The disjointed communication system currently in place is causing mass misinformation amongst the student body.
Out of the four main methods of getting information out to students, the announcements system is the mode of communication people rely most heavily on.
While the announcements are probably the most popular information platform, nobody pays attention to them. Additionally, the announcements are inconsistent and only broadcast once or twice daily.
Even if Principal Litz does make the announcements, they go by too quickly for people to retain information. Although a lot of teachers do make a point of quieting their classes during announcements, only a few teachers enforce it strongly enough for students to truly listen.
Relying on the announcements for club information is unreliable, as it depends on whether the class is quiet enough to hear.
Other than the announcements, the only other school-administered communication systems are the bulletin boards and television screens throughout the school.
To their credit, the numerous bulletin boards are located where many people can and will see them: the stairs. Also, all information on the boards is reliable, however they are oftentimes full of fliers detailing events that have already passed.
Making the relevant fliers harder to see defeats the purpose of having them in the first place. They are also inconvenient for use. There is no time to stop and scour the boards between classes to try and find where the Harry Potter Club is meeting.
The television screens are also inconvenient. While the bulletin boards are at least large in number, TV screens are few and far between. There are not enough of them in the building, and the ones that are present are not located in very strategic places.
Instead of placing them in areas like hallway ceilings, TV screens are instead located in places such as a corner of the lobby. Also, while fliers offer quick information that is ready to read, screens display a slide show that takes far too long to repeat itself. No one walks up to an obscure screen and hopes it will show information they might need.
Lastly, word-of-mouth is the least reliable. Asking someone else for information is both quick and easy to do, but that information is easily alterable between as it transfers through different people. Suddenly, “Key Club meeting” becomes “Glee Club meeting”.
Communication within the school is not effective enough and leads to many misconceptions.
2018-10-23