Download Delta College President Jean Goodnow

THE PRESIDENT AS
COMMUNICATOR IN CHIEF
Michigan Community College
Leadership Academy
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Dr. Jean Goodnow, President
Delta College
Dr. Jean Goodnow
•
President of Delta College since 2005
•
President of Illinois Valley Community College, 1996-2005
•
Various faculty, student services and administrative roles at community colleges
in Iowa (1972-1996)
•
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology, Master of Arts Degree in Rehabilitation
Counseling, and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Higher Education
Administration from the University of Iowa
•
Completed post-graduate study at Harvard University
•
Member, Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
•
Member, Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance
Board of Directors
•
Member, Michigan Association of Community Colleges
Board of Directors
SESSION OBJECTIVES
- Discuss verbal and non-verbal
communication
- Discuss listening as an essential part of
effective communication
- Discuss day-to-day communication
- Discuss “crisis” communication – and what
that means
com·mu·ni·ca·tion
•
•
•
the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or
exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to
someone else
a message that is given to someone : a letter, telephone call, etc.
communications : the ways of sending information to people by using
technology
www.merriam-webster.com
TYPES OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
• Facial Expression
• Eye Contact
• Gestures
• Posture & Body
Orientation
• Proximity
• Paralinguistics
THE ART OF GOOD LISTENING
TEN WAYS TO BE A GOOD LISTENER
1. Make Eye Contact.
2. Be Present.
3. Give NO Sign You are Ready to Respond.
4. Wait Two Seconds to Respond.
5. Let the Other Person Go First.
6. Care About What’s Being Said.
7. Listen For the Message Within the Message.
8. Don’t Change the Subject.
9. Respond by Asking Questions.
10. Don’t Start a Side Conversation.
“Most people do not listen with the intent to
understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”
Stephen R. Covey (1932-2012)
Educator, author, businessman and keynote speaker
“The true leader strives first to listen and
understand, to accept and to empathize,
to seek to build community based upon trust and
respect, mutual growth and fulfillment.”
From “Leadership as Service: A New Model for Higher Education in a New Century,”
by Kent A. Farnsworth
…AND THE IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP!
PRESIDENT’S ROLE IN CRISIS MANAGEMENT

Once a Crisis Management Team is activated, all day-to-day
duties must be delegated to others

President’s 5 tasks during a crisis:
 Continue to guide the college
 Confirm/modify the strategic decisions of the crisis response team
 Express sympathy (or other appropriate responses) of the college
 Be prepared to take over as spokesperson if designated
spokesperson makes a mistake
 Break any deadlocks occurring on decision-making within the crisis
team
•
The President/CEO will be ultimately responsible for the
outcome
BEFORE A CRISIS HAPPENS
 Develop a crisis leadership team and
define responsibilities
 Develop a crisis communications team
• Develop regular communications support
• Have a number of employees who can
write for the president
• Have regular messaging to support your
vision
THE PRESIDENT IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY
 To be a compelling leader, you must exude passion,
confidence and strength
 Work to overcome issues that can smolder and turn
into a crisis
 Declining enrollments
 Budget cutbacks
 Academic scandal
 Anonymous accusations or damaging rumors
 Employee involvement in a scandal
 Student complaint or issue
WRITE YOUR PLAN IN ADVANCE
 This book is written from a
community college perspective
 The authors know our unique
challenges
 Buy a copy for yourself and for
your team members as a
resource
THE PRESIDENT SETS THE CAMPUS DIRECTION
• The President regularly sets the direction
ahead – hear the voices of your staff
• Should embody the organization’s mission
on a daily basis
• Inspire others and rally the team
• Communicate a compelling vision
• Exude passion, confidence and strength
TEN COMMUNICATION SECRETS OF GREAT LEADERS
1. Speak not with a forked tongue.
2. Get personal.
3. Get specific.
4. Focus on the leave-behinds not the take-aways.
5. Have an open mind.
From Forbes Magazine
TEN COMMUNICATION SECRETS OF GREAT LEADERS
6. Shut-up and listen.
7. Replace ego with empathy.
8. Read between the lines.
9. When you speak, know what you’re talking about.
10. Speak to groups as individuals.
11. Bonus – Be prepared to change the message if
needed.
From Forbes Magazine
GREAT COMMUNICATORS & GREAT LEADERS
ONE LAST THOUGHT…
“(As a leader), be more concerned with your
character than with your reputation. Character is
what you really are; reputation is merely what you
are perceived to be.”
John Wooden (1910-2010)
Former basketball player, coach and author
Questions
&
Comments
Contact Information
Dr. Jean Goodnow
President, Delta College
(989) 686-9200
[email protected]