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Real World Project Management - Communications - Part III
April 1, 2008 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Communications Management, Project Management Best Practices
Real World Project Management - Communications - Part III (#3 in the series Real World Project Management - Communications)
By Joseph Phillips
Say It Like You Mean It
So if written communication has its challenges, verbal communications must be great, right? We know better. Think back to your teenage days, when your folks would say that it’s not what you say, but how you say it. Well, that’s what my dad would tell me. And, as usual, he was right.
Dad was telling me, teaching me, about paralingual communications. Paralingual describes the pitch, tone, and inflections in the speaker’s voice that affect the message. Can you think of all the different ways a project team member can say, “Sure. I’ll get right on it.” I bet you’ve heard them all.
And then there’s the nonverbal communication–all that body language. (For Olivia Newton-John fans: Let me hear your body talk.) Posture, facial expression, shoulders, tugging on the ears, crossed arms, hand signals accentuate or reply to the message you’re hearing.
Ready for another statistic? Good. About 55% of all communication is nonverbal. If this is true, and I believe it to be true, you can see why phone calls, broadcast videos, and teleconferences aren’t as effective as face-to-face meetings.
You’ve been in meetings and witnessed team members’ expressions when you’ve shared good or bad news. And then you’ve reacted to the expressions on their faces, right? You’ve modified your message for clarity, you’ve asked them if they’ve got a freakin’ problem, you’ve continued with your spiel because they’re nodding their heads in agreement with you.
Just to be clear, and I want to be clear, a verbal message is affected by three major things:
- The message itself
- Paralingual attributes of the message
- Nonverbal communication
To be a great communicator takes experience. To be an effective communicator, you must ask questions. Do you understand me? Questions help the project team, the audience, your date, ask for clarification, deeper understanding, and an exact transfer of knowledge.
One approach, sometimes called “parroting,” requires the speaker to ask the project team to repeat the message in their own words. For example:
YOU: We’ve got to get this application developed by the end of the week or you’re all fired. Now, Jim, tell me what this means.
JIM: You’re an idiot?
YOU: No, you’re fired. Sally?
SALLY: We’ve got to get this software developed by Friday or we’ll be joining Jim at Wal-Mart.
YOU: That’s it. Get out. Get it done.
Parroting can be demeaning, especially for Jim, but it’s effective. You can be a bit more subtle than what I’ve presented here, by asking the audience if they’re clear on the message, and then asking questions based on what you’ve presented.
Joseph Phillips is the author of five books on project management and is a, PMI Project Management Professional, a CompTIA certified Project Professional, and a Certified Technical Trainer. For more information about Project Management Training, please visit Project Seminars.
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