The Art of Effective Communication

                Effective communication is dependent on a number of variables and considerations. Of key importance, according to Dr. Stolovich (Laureate Education, n.d.), are avoiding ambiguity, considering tone, timing, personality of the recipient, and documentation. After reviewing the “Art of Effective Communication” (Laureate Education, n.d) I have made some interpretations about the various modalities of communicating; written, verbal, and face-to-face.

                Written – This form of communication has its pros and cons. First, I will discuss the drawbacks. Written communication allows for misinterpretation of the senders tone and friendliness. Even if written with these considerations, the reader cannot always accurately interpret the tone of the email, text, or letter. Another drawback of written communication is the possibility of typographic errors and unprofessional language. Use of written communication also doesn’t allow for immediate clarification and feedback to and from the sender. A positive use of written communication is that it is documented and clearly defined for future purposes. In considering using written communication as a mode of interaction, it would benefit those involved in the project to be mindful of tone, language, professionalism, composition, and formatting. In addition, using written correspondence is often better in more formal situations and to relay information to large groups of individuals.

                Verbal – Similar to written communication, verbal communication is great when used appropriately. An initial drawback to verbal interaction is that there is no formal documentation of the exchange. Portny, et al (2015), cite documentation as being critical to the success of any project as it creates an official record of all correspondence. In verbal communication, such as the voicemail in the “Art of Effective Communication” multimedia piece, there is again a tendency for the listener to misinterpret the meaning of the message because of the lack of cues from body language. While verbal communication is better than written communication, in some instances, the speaker needs to be sure that they consider their tone, friendliness, volume, and professionalism.

                Face-to-face – Is, to me, the most dynamic and effective means of communication. In a face-to-face setting the receiver is able to interpret the communication by means of visual and verbal cues from the speaker. In addition, the face-to-face setting allows the participants to elicit clarification of things they didn’t clearly understand and receive immediate feedback to mitigate any confusion. The speaker is able to clearly convey their spirit and attitude, which may or may not be a good thing for the listener; however it does ensure little misinterpretation. The drawback to face-to-face communication is that, again, there is no written documentation of the exchange unless transcribed at a later time. Something to consider with this type of communication is the personality of the recipient and the speakers’ body language.

                Ultimately, communication in any form is meant to support and enhance the project management process. This exercise showed me the pros and cons of each type of communication and provided me with direction about how to utilize and implement each modality effectively. For future purposes, I will consider the manner in which I communicate with project team members and utilize a strategic mixed method approach to communicating effectively and timely. There is no formula for how to communicate correctly since each project is dynamic and presents its own set of variables however a project manager can use best practices and proven theories to guide their professional practice.

References

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.

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Communicating with stakeholders [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Practitioner voices: Strategies for working with stakeholders [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu