Thought Leadership

Public speaking isn’t about delivering perfect talking points—it’s about connection. Drawing on her experience as a principal, Alyssa Gallagher shares a simple mindset shift that transforms how leaders communicate: start with the audience’s agenda, not your own. Through real-world examples and a practical planning checklist, this article shows how educators can earn trust, reduce resistance, and make their message truly land with students, parents, and staff.

In this article we examine how one-to-one coaching can enable a tangible and sustained transformation in leaders’ day-to-day practice, providing versatile and highly impactful learning for school leaders and overcoming some of the common limitations of leadership programmes.

If you have decided to invest in professional leadership coaching, you’ll want to be sure the coach you choose has the expertise to give you the value you’re looking for.

Mentoring is generally well-established in schools, particularly for the benefit of new teachers and new headteachers. They are often paired with a more experienced colleague who can provide support, advice and guidance based on their own experience in the profession.

Every coaching conversation is different, as every principal’s needs and school context are unique. Coaching is also confidential. This is absolutely as it should be.

Every school principal we’ve ever met has an unwavering commitment to learning … yet not all principals manage to find the time and space to truly reflect on, and continually develop, their own practice, to be the ‘lead learner’ in their school.

It’s no coincidence that many chief executives and top leaders across a wide range of professions have coaching. There is simply no more personalised way of accessing professional support and development as a leader.