Articles To help Project Leaders
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|  | | | Wayne Botha - Communication Training |
We communicate, all the time. As project managers, it is said that over 90% of our work is communication. However, much of what we think we are communicating, is not communicated at all.
How many times have you got the wrong impression from an email? How often have you sent an email only to invoke an intensely emotional response where none was expected?
Email is just one form of communication. If simple email is this problematic, then you have to wonder how effective your other communications are. Are you getting your message across? We all have filters that hinder our communication. Just being aware of them, and having tools to work with your filters make the difference between clear communication and frustration.
Here are filters that impact how your message is understood when you try to communicate.
1. Accent (i.e. I speak with a South African accent, even though we live in Connecticut.)
2. Your background and my background.
3. Context of the communication (are we joking around over lunch, or in a project status meeting?)
4. Our dictionaries - the meanings we have for words. For example, what does the word "peruse" mean to you? Look it up, and you may be surprised that it does not mean to "browse".
The fact is that our communication is not as clear as we think it is. In most cases, every day for project managers, the answer is "No, I can't hear you now."
At the Westchester chapter of PMI, we had a great session on communication. Contact me, if you think that your chapter or association members would benefit from enhanced communication skills.
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