Communication

As much as we know that about 70% of our work as Project Managers is communication, we often do not spend the time to perfect the art. Today I want to look at the different communication channels and how we can utilize them.

The Basics:

1. Communication is of utmost importance. It needs to be done effectively both internally & externally
2. We need to meet the communication needs of all stakeholders, internal & external. None should be forgotten or insufficiently communicated to
3. Communication Channels in a Project:

• Calculate Number of Communication Channels:

• No.3 shows clearly that we need to lay internal ground rules:

A Team Charter and a Communication Plan will help avoiding miscommunication.

1. We need to ensure the team is clear who communicates to the external stakeholders
   1. What means of communication needs to be used for whom
   1. What is communicated to the outside and when
   1. What is not communicated to the outside
2. If not carefully done communication can cause major issues, a careless word in the wrong place can cause havoc
3. Make sure you use the right communication channel –
   1. think about your communication, is it formal or informal?
   1. Does it need to be formal?
   1. Have you documented it – especially phone decisions and discussions need to be documented

So what channels do we use?

1. External communication

This will more often be formal, or need to be made formal

1. Emails – often the preferred methods
   1. Reports – document in your Stakeholder Analysis who needs what kind of reports, how often and what level
   1. Presentations – these are usually used during project initiation and planning, to demonstrate to the client what your are proposing to do and how. These need to be done professionally, on branded slides and contain structured information. The presentation should be included in the project file either physical or in the PMIS
   1. PMIS – at times it can be required and or necessary to include some of your external stakeholders in this. Be careful what content you give them access to. Discuss it clearly with your IT Admin.
   1. Phone calls – any discussion with the client on phone that has a decision or informs the client of an issue, an achieved milestone etc needs to be documented. Follow them up with an email, that lists the discussed in a few bullet points
   1. Social Media – this should not be the mode of choice for Stakeholder communication. Be careful what you post on social media channels. Unless they are approved updates for a launch and you are collaborating with the clients marketing team
   1. Whatsapp / Telegram / other SM services

This is very informal. Again like for phone calls, follow discussed things up with an email. If necessary print the SM thread out and file

• Internal Communication:

Internal Communication can often be a lot more informal. The trick again is to document the important things. Anything that involves a decision or instruction should be documented formally. Anything you need to refer to later should be documented formally:

1. Emails – Instructions & decisions should be documented in an email. If you have a PMIS, then use the email function in it.
   1. Reports – All reports should be formalized in writing
   1. PMIS – For ease of access & finding communication again, all communication should be done through the PMIS or be documented here later. That can often be done as an attachment.
   1. Phone calls – any discussion with the internal team on phone that has a decision, instruction or important information needs to be documented. Follow them up with an email, that lists the discussed in a few bullet points
   1. Social Media – this should not be the mode of choice for internal communication. Be careful what you post on social media channels. Unless they are approved updates for a launch and you are collaborating with the clients marketing team.
   1. Whatsapp / Telegram / other SM services

This is very informal. Again like for phone calls, follow discussed things up with an email. If necessary print the SM thread out and file.

The main point here is that communication is VERY important and you need to plan it well. Spend time to develop a Communication Management Plan, or update the existing one, to meet the project’s unique needs.

Aim at improving your communication skills.

1. Work on your language
2. Work on report writing skills
3. Work on email writing skills
4. Train yourself to follow phone calls up with short emails
5. Ask more experienced Project Managers or your Senior Managers for input, corrections and comments on your documents
6. Let someone in your team read your sensitive communication, before you send it out. It needs to be a confidential and trusted person.
7. Never send out an email / report / SM, you wrote in an emotional state. Cool down first, then do a draft, relax some more and then re-read before you send it. Let someone review it, before it goes out.
8. Do not call a client in an emotional state, relax first, then count to 10 (or 100 if needed), then rehearse what you want to say, make some notes, take a deep breath and only then call. Have a team member or colleague sit next to you, who will tap your hand if you get
9. Watch how others communicate and analyze what works and what doesn’t
10. Keep learning and never think you are perfect