1. Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals
Professional Conversations Presented by Philip Gardner VASSP Project Services
Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals

2. Be prepared Have an appropriate time and place for meeting
Plan your comments - but don’t read from a script. Cover the points you want covered.
Think about possible questions you may be asked and discuss these with a colleague. Rehearse/role play prior to meeting.
Set up the room as you would like it, for all to be comfortable
Have an appropriate time and place for meeting
Don’t be rushed

3. Do your homework
Ask for material to be submitted prior to the meeting to allow you to look at it. This may include:
Data – student results, surveys
Student work
Have all facts at your disposal. This depend on the nature of the conversation. It could include:
Student results (e.g from VCE data service)
Complaints (e.g from parents and students)
Advice (from Conduct and Ethics, VASSP or VGSA 2008 and its Implementation Guide if necessary). At this stage, the process should be managed by a member of the Prin Team

4. Keep focused and on task
Have an agenda / plan
Focus on the issue, not the person
Be clear about the aim, expectation, outcomes and next step of the meeting
Plan questions / dot points for response
When next you have this (difficult) student, what could you do differently?
To be the best teacher you can be, what do you think you need to do more of / less of?
Avoid deflections – acknowledge peripherals, but go straight back to the issue

5. Listen actively to the person’s opinion
Try to give person ownership of issue and solution
Provide an opportunity for the person to speak their mind, to tell their story
Reflect on their opinion

6. Pay attention
Give the speaker your undivided attention and acknowledge the message. Recognize that what is not said also speaks loudly.
Look at the speaker directly (make eye contact).
Put aside distracting thoughts. Don’t mentally prepare a rebuttal.
Avoid being distracted by environmental factors.
“Listen” to the speaker’s body language.

7. Show that you are paying attention
Use your own body language and gestures to convey your attention.
Nod occasionally.
Smile and use other facial expressions.
Note your posture and make sure it is open.
Encourage the speaker to continue with small verbal comments like yes, and uh huh.
Don’t become distracted by electronic devices.

8. Summarising & Clarifying
Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and beliefs can distort what we hear. As a listener, your role is to understand what is being said. This may require you to reflect what is being said and ask questions.
Reflect what has been said by paraphrasing. e.g. “What I’m hearing is…” and “Sounds like you are saying…”
Ask questions to clarify certain points. “What do you mean when you say…” “Is this what you mean?”
Summarize the speaker’s comments periodically.
If you find yourself responding emotionally to what someone said, say so, and ask for more information: "I may not be understanding you correctly, and I find myself taking what you said personally. What I thought you just said is XXX; is that what you meant?”

9. Coaching
Who owns the solutions? People should be empowered to come up with their own solutions to challenging tasks.
Use future-focused coaching questions rather than comments or judgements
Where are you now?
Where would you like to be in a year from now?
What do you have to do to get there?
How and when will you do it?
Use your Leadership Team meetings to build a database of effective questions/strategies.

10. Questions to ask
Where induction is required (e.g. someone says they build good relationships with my students):
What does that look like in practice?
If I came into your classroom, what would I look for that demonstrated that?
Where deduction is required (e.g. someone says what happened in a classroom or describes the behaviour of a group of students):
What did you learn from that?
How would you approach that in the future?

11. How will you sustain success?
Questions to ask once action has been decided:
How will you ensure that you carry out these actions?
What might get in the way? How can we address that?
What needs to be different about your thoughts, feelings, behaviours or environment to ensure you carry out these actions?
What support/structures are needed to maintain this? From Growth Coaching International “The Leadership Coaching guide”

12. Stay emotionally controlled
Understand you can’t control someone’s response.
Don’t engage in the emotion
“I can see this is upsetting for you, but I would like to find a solution that works for everyone”
Respond quickly to a situation, but hold the meeting later when emotions have cooled.
Recognise that this meeting may be uncomfortable for both.

13. Recognise when to hand over to the next level
Should an Assistant Principal or Principal be involved?
Is this a case for Unsatisfactory Performance or Misconduct?
Would a support group be of help?
Is counselling necessary?

14. Keep clear notes Restate what has been agreed at meeting
Have a written summary and any other documentation collated
Share notes – both parties have a copy
Assume these notes may be used in other forums (e.g. Merit Protection Board) and write them accordingly.

15. Invite a follow-up meeting if desired / necessary
Enables debriefing
Where to from here?
Encourage staff member to seek feedback from others if appropriate