#183

In coming back to the notion of “implementing practices to ensure a personalized and smooth process for all families from initial inquiry to enrolment and beyond,” I am - once again - reminded of the late, great American poet Maya Angelou’s quote, "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel" (as referenced in April 2021’s post Admissions: Making Connections).

Be it via Zoom, on the phone or face to face, polite, professional, prompt responses to general enquiries and additional questions are particularly important at all times and especially so during these more challenging times. These positive initial impressions speak volumes of an institution. They lay the foundations for creating authentic connections with prospective families/companies and - one hopes - a long-term relationship as students progress through the grades.

As happens in so many areas of life, the pendulum swings. Some years ago, many international schools had waiting lists, whereas now concerns about enrolment prevail. As a result, prospective families find themselves in a stronger position (somewhat akin to the notion of a buyer’s market). Thus it is increasingly important for schools to be on the top of their game when serving prospective families so as to tailor information to the needs of the family whilst simultaneously highlighting the uniqueness of the school and how the school’s mission, vision and value connect with the family’s specific needs.

Towards the end of my first year as Head of Admissions I wrote a blogpost entitled Reflection: One Year On (May 2018). I referenced Simon Sinek’s TED Talk, How Great Leaders Inspire Action, in which he states, “People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it, and what you do simply serves as the proof of what you believe”. I continue to believe that when interacting with prospective families we must start with the why, then the how, and finally the what, rather than the typical sequence of what, how, why).

Having worked at M’KIS for twelve years and amassed a deep knowledge and understanding of the school in my capacity as a parent and as an educator, I was 98% of the time able to answer questions relating to various elements of school life (be it specialist classes in Elementary School, electives and exploratory classes in Middle School and IB course offerings in Grade 11 and 12; extra curricular activities such as Swedish, Danish, Dutch School; Mandarin Mother Tongue Language classes; sports, clubs and societies; additional services provided by the school such as bussing, lunch, school store, school trips and information about housing and other local services). Every so often there was, however, a question or two which needed some additional research, consultation with a colleague etc.,.

With each and every question, I endeavoured to not just answer the specific question (the what), but also explain (the how and the why) politely, professionally and promptly.

References:

• Brady, A. (2021) Admissions: Making Connections

• Brady, A. (2018) Reflection: One Year On

• Sinek, S. (2009) TED Talk: How Great Leaders Inspire Action