Communication Masterclass | How to Paraphrase

Education Leaders | The Chart-Topping School Leadership Podcast · Feb 23, 2026 · 16m

You explained it clearly, they nodded, and two weeks later three people did three completely different things. This episode tackles one of the most common and costly communication breakdowns in school leadership: assuming that because you said it, it landed. Shane draws on research from Cornell and Stanford, including the "tappers and listeners" study, to explain why even experienced leaders consistently overestimate how clearly their message has been received, and why just knowing about these biases isn't enough to fix them.

The answer is a simple three-step habit called paraphrasing…