Thursday, November 15, 2012

Communicating Effectively



Communication these days can come in many forms such as e-mail, face-to-face and by phone.  The ways in which the material is sent can lead to different interpretations of the meaning behind the message.  Even in some cases, it can be misinterpreted and blown out of extreme if you are not clear concise and focus in your delivery method. (Dr. Stolovich, 2009).  I was asked to take a look at three examples of the same message being delivered and see what I noticed about the delivery methods. 
 
The first delivery was through an e-mail. In the e-mail, I perceived the sender to be frustrated and upset that another team member. That team member had not completed their work, and therefore, the sender would end up being late on her assignment.  The wording in the e-mail was very short and “to a point”, but the sender did end it by saying “I really appreciate your help”. 

The second delivery method was by voicemail.  In this method I could sense that the sender was not as upset or frustrated as the e-mail had lead.  I could still feel a sense of emergency from the sender, but by hearing her voice and the tone that she had, the voicemail was not as condescending as the e-mail. 

Last was the face-to-face interaction.  This method lead me to believe that the sender was not upset or frustrated at all, but understanding that the team mate might have been very busy and just hasn’t had the time to complete his portion. 

The way in which we communicate is very important as a Project Manager.  You need to be calm and thoughtful when presenting or passing on information in any method you decide.  Some people have a preference in the way they are asked to complete tasks or given directions on a project. It all boils down to building relationships with your teammates and understanding who they are as a person in the working environment.  Bad communication can lead to a long, drawn out project where nobody involved is having fun.


References

Stolovich, Harold. (2009).  Communicating with Stakeholders (Video Presentation). Laureate Education.  

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