Effective Communication

Good communication is important to the growth and development of any relationship or partnership. It keeps the members focused on the established mission and goals, and responsive to the needs of each of the partners. Partners must not only develop strong communication skills, but they must also organize themselves to foster communication, set aside time and resources for communication, and ensure that the communication system is clear and accessible to the members. All seven partnerships rely on both formal and informal communication patterns. These patterns are reflective of the organizational and governance structures established within each partnership as well as the leadership style of its key members.

All seven of the partnerships rely on regular meetings of large steering committees as a key means of communication. Shasta and Santa Ana have large boards that meet semi-annually, while their key leaders and/or executive leaders meet more frequently, at least monthly. Long Beach, Kern, San Diego North County, and Santa Cruz rely on monthly meetings of their key committees. The three larger and more comprehensive partnerships, Long Beach, San Diego City Heights, and Santa Ana, have multiple levels of committees and boards that meet, oversee and develop projects and plans, and examine results. This is also true of Kern and Shasta in that each have working committees or site coordinators that meet for similar reasons. All of these bodies utilize minutes of the meetings and tools such as annual reports to communicate progress.

The executive leaders of the partnerships fill a critical role in the communication system for their partnerships. The executive leaders in Santa Ana meet not only every four to six weeks but they are also in constant contact concerning their current projects. The three Long Beach CEOs (school district, university, and city college) meet regularly and frequently talk informally. The same is true of the Kern County executive leaders, as well as the San Diego North County university, county office and district leaders.

Four of the partnerships have paid staff members whose duties include key responsibility for leading and guiding communication defined within their duties. Long Beach, Kern, San Diego North County and Santa Cruz all have at least one such individual. City Heights, Shasta and Santa Ana rely on employees within the partnering institutions who have partnership activities within their job description to fulfill this communication leadership role. Long Beach relies on this model in addition to the partnership director.

Formal communication to the public is also important for the partnerships. Shasta has a frequent newsletter to share information with parents and other constituents within their region. City Heights, Santa Cruz and Long Beach have produced videos and other publications to tell the stories of their successes. Santa Ana has actually developed data sharing and transmission protocols to communicate among their partners and with the community. This fosters quick access and dissemination of information. All the partnerships make presentations concerning their work at public events and professional conferences.

All the partnerships have expressed the importance of the constant informal communication that permeates the daily work of their members. Consulting, collaborating, and communicating across institutions has become a way of doing business, a "best business practice," if you will.