ABSTRACT
Effective communication, we should know, must occur in good times as well as in bad times. If, for example, a principal is known to communicate with students, staff members, and parents only when there are problems, then there will be a negative impact felt on the overall culture of the school. The school, as we have too often seen, will become mired in a culture of negativity. The norm will fast become one in which people dread seeing the principal at all. This is due to the fact that the principal has earned the reputation of being the bearer of bad news. A parent, already harboring negative feelings about the school or a school-related situation, will instinctively enter into conversations with such a principal
from a defensive or aggressive stance. Either way, the parent will not be open to hearing what the principal has to say if he/she already expects it to be negative.
