Time to talk day: Communication in schools

Time to talk day: Communication in schools

With time to talk day fast approaching, it is important for SBMs to create better communication in schools. Communication between students and staff is vital for your school to be an inclusive and welcoming place where everyone can feel comfortable. With all the various tasks SBMs need to do, it is easy to let communication slip by. However, communication in schools is vital for the school to run efficiently and an opportunity for vital changes to be made so everyone can be happy.

About time to talk day

Time to talk day is taking place on the 2nd of February. The purpose of the day is to encourage people to make space in their day to talk about mental health openly. Run by Mind and Rethink mental illness, time to talk day brings communities together to converse about mental health. It is also an opportunity for SBMs to ease their staff and student’s minds and help those who are suffering.

How can you get your school involved?

There are multiple ways in which schools can get involved in time to talk day. Below, we have outlined some ways to get involved in talking about mental health. These can be used for the day and beyond to keep your school openly talking and changing to cater for people’s needs.

Research

A great place to start communication in schools is by doing research. Have a look at mental health and the different types that you can spot in staff and students. Look at local resources your school can use for situations that are beyond your capabilities. Invest in a school counsellor to help you keep communication about mental health and anything else going throughout your school. Researching before implementing communication strategies can help you to feel confident when staff or students need to talk.

Make sure to check in on your school counsellor or wellbeing team if you have one or when you get one. This will help you to understand the usefulness of having someone there for students to go to, as well as keeping you informed about any concerns or problems that may arise a lot. Also, once you have researched, it can help you to communicate with your staff and see how they are doing mentally too.

Create a safe environment

These ideas for better communication in schools all lead to one goal, creating a safe environment for staff and students. Make your school a place where students or staff can openly express themselves and their thoughts. Remind your staff that school should be a place where students feel like they can ask for help and ask questions. Allow them to ask you questions or ask for help if needed. Make yourself present in the school when you can and show staff you are approachable.

Maybe have an open-door policy for staff to pop in when you aren’t as busy. They can use this time to talk about anything they need to. Setting this up sets a good example for staff and encourages them to do the same for their students. Relay to them that giving extra support to their students improves their communication and understanding of each other so they can work efficiently together.

Think about appropriate time and place

The key to great communication within your school is to think about an appropriate time and place for you to be there for everyone. You should also consider when your staff are free and where they can talk, as well as where they can be there for their students.

Communication tends to be poor when someone is busy doing something else as they aren’t invested in what is taking place. Their mind is on something else, and listening doesn’t occur. Make sure you are available when scheduling appointments or open-door times for people to talk to you. Remind your staff of this too for when they are communicating with their students.

This is the same for the location. If you are in a crowded space, there’s too many distractions and focus can be shifted from the conversation. Ensure that you are in a quiet place like your office or for you staff, they do it outside of class times. To have more privacy invest in do not disturb signs for your office door or to put up on classroom doors when needed.

Ask questions

Asking questions can give the person space to express how they are truly feeling. It is also an opportunity to tell you what they are going through. What you get in response to these questions helps you to further understand the individual and how to deal with their needs. Aim to ask open questions and ensure that they don’t lead the person to the answer you want.

Think critically about what type of questions you need to ask and how to word them. You don’t want to seem like you don’t care or are being judgemental. Jot some questions down as you are talking to ask when there’s space and be sensitive to what someone could be dealing with.

Treat everyone the same

The best way to have good communication in schools is to treat everyone the same. Have an open mind with anyone you communicate with, think about what they may be going through and be sensitive. When someone opens up about their mental health issues, remember they are still the same person. It is important to assist them with reaching a solution and the way to do this is  to refrain from treating them any differently. To support them, do what you usually do to tackle issues, tweaking it to cater for their needs.

Be patient, helpful and encouraging

For open communication within your school, it is important to be patient, helpful and encouraging, especially when talking about mental health. Encourage staff and students to try some regular exercising as well as a balanced diet and regular sleep. These physical health areas all affect our mood and so can make the tiniest of difference to someone battling with their mental health.

Another area to encourage is self-care. Promote self-care in your school and show that it is okay to take some time to yourself, doing what you love. A great way to showcase this is by applying it to your own lifestyle. Self-care is critical to help our mental health and it gives us a relaxed and fantastic feeling.

When talking about mental health, you need to be helpful and very patient with whoever is confiding in you. Don’t ever assume that the problem will go away over time and that if they keep busy their mind will be took off of the issue. Instead, acknowledge how they are feeling and show that you care for their wellbeing. To ensure your staff has this attitude too towards their students, model this behaviour to them and check in on them.

Don’t try and fix the problem

When discussing mental health issues try not to think of quick fixes and changes that you can make. Learning to deal with mental health problems is a long journey, and you need to be the support for staff and students. With your staff, they may have already considered all the help they can get and tools like mindfulness to cope. They may just need someone to listen and for someone to be there through their stresses without any changes being made.

This could also be the case with students. However, they may not know where to turn due to their young age, or they may not understand how they are feeling. In this case, quick fixes and changes won’t help if someone is really struggling. The best way to deal with these cases is to take notes, support them and give them direction on who they can seek advice from. This may be a referral to the school counsellor if you have one or a local mental health charity.

Listen

The most important way SBMs can support staff and students with talking about mental health is to listen. Listen carefully and don’t say a lot back unless this is what they are wanting. Refer to specialists when needed and let everyone know that your school is there to listen and support.

These ways to get involved in time to talk day and talking about mental health, should be implemented throughout the school year. Don’t stop the crucial conversation after one day. Be there for staff and students and show that your school is a welcoming, supportive environment to talk openly about anything. Communication in schools is vital as it keeps the school running and allows students and staff to work to their best ability. Plus, your school can be a happier school with a positive environment if you are open to conversations about mental health and other personal topics.

Time to talk day isn’t just about your staff and students, the most effective way to support your school is if you have support yourself. Read our ‘tips for managing your mental health part one’ blog and discover how you can look after your mental health so you can be there for others.

Let us know your ideas on how you have open communication in your school too on our Twitter.