There are multiple forms of effective communication by sharing the message to the right people in a timely matter (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, and Kramer, 2008, p. 359). To communicate both oral and written can be a critical part for a project manager. The message can be delivering by written text, visual and video. The multimedia program “The Art of Effective Communication” provides different modality of presenting information to your client.
Dr. Stolovitch (n.d.) states that effective communication is the influence by:
1. Spirit and attitude
2. Tonality and body language 3. Timing
4. Personality of the recipient
A project manager must be able to communicate to their audience in a straightforward matter no matter how you want to share information. It is important for each project team member to understand the message. Not all team members have the same way to understand the information.
Email
First, the written text with the use of multimedia is presented in a email format to a colleague. The written text is the central part and words must be carefully chosen to minimize the misunderstanding of the message (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, and Kramer, 2008, p. 358). An important factor of the written text is to keep a standard format by making it easier for the audience to look for information. Jane must stay focus on the main goal of the topic. However, the written text can loss the some influential factors when presenting to another individual or client. The written text does not allow the audience to ask questions to make sure they have clarified of the content. The Jane cannot verify that Mark has received the message.
Voicemail
Second, the voicemail is another way for individuals to communicate a message. Jane did a great job on reminding Mark the importance of meeting the deadline. Jane explains the importance of Mark finishing his part of the project.
Face-to-Face
The final deliverable is the use of face to face communication. The message can be lost in an audio conversation between individuals. Jane’s body language was all about business with no direct connection. The effective communication between Jane and Mark shared important information through the use of face to face interaction. Communication is design to be one of the most effective ways to share information. A meeting between individuals is another great way to share information in a face to face environment. Team meetings are a very valuable tool because individuals are able to plan and manage effectively (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, and Kramer, 2008, p. 359).
Communicating with Project Managers
The communication seen to be continues through each systematic process. Jane needed to motivate Mark with the use of a project progress report. A project progress report is a help tool because problems and corrective action can take place before moving into the next stage. Jane needs to make Mark accountable of his project. Project managers must hold individual accountable of their assignment to make sure it is complete on time.
Katie
References:
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Communicating and documenting project progress. In Project Management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects (pp. 356-370). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Stolovitch, H. (n.d.). Communicating with Stakeholders. Lecture presented for Laureate Education Inc
It is very important to think about the message and your audience before deciding which mode to use for delivery. I also think it is important to consider the information that needs to be exchanged or discussed when decided on the delivery method.
ReplyDeleteMy preference for communication would be a phone call or face-to-face meeting that is followed up with an email. The email would provide the necessary documentation and would allow the recipient to view the message over again as needed.
Annie Swihart
Personality conflicts are noteworthy for discussion. Everyone is not going to mesh professionally with one another. With this being said, I have seen the most professional of professionals struggle with effective communication with a colleague whose personality clashes. This is when we must be very cognizant of the body language we exude and the attitudes we demonstrate. These two characteristics can trump the most polite speech ever.
ReplyDeleteKatie – Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Nice summary of Dr. Stolovitch’s points for effectively communicating with stakeholders.
ReplyDeleteWorking through our exercise showed me that personal connections are essential. Email leaves much to the imagination. Voicemail is slightly better as you can get a sense of urgency through the tone of voice. Face to face however in this instance seemed like the best option. Face-to-face communication includes all of the factors you included in your post. With the advent of Skype face-to-face communication is possible anywhere you have an Internet connection. But face-to-face communications should be reserved for critical communications.
That said, this all could possibly have been prevented through continual meetings of the project team that includes checkpoints, consequences for not meeting timelines and impacts to the project.
Michelle Flamos