Why did I choose this resource?
I chose this resource to advance communications skills, both internally and externally, before, during, and after a project.
What did you learn from it?
I learned multiple ways to communicate and why it is extremely important to keep lines of communication open.
Key Knowledge
- Most general cause of project failure – Poor Communication
- Change Management Project – 3 main parties
- “sponsor” – communicates with executives and ensures success
- “champion” – communicates to employees of the company the business value
- “Working Committee” – communicates to customers the actual benefits
- Create an easy to read project charter.
- Plainly and descriptively state the business problem, scope of work, and anticipated risks.
- Keep lines of communication open with the constituents of the project throughout its entirety.
- All team members of a project need to be aware of the client’s corporate culture, company policies, departmental protocol, key relationships, and informal hierarchies.
- Core Elements of Communication Programs
- Analyzing the message
- Planning the message
- Delivering the message
- Communication Strategies
- Most important to least important – presenting multiple variables
- State the problem and then the solution – technical approach
- Big-picture approach – small project affects the entire company
- Differentiate the new approach – presenting a project that has failed previously
- Main forms to share information and have the recipient remember is by “frequency,” “primacy,” “recency,” and “emotion.”
- People remember information more effectively when they have read, listened, and seen it.
- Avoid “victim mentality” by including all team members in the project from the beginning and informing them of changes and how the changes will benefit them.
- When conveying details of a project, be mindful of word choice, setting, medium, timing, and content.
- Stay POSITIVE and keep everyone informed!
How are you using what you learned?
I am using what I learned to improve our process of communication. This includes how employees/contractors/executives converse with each other, and how they communicate to clients.
Key Changes / Key Actions
- Centralized area of communication so all involved are updated
- Use simple speech so all involved may understand
Source
- Name : Communications Skills for Project Managers
- Author : Michael Campbell
- getAbstract.com: Link to Book
