Communicating Effectively

Source: www.microsoft.com

Dr. Harold Stolovich advises project managers to be clear, concise, and focused in order to help project team members stay on target. Stolovich reminds us that communication is not just about the words.  Effective communication is influenced by (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.):

·         spirit and attitude;

·         tonality and body language;

·         timing; and,

·         the personality of the recipient.

As part of this week’s assignment I had the opportunity to review a message sent in three different modalities, each of which elicited a different response from me outlined below.  

Email	Voicemail	Face-to-Face
The tone in the email message seemed self-centered.  It was all about what the email sender needed instead of why the missing report was so crucial.  It seemed as if the email sender was blaming the receiver for not being timely with the report.	The tone in the voicemail was semi-demanding and abrupt, and reflected impatience in retrieving the requested information.	The body language was clearly sincere in communicating not only the importance of the report but offered flexibility in the timing for receiving it.

While the face-to-face communication was by far my most preferred method; this is not always possible in today’s organizations with employees in different locations throughout the country and even the world.  Stolovich recommends meeting with stakeholders at the beginning of project to determine standards of communication including: frequency; communication types; response time frames; language (words and phrases); format; and rules of participation in the project (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.).

“Whether you are planning a meeting or working with a new meeting professional as a client, setting communications preferences can be the secret recipe to business relationship success.” (Sanders, 2012)

For the project manager’s toolkit, here are a few communication tips for effective projects (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.): 

1. Important communication is best delivered with all team members present in a live setting if possible.
2. Avoid ambiguity.
3. Document everything, including verbal discussions.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d). Project Management in Education & Training [DVD]. In

     Communicating with stakeholders. Baltimore, MD: Dr. Harold Stolovich.

Sanders, T. (2012). What’s your communication preference? Meeting Professionals International.

     Retrieved from http://www.mpiweb.org/Portal/Management/20120807

    /What_s_Your_Communication_Preference

Learning from a Project “ Post-mortem”

While studying instructional design practices at Walden University I have been employed in a variety of corporate settings and this has been instrumental in my learning process. I have been able to take what I learn in my studies and apply much of what I learn to real life settings. The Project Management course in which I am currently participating in this semester would have proved more beneficial in 2011 while I was working on a project that eventually failed.

This failed project was originally requested by a senior level manager and assigned to my colleague. The project involved analyzing vendors specializing in already created instructional materials and eventually choosing one who could provide access to an Internet-based resource library would interface with the organization’s learning management system. The online resource library was intended to provide just-in- time access for employee learning needs as well as record registration and completion statuses of completed topics. My colleague began working on the project in January of 2011. In May of 2011, my colleague transitioned out of the organization and the project transitioned to me for completion by August of 2011. I had no formal project management knowledge or experience.

Project transition information included:

• A 20-minute telephone conversation of the project from my colleague
• A spreadsheet of 15 potential vendors, 10 of which had been contacted for information regarding their offerings. Included on the spreadsheet was information by topic, delivery method, and cost.
• An outline requested topics that had been provided by the senior level manager.
  

I familiarized myself with the project by reviewing the information provided and having a discussion with the senior level manager who verbally granted support and approval of my recommended choice of vendor. During my work on the project from May 2011 to September 2011, I provided to the senior level manager:

• An analysis of vendor systems compatible with our organization’s learning management system.
• A spreadsheet of corporate competencies matched to compatible vendor instructional materials with corresponding available delivery formats (i.e. asynchronous, synchronous, classroom, job aids, etc.) and purchase price.
• Demonstration of and access to the chosen resource library and materials.
• A formal business proposal for approval.

Although I spent many hours on the project and provided to the best of my ability what I believed was desired, the project was not approved and eventually cancelled. What contributed to its failure was my lack of knowledge and experience in project management.

Looking back on this experience I would have taken the information initially provided to me and created a formal Statement of Work (SOW) document. I would have asked the senior level manager to fill in any gaps and approve the document prior to proceeding with the effort involved. I have come to learn that the SOW is the foundation for effective projects. The project concept must be clearly defined, enough so that you can get support from people in the organization (Greer, 2010).

Reference

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.

Focusing on Project Management

Welcome to a new semester with me and Walden's EDUC 6145 Project Management in Education and Training course.  I will be writing about my experiences and assignments in the course over the next eight weeks while putting into practice what I learn.  This should be a rewarding journey!