Skip the Email and Have a Personal Conversation Instead. You Do Not Build Trust and Relationships through Typing; You Build Them through Talking.

There is no doubt that email represents one of the most efficient forms of communication. But here’s the thing: When you strive to cultivate a strong school culture, efficiency is not the goal; relationships are. Culture begins with relationships, and relationships begin with conversations. Schools with a healthy culture have adults that talk to one another. You do not usually build rapport via email. And, actually, emails can do some relational damage because of the potential for people to read tone into language and misunderstand the intent of the communication. Emails are a valuable form of communication to be sure, but never underestimate the importance of personal conversations. We all probably need to spend more time talking to one another.