Thursday, November 14, 2013

Communicating Effectively



“The key to successful project management is effective communication” (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, 2008). Project managers must have an understanding of the best approaches for communicating with their project teams and stakeholders at the appropriate times and the most appropriate modality for communicating (Portny, et al., 2008). To gain additional insight on how messages are conveyed in different modes of communication, we were asked to examine a message communicated via email, voicemail, and face-to-face. The same words are used in each modality however the effectiveness of different aspects of the message varies in each.

Email
The first modality used to deliver the message was via email. In the message the writer, Jane expresses consideration initially for Mark, the recipient’s busy schedule by explaining that she understands he has been busy and may not have been able to get a necessary report to Jane as a result of being in a meeting (Laureate, n.d.). Written communication should begin with identifying a clear purpose followed by an explanation of the issues, and it should include suggestions for potential solutions (Laureate, 2010). The email Jane has sent to Mark communicates a clear purpose from the beginning by expressing a need for an estimated time on a missing report that Mark is responsible for. Importance of this report and data is expressed by explaining the impact of the situation (Portny, et al., 2008). Jane explains that not having the report is creating an issue for her to move forward with her portion of the project (Laureate, n.d.). Jane also communicates a possible solution that she needs with either having the report sent back to her or the data she needs via email.

Voicemail
The second modality used was voicemail. Just as in the email message, Jane expresses initial consideration for Mark’s busy schedule followed by communicating the same words only this time in audio by leaving Mark a voicemail message. Communication and the message that is received are impacted by aspects other than just the words that are used (Laureate, 2010). Using voicemail to communicate a message in this scenario provides an opportunity for Jane to establish a greater sense of important through tone she uses (Laureate, 2010). The inflection Jane uses in her voice conveys a message of concern over not being able to meet her deadline (Laureate, n.d.). Unfortunately however the tone that Jane uses in the voicemail could also be misinterpreted by Mark as there is a sense exasperation and frustration in Jane’s voice with not receiving the report from Mark. Additionally the voicemail does not communicate who is delivering the message to Mark as Jane never states her name. Mark may be working on several projects and he could potentially be confused over who is contacting him and what specific report or data is needed.

Face-to-Face
The third modality that was used to communicate the message was via face-to-face. Just as in the voicemail and in the email, the same words are once again used. The change however is that Jane communicates a message through her body language (Laureate, 2010). The facial expressions and body language that Jane uses when communicating to Mark established shows concern in getting the report or data to her in order to meet her deadline (Laureate, n.d.). The also is an opportunity to create an interchange in which Mark and Jane can discuss the issue together to come to a resolution in getting the reports to Jane.  

Communicating Effectively as a Team
Communicating via telephone can be effective when you want someone to hear your particular tone of voice to communicate a message. Leaving a voicemail however does not allow for the person delivering the message to know whether or not the person received or whether or not they clearly understood the message. Selecting a voicemail for communicating with a project team member needs to be clear and concise. In the scenario presented to us this week, it would have been more beneficial for Jane to request that Mark promptly call her regarding the reports so that further clarification could be provided in addition to communicating a sense of urgency in the tone of her voice.

If the need arises to communicate an urgent message while working on a project, it would be better served by using written or face-to-face methods. Communicating through writing should be used when the message can be conveyed without the need for body language and setting a tone through inflection in one’s voice. The challenge of communicating in writing is that there is a risk of information being misinterpreted if the information is not presented (Portny, et al., 2008). Additionally, by communicating this message in an email, Jane is not able to verify when Mark has received and read the email and whether or not he understood what she was requesting (Portny, et al., 2008). When choosing to communicate a message such as this via email it would be important to require a read receipt so that it is known when the recipient has read the email. If requesting to obtain data or a report such in this scenario, it would also be beneficial to state more clearly what specific report or data is needed and a specific timeline in which it is needed by.  Choosing to communicate face-to-face would require appropriate timing and understanding of the personality in which one is attempting to convey a message to (Laureate, 2010). Having an understanding of the individual’s personality and schedule would be beneficial in knowing how to best approach them and what tone and body language needs to be used to convey a message of importance. If the message is urgent, conveying the message face-to-face provide an opportunity for individuals to clarify their understanding of the issue and come to a resolution together.

“A project team is a collection of people who are committed to common goals and who depend on one another to do their jobs” (Portny, et al., 2008). Project managers and project team members must establish guidelines for communicating effectively with one another in order to accomplish successful outcomes. Different situations may arise during a project necessitating communicating through different modalities. In the scenario presented to us this week, one project team member is attempting to hold another accountable for completing their portion of a project. The modalities of communication presented in the scenario we reviewed highlights the importance of selecting the most appropriate approach for communication based on what the message is that needs to be conveyed.






References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Communicating with stakeholders. [Video webcast] [with Dr. Harold Stolovitch]  Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_4065699_1%26url%3D

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). The art of effective communication. [Multimedia program]  Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_4065699_1%26url%3D

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.



11 comments:

  1. Amber,

    You pointed out a great stance about the author of the voicemail may not have been Jane, as she did not state her name. The assumption that it was Jane leaving the voicemail places a different spon on the situation presented. I assumed so much in this scenario that I failed to think outside the box and look at the "what if's". Communication is so important when working with projects and project teams, where many people are involved and time and money is on the line. Based on the three modalities (e-mail, voicemail, and face-to-face), conveying a message with the appropriate approach should be the basis of all communications.

    Robin

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  2. Hi Robin,

    A lot of communication at job takes place either via telephone or email since there are very limited opportunities for face-to-face communication for me. As such, I think this gave me a more critical eye for the voicemail that was left by Jane. I have learned that leaving a voicemail message requires being very precise and clear in the information that is left. In the scenario that we examined it seemed like the voicemail was probably the least appropriate for the message being communicated and would have been better addressed by Jane leaving her contact info for Mark to follow-up with her by a specific time or maybe even indicating that she was going to stop by his desk later that day.

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  3. Good points, you all. For some reason, I had made the assumption that the message was phrased the exact same way each time. Which, I guess it was...only on a voicemail, we are missing an introduction by Jane. So amazing when you have many eyes and ears analyzing something. Better for Jane to just leave her contact info for Mark to get the information directly from her over the phone. That would be more a more personable and direct approach. Great post, Amber! I particularly appreciate how organized your blog looks and the sections with good, appropriate images located in logical places. I'm still working on getting some formatting themes going. It's all been great experience.

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    1. Hi Sky,

      Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it!

      Unfortunately, I have been the recipient of voicemails such as this where the individual does not clearly identify who they are or communicate their contact information for clarification and follow-up. It is challenging to track down then who it was exactly that was attempting to contact me. Sometimes I have found it helpful when contacting someone via email to call them and leave a voicemail message with my information along with advising them that I will also be sending them an email. It seems like it is easier these days to get in touch with people via email more than any other form of communication.

      Thanks!
      Amber

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  4. Amber,
    Your descriptions of each form of communication were very clear and concise. Can you think of any ways to make email and voice mail communication more effective and less likely to be misunderstood?
    Angela

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    1. Hi Angela,

      In terms of the email it would have been more effective for Jane to state specifically what report she was looking for and specific data she needed. She also should have stated a specific schedule for receiving the data to Mark and provide her contact information with a message stating to call her if he needed additional clarification. Additionally, I felt as though she should have phrased her concerns differently for not being able to meet her deadline as a result of not having the reports from Mark. While it certainly is necessary to hold Mark accountable and convey a message of importance on receiving the report I think that Jane should have stressed her concerns from a standpoint of the organization or the project itself rather her personal risk for loss if the report is not received. Mark may interpret this as being negative and blaming him when perhaps there are extenuating circumstances that have caused the delay that are out of Mark's hand as well.

      In terms of strategies for the voicemail, I do not think that a voicemail is an appropriate way to communicate the message in which Jane is trying to convey to Mark in this scenario. It would have been better for Jane to leave a brief message requesting that Mark call her back by a specific time that day to follow-up on her concerns for the report.

      Thanks,
      Amber

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  5. Amber,
    I agree that email provides an excellent way to track responses and having a read receipt shows proof of getting the email in the first place. Written communication can be used as part of a justification for a decision or as a personal reminder for further work - something that spoken communication fails to do although does communicate a more urgent message due to emotional content. How important do you think it is to be able to read the emotional content of a message?

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    1. Hi Linda,

      I noted several variations in all of our classmates’ interpretations of the different communication modalities this week. Based on those variations, it is fair to say that it is challenging to predict what emotional reaction an individual will have upon receiving a message, especially if this message is communicated via email. I do think that it is important to be able read the emotional content of a message, but I also think that the answer to your question largely depends on what the message that is attempting to be communicated. For example, if someone one is communicating a message regarding a meeting time and location or providing me date or information that we have already previously discussed I am not likely to read too far in the emotional content of the message. The message being delivered does not need to have additional emotional content attached to it in order to effectively communicate the message. If I am however receiving information on an issue that has arisen I will need to be able to read the emotional content of the message to gain a better understanding of the nature of the issue and urgency to address it. It is important as a recipient of a message to clarify as needed to understand better if we are perhaps reading too deep into the emotional content of a message and as an individual sending a message it is important to be aware of the audience and the content of the message to ensure that there is no room for misinterpretation of the message.

      Thanks!
      Amber

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  6. Amber,

    I like your breakdown analogy of the email. voice-mail & face-to-face between Jane & Mark. Emails can get misdelivered & possibly go into cyber-neverland. Jane should have included receipt when Mark opened it assuring that he got it & read her message. As for the voice-mail, it too can get not sent/delivered, so Jane should also asked Mark to call her asap to talk about the data she needs from his report. As for the face-to-face, visual is always a better means of conversing & conveying a message.

    Cheryl

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    1. Hi Cheryl,

      Yes, I can definitely attest to both emails and voicemails getting lost in neverland. We use a voice over IP phone system for work and I discovered over the summer that suddenly for some reason there was a technical glitch causing me to not receive my voicemails. I only discovered this after I had been waiting to receive a call back from someone. After the issue was fixed I discovered voicemails that were a month old that I had not gotten. Luckily none of the messages were urgent. This certainly makes the case for checking back with individuals when you have not received a call back or for possibly doubling up with sending an email message with a read receipt as well.

      Thanks!
      Ambe

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  7. Amber,

    Great post! I find it astounding that Dr. Stolovitch says that 80% of communication is nonverbal! If this is the case, 80% of what was "communicated" is left out of emails and voicemails. This means we are interpreting almost the entire message. With this much left to our interpretation, we are bound to get the true intent behind the message wrong every once in while and that may lead to misunderstandings. That is time wasted. How can we insure that our intended message gets across correctly the first time? A classmate recommended having an initial meeting face-to-face establishing deadlines, and sending an email as a follow up to that meeting. However, I think the suggestions made here are just as effective!

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