Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • June 2014
23
Successful communication is critical for a
successful band program and booster organization.
It reinforces the organization’s vision, core values,
connects volunteers to the community as well as
the students, fosters process improvement, facilitates
change, and drives outcomes. An Air Force study
examining leadership challenges
found that poor communication
was the most significant obstacle
to effective leadership (Ellis, 2012).
Booster organizations must create
communication plans; critical to all
communication plans is the act of
over communication.
If you don’t have a com-
munication plan, the first place to
start is to develop a list of the
“who, what, how and why” of
communication being specific in
the protocol so that others can
follow it and be rewarded in the
proper implementation. Consider the structure of
the organization and the need for information; then
develop your communication chain based on your
organizational framework (i.e., directors, executive
board, project managers, and project team members).
The plan should include:
• each person/contact info listed in the plan
• a list of the communication chain for collecting data
and channeling information to the appropriate
parties
• determination of what method will be used to
distribute information
• determination of the frequency of information
delivery
• assignment of responsibility for whom will broadcast
what information
Clear plans and well-defined messages must be
repeatedly delivered in a cascading manner through
multiple channels. Lee Ellis encourages reflection on
the following list of “typical problems” that occur
when leaders fail to intentionally and diligently over
communicate:
• Uncoordinated actions
• Duplication of effort
• Failure to share best practices
• Friction and unnecessary
competition
• Wasted energy
• Projects don’t get completed on
schedule due to inaction and
slippage
• Wrong actions result in costly
mistakes
• Bad assumptions leading to bad
decisions and bad outcomes
• Decision-making becomes
disconnected from values,
strategies and policies.
• Frustration and fears begin to erode
morale and energy
• People move into a survival mode and cohesion
breaks down
• Teamwork degenerates to every person “looking
out for number one”
• Mission effectiveness degrades and morale
plummets
• High performers begin looking for a way out.
(Ellis, 2012)
The writers of the best-selling series,
Guerrilla
Marketing
, suggest that most organizations significantly
under communicate in that the average person needs to
read or see an advertisement nine times before taking
Organizational Communication:
Getting the Message Out
David W. Vandewalker
Vandewalker wi l l
present “Foundat ions
for a Successful
Booster Club for
Band Boosters” on
Monday, July 28
8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
-and-
“Booster Concepts:
How to Organize
and Empower Your
Boosters” on Tuesday,
July 29, 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.