Communicating Effectively

What is communication?  It is a Big word with a Big meaning and a Big deal to most people. Communication defined by Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer,2008 is sharing the right messages with the right people in a timely manner. The question that puzzles many of us on occasion what is the best communication approach to use in certain situations.  In the business world sometimes it is clear and other times it can feel like a hit or miss.

Multimedia Program: "The Art of Effective Communication"

The example in the link above is a clear example of the use of communication and how the same message delivered three different ways can take on several meanings.  The same message was conveyed via, email, phone message and face to face.  As you analyze the example it is important to remember there are two communication approaches formal and informal ( Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer,2008):

A.     Formal communications are preplanned and conducted in a standard format in accordance with and established schedule.

B.     Informal communications occur as people think of information they want to share.

As I reflect on the different forms of comommunication, I considered the following questions:	Email	Phone	Face to Face
How did your interpretation of the message change from one modality to the next?	My interpretation of changed as it progressed.  The email conveyed a serious tone It appeared to be accusatory in tone and was putting blame on Mark for not doing his work and holding up Jane’s.  It also convey a since of a more serious problem by putting it in writing.  The phone message tone softened the message a bit but still had a not so positive undertone.  The face to face cleared up many of my perceptions.  Jane started by first coming to Mark with a smile and appears she was passing by.  It appeared very informal which keeps the tone positive.
What factors influenced how you perceived the message?	*Type of font used *Punctuation *Opening greeting *Closing Greeting	*Tone *Pitch of voice *Emphasis placed on certain words *Closing and the sound when the phone hangs up	*Tone *Pitch of voice *Body Language *Facial expression
Which form of communication best conveyed the true meaning and intent of the message?	It is hard to say which form of communication best conveyed the true meaning and intent of the messages.  If the intent was documenting this as a formal problem with past concerns the email was it.  If was a simple request with no other intent but a gentle reminder the phone call or face to face was the way to go.  I could also change that as a manager in the program I work for sometimes email is the best form of communication for me.
What are the implications of what you learned from this exercise for communicating effectively with members of a project team?	As a member of a project management team I have learned the following: 1.       Communication is the foundation of any project 2.      Communication while a great tool must be used wisely.

        

In closing I would like to add to my earlier definition of communication sharing the right messages with the right people in a timely manner and in a way that fits the purpose of the intended message.

Resource

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.