WEEK 3 BLOG
The Art of Effective Communication.”
How did your interpretation of the message change from one modality to the next?
Although the message was the same content, the mode of delivery influenced its interpretation and urgency. The email message seemed a little sarcastic at the beginning when the sender said you are probably ‘in that all-day meeting ‘ instead of saying that ‘you might be busy in meetings today, however’, I think how you phrase or construct a written message can impact the receiver, so one should be careful not to use words whose tone or attitude may be misconstrued or ambiguous. However, I interpreted the message in the audio format to be more friendly based on the tone, as while it was urgent, it wasn’t aggressive or sarcastic. In the video message, the interpretation of the message was more personable as it combined audio and visual elements like tone, gestures, and attitude were communicated using body language. According to Stolovich (n.d., Walden University), 93% of communication is not in words, and that effective communication is influenced by spirit and attitude, tonality and body language, timing, in addition to the personality of the recipients.
What factors influenced how you perceived the message?
Some of the factors that influence how I perceived the messages are culture, relationship to the sender, language, tonality, attitude, and body language. According to Stolovich (n.d., Walden University), 93% of communication is not in words and that effective communication is influenced by spirit and attitude, tonality and body language, timing, in addition to the personality of the recipients. He further opines that it is important to identify and meet with the key people to ask for advice concerning acceptable communication norms and practices so as PM you can avoid ‘bear traps’ like problematic analogies or words you should not use.
Which form of communication best conveyed the true meaning and intent of the message?
The form of communication that best conveyed the true meaning and intent of the message was the video. While there is no one-size- fits- all mode of communication, the preferred mode of communication is subjective, and therefore like myself, stakeholders will select the mode that best fit their personality and availability. Stolovich further opines that Project managers meet with clients/stakeholders at the beginning of the project to establish the standards for communication protocols such as frequency, form or mode of communication, the kinds of response time frames, language, and format and establish the rules of participation. Achong (n.d., Walden University), proposes that project managers collaborate and find the best way to communicate with the stakeholders is to earn their trust by seeking advice from the people stakeholders' trusted confidante.
What are the implications of what you learned from this exercise for communicating effectively with members of a project team?
Many projects fail due to poor or inconsistent communication with stakeholders, so it is essential for project managers to develop an effective communication plan once they have identified their stakeholders (Taylor, 2013). Taylor (2013), further suggests that PM understand who the stakeholders are, determine their level of involvement in the project, analyze their needs and interests, and enquire what is their preferred mode or frequency of communication.
It is important to develop sustainable stakeholder engagement by possessing stakeholder engagement competency. Stolovich (n.d., Walden University) recommends that the first meeting with the project team and stakeholders, be in person/ live with all stakeholders in attendance. Aakhus & Bzdak (2015), posits that it is important for professional within an organization to develop stakeholder engagement using value-added or meaningful engagements by facilitating various forms of communication and engaging in quality and disciplined human interactions.
A Communication framework can be established by creating roles, rules, and procedures, integrating the use of technologies and messaging, and creating policies, procedures, and designs for various communication functions ( Aakhus & Bzdak, 2015). Communication plans must address the what, when, where, and how, such as , how much details to communicate based on the stakeholders’ level of involvement and when to communicate to each, where to communicate by facilitating their select mode and how to communicate, such as which team member will be responsible for keeping the stakeholder informed (Taylor, 2013). Other types of information often communicated to stakeholders during the project are details regarding scope changes such as date of request, detail of the change, the reasons, the justification, what type of changes, , the priorities it has, the impact on the timeline, and budget, who requested it, and which parties sign off to it (Stolovich, n.d., Walden University). One way of managing communication among stakeholders during a project is using the RACI Matrix, which visually illustrates which person needs to be responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed during different activities and phases of the project ( Good , 2023).
Burdovich (n.d., Walden University), opines that it is fundamental to keep stakeholders involved and that the PM should keep in constant communication with stakeholders using email and meetings, or private meetings followed up by emails. Stolovich also recommends that project managers document every meeting in writing and have stakeholders sign off on them as important artefacts for accountability purposes in project management. It is also important to practice documenting the outcome of the meetings and circulate the document to stakeholders so they can make recommendations and revisions (Stolovich, n.d., Walden University).
References
Aakhus, M., & Bzdak, M. (2015). Stakeholder engagement as communication design practice links to an external site.. Journal of Public Affairs, 15(2), 188-200. DOI: 10.1002/pa.1569.
Taylor, J. (2013). Elements of a Stakeholder Communication PlanLinks to an external site.. Retrieved from http://www.brighthubpm.com/project-planning/15148-elements-of-a-stakeholder-communication-plan/
Viswanathan, B. (2016). Understanding Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RACI Matrix)Links to an external site.. Project Management. Retrieved from http://project-management.com/understanding-responsibility-assignment-matrix-raci-matrix/
Walden University, LLC. (Executive Producer). (n.d.). Communicating with stakeholders [Video file]. Retrieved from https://waldenu.instructure.com
Hi Carol,
ReplyDeleteWhat is great about this exercise is reading how each person arrived at their final perception of the message in three communication modalities. Everyone will interpret this message differently based on their interpretation. Although I understand why you chose face-to-face because I thought about it as well, in my opinion, the person came over too relaxed, and their voice tone differed from the person in the voicemail; it did not seem as urgent to take them seriously. However, based on your explanation, I agree that the appearance made it more personal. To determine if the communication method was effective, one must understand the emotion and intentions behind the information sent (Robinson, Segal & Smith, n.d.). This is why how an individual presents themselves, whether via email, voicemail, or face-to-face, should show some form of emotion, whether through the words being used, body language, or voice tone.
Joelle Gill-Wilkinson
Reference
Robinson, L., Segal, J., & Smith, M. (n.d.). Effective communication. Retrieved from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships-communication/effective-communication.htm
Hi Carol,
ReplyDeleteIt is quite interesting to read others' interpretations of the three different methods of delivering a message. I too said face-to-face was the best representation of the full message!
Your point that PMs should attempt to always have the first kick-off meeting with all stakeholders in person got me thinking. I work with a lot of non-profit organizations who work with staff across the country but are on restricted budgets. As a PM, how do you develop stakeholder engagement on a virtual team? I struggle with this issue in my actual job and am always open to hearing new ideas. Thanks!