SHARED LANGUAGE: The Integrity of Communication

1. “You must communicate things 7 times in order for there to be clear meaning and deep understanding” Patrick Lencioni in The Advantage Shared language promotes clarity and coherence through a common understanding. If staff engage in a shared language, communications are enhanced and effective. A common language ensures both a healthy organization but also builds on the clear and focused vision. The roll out of Metal Health Literacy ( which is the deeper understanding of mental health issues) and use Early Identification tools provide opportunities for the creation of shared meaning, staff engagement,inclusion and the purposeful use (or dis-use) of specific language and terms. SHARED LANGUAGE: The Integrity of Communication Challenges in the concept of Shared Language include; the importance of consistent and frequent communication, cohesion amongststaff, and ensuring universal design (translation in multiple languages)is available as a caution against exclusion. The Leader in Me (one example) is a whole school approach based on Steven Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. The implementation this as well as the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” training for staff provided a great opportunityto create a shared meaning and introduce a common language found not only within the context of the curriculum but also within SCHOOL CULTURE!