Section OverviewIn the "Communication" chapter of Long in Leadership Tripod: A New Model for Effective Leadership (2004), Long defines communication as "the passing of information between at least two parties" (p. 89 ). Shares general principles of communication, ways to improve communication and evaluate it. His premise is: “Unless those who appoint leaders, the leaders themselves, and those under leadership can communicate effectively, leadership will not be as strong as it needs to be for the organization to reach its highest level ” (p. 87). Everyone involved in communication, from top to bottom, must understand and implement effective communication despite misconceptions. • In the process of encoding and decoding (communication), “noise” occurs. “For true communication to occur, the receiver must be able to decode the message the way the encoder wants to be understood” (p. 90). Both 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 communication verbal.o The telephone can create communication problems. Answering machine can be impersonal and unprofessional; therefore, these communications must be clear and thorough.o Handwritten communications include the note, letter, and email. While the note can be used to encourage and affirm, it takes time and must be distributed fairly and equitably. Letters should be personalized, even if generated from a database. Email appears to be immediate, efficient and fast; however, it can be impersonal and allow the encoder to not be responsible for ensuring that the communication occurred 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 send; therefore, leaders must understand them and be able to truly interpret them. Implications for Teachers • Teachers are leaders in the classroom, and therefore responsible for communicating effectively with students, parents, the community, colleagues, and administration. time to ensure that communication was successful: encoding and decoding. • Teachers use verbal, telephone, written and non-verbal communication.