The 2019-2020 school year threw us all some real curve balls as coronavirus sidelined everyone, requiring us to shelter in place. With a ton of uncertainty about what the 2020-2021 school year will look like, educational leaders are faced with some serious challenges about how to safely re-open their doors to students, teachers and staff when the time comes.
No matter what re-opening schools looks like, one thing is for certain: there will be changes. And, then, once we get used to those changes, there will probably be even more changes.
Adaptability has become the name of the game for all of humanity, for every industry and sector. And, central to adaptability, is communication.
Because, when plans change, when policies adjust, when the rules are changed, it’s critical that those changes are well communicated to everyone impacted by the change.
Educators proved to be exceptional at adaptation in the spring of 2020 as schools went online and remote learning became the norm. And just as things started to get into a rhythm where everyone knew where to find the links/resources/materials and what was expected, the school year came to an end.
When students and teachers re-enter the school buildings, however, we’re going to need to be even better with communication than we were during shelter-in-place, because the stakes are much higher. We’ll need for everyone to understand and implement the expected changes immediately. There won’t be much time for a learning curve.
That’s why highly effective visual communication will be key to educators when the time comes to re-open, and it needs to be a part of the plan as educational leaders begin to strategize for re-opening.
Visual and engaging digital signage is one form that this type of communication may take. The benefit to digital signage is that it grabs the eye without being interruptive. Engaging viewers allows them to take in the message quickly without distracting them from the learning environment.
Educators know better than anyone that repetition is the mother of all studies, and that will be key to effective social distancing in your classrooms and cafeterias – say the same thing in multiple ways, multiple times if you want people to understand it and ultimately let that understanding shape their behavior. Digital signage is great at repetition because it’s centered on a looping playlist.
And, as we make changes, it’ll be important to be able to synchronize those changes across multiple classrooms, hallways, and campuses in a unified way. Our Retriever Digital Signage can publish the same message to all of your digital signage in every location at a touch of a button from any internet-connected device. Simplicity is key!
As you develop your plan for reopening schools, we’d love to be included in that conversation to help you put together a communication strategy that will be both effective and easily executable. Click here to schedule a time to chat.