“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.
