Project Management - Communicating Effectively

This week we examined a sample communication resource in which the message was delivered via three different media formats; email, voice mail, and face-to-face. The medium used for communication can have a significant impact on how it is received by the recipient (Rajkumar, 2010). Communication effectiveness is also influenced by the attitude of the sender, the tone, body language, timing, and the personality of the recipient (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.). Some media are better at conveying the non-verbal aspects of a message than others, with face-to-face being best for conveying non-verbal information (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.; Nolan, 2017).

I found the tone of the email fairly friendly and warm. It was also quick to read, and pretty clear what the requested deliverables were, with clear reasons why they were needed, and clear options for a response. I would have happily responded to this email.

The voicemail, while technically polite, sounds a little cold and nasty in some way. I found it harder to remember the details of the deliverable request, as the tone is what makes the strongest impression. These emotional variables are often referred to as “noise” (Gillard, & Johansen, 2004; Nolan, 2017; Rajkumar, 2010). I felt distracted with wondering if she was really mad at me, and I had done something wrong, or it was just her phone voice. As a receiver of the message, my past experiences and expectations affect the meaning of the message (Gillard, & Johansen, 2004).

With the face-to-face communication the tone certainly came across as nicer than the voicemail, the sender seemed fairly warm and just asking for help. I still found it harder to pick out what the deliverables were though. It takes longer to listen to, and I feel like there would be even more time spent on follow-up conversation.

When communicating face-to-face there is less room for misunderstanding of tone and intent than with an email or voicemail (Nolan, 2017), although the recipient still applies their own understanding based on past experiences (Gillard, & Johansen, 2004). I found that I personally preferred the email, as it seemed friendly, clear, and was time efficient. I can see that other people may read it in a negative tone however, especially if they had previous negative experiences with the sender.

I think you have to take your past interactions, or lack of interactions with the recipient, into account when choosing a communication mode. You also have to consider the content of the message, and any political, cultural, or linguistic factors that may affect understanding or emotional response (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.; Rajkumar, 2010). You may also have to consider if there are any requirements laid out in a project communications plan (Nolan, 2017), and even if not, you may want to have a record of the communication (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.).

Robin

References:

Gillard, S., & Johansen, J. (2004). Project Management Communication: a Systems Approach. Journal of Information Science, 30(1), 23–29. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165551504041675

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (n.d.). Communicating with stakeholders [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Nolan, P. (2017, March 17). Effective and efficient project management communication. Linkedin [Web site]. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/effective-efficient-project-management-communication-nolan-pmp--1

Rajkumar, S. (2010). Art of communication in project management. Project Management institute [Web site]. Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/effective-communication-better-project-management-6480