There are many ways to communicate in today’s world. Technology has increased the ways people interact and communicate but unfortunately it does not guarantee effective communication. According to Dr. Stolovitch, effective communication is influenced by:
Even if you believe you are clearly communicating, how others perceive your words can be different than your intentions. “The personal filter is the result of your perception of the world. This is influenced by the long and the short term. Long term is a result of personal emotions and a view of the world that develops over time--stereotyping is one of the results. This might be a great hindrance to communication. (Robbers, 2009)” As a project manager clear and effective communications is critical to the success of the project. The selected mode of communications can also affect the overall perceived message. In our class this week we reviewed the same message presented using three different modalities: Email
Viewing the message by email, it was difficult to determine the intent behind the remarks about Mark being “possibly” busy in a meeting all day. The email sent from Jane indicated that she needs information from Mark on a missing report. The email read as if Jane were in a panic about getting the information as quickly as possible. The email message did not specify what missing report Jane is referring to. It did not say what information she needs to finish her report or how what her deadline is to file her report. The email did not include her phone number or even her last name. Email is a preferred way to communicate in business in today’s world. Unfortunately, it is also difficult to understand intention due to the lack of body language or visual cues. When using emails to communicate it is important to be clear and concise. The information should be organized and presented using a business friendly format. The author of the email must compensate for the lack of body language and tonality by not being obscure. Lastly, for critical communications that are time sensitive, email was perhaps not the correct choice for this communication. Voice Next the same message was presented in a voice mail format. Jane did not introduce herself so it would be difficult for Mark to determine who was calling easily. The tone of the message was friendly and did not indicate that Jane was in panic mode. No call back number was given so Mark could easily return the call. Unfortunately, no more information was included in the voice message. Voice mail is used quite often in business. With voice mail you can hear tonality of the voice and determine to some extent the emotions of the caller. But as with email, when using the phone for project communications it is advisable to identify yourself, give a call back number and time/date of the phone call. Voice mail also does not allow for immediate response. The other downside to using the phone for communication is that there is not a written record of what is said during the calls. Face-to-Face The third modality used an informal face-to-face presentation of the message. In this method, Mark could clearly see who was asking the questions. Mark would have been able to ask further questions to determine what the information requires was and what the deadlines was for submission. The remark about how busy Mark was became a non-issue as the body language and tonality indicated that it was a passing comment. Mark was also able to see that Jane was not upset about the delay in receiving the information. Face-to-face modality is the most effective form of communication if backed with written documentation. In this example Mark could see Jane’s body language and hear her tonality. It also gave him a quick way to ask additional questions and receive answers. Unfortunately, face-to-face is not always an option. “The ability to communicate well, both orally and in writing, is a critical skill for project managers. Planning project communications up-front enables project managers to choose the appropriate type of communication for sharing different messages. (Portny et al., 2008, p. 357)” The project manager must carefully evaluate how best to communicate with a project team and stakeholders. Whether formally or informally, no matter what type of communication is selected, it is important that the project manager understand how to communicate effectively with all personality types. By being cognizant of how language, culture, personality and other factors can overshadow and complicate the channel of communications, the project manager can avoid miscommunication and the resulting issues. Have a story about project communications success or failures? Share it below! References Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (n.d.). Communicating with stakeholders [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu. Laureate Media (no date) Educ-6145. Available at: http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6145/03/mm/aoc/index.html. Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Robbers, H. (2009a) The communication triangle (part 1). Available at: http://www.projectmanagement.com/articles/251632/The-Communication-Triangle--Part-1-. Robbers, H. (2009) The communication triangle (part 2). Available at: http://www.projectmanagement.com/articles/251829/The-Communication-Triangle--Part-2-.
3 Comments
Tameka Stewart
9/16/2016 07:44:36 am
Hi Stacy,
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Richard McClendon
9/18/2016 04:11:15 pm
Stacey,
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Danyele McCreary
9/27/2016 04:07:33 pm
Stacy, this is a great post and I also love the graphics. I guess I must be old school, but I always feel that face-to-face communication is always the most effectively. This is mainly because of the opportunity for immediate feedback, clarification, and non-verbal communication. Now that I think about it, with the modern methods of communication, the emotion element may seem unnecessary or can sometimes be felt through the email or voicemail if done correctly.
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