Leadership Communication: Relations for Introvert Leaders Image by: kenfagerdotcom
Dr. Stolovitch in Communicating with Stakeholders advises that project managers are diplomats (Laureate Education, n.d.). The website dictionary.com defines a diplomat as someone “who is tactful and skillful in managing delicate situations, and handling people”. Dr. Stolovitch also suggests that clear, concise, and focused communication helps everyone stay on target; however communication is more than just words (Laureate Education, n.d.). We need to be mindful of our spirit and attitude, tonality and body language, time, and the personality of the person with whom we are communicating (Laureate Education, n.d.).
This week we examined how the mode of communication can affect how the message is received or interpreted. During our Walden presentation, we received the same message as an email, voicemail, and delivered face-to-face. Here are my reactions to these different modes:
- The most formal of the three communication modes
- The message came across as casually polite, but made it clear that the missing report/data was needed.
- The message was documented in writing. The information could easily be reread for clarity and understanding. It could also be printed and filed or added to an email folder as part of the project record. Mark should also take note that because it is in writing, Jane has documented her request for the needed information.
- There was no specific timeframe given, just that an ETA was needed and let me know when you can do it.
Voicemail
- Less formal because the request was not documented in writing
- Tone still came across as fairly polite, but the sense of urgency was apparent in the tone of voice and some of the words that were emphasized.
- As the receiver, I needed to listen to the message several times to get all of the details.
Face-to-Face
- At first glance appears very casual and informal – over the partition conversation, not even sitting down
- The tone, body language, and facial expressions however seemed condescending.
- Jane could have kept the visit friendlier by sitting down for a moment to “chat” first, and then ask the question about the needed data.
- If the message is delivered in person, it is harder to ignore than a voicemail or email message.
- There is nothing in writing to Mark about this request, but Jane could document the conversation with Mark for her records.
What can we learn from these scenarios about how to communicate (or how NOT to communicate) with project team members?
- After receiving the same message in three different modalities, it helped me to realize that how a message is delivered is as important as the content of the message. Vince Budrovich recommends that project managers tailor their communication strategy to fit the specific needs of each stakeholder (Laureate Education, n.d.). Jane needs to put her request in the context of the project and consider her working relationship with Mark in order to select the best communication mode for that message.
- Assuming Jane is the project manager, has she created and shared a project timeline with her stakeholders? A well communicated plan with due dates may have helped avoid this confrontation with Mark and helped Jane to receive her data in time to create her own report.
- Another important communication strategy is to hold regularly scheduled team meetings. This would give team members the opportunity to give and receive progress updates as well as “sustain productive and trusting interpersonal relationships” (Portny et al., 2007).
- Sometimes as the project manager, we don’t have direct authority over some or all of the project team members. Portny et al. (2007) offer some suggestions to overcome this.
- First, make sure your communications are clear and specific and formalize agreements in writing.
- Also, make the person accountable to the team, because his/her actions affect the progress of the team. Let team members know about commitments made and acknowledge when those promises are met and also communicate to the team when they are not (Portny et al., 2007).
Communicating to team members clearly about the objectives and goals of the project will help them to better understand the big picture or vision AND how their piece(s) fits into the goal. The Project Management Institute (PMI®) website suggests that successful project managers “translate strategy for the team”. The project manager, through communicating the objectives, can help team members see how individual parts of the project support the big picture.
dictionary.com retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diplomat?s=t
Laureate Education, (n.d.). Communicating with stakeholders. 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.
Project Management Institute, Inc. (2013). Three must-have communications skills. Retrieved from http://www.pmi.org/Professional-Development/Career-Central/3-Must-Have-Communications-Skills.aspx
References
Laureate Education, (n.d.). Communicating with stakeholders. 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.
Project Management Institute, Inc. (2013). Three must-have communications skills. Retrieved from http://www.pmi.org/Professional-Development/Career-Central/3-Must-Have-Communications-Skills.aspx
Thanks for the PMI link. The 3 Things, mirrored much of what we have learned this week about the importance of communication in project management. Melissa you caught some subtleties that had gotten by me, when I went through the exercise.
ReplyDelete1. Having to listen to the voicemail several time to get the details of the message.
2. Jane looking over the partition was kind of uncomfortable. I like the sitting down at eye level with the individual as being a better approach.
3. The email not giving an ETA, however that was true in all modalities.
You had a very keen sense of what was needed to perhaps fill the gaps. Dr. Stolovitch made it clear that communication is not just words. There are so many factors that influence effective communication. (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010)
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Project Management Concerns: Communicating with Stakeholders. [Video Podcast 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
Hi Sky,
DeleteThanks for your comments. This assignment was a great reminder to all of us that HOW we say things is just as important as WHAT we say. It's made me more conscious of my own body language as I communicate with colleagues, parents, and my students.
I'm so glad you mentioned that Jane should have sat down with Mark for a chat before delivering the news! I found the face-to-face communication to be so cold because of the nonverbal communication associated with it. Like you said, Jane was leaning over the cubicle with her arms crossed and she didn't seem like she wanted to even look at Mark. I thought she was perhaps annoyed with him! Maybe Mark is often late with his projects? Who knows!
ReplyDeleteAlso, you mentioned that you had to listen to the voice mail several times. I listened to it twice and then decided that if I were Mark, I would call Jane to further discuss the issue and reach an agreement. Like you said, it just goes back to tailoring the communication for the recipient. Great reflection!
Cheers,
Lesley
Hi Lesley,
DeleteI agree with you - Jane did seem annoyed with Mark. We don't know the history of their working relationship. As you mention, maybe he is often late on deadlines. Sitting down and talking, even if Jane is in a rush, could help them to build a better working relationship and perhaps give Mark more motivation to meet his deadlines.
Hi Melissa
ReplyDeleteGreat write-up, I found your perspective and recommendations interest as they took a different approach then my own and most of our peers. I especially liked your focus on holding others accountable when you have no direct authority over them; as inexperienced project managers I image this will be an important aspect of communication process for us all to learn. Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, and Sutton (2008) noted “project managers don’t need authority to hold people accountable; the people just must accept the responsibility”; they recommended getting the person’s acceptance of the responsibility in writing and getting the supervisor whom has direct authority over the person on board with the project and the specific responsibilities that person has accepted (p. 299). I wonder if Mark “accepted responsibility” for creating the missing report or if the task was assigned to him without his input. If he did not accept responsibility for the assignment, would this change your perspective of the scenario?
Heather
Reference
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.
Good question Heather. There are many times in my job as a classroom teacher that I have tasks given to me that I don't "accept", rather they are just dumped on my desk (or in my email box). I know that I have a responsibility to my team (my class, my grade level, staff at my school). If I don't take care of my responsibilities, it lets my team down.
DeleteI think the same is true for Mark. He lets the group down by not meeting the deadlines. We'd need to know more about the context of this situation to give a more specific answer.
Thanks for your reply.
You highlighted great points that I did not think of when I prepared my own post. Although I prefer the face-to-face communication that is followed by written documents however in the sample of our assignment, the face-to-face example did not show that great importance.
ReplyDeleteThe need of “A well communicated plan with due dates” as you said would have saved Mark “may have helped avoid this confrontation with Mark and helped Jane to receive her data in time to create her own report.” This is definitely true! We always need to have a clear plan where everyone is aware of the process and due dates. The communication methods should also be clear and agree on, however, there is always a place for some changes that are related to the current events.