Section OverviewIn Long's "Communication" chapter in Leadership Tripod: A New Model for Effective Leadership (2004), Long defines communication as "the transmission of information between two or more parties » (p. 89). ). It shares general principles of communication, ways to improve communication and evaluate it. Its premise is: “Unless those who place leaders, the leaders themselves and those who lead them, can communicate effectively, leadership will not be as strong as it needs to be for the organization to can reach its highest level” (p. 87). Everyone involved in communication, from the top down, must understand and implement effective communication despite misconceptions. • In the process of encoding and decoding (communication), “noise” occurs. “For true communication to take place, the receiver must be able to decode the message in the way the encoder wants to be understood” (p. 90). The encoder and decoder must take the time to ensure that a message has been correctly decoded. • It is important to understand communication methods and decoding inhibitors. o Vernacular usage and inflection are two common barriers to verbal communication. the telephone can create communication problems. Voicemail can be impersonal and unprofessional; therefore, these communications must be clear and complete.o Handwritten communications include note, letter and email. Although grading can be used to encourage and affirm, it takes time and must be distributed fairly and equitably. Letters must be personalized, even if generated in a database. Email appears to be immediate, efficient and fast; however, it can be impersonal and allow the encoder not to be responsible for ensuring that the communication took place and was correctly decoded. o Nonverbal communication includes behavior, gestures, facial expressions, body language and personal space. Many don't realize the nonverbal messages they are sending; therefore, leaders must understand them and be able to truly interpret them. Implications for Teachers • Teachers are leaders in the classroom and therefore are responsible for communicating effectively with students, parents, the community, colleagues, and administration. time to ensure the communication was successful – coding and decoding. • Teachers use verbal, telephone, written and non-verbal communication..