A project manager acts as a conductor in a project. They organize all the necessary people and help them to pay attention to the details to complete the task on time. Communication with clients, vendors, and within a team is complex and requires effective communication. Every successful project manager must have good schedule discipline and excellent analytical skills. Effective communication strategies will make your PM career a success.
The essence of PM Communication
The core of PM communication is the need to establish rules and expectations. It involves a combination of verbal, visual, written, and non-verbal communication. This is a complex act that requires listening skills and listening skills to engage and move things forward. The success of the whole project depends on everyone being clear about what they need to do, how to accomplish it, and when it should be done. They must also know where to go and how they can communicate when there is a problem. A good project manager will be able to keep track of all this detail and how to manage it as it changes. To make your team more flexible and adaptable, you need to have good communication skills and strategies.
Communication Evolution
It is fascinating to see how communication in project management has changed over time. Before the advent of cloud-based apps and software, people used to meet in person, write down ideas, distribute documents, and then talk on the phone. Email became a way to instantly respond to and send information with a date stamp. This held people accountable digitally.
Project managers have many tools available to help them keep everyone on the same page. It can be overwhelming, but choosing a communication style, mastering a toolkit, and putting it all in motion will make working together with any team, particularly with the rise of hybrid and remote workplaces, a success.
Common Communication Mistakes and Tips
When communicating information to a group of people or to a select few, there are a few things to remember:
Communicate in more than one way. If the topic is important or dependent, follow up with emails, documents, or messages by calling or meeting in person.
Do not place too much emphasis on one type of communication. You don’t have to meet in person every day or meet online. Mix it up with group meetings and chats as well as one-on-ones and one-on-ones. You can also communicate in other forms like writing, audio, IMs, or phone calls.
Communicate outside of status meetings. Reach out to individuals and have one-off meetings outside of regular times. Sometimes, a week is not enough time to allow something to brew.
Don’t give too much information or over-communicate. This will make people turn off and may cause them to stop listening. If you talk at people, instead of asking them for feedback or opinions, they will be turned off and lose their participation.
Do meet often. Once the project has been started, the plan is set and work has begun. Regular project meetings are necessary to keep things moving forward. Establish a project meeting schedule that is appropriate for the project and stick to it.
Use online collaboration and meeting tools. These tools can be used as a central hub for remote teams or mobile teams.
Keep your eyes on the project’s goals and objectives. It is easy to lose sight once the details begin to grab everyone’s attention.
Be transparent and clear. Everyone should be aware of what has been said or discussed, and be able access this information later.
Build relationships. This is especially important when you are establishing and maintaining relationships with your team members, stakeholders, clients, vendors, and clients. Get to know your people and their communication styles.
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