Be A Better Communicator

Be A Better Communicator

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Good communication is the foundation that keeps your team moving forward. But as our communication options expand, our ability to match the method to the need sometimes becomes fuzzy. Here weve outlined the top 3 communication methods, along with dos and donts for each.

E-mail and Instant Messaging

E-mail (along with IM and other social media platforms) has become a ubiquitous communication tool. Fast, efficient, archive-ready, and available on computers as well as mobile devices, we rely on it for much of our project-related communications. While e-mail has numerous advantages, some of the drawbacks include accumulating a huge volume of datamuch of it less-than-critical and occasionally downright superfluousvery quickly. Resist the urge to fire off e-mails every time a thought enters your head. Instead, try to batch questions or consolidate information before creating a new message.

When to use: E-mail is a fantastic way to disseminate information quickly and to multiple recipients. Its also good for those instances when you need a record of when data was sent and who received it.

When to avoid: When youre upsetyou might send something you later regret. Instead, take a step back and evaluate the situation objectively before hitting send. E-mail may also be a poor choice if youre trying to convey delicate or unpleasant information. Your meaning or inflection could come through incorrectly, resulting in potentially confusing or even offending the recipient.

Phone

The sheer availability of phone service makes it the communication tool of choice for a huge number of people. Its typically fast, reliable, and offers some of the advantages of in-person discussions without the formality of meetings and other scheduled events. Voicemail phone tag and the occasional inability to make it past a senior-level persons gatekeeper sometimes make the phone far less efficient than other methods of communication. If youre spending too much time following up on phone messages, its time to consider sending an e-mail or scheduling a meeting.

When to use: There are times when its quicker to pick up the phone and ask a question than it is to type out an e-mail or walk to someones office. Its also a good tool to consider when youve already tried to communicate by e-mail but you dont seem to be getting the information you need.

When to avoid: While the phone is just as good asif not better thanface-to-face most of the time, its not always the right tool. Dont use the phone for sensitive issues, such as counseling employees who are having performance problems.

Face-to-face

Talking with someone in person (which for our purposes may also include video or web conferencing) is a tried and true way to convey information, use others body language to finely target your message (especially helpful when selling a potential project to key stakeholders), and cut through the bottomless wormhole of question-and-answer that e-mail threads sometimes become. Watch out for meetings that dont have agendas or clear objectives, as well as speakers who seem to talk forever without accomplishing anything. Keep your meetings relevant and concise, and distribute minutes quickly so you arent recapping over and over for folks who didnt attend.

When to use: Face-to-face communications are powerful opportunities to convince, persuade, and connect. Key meetings and presentations should be conducted in person, as should all sensitive discussions (e.g., employee performance issues).

When to avoid: In-person communication often takes time, either to prepare for or to travel to. If you can receive or distribute information more quickly via e-mail or phone without compromising your message, then theres no need to spend the time on face-to-face.

About the Author:
PMAlliance, Inc. is a project management consulting, project management training and project office development company.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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