Communication: It’s All in the Presentation

The Assignment: For an exercise on communication this week, in my Project Management in Education & Training course, I experienced a piece of workplace communication in three different modes: print, a voice mail message, and a video, via a multimedia presentation called The Art of Effective Communication (Laureate Education, n.d.). The content of the communication was exactly the same in all three scenarios, but the feel of the message differed by modality of communication.

The Message: In the communication, the sender (Jane) is asking the receiver (Mark) for a particular report that is apparently “missing.” Jane needs some data from Mark’s report in order to finish her report and submit it on time. She’s running the risk of having her report submitted late, because she is waiting for data that Mark has. Jane asks Mark to give her an ETA on his report, or to send her just the data she needs separately.

My Reactions: I had different reactions to experiencing the communication in three different modalities. Of the three modalities, I was most uncomfortable with the voice mail message; I felt that Jane’s message came across in a slightly more negative way in the voice mail message, as compared to the other two modalities. The voice message seemed somewhat accusatory to me. I found the e-mail communication to be neutral (neither negative nor positive) – it certainly could have been worded more diplomatically, though. I found the video, which represents face-to-face communication, to be the most positive modality for Jane to communicate her message to Mark; in the face-to-face communication, Jane’s demeanor and body language were sympathetic and nonthreatening to Mark.

What Does This Mean for Communicating with Project Team Members? Interpersonal communication can make or break a team. We all interpret communication in different ways, and the mode of the communication has a huge impact on how the receiver perceives the message. Written communications, such as e-mail messages, must be worded very carefully as to not create a wrong impression. Someone might write what they think is a fine e-mail, only to have it interpreted in a completely different way by the receiver. Voice messages have the benefit of allowing the speaker to control the inflection and tone of his or her voice, but this can work for or against the caller, depending upon his or her facility with spoken communication. As Dr. Stolovich asserts in the media presentation Communicating with Stakeholders, diplomacy is  a key facet of communication within a project team (Laureate Education, n.d.). According to Dr. Stolovich, face-to-face communication, which allows for body language to accompany the message, should be used to communicate important information to all members of a team; and it’s important to realize that 93% of a conversation is not in the words, but in the tone, body language, and timing (Laureate Education, n.d.). Poor communication can undermine the effectiveness of teams (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, 2008). Both informal and formal communications should be planned and delivered in a thoughtful way, and certainly not haphazardly. “The key to successful project management is effective communication – sharing the right messages with the right people in a timely manner. Through communication people exchange and share information with one another, and influence one another’s attitudes, behaviors, and understandings" (Portny et al., 2008, p. 357).

How Can I Use This Information to Communicate More Effectively? I found this exercise to be very helpful. I was surprised by how much variation I detected in the same message being delivered in three different modalities. In my work life, I like to communicate by e-mail, because it gives me a written record of information that is sent and received. I am very careful in how I word my e-mail messages, and I read them over more than once to listen for the tone and demeanor. I also realize, from the exercise, that nothing beats face-to-face communication for allowing the sender to communicate a message in the most accurate way possible, particularly when the message is somewhat difficult and perhaps sensitive.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). The Art of Effective Communication [DVD]. Baltimore, MD.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). Communicating with Stakeholders [DVD]. Baltimore, MD: Dr. Harold Stolovitch.

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,