F2024 Leading Projects Week 9 PDF

Leading Projects in an Conte Organizational xt BUSN Class 9 10276 Sandra Napoleone  Today Communication What is communication? Importance of it, ways we communciate Messa...

Leading Projects in an Conte Organizational xt BUSN Class 9 10276 Sandra Napoleone  Today Communication What is communication? Importance of it, ways we communciate Messaging - encoding/decoding process, Communication Noise, Barriers to Communication exercise Listening and responding Cultural Communication Considerations 2  Communication ‘The biggest single problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.’ - George Bernard Shaw “At the end of the day people won't remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou 3  Importance of Communication Vital to organizations – its how we coordinate actions and achieve goals Communication is the PM’s superpower, one that needs consistent attention and growth. Part of your development plan always and forever Knowing what kind of communication method or communication tools to use. Consider types of messages, specific audiences, at a specific time, specific place or event. Must be conveyed in the most effective way and efficient way. Lack of effective communication is the #1 issue and cause of project failure, more so than budget, schedule, quality, risk, 4  Communication Communication definition - the process by which information is exchanged between communicators with the goal of achieving mutual understanding.** Also described as a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through aSource common - Webster’s dictionary system of symbols, signs, or behavior. 5 Communication in Projects Communication is a way to engage your stakeholders, project teams and the organization. This engagement is interactive. With all forms of communication, quick feedback loops provide useful information to : Confirm the degree to which the stakeholders heard the message Determine if stakeholders agree with the message Identify nuanced or other unintended messages the recipient deterred Gain other helpful insight Source PMBOK v7.0 6  Daily types of Communication Type of Defined communication The way we speak out Verbal loud and communication communicate our message. How our body Non-verbal language or inflection communication influences our message. Using images to Visual communicate your communication message visually and clearly. Written Leveraging the written communication word to make your point in text. 7 Source Personio.com  Project Communication Type Formal Informal Verbal Presentations Conversations Project reviews Ad hoc discussions Meetings (briefings) Demonstrations (working prototypes, sample products or services) Written Project Progress Brief Notes reports(status Email reports) PMBOK Source IM/Texting(slack, v7.0 Project teams, etc) documents If appropriate, (charter, Social Media requirements, 8 project plan, Communication Strategies Push information sent to audience used for one-way communication, inhibits the ability to immediately gauge reaction and assess understanding. NOTE this is used with intention Pull is pulled sought out by stakeholders user goes to the source and pulls information as desired needed 9  Messaging The internal cognitive process that allows participants to send, receive, and understand messages is the encoding and decoding process. Encoding is the process of turning thoughts into communication. Source pressbooks.bccampus 10  Decoding Messages The 7-38-55 Rule 7% of meaning comes from Words 38% from vocal intonation and inflection 55% comes from facial expressions and posture People are unique - they encode and decode messages differently 11  Communication Noise Communication noise definition - is anything that interferes with the intended communication Types of noise Physical - is any noise caused by the environment or the physical transmission of the communication signal. Technical - any type of noise caused by the technology or equipment used to transmit the communication signal. Psychological - one of the most common types of noise in communication. It can be caused by 12  Barriers To Communications Language Misunderstanding or misinterpretation Physical barriers (time zones, different Cultural (Low-Context / High-Context) Attitude (Positive / Negative) Organizational culture Bias or preconceived notions/ideas Listening Skills (Poor skills or lack thereof) 13  Active Listening People HEAR but are not LISTENING 14  Listening Levels Level One - is listening primarily to yourself, or your own thoughts or agenda. You could be focusing on any number of things. Maybe you’re thinking what to say next in the conversation, and so only half-hearing what the other person’s saying. Level Two - you are intensely focused on what the other person is saying. Nothing’s distracting you. Level Three - is also completely directed towards the other person, but it has a wider focus. You hear more than just the words they’re saying. You pick up on all sorts of other things – body language, the inflections and tone of their voice, their pauses and hesitations. Source - CoActive Coaching 15  Improve Listening Start by stopping - Take a moment to inhale and exhale quietly before you begin to listen. Your job as a listener is to receive information openly and accurately. Don’t worry about what to say next. Silence can be a beautiful thing. Join the sender’s team - When the sender pauses, summarize what you believe has been said. “What I’m hearing is that we need to focus on marketing as well as sales. Is that correct?” Be attentive to physical as well as verbal communications - “I hear you saying that we should focus on marketing, but the way you’re shaking your head tells me the idea may not really appeal to you—is that right?” Don’t multitask while listening - Listening is a full-time job. It’s tempting to multitask when you and the sender are in different places. The human mind can only focus on one thing at a time. Listening with only part of your brain increases the chances that you’ll have questions later, ultimately requiring more of the speaker’s time. (And when the speaker is in the same room, multitasking signals a disinterest that is considered rude.) 16 Try to empathize with the sender’s point of view - You don’t have to  Effective Writing Leaders who can communicate simply and clearly present differently than those who write a lot but say very little or nothing. Picture the receiver in your mind before you begin to write. Choose simple words. When in doubt, choose the shorter word. Be polite and clear. Your message will make a greater impact. Make your message brief and direct trimming redundant words. Choose strong, active verbs. ‘I suggest “Don’t use two words when one will do” Thomas Jefferson 17 Slides 17, 18 Chp 9 etext Org Behaviour  Cultural Communication Styles Low versus high context communication Use of silence and nonverbal gestures 18  Low Vs High Context Low - A communication system that utilizes explicit verbal messages. Onus on sender to craft and transmit a clear message High – Transmitting Intention or Meaning using non-verbal (pauses, silence, tone). “Read between the lines” Onus on listener to “read” meaning into message 19  Silence and Non-Verbal gestures Interpreted differently across cultures: Silence Respect Disapproval Harmony Lack of understanding Nonverbal gestures Eye contact Facial expressions Tone of voice Body language, posture 20  Response Styles How we respond.. Advising responses - provide evaluation, message direction, and instructions Diverting responses - switches focus of the communication to a new message, they change the subject. Reflecting responses - paraphrases the message and communicate understanding and acceptance to the sender. Reassuring responses – assurances are given to reduce the intensity of the emotions associated with the message. 21 Probing responses - asks the speaker to give more  Summary Its clear from class this week that, as a pm it’s important that you ensure you have a plan to manage project communication with your team, the stakeholders etc. Given todays fast paced environments we work in and the pace at which change occurs during a project; we need to be efficient and effective with our communications. 22  Summary Learn to be a good listener (practice, practice) Get feedback real time and note areas to improve on Be efficient and effective with your communications Manage and prepare for meetings or any interactions you have with your project team and sponsors, so that they are productive and meet the needs of your audience as well as the needs of your project. Your ability to listen, stay calm, work through the problems, to provide potential solutions will be critical and ensure that you are successful in achieving the project goals and objectives. Always allow for input from your audience Know when to move on and when to stop on a topic 23 After Class Assignment 3 Technology and Communication A PM needs to and should manage technology as an important part of their success as a PM (emails, meetings, phone calls, text, presentations, memos, visual tools (video, virtual whiteboards). A project communication plan is helpful but how do you ensure you have the most efficient and effective use of the technology that might be available to you? How do you ‘manage’ the sending and receiving of information as intended? What 24 are some of the pitfalls you’ve encountered or  After Class Assignment 3 Technology and Communication Questions (answer all) – 10 marks DUE WED NOV 13 th 1. How does technology and communications work well together in a project? 2. What are the challenges with technology and communications in a project? 3. Describe how you would use technology in your communications plan? 4. Draft an outline or a plan that shows how, when, etc you will communicate with your project team, the organization and the stakeholders. IN YOUR OWN WORDS respond to the questions. Use the content from this week to respond and think about how you as the PM would use technology in your project communications. To provide some more context on communications, read Chapter 25 8 from the e-text Organizational behaviour. DO NOT use any  Next week Virtual class Project Communication management Stakeholder management 26