Project Communications Primer

How to get your point across effectively to manage and control

your project

What This Presentation Covers

• How to distribute project information

• How to choose the right medium for your messages

• How to get your messages across to others

• Why putting limits on formal communications isn’t a bad idea

Things to Consider First-1

• Consider the format of your message, the time of day, and the job of the recipients when determining the chances of your message reaching your intended receivers.

• Always consider the impact your message could have if it fell into the wrong hands.

Things to Consider First-2

• The medium is as important as the message.

• Means of communication often have a greater influence on people than the information being sent.

• Weigh the general advantages and disadvantages of each kind of communication format.

Telephone Calls

• Advantages:– Good for focused, short communications needing a

personal touch – Good for communications that should not be put into

the permanent written project record.– Allow you to personally reach people in remote

locations at relatively low cost.• Disadvantages:

– Some people are just plain hard to reach, and telephone tag can last for days.

– Telephone calls can be disruptive to the recipient if not expected in advance.

Voice Mail

• Advantages:– Great for short messages that aren’t personal or

sensitive in nature.– Allows for quick contact of those on remote sites.

• Disadvantages:– Long messages can be garbled, deleted, or lost.– People don’t always pick up their messages on a

regular basis.– Voice mail jail might not allow you to leave someone a

message.

E-Mail-1

• Advantages:– Provides a written record without sending paper– Allows you to attach other documents to it– Quick way to send messages to people in various

locations– Often, you can get a “read receipt.”– Provides high credibility– Good for precise details that can be conveyed within

the confines of one computer screen– Messages can be forwarded to others who have a

need to know.

E-Mail-2

• Disadvantages:– People may forget to save important messages– Recipients may fail to download attachments– Can seem impersonal.– Not good for sensitive issues.– Too easy to forward to others without thinking about long-term

consequences.– Needs a snappy, precise title to people take it seriously and

actually read it– Long messages alienate the reader– Lack of privacy– Can be risky because of the permanence of the message.

Short Notes

• Advantages:– Great for saying thanks and giving kudos.– Quick, simple, friendly, cheap.– You can handwrite them yourself.

• Disadvantages:– Can be overlooked.– Limited to short, clear messages.– Work best only when people are in the same

location.

Visiting/Walking Around

• Advantages:– Great way to see things in action.– You’ll get a great impression of the tone and

productivity of the team.– You can discuss lots of topics and issues in detail.

• Disadvantages:– You can be perceived as nosy or disruptive.– Discussions can be later forgotten or misinterpreted.– You have to keep the discussions focused so you

don’t waste everyone’s time.

Formal Meetings

• Advantages:– Enable lots of people to express issues and opinions.– You can discuss and resolve topics and issues in

great detail.

• Disadvantages:– Can become a big waste of time.– Can become confrontational.– Some people just don’t feel comfortable offering their

opinions in public.

Faxes

• Advantages:– Faxes are good for getting messages and reports to

people in diverse locations.– Faxes provide a quick way to get important written

documents to people.– You can send a signature with a fax.

• Disadvantages:– Too easily seen by others, so not good for confidential

or sensitive messages.– If no one expects your fax or checks the fax machine,

your fax may not ever get noticed, or will get noticed too late or by the wrong people.

Reports and Memoranda

• Advantages:– If used sparingly, these are good for communicating

procedures and updates.– Provide a permanent written record.

• Disadvantages:– Can be easily misunderstood, particularly if message

is negative.– Cannot be taken back.– Aren’t easily forgotten or forgiven if the message is

poorly conveyed.

Formal Presentations

• Advantages:– Great for presenting complex status reports to all

sorts of audiences– Allow effective use of graphics– Can have a lasting positive impression on the

audience, particularly if done professionally• Disadvantages:

– Require considerable planning and skill– Time-consuming in production, require attendance,

and can be expensive.– Poorly presented material can negatively impact on

an otherwise successful project.

Other Media

• Advantages:– Pagers, cell phones and beepers allow for quick contact.– Groupware software is great for keeping status reports and

general project info up-to-date.– A project web site helps people on a really large project to stay

abreast of objectives, accomplishments, deliverables and project plans.

• Disadvantages:– Contacting people with cell phones pagers and beepers is

annoying. Try to limit it to emergencies.– Everyone has to understand the groupware software to take full

advantage of what it has to offer.– People need to be able to access the project web site remotely.

Selecting the Best Medium for Your Communications-1

• When you have real or controversial issues to resolve, discuss them in person.

• Don’t use meetings to attack or scold people. Performance problems should be privately and confidentially discussed only with the parties involved.

• Use e-mail for routine and day-to-day messages, but limit the number of messages and resist the temptation to send everything to everyone. Too much e-mail wastes time and is distracting.

Selecting the Best Medium for Your Communications-2

• If you have a big report or formal deliverable coming, you can let people know via fax, voice mail or e-mail to expect it, improving the likelihood that they’ll actually read it.

• Limit formal meetings to those that are absolutely necessary.– Have clear agenda– Limit attendees to those who really need to be there– Afterwards, distribute minutes of meeting to those

people who need to know what was discussed.

Selecting the Best Medium for Your Communications-3

• Consider the culture and cohesiveness of your team:– Less cohesive groups need more ongoing

communication from project managers.– More cohesive groups tend to require less

direct communication from the project manager

– Consider the individual and group issues as you choose and construct your communications

Effective Messages-1

• Outline the message before you deliver it. It helps to know what you’re going to say before you say it.

• When you have the urge to send something nasty or negative, wait until you cool off or have had time to rethink it. Sending such messages is a bad idea.

• Think about the target expectation for the message, the actions that will be required as a result of it, and your expectations after the message is delivered.

Effective Messages-2

• Justify your choice of delivery medium for your message.

• Justify the timing of your message.• Begin your message with an introduction to

identify the issues and context.• Be clear and specific in your message about

what actions need to be done.• Be concise without being rude or insensitive.• Respect social niceties.

Project Team Communications

• As project manager, you are responsible for these areas of your team’s communications. Think of yourself as a clearinghouse for:– Information about respective responsibilities– Information to help the team work together efficiently and

effectively– Status information for identifying and solving problems and

setting priorities– Information regarding management decisions– Information from the customer– Information from stakeholders– Any other information that may affect the business environment

of the project– Any other information that may affect people’s work

assignments.

Communication is Listening-1

• Listening is one of the most important communications skills you possess.

• Listening helps you determine whether your messages are understood.

• Focused listening keeps you abreast of project progress better than any report can.

• Observant listening helps you anticipate political issues and personnel clashes before they hamper the project.

Communication is Listening-2

• How to be a better listener:– Stop talking and let others talk to you.– Let people finish what they are saying, and don’t

interrupt.– Give the person you are listening to your full and

undivided attention.– Listen with intent and purpose, noting body language,

facial expression and underlying meaning of the message.

– Restate what people just said to make sure you understood the message properly.

Reasons for Message Failure

• The message got misinterpreted.– Your tone, medium, choice of words, timing or any

combination thereof was inappropriate or deficient.

• The message was ignored or not taken seriously.

• The message got there to late to do any good.• The message ended up with the wrong person.

To Sum It All Up

• When you are in charge, everything you write or say either helps or gets in the way of your project.

• Never underestimate the importance of personal communications.

• Never underestimate the risk of putting things in writing.• Plan, construct and assess every formal communication

you make—carefully!• Only by truly listening will you find out what’s really going

on with your project and with your project team.• Never, ever send a negative message to motivate

people.