For a leadership project one year a student brought in a white board with the heading "Communication is Key". While we all know that is true, sometimes we don't do a very good job of practicing what we preach. For some of us who started in small schools and had to make decisions about any and everything, and had no other adult help in the room, moving up to a place with teaching partners sometimes is a difficult adjustment to make. All of us are "control freaks" to a certain extent. Some are worse than others; touching every chair in a setup, making sure the room is spotless, and trying to instill those traits in our students!

So, what happens when you have help? Do you communicate with them? Do you make long-range plans and short-range plans? What do you do? What is effective? What can you and your staff live with?

Resources say there are 11 tips for good communication with employees:

• Be clear and concise
• Set the tone at the top
• Understand your employees
• Use many channels
• Tell your employees first
• Match actions with words
• Encourage face-to-face communication
• Train often
• Communicate regularly
• Measure effectiveness
• Facilitate conversation

While these are obviously designed for businesses, they can be modified for band and orchestra staffs. To touch on a few of these I will try keep this article clear and concise!

Being clear is easy, but you have to talk to your people. Sometimes concise doesn't work. I find it easier to be open and honest with my people if we have a good working relationship.

Be clear in your expectations but remember to not ask them to do something that you wouldn't do!

A lot of music staffs use text threads and email to keep the team "in the loop!" Be sure to have debrief sessions and in-person meetings on a regular basis. All of you need to stay on the same page.

It is a difficult situation for teachers to evaluate other teachers! That has drama written all over it! If you are in charge, make sure you are communicating and not holding in your complaints. You don't want to nail a list of 99 offenses on the office door!

In this day of technology, the best way to communicate, I believe, is face-to-face. Find the time, make the time, and use the time efficiently. Don't expect your team to know what you want. I didn't always do this well because communication with a team always seems to be a work in progress.