write a discussion ser (w7)

Week 7 Instructor Notes

W7N1: Project Communication Overview

Approximately 70 (and some say up to 90%) of a project manager’s time is spent communicating and over  50% of their time is spent in meetings.  Of the time spent communicating, approximately 45% of the time should be spent listening and no more than 30% should be spent talking.

The following are interesting facts, from Dr. Don Wetmore, regarding communication:

·  The average person uses 13 different ways to control and manage their time

· The average person gets 1 interruption every 8 minutes or approximately 7 an hour or 50-60 per day

· On an average day, there are 17 million meetings in America

· The average worker sends and receives 190 messages per day

· There will be 2 million marriages in this country this year and 1 million divorces.  95% of divorces are caused by a “lack of communication”.

· The average working person spends less than 2 minutes per day in meaningful communication with their spouse or “significant other”.

· The average working person spends less than 30 seconds a day in meaningful communication with their children.

Communication is important – in both our professional and personal lives!

W7N2 How People Communicate

Project managers need to be able to communicate precise messages, where the receiving party understands the context, motive and message itself.  A basic communication model helps in understanding what communication means. 

Communication is two-way – we transmit information for the purpose of it being received and understood.  Both the sender and receiver are involved in communication!  What we transmit can be affected by “noise”, meaning that the receiver of the message may have a distorted message – they may be receiving something different than what we think we sent.  That might be caused by the way we are sending or by the way they are listening.  To avoid misunderstandings, we need to confirm that our message was understood accurately.  Noise can be caused by many factors, including language, culture, or emotion.  Noise  can block out a message so the information is either not heard at all or is distorted.  We need to use feedback to verify that our communications are successful.

There are various strategies for ensuring that messages are understood  correctly and different strategies are needed for different types of communication channels.   In face-to-face communications we can evaluate tone and voice and use body language in augment our  words.  While you must  be careful to read cues correctly, face-to-face communications generally presents an environment where it is a bit easier to ensure your message is properly received. Consider the following:

· Email communication is 100% words (emoticons are marginally non-verbal communication)

· Telephone communication is 18% words and 82% voice tone

· Face-to-Face communication is 55% body language, 38% voice tone and 7% words

Be certain to think about the communication method we use.  Some communication is fine by email, but some requires more synchronous communication.  Would you want to negotiate additional resources to avoid schedule overrun with your senior stakeholders only by email or would a meeting be more effective?  The communication plan for the project should consider how to present all planned communication.  Consider the following when determining communication channels on a project:

For more effective communication:

· Plan properly to design and implement communication strategies

· Use feedback to ensure the accuracy of the message

· Pay attention to the nonverbal elements of communication

· Recognize the role of perception in gaining understanding and try to overcome perceptual differences both as a speaker and a listener

Make sure you spend time listening rather than talking!  Make yourself aware of issues and concerns by listening to your team and your stakeholders.  Avoid communication blockers like idea killers, negative positioning, and dismissing ideas because “it’s been tried before”.  Let people talk and hear what they have to share.  This not only  helps build up your team, but you will gain important information.  Even if you choose not to address someone’s concern at the moment you become aware of it and take corrective action if it becomes necessary.Listening entails much more than just hearing.   A good listener not only listens to what is being said, but also to what is left unsaid or only partially said.  This requires observing body language and noticing inconsistencies between verbal and non-verbal messages.  

The following are 10 principles of listening that are helpful in our personal as well as professional lives:

1 Stop talking.  If you are talking you are not listening!  Do not interrupt, talk over or finish sentences.  When the other person has finished, it is helpful to clarity and ensure you received the message accurately.

2 Prepare to Listen.  Relax and focus on the speaker.  Don’t spend your listening time thinking about what you are going to say next.  Don’t be distracted by other thoughts.  Concentrate on the messages that are being communicated.

3 Put the speaker at ease.  Help the speaker feel free to speak.  Use nov-verbal cues such as nodding or gestures to encourage them to continue.  Maintain eye contact without staring.  Show you are listening and understand what is being said.

4 Remove distractions.  Focus on the conversation.  Don’t doodle, stare off,  drum your fingers or perform other distractions.  Avoid interruptions and don’t answer your phone or check your phone.  Distractions disrupt listening and convey the message that you are bored.

5 Empathize.  Try to understand the speaker’s point of view.  Look at issues from their perspective and avoid preconceived ideas.  You can empathize with the speaker much more if you have an open mind.  If you disagree with what the speaker is saying wait to construct your counter argument.  Keep an open mind while the speaker is speaking.

6 Be patient.  A pause doesn’t necessarily mean the speaker has finished.  Let the speaker continue at their pace.  They may need more time to think or formulate what they want to say.  Never interrupt!

7 Be impartial.  Don’t become irritated or let the person’s habits or mannerisms distract you from their message.  Avoid personal prejudice.  Everyone has a different way of speaking – whether shyly, nervously, with accent, with excessive body language or aggressively.  Focus on what is being said and try to ignore the delivery style.

8  Listen to the tone of the message.  A good speaker will use both volume and tone to keep an audience attentive.  Everyone uses different  pitch, tone and voice volume in different types of situations.  Use these cues to help you understand the emphasis of what is being said.

9 Listen for ideas and not just words.  Try to get the whole picture.  You need to link pieces of information together to understand someone else’s ideas.  Some people are better at presenting the links, but with proper concentration and focusing you can have a better view of the whole picture.

10 Watch for non-verbal communication cues.  Gestures, facial expressions and eye movements can provide additional information to verbal communication.

W7N4: Handling Difficult Communications

A project manager is often called to handle both difficult situations and difficult people.  These conversations require skill and empathy and frankly, often takes  courage to face the problem and deal with it.  Not dealing with problems when they occur, however, is a bad habit and leads to a lot more issues than handling issues and problems promptly and directly.  The following are some tips when dealing with these types of situations:

· Clearly state the issue.  You need to clearly understand what behavior is causing the problem and the effect that behavior is having on your team.  You need to be clear about the issue to the point where you can clearly articulate it.  Lack of focus on the central issue derails conversations about the issue.

· Know your objective.  Know what you want to accomplish – the desired outcome—before you address the issue.  Know what is negotiable and what is non-negotiable.  Have a clear end game in mind.

· Be open minded in your analysis.  Spend time before addressing the issue directly by thinking about your attitude toward the situation and the people involved.  Be open to hear what each person involved has to say before closing your mind to alternatives.  Seek a greater truth before defining an end solution.

· Manage emotions.  Emotions will not be left at the door, but your responsibility as a leader is to understand the emotions and manage them during discussions.  What starts out as a small annoyance can escalate to rage if not controlled.  Always be mindful of preserving people’s dignity and of treating all involved with respect – even when we disagree with them.  Acknowledge emotions – don’t try to pretend they do not exist.

· Allow for silence.  Don’t rush to fill in silence with words.  Pauses can be valuable by letting messages sink in.  A pause can be calming.  Filling in the pauses gives the impression you are overbearing.

· Preserve the relationship.  Limit collateral damage to relationships.  Try to find solutions that solve the problem without building walls and creating division.

· Be consistent.  Make sure your objective is fair and your approach is consistent.  Don’t show favoritism or treat team members unequally.  Aim for consistency in approach so people don’t have to second guess your reaction.

· Develop conflict resolution skills.  Understand that some conflict is good and can lead to positive changes.

· Avoid thwarting ploys.  When you encounter sarcasm, accusing behavior, stonewalling, unresponsiveness, passive aggressive behavior address it openly and sincerely.  Label the behavior and address it.  Don’t use these techniques yourself!

· Choose the right setting.  Find neutral meeting ground.  Calling people into your office can shift the balance of power too much in your direction.  A neutral meeting room or coffee shop may be a better setting.

· Know how to begin.  Be direct and upfront.  Describe the problem neutrally and briefly. Seek solutions and engage in  problem solving.  Keep your tone of voice exploratory not inquisition style.