change and creation of leadership by example. I believe that the best form of leadership is that which the people associate with the ideas and there is the least resistance. The field of education needs changes now and then. To spearhead reforms, it is vital to have commitment and support of stakeholders by leading by example.

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Reilly (2015) proposes measures, which leaders can advocate for change while minimizing resistance from teachers. Any strategy, which does not elicit teacher support, is bound to fail. One of the main reasons for resistance is that teachers who have been working for many years are often reluctant to adopt new ways of teaching when the old ones have been working. I agree with Reilly (2015) that a leader could respond by using logic. This implies preparation of statistics to establish a trend and the benefits of a system. Another important idea is the use of negotiation. While negotiating, it is necessary for a leader such as a school principal to connect what he says to what the teachers care about. Such communication requires speaking to emotions to kill resistance. I also agree that principals should trust the teachers and listen to their ideas. It is expected to have teachers not giving maximum effort to an idea that is not viable in their opinion (Reilly, 2015). For this reason, any grievances raised by a teacher should not serve as a foundation for victimizing based on performance. Regarding listening, the attention should be given to words as well as the emotions of the teachers.

Grove (2015) believes that thoughtfully told stories can help leaders engage, persuade and share wisdom with any audience. When addressing teachers, the best way of gaining influence is by tying content to the stories. A message accompanied by a story or a life experience is more likely to have a lasting impression on the audience and even gives them time to reflect on their lives and relate with their own stories. For powerful storytelling, it is important for the speaker to know the intention of the presentation and then have a selection of relevant stories for the theme. It is also advisable, to tell the truth, provide in-depth details, and to be genuine in expression. I also agree with the author that good storytelling is one that challenges counterproductive beliefs. In the case where the audience of experts consists of teachers, the stories should focus on instilling values that the teachers lack. I also find it essential to create a human bond with the audience by sharing personal life stories (Grove, 2015).

Conclusion

The two articles emphasize the importance of proper communication. It is possible to establish a connection between the two materials because Grove's storytelling ideas could be used to minimize teacher resistance to change. To avoid resistance, the proposed strategies include using logic, negotiation, trusting, and listening to the teachers. The considerations for compelling storytelling, on the other hand, require connection of stories to what the audience can associate. For this reason, the speaker has to research adequately and speak in a manner that challenges the listeners. It is therefore needless to say that school leaders need to possess skills of good storytelling to reduce resistance.

References

Grove, K. F. (2015). Leading through Stories. Educational Leadership, 72(7), 70-73.

Reilly, M. (2015). Getting Genuine Commitment for Change. Educational Leadership, 72(7), 42-46.