Improve Your Communication Skill in Just 4 Ways!

One of common problem that always we face in making a project is poor project communication. According to a study conducted by PMI “Ineffective communications is the primary contributor to project failure one third of the time, and had a negative impact on project success more than the time”.

Capture this condition! You are a project manager that need to talk about key project member all the time and also keep them apprised what’s going on your project. From your eyes, you think they already understood what you meant but during the project, there were some part are delayed due to the schedule. Then you communicate the delay to them and all member got shocked. You also felt so shocked because they are shocked too. After all you thought they are plugged in what you have told them before but the fact is none of your command meant really clear to them.

Communication gaps exist not only in project but also organizational event. 86% of the executives cite ineffective communications as a reason for workface failures.(Retrieved from 1 2012 study by Salesforce says).

This communication gaps lead to misunderstanding outcome in project such as:

• Incorrect assumptions within teams
• Lack of truest
• Low morale
• Unnecessary friction

By this many executives take the immediate reaction to deploy a tool. But the bad things is there are more communication tools at our settlement that cause us to be less communicative.

Then here the question: How to avoid such misunderstanding? What if you are in a part of small project team that doesn’t have the luxury of a project management office?

Answering all your question, here 4 techniques that can be helpful for both new and experienced project managers:

STEP 1 : MAKE IT PREDICTABLE

First technique is to remove the guesswork out of the picture. People get frustrated when there is no predictable way to get information. Regardless of your team size, keep everyone notified regularly.

Send a weekly email or post a blog on your team site or have a weekly call. Set a cadence that works for you and your team to push the information to them. Key here is to push the information. Even if there is no update to share, teams appreciate when you proactively say I have nothing to share now.

STEP 2 : MAKE IT TRANSPARENT

Predictability gives a sense of security. It is also table stakes. It allows you to get your foot in the door, but still does not break the proverbial walls between teams.

Transparency does. It breeds trust. 

We tend to communicate when things go well, because it’s easy to deliver good news. Let’s face it, not everything is going to go well per plan. And when it does not, we go radio silent.

Social psychologists call this the “Mum effect” - It is the hesitation we have when delivering bad news. Withholding bad news is one of the biggest contributors to project failures.

Fear of consequence could be a key factor in driving this behavior when one is communicating up. Reality is, when you are transparent with your fellow team members they will be more understanding of your challenges and there is a high chance you might even get the help you need.

One of the key traits of a project manager is to be objective. You have to be viewed as Switzerland. Providing a transparent view into your project helps you get there.

STEP 3 MAKE IT ENGAGING

One sure way to lose your stakeholders is to bombard them with information. In every meeting, recite them the bug log and tell them how it’s getting fixed, you are guaranteed they will tune out.

Surprised? In the book "Made to Stick", authors Chip Heath and Dan Heath prove that people remember stories (63%) more than statistics (5%).

Some project managers tend to narrate finer execution details, because there is comfort in hiding behind complexity. It is one way to tell others we have a good handle on the project. Reality is, your project stakeholders could care less. They are interested in what is in it for me?.

Compared to a decade ago, our attention span is shortening. In fact, our attention span is less than that of a gold fish now.

So, here are a few ways to make your communication effective: 

• Keep your message simple and clear. Our brain processes it better. 
• Keep it conversational. It helps build quick rapport and credibility. 
• Present only relevant topics your audience is interested in. It shows you care. 
• Provide context. We retain information when you present it in the right context. 
• Adjust the level of details according to your audience. For instance, if it is for senior executives, keep it at a high-level and highlight the key risks in meeting the project goals.

STEP 4 MAKE SURE THEY ARE HEARD

As with everything else, keep fine tuning your communication by listening and incorporating their feedback. Are they getting the needed visibility? If not, what is missing? What is that they find useful? What is that they find not useful?

Include a survey after you have delivered it. Those who care will speak up. At first you may not like what you hear, but if you break it down to the core of their issues and address it, they can be your staunch supporter.

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In the end, a successful project delivery entails many individuals coming together and singing off the same sheet of music. Communication by itself is not going to solve all organizational issues. However many companies struggle at a basic level due to poor communication and change management practices.