Effective Communication

In project management and instructional design, communication is very important. In the work place there are many forms of formal and informal communication (Portny et al, 2008). Any form of communication should be clear, concise and focused (Stolovitch, 2012). This week we looked at a message that was conveyed as an email, a voicemail and as a face to face conversation.

How did your interpretation of the message change from one modality to the next?

Email

Judging from the number of grammatical errors in this email, it seems that it was really rushed. Some people may not read too much into it and others might wonder why Jane had to rush the email; was it because she was feeling the pressure of the impending deadline and so she panicked and lost command of the English language, or is this just typical of Jane?

The email does follow the guidelines of diplomacy as mentioned by Stolovitch (2012) as it starts with “ I know you have been busy and possibly in that all day meeting” (Laureate, 2012). Since team members and stakeholders in an organization are always busy, it is important to keep any form of communication clear, concise and focused (Stolovitch, 2012). The first sentence is both diplomatic and states a clear purpose (Stolovitch, 2012) “I really need ETA on the missing report” (Laureate, 2012). There is also an important element of accountability in the email; “because your report contains data I need to finish my report I might miss my own deadline if I don’t get your report soon”. There is a sense of urgency in this sentence which I believe is conveyed and is clear.  The email then finishes with two forms of responses but it is not concise in when the response should be given by. This type of ambiguity diminishes the sense of urgency at the beginning of the email and might lead mark to believe that it is okay to send it when he wants to.

Voicemail

The same message was delivered through voicemail.  Although the message sounded informal, the intonation added a sense of urgency. Audio communication is difficult as the person can hear your voice but cannot see the physical cues. Jane stresses the right words in this message but since the message is a voicemail, it can easily over- looked, deleted or not taken as a priority. Jane should have added that she would follow up on this call to ensure he had received the message.

Face to face

I found this to be the worst of the messages. A conversation over the cubicle can also be easily forgotten in a busy organization. Stakeholders have many conversations with many people and so a conversation like this may not necessarily become a priority. Although Jane’s expression changed when she spoke about the report, her intonation did not convey the same sense of urgency.

What factors influenced how you perceived the message?

This week’s resources were very useful in determining the effectiveness of each message. I prefer written communication as it always documented. Emails have to be deleted consciously. It is also very easy to move contents to a calendar or a to- do list and set reminders.  There are times when written communication can be misinterpreted; in that situation it is better to have a face to face meeting and then send an email with the details of the meeting (Achong & Budrovich, 2012). Voicemails should also always have a follow up.  I know from my own experience that I very rarely follow up on voicemails.

Which form of communication best conveyed the true meaning and intent of the message?

I preferred the email. Although the content of each message was the same, I think the email conveyed the intent better. It is a written record of the problem and the proposed solution (Stolovitch, 2012). The other two forms seemed too informal and could be easily forgotten in a busy organization.  There will be times, however, when it is more appropriate to use a face to face conversation over email and there will be times when project managers may leave voicemail for team members. As long as there is a follow up and everything is documented, it should not be a problem.

What are the implications of what you learned from this exercise for communicating effectively with members of a project team?

Communication is essential in a working environment; formal and informal communication “are useful, meaningful ways to share and collect important project information” (Portny et al, 2008, p.357). It is important to tailor communication to the needs of the stakeholder. There may be stakeholders who do not like mass email messages and would prefer a meeting. The project manager should then document this meeting and send a copy to the stakeholder (Achong & Budrovich, 2012).  Communication should be clear, concise and focused (Stolovitch, 2012).

References 

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2012). Communicating with Stakeholders [DVD]. In Project Management . Baltimore, MD: Stolovitch, H

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2012 Project Management Concerns: Communication Strategies and Organizational Culture [DVD]. In Project Management . Baltimore, MD: Stolovitch, H

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2012). Practitioner Voices: Strategies for Working with Stakeholders [DVD]. In Project Management . Baltimore, MD: Achong, T & Budrovich, B

Portny et al (2008). Project management. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.