What's the fuss about communication skills in project management?

It's pretty simple stuff isn't it? If you can talk and if you can write you
can communicate. What's so hard about that?
It could be said that if the schedule is comprehensive, if the project is
well-scoped, if expectations, outcomes and duties are clearly described
then everybody should know everything they need to know to get on with
the job and the project should succeed.
We all know though that because of one unpredictable element it's not
always as simple as that for a message to be sent and received in the way
it was intended. That element is humans.
No matter how clearly we describe things people are bound to misread,
misinterpret and misunderstand. A good project manager needs to
understand the various components of communication and what can be
done to ensure each is addressed to maximise the effectiveness of
communication.
Theorist David Berlo developed a model back in the 1960's that still
holds true. He proposed that the four elements of communication are the
source, the message, the channel and the receiver and that each of these
elements has different factors impacting on them to reduce or enhance the
quality of the communication.
Source
The source of the message, as a human being, is influenced by many
factors such as: their level of written and spoken ability, personal
attitudes to issues and people, level of knowledge about the subject,
social systems they operate in and their individual cultural background.
The crafting of the message whether verbal, non-verbal or written is
impacted at the very start by all these issues. For example a person who
has a negative attitude to a proposed change is likely to communicate
information about it using a negative tone. An expert might want to use
jargon and language that novices may not understand.
Message
The message itself includes its: content, structure, coding and language,
all of which impact on its ability to be received and understood. If there
is too much information included in the message it may get lost.
Scientists have proven that 70% of what is heard is forgotten so too much
information will not be taken in. If the message is not put together in
logical manner people will find it harder to access.
This is where spelling and grammar come in. If you use the generally
accepted rules of language (including the distinctive language of your
industry) your message is much more likely to be read or heard correctly.
Channel
The Channel of communication is another point at which communication
can go awry. Communication is not just about talking and writing.
Human beings use all of their senses to take in information.
How a written instruction is visually layed out on the page can have a
huge impact on how the information is taken in and comprehended by the
reader. The addition of sound to a Powerpoint presentation can increase
its effectiveness significantly.
Receiver
The last piece in the communications puzzle is the receiver. The person
who is interpreting the message has the same cultural, attitudinal,
knowledge and other factors impacting on them as the sender. An
audience member who is in a bad mood is much more likely to react to
the negative tone of the original message. How many times have you
heard someone say "that went over my head", describing their inability to
decode a message for which they had little context or technical
knowledge.
In carefully constructing a message and deciding on the best
communication channels, the sender of the message needs to consider the
many different elements that can create barriers to good communication
and identify ways to remove those barriers for clear communication.
Barriers and Gateways to communication
The importance of recognising communication barriers is that once we
recognise them we better understand their complexity and their causes.
The way to do this is through genuine listening. Listening enables us to
better understand the other person's communication style and identify
communication gateways.
Communication barriers can be interpersonal such as hostility between
different teams. They can be intrapersonal such as psychological
barriers. A stressed person is much less likely to receive a message
clearly than someone who feels calm and in control. Barriers can also be
in the environment. Simple things, such as noise, make the message
inaudible or complex things such as conflicting messages from
management confuse the audience.
The way to identify these is to take time to get to know stakeholders and
team members better. Listening to get a good background on the issues
that affect them will help to highlight ways your communication can be
improved.
Non-Verbal Communication
In complex organisations we tend to rely most often on written
communication in the form of policies, procedures, schedules, minutes,
research papers etc. We also use verbal communication forums such as
meetings and presentations to get our messages across in a more formal
manner.
In planning and executing communication, consideration needs to be
given to the messages delivered through non-verbal communication. This
includes such factors as body language, appearance, ambience, use of
visual clues, facial expressions and gestures. Each of these needs to be
consistent with the verbal message or even the written message being
presented.
Ways to improve communication
To help project managers address the complexity of good
communication, Transformed has identified some tried and tested tactics:
Keep the message simple - use numerous short messages rather than
one long message and keep the message to a single topic (especially in
email)
Write down as much as possible - written communication can be
examined many times to improve understanding
Communicate messages through a number of different media -
different people learn in different ways. Try using at least visual,
auditory and activity-based methods of communication to capture as
many people as possible.
Repeat key messages frequently. Advertising does this well repeat
the message to maximise the likelihood that a person will hear it when
they are most open to it.
Explain why decisions are made. Giving people context with their
information helps them to process it in a way that is easy for them.
Hold regular, focussed team meetings take every opportunity to
listen and understand how others communicate.
 Ask questions and encourage feedback if people don't understand
you, find out why and fix it.
About Michael Young
Michael Young is the Managing Director of Transformed and the Immediate Past-President of
the ACT Chapter of the Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM).
For information on Transformed or on training to build communication skills, contact
Transformed on 6259 6221 or browse the website www.transformed.com.au