Week 3 Blog Effective Communication

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Communication is the key to success. The lack of communication can cause things in life to get very complicated and difficult unnecessarily. This week we had the pleasure of listening to the same message in three different mediums. People can easily misinterpret a message that is sent through the various mediums of communication. The key to successful project management is effective communication-sharing the right messages with the right people in a timely manner (Portny, et al, 2008, p. 357).  When watching the multimedia program "The Art of Effective Communication" my perception or view of the message being sent changed each time it was presented through a different medium. The first message that I viewed was through email.  At a first glance of the email, I thought the email came across as unfriendly, and impatient. I got the sense that she was irritated and border line angry. Email can become impersonal or misunderstood (passioncomputing.com, 2010).  Her email was clear in terms of what she needed, however I think the element of compassion was lacking in this instance.



I then listened to the voicemail. I have to say that when I heard the voicemail it completely changed my perception of her mood when she created the message. The email didn't have any tone so the perception rendered impatient, and unfriendly. The voicemail let me know that she was really just asking for what she needed. Her voice sounded calm and friendly. I would also like to add that she sounded professional. The face to face method is the one that sold me completely. The tone in her voice was calm and collective. Her body language showed that she was calm and the smile at the end of the message was equivalent to the icing on cake.


The face to face method conveyed the message most effectively. While the other two mediums are acceptable forms of business communication, the message is still left up in the air for interpretation. It would be much more helpful to just speak to the person face to face. This way, you can perceive the whole picture in real time. You can pick up on nonverbal cues. With a busy work day normally it is difficult sometimes to even find the time to meet with someone face to face to have personal discussion. However, in the long term, face-to-face communication just might assure that communication is clear and understood (Martin, 2007).  Technology is a blessing and a curse. Two of the mediums still leave room for interpretation. The PM needs to ensure that the messages received  are not misunderstood but are indeed clear and concise. The most efficient thing for the PM to do is to  hold weekly meetings to convey information to the team.


References

Martin, C. (2007). The Importance of Face-to-Face Communication at Work. Retrieved September 20, 2012 from  http://www.cio.com/article/29898/The_Importance_of_Face_to_Face_Communication_at_Wor            k?page=1&taxonomyId=3154

Passioncomputing.com. (2010). Using Email Effectively. Retrieved  September 20, 2012 from http://www.passioncomputing.com.au/Copywriting/Using-email


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.





8 Responses to “Week 3 Blog Effective Communication”

  1. Brandon,

    You said, “The lack of communication can cause things in life to get very complicated and difficult unnecessarily.” This is absolutely right. When the communication level in any business goes down it’s hard to get work completed correctly. It’s just like what happened in (Ertmer & Quinn, 2007) case study this week, Catherine was trying to communicate with Dan and from the beginning he didn’t want to communicate with her not sure what his reasons were, but from lack of communication throughout this project, things were changed without communicating and it was turned in with these mistakes.

    You also said, “It would be much more helpful to just speak to the person face to face.” Speaking to someone face-to-face helps an individual to be able to see the reactions of that person’s body language, but if you are not able or in this case study, if the team member will not get back to you because they have been busy, what other route is there to take but text or voice messaging? How would you go about this?


    Ertmer, P., & Quinn, J. (Eds). (2007). The ID casebook: Case studies in instructional design (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

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  2. MZ.Educator.
    There is always the possibility to skype and to send a video message.

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  3. Brandon, I found your post interesting and easy to ready. I personally didn't feel much difference between the email and the voice mail. I perceived both to be irritated and annoyed. I felt like when I saw the same message conveyed face to face, I got the impression that the messenger was definitely more understanding of my situation and was willing to see my side of the story.

    I always find it fascinating how much of a message can get lost without the non verbal cues. I also find it fascinating how different people perceive things differently. Thanks for the post!

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  4. Brandon,

    As I was reading your post I began to wonder about the difference between face-to-face communication and talking via video on something like Skype. The I noticed your comment to Mz. Educator. I wonder what the comparison would be between face-to-face communication and Skype? Skype might be a good alternative to face-to-face communication when you just can't be in the same location. What do you think the differences might be?

    There are some interesting thoughts in this article:

    http://www.leadingvirtually.com/is-video-conferencing-a-good-substitute-for-face-to-face-meetings/

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  5. Although technology has made it easier for us to communicate, I still think that face-to-face communication is better. It is more personable because we can see each other’s expressions or see the actual body language. However, I have engaged in polite conversations by email and telephone.

    I work on a college and sometimes my work depends on another person’s work, a decision or an approval across campus. Email is recognized as a formal line of communication in addition to company letters or memo’s. A telephone call can help me to get the information that I need, but still it depends on the situation. I usually need to follow-up with an email or ask the other person to send me an email for a paper trail or further clarification.

    In the Art of Effective Communication, the email was not detailed and the telephone call sounded a bit cold and demanding. We can never be too sure if our message was received or how it was perceived unless someone responds. At the first project meeting, the project manager should have a detailed plan, discuss the roles of each person, explain how to communicate, identify who the stakeholders are, and share any expectations of the project (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, 2008). During the meeting, team members should talk about how to handles problems, any changes that need to be made, and risks that may affect the project. Furthermore, communication is the key to keep everyone informed and to help people to work together. Without it, there is a chance that the project may fail.

    Laureate Education, Inc. (2012). Retrieved from The art of effective communication: http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6145/03/mm/aoc/index.html

    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.

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  6. Hello Brandon! It is good to have you in class again. I hope you had a pleasant holiday!

    Erika

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  7. Hello Brandon following your blog! Cheers Shirelle

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  8. Hi there, just letting you know I am following your blog.

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