Monica Goldson on Communicating Effectively with Every Stakeholder - Chief Influencer - Episode # 002

This Chief Influencer is a longtime educator and leader that has been recognized time and time again for her commitment to bettering her community. Dr. Monica Goldson is the CEO of the Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland, one of the largest school districts in the nation. Dr. Goldson shares what she has learned about how to communicate with different groups of stakeholders, the importance of building trust as a leader, and knowing when to amplify other voices to make a greater impact.
Takeaways: As a leader, you need to identify the stakeholders that you need to reach and the communication channels and formats that each prefers. For instance, Dr. Goldsons’ students primarily use Twitter and Instagram, so that’s how she alerts them of timely news or shares relevant messaging. Parents or teachers, on the other hand, rely on other forms of communication. To reach them, Dr. Goldson and her team use a wide range of tools including a weekly newsletter, automated phone messages, and “town hall” style meetings via telephone.  One example of how Dr. Goldson embraced two-way communication with stakeholders is the town-hall style meetings she held with parents through the pandemic. By doing this, she could share the latest school-health updates, field questions from parents, and bring on doctors to educate parents on pandemic-related health issues. The message is just as important as the medium. Leaders should tailor their message according to what each group of stakeholders needs.  When you are communicating with your stakeholders, it’s important to remember that you need to listen. Make sure that people feel heard and are able to ask questions freely. This openness is a building block of trust in your relationship with them. Consistency is also key to building trust. When you communicate consistently, people know what to expect from you, when to expect it, and through which channel.  You will not always be the most impactful voice for sharing certain messages with a given group. For example, Dr. Goldson realized when discussing certain topics, such as drug abuse, students are more likely to listen to fellow students. This led to an effective student-made video outlining the dangers of using drugs.  Don’t run from the media. Media outlets can be powerful allies to have in your corner as you lead your organization. Remember that media outlets do not only focus on negative stories; when you do something great, especially for others, reach out to see if there is interest amongst broadcasters in covering it. 
Quote of the Show:“Never let a good crisis go to waste.” - Monica Goldson
Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-goldson-ed-d-99770283/  PGCPS Fentanyl PSA: https://fb.watch/kQJAroxp_i/  PGCPS Website: https://www.pgcps.org/ 
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