There are many forms of communication that do not
necessarily include verbal exchange of words.
Through communication people exchange and share information in addition to
influencing one another’s behaviors, attitudes and understandings (Portny, et
al., 2008).
In the video, Communicating With Stakeholders,
Dr. Stolovich stated that communication is not only done with words but also
with spirit, attitude, tonality, body language, timing and personality of the
recipient (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.).
In order to be effective in communication it must be ongoing and have
clearly stated purposes with possible solutions to any issues that may
arise.
Written communication can effectively help in
avoiding some conflicts among team members they may encounter (Laureate
Education, Inc., n.d.). The way you
deliver a message can have implications for the way your message is perceived (Laureate
Education, Inc., n.d.).
There are two things to remember about communication;
avoid ambiguity (be precise and verify everything) and document everything
(make a journal if necessary) (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.). Communication should be tailored to fit the
needs of the specific stakeholder as stated by Dr. Vince Budrovich in Practitioner
Voices: Strategies for Working with
Stakeholders.
There are two forms communication; formal and
informal (Portny, et al., 2008). Formal
communication is preplanned and conducted in accordance with an established
schedule (Portny, et al., 2008). Informal
communication occurs whenever people think of information they want to share.
(Portny, et al., 2008).
The Art of Effective Communication gave three
examples of a communication with the same message. My perceptions of the three examples are as
follows.
Email:
My interpretation of the email message after reading it gave me the impression that it was a little firm and not so friendly. Although Jane acknowledged that Mark has other responsibilities and is very busy it wasn’t a genuine concern for him but rather for what she needed to complete her assignment. She asked for the report/data more than once as if Mark wouldn’t understand what she needed.
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My interpretation of the email message after reading it gave me the impression that it was a little firm and not so friendly. Although Jane acknowledged that Mark has other responsibilities and is very busy it wasn’t a genuine concern for him but rather for what she needed to complete her assignment. She asked for the report/data more than once as if Mark wouldn’t understand what she needed.
The factors that influenced my perception of the
email were the choice of words Jane used to communicate with Mark in writing. Asking for a portion of the information
needed implies that she did not expect Mark to provide everything she needed so
she is willing to take whatever she can get but at a minimum the data.
Voice mail:
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My interpretation of the voicemail was very
positive. The voicemail was communicated
well and to the point. Jane’s tone was
pleasing and she only had to ask once for what she needed. She acknowledged his busy schedule and was very
pleasant in thanking him for getting the information she needed promptly.
The factors that influenced my perception of the
voicemail were the tonality of Jane’s voice and her words. Her voice was more influential than her
words. A lot of the time it is not what
you say but how something is said.
Face-to-Face:
The face-to-face interpretation I had of this encounter was not very good. I thought the body language and expressions were not sincere. Her voice tone was not completely friendly and I did not think this communication tool worked best for this particular setting. Her facial expressions were a little negative as well. When asking for the information she needed she was not relaying her message in a friendly manner. The fact that she hid behind the cubical wall made a barrier between her and the person she was speaking to and that does not show a positive encounter. She also closed her eyes while speaking and made it seem as if she was rolling her eyes. Her body language was not welcoming.
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The face-to-face interpretation I had of this encounter was not very good. I thought the body language and expressions were not sincere. Her voice tone was not completely friendly and I did not think this communication tool worked best for this particular setting. Her facial expressions were a little negative as well. When asking for the information she needed she was not relaying her message in a friendly manner. The fact that she hid behind the cubical wall made a barrier between her and the person she was speaking to and that does not show a positive encounter. She also closed her eyes while speaking and made it seem as if she was rolling her eyes. Her body language was not welcoming.
The voice mail was the best form of communication in
my opinion. In planning to design a
project, it is important that project managers plan for the type of
communication they will utilize. In
preparing for effective communication the information to be presented can be received
and correctly interpreted by the individual or group(s) that will receive it
(Portny, et al., 2008). What I learned
that will help me to communicate with others better in the future is to always
have a pleasant tone in what I am saying whether it is good or bad. If I am in a face-to-face conversation with
someone I will make sure there are not barriers between us like the one in the
video we viewed. Also, interpretation is
everything whether it is oral or verbal communication and I must make sure the
person(s) I am speaking to or trying to get a message across to interpret my
delivery of the information the way I want.
Words have meaning and presentation is everything.
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| Picture Credit - www.innogage.com |
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). Communicating with stakeholders. [DVD].
Baltimore, MD.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). Practitioner voices: Strategies for working with stakeholders. [DVD].
Baltimore, MD.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). The art of effective communication. [Video Webcast]. Baltimore, MD.
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.
Patricia; Your review of the course examples are excellent, yet as I wrote in my blog post, I was not surprised to see that fellow scholars might interpret the very same samples differently, based on their interpretation, culture, or context. I am finding this communication a particularly important challenge for me, as I work to get Donors to buy into my charity's vision and efforts and become stakeholders and contributors to the organization. This has surfaced most recently with my volunteer website design team, as we each try to walk the fine line between marketing and sales... diplomacy and action in the written content of the site, and how it might be used in direct and indirect donor interaction. I especially like the graphic you included at the end of your post, because at times I find it challenging to determine the "secret words" that make people listen, and the psychology that make them take action to contribute! Currently the design team is encouraging me to use Twitter in addition to Facebook, and yet I am not sure of the exact ROI of adding another social media mode to our already busy handful of communication tools to juggle. (We prefer using Facebook - but I realize all too well that we are not reaching a demographic by limiting ourselves to only one social media communication tool...) The challenge is, even if you do "reach out and grab them by their Twitter tie... are they hearing your message and buying into financially supporting your cause? I find the section in Greer's writing to be helpful as I look at wording my own communication sometimes: "Just Do It!, (Greer, 2010, p 71-75). As we look at all of the sample statements, that is precisely what the speaker/writer is trying to ask of her co-worker; "Just do your part so I can do mine!" Diplomacy is an art, but in the end, if the speaker did not get an action response, then none of the examples were ultimately effective.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects. Edition specially created for Laureate International Universities. Minneapolis Minnesota: Laureate Publishing.
Hello Eileen,
DeleteThank you for posting on my blog this week. I enjoyed reading your comments and I look forward to seeing you again on my blog. I also visited your sight and thought you brought out some great points as well regarding communication.
Happy Blogging!
Hello Patricia
ReplyDeleteYou provided some interesting information in this week’s blog assignment. I see that we share the same thoughts about the voicemail. I found it to be a positive message as well. I like her tone of voice. It is very sincere. As Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer (2008) points out “the key to successful project management is effective communication” (p. 357). Being able to communicate effective to the stakeholders is plus for the project manager. I found the voicemail to be the best form of communication also. I like your idea of having a pleasant voice when speaking. I learned that it is not just what you say; it’s how you say it. I feel that when we speak, other people “read” our voices as well as to listening to our words. Our attitudes, behaviors, and understandings are influence by our communication (Portny, 2008). As it is noted in our text “the ability to communicate well, both orally and in writing, is a critical skill to project manager” (p. 357).
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.
Hi Patricia:
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you that the voicemail was the most effective. I found the face-to-face meeting to be condescending and disrespectful. Her bodily language and the tone in her voice were not complimentary to her words. Remland states that body language communicates a person’s feelings and attitudes and adds emphasis to the meaning of words (1993) or in this case de-emphasis. It is important to note that the communication loop has not been completed. This sender has not received feedback from the recipient. It is important that feedback is received by the sender to ensure that the message was received by the recipient and understood as intended. I am sure that the voicemail message would get a better response than the other two.
Regards,
Brad
Resources:
Remland, M. S. (1993). The Importance of Nonverbal Communication in the Courtroom.