According to Dr. Stolovitch, communication should be clear and concise; the format for responses must be specified.
In the email communication, Jane has done a great job outlining the situation and providing a possible solution as recommended by Dr. Stolovitch (Laureate, 2012). The way I see it, Jane is probably the PM or ID and requires feedback from a team member to complete their work. It is possible that this person may have not met the deadline if one was clearly communicated either because they were not in on the scheduling or they simply have poor work habits. As much as the tone is apologetic which may not be appropriate, it is probably the best way to get to this team member’s attention if they are the bossy kind (Laureate, 2012).
The voicemail provides an alternative means of getting to Mark. The tone used does not communicate a sense of urgency and Mark seems to have the option on how to send the data. I would however, choose this over the face-to-face meeting which seems lazy with no sense of urgency. The tone and body language leaves much to be desired.
It is quite clear that moving from email to face-to-face, the message got weaker. The email had so much clarity and provided a means for the recipient to go back and review the message if unclear about any aspect. The activity presented in the art of effective communication provides a clear example of how the same message must be communicated in a different style based on the mode of delivery but make sure that the urgency and content are all consistent regardless of the means. I also realize that in communicating challenges, it is necessary to provide a possible solution while ensuring that tem members are clear on how and when to respond.
These are all lessons that I have learnt and will transfer to any situation whereby I need to communicate with stakeholders and clients.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (2012). “ Communicating with Stakeholders“ Boston, MA: Dr. Harold Stolovitch
Laureate Education, Inc. (2012). “ Project Management Concerns: Communication Strategies and Organizational Culture“ Boston, MA: Dr. Harold Stolovitch
Ayeshat, I like that scrabble like graphic. The relationship aspect is something that I ignored until now. Good point about the need for bilateral relationships in effective communications, which is something that remains elusive between Jane and Mark based on the contents of the multimedia program. Fine job with this post. Steve
Thanks Steve for taking the time to read my post. I realized that much later in my work life that it is essential to relate to the people you communicate with especially on a regular basis.
Ayeshat
Hi Ayeshat,
Enjoyed your concise post and found many similarities to that of my assessment. I especially liked the way you phrased how as Jane’s message moved from email to face-to-face, it seemed to lose its level of importance. Although I believed the email demonstrated the most serious of message, I was surprised at how I reacted to the face-to-face modality.
In fact, I found myself wondering whether it just my interpretation on the face-to-face, or would other agree. It seems you and I have some levels of agreement on this.
Nol
Hello Nol,
Thanks for responding to my post and sharing your thoughts. I actually think Jane could have utilized the face-to-face well and in the absence of that resorted to other means but she handled it poorly. Even in the midst of all this technology, I think people still appreciate the personal touch.
Ayeshat
Ayeshat
The email communication is straightforward and clear. There isn’t much nonverbal information involved. You mention a good point in that, in addition to presenting the problem, providing solutions and/or options to the problem in the written communications are important. Being specific as well as providing dates of when one expects the report is essential to communicating needs in projects.
Thanks Therese for responding to my post.
The chosen image is perfect to introduce well your blog post. The method used to communicate a message plays an important role for the receiver to absorb the information. Effective communication is so important to get the message across to intended audience , we must organize ideas before presenting the message.
Hi Ayeshat,
I agree that communication should be clear and concise. Effective communication is essential to successful project management. According to Portny et al. 2008, the right message has to be shared with the right people. In the case, the message was shared with the right people; however, the message itself was not right. The message lacks essential information. I think that there is an implicit sense of urgency; nevertheless, that urgency should be explicit, it should be stated clearly.
Communication is one of the main roles of project managers. Therefore, they need to make sure that the message that is received is the same that was sent (Van Fleet & Peterson, 1994).
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Ilia Alvarado-de Jesus
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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.
Van Fleet, D. D. & Peterson, T.O. (1994). Contemporary Management. Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company.