Download Project Communication Management

Roles of the Project Manager
Leader
Manager
Facilitator
Mentor
Project Manager - Leader
Leadership: the ability to conceptualize the vision and direction of
the projects and then communicate and sell this vision to the
functional managers, team members and various stake holders.
Design a strategy that accurate reflects the vision of the leader.
Keys
Listen the customer to determine the added value of the project
brings
Cerate a personal Vision - Create Personal representations of the
true purpose of project
Dialogue with the team members
Be the voice of the project team to the outside world
Put a structure and organization for the project and the team
Listen the customers
Ask probing questions that demonstrate an interest initial
discussions beyond the general level
Recognise what the customer is not saying
Clarify perception of the project’s purposes, ensuring that you
are walking the same way with the customer
Listen to asmany potential customers as possible, acquiring
opinions
Create a personal Vision
Create some personal representation of the true purpose of the
project. Noting subtle goals and the customers true definition
and added value.
Be confident and motivating to begin the project
Begin determining how to best sell the process to the team and
related stakeholders
A case study
Dialogue with the team members
Dialogue with the team members on the subject of the project
purpose – interactive and on going. Results:
Create an Atmosphere so as to encourage the team members
about the purposes. Motivate tham members to ask questions.
Offer opinions and clarifications
Encourage the team members to define the purpose in their part
of the project.
Important: Ability to sell the idea to individual team members and
the team as a whole.
Walking the talk. Demonstrating managerial actions and behaviors
that are consistent with verbally espoused values. Create a trust
for a team member.
Walking the Talk -Guidlines
Examine your values and beliefs. Write them down
Identify behaviours that can reasonably expect to demonstrate,
consistnt with these values
Do not over-promise to be something that you want to be.
Do not over-promise to deliver on something that may not be
possible
Seek feedbacks from a mentor, or appropriate colleague of how
congruent your behaviour is.
The key word are: Respect, Confidence, Motivation
Structure and Organisation
Gives the people a personal and emotional foundation from which to
operate
Guidelines:
Write scope statements, meaningful and efficient meetings, good and
clear role and task expectations
Give a project management methodology
The team operating structure must be clear, reasonable, efficient, and
not overly bureaucratic.
The team structure can include:
Team members roles and responsibilities
Rules and procedures expressing clear behavioral and performance
expectations
Meeting that are purposeful
Setting that are formal and informal in which team members can seek
P.M.
Manager
Manager: ensures the project is completed on time, within budget
and at acceptable level of performance. Creating and
establishing the administrative procedures and structure to
monitor completion of the work. (Plans, Schedules, Cost)
Guidelines (communication):
The team members must understand the structure.
Talk about what flexibility may be possible
Examine the individual needs
State the desire to complete the project with a minimum of
bureaucracy.
Problems with the members who have an autonomy behaviour. Talk
to them with a win-win tone.
Try not to be a over-controlling manager
Try not to be a laissez-faire manager
Facilitator
Behaviors and attitudes that help others get their work done. The
art of influencing others.
Requirements: Communication abilities, conflict resolutions,
procure necessary suppliers and resources, ability to motivate
individuals.
Guidelines:
Use clear statements – get to the point
Ask open-ended questions
Be a good listener
Clarify the meaning of the speaker’s message – ask
Solve the conflicts
Mentor and Coach
Processes by which one person assist other person. Provide
Guidance and encouragement. Not only for the project. (ex.
Carrier opportunities, Future directions, etc)
Guidelines:
Demonstrate skills, behaviour, attitudes
Demonstrate a genuine, personal interest
Offer suggestions, possibilities, resources, problem-solving
approaches
Provide feedbacks that is supportive and accurate
Offer motivation and assist team members in identifying and
achieving long-term goals
Not formal duties.
The Roles manager Play
Interpersonal Roles – Clients, Customers, partners, Friendships,
personal relationships
Formal Representative – Ceremonial duties
International Roles
Gather, collate, analyse, store and disseminate information
Monitoring activities – Scaning the environment for information
Decisional Roles
Assignment, People management, Crisis management, Negotiations
Strategic and tactical decisions
Major Characteristics
Time is fragmented
Values Compete and the various roles are in Tension
The job is Overloaded
Efficiency is a Core Skill
Emphasis
Managers must be increasingly aware of threats and opportunities
Managers must be more sophisticated and mentors
Managers must create a Local Vision
Skills
Technical Skills
Relating Skills
Conceptual skills
PERSUASION
Convincing Others That Cooperating With You Is
In Their Best Interest
Copyright 2004: J. S. O’Rourke, University of Notre Dame
Human Beliefs
What we believe defines, in so many important ways, who we are. Yet,
what we believe -- or hold to be true -- is not simply a function of what
we know.
It’s a product of how we were raised, who educated us, and the lives
we led when we were young.
Human Beliefs
The human attitudinal system is a rich and interesting
mixture of education, experience, and inventiveness.
Our attitudinal systems are constantly undergoing reevaluation and change. We add new information, reinforce
existing beliefs, remove old ideas and concepts, and
challenge assumptions.
The Work of Milton Rokeach
In a book entitled The Open and Closed Mind (Free Press, 1960),
psychologist Milton Rokeach explored research about dogmatism
and human belief.
In his explanation of the research he conducted, Rokeach describes
the human attitudinal system as a series of concentric, related
concepts.
Elements of the Human Attitudinal System
Opinions
Attitudes
Beliefs
The Human Attitudinal System
Beliefs are at the core of the system, are acquired early in life and
are the most fundamental of our values.
Attitudes are outgrowths of our beliefs; we are dependent on them
and tend to be consistent with them.
Opinions are at the fringes of our belief system and are the least
stable.
Key Principles
Change in one layer may expose a more fundamental layer
to re-examination, but will require no change in the more
basic layer.
Change in a basic layer will require change in all higher
attitudinal layers.
The more basic the change, the more profound the
reordering through the system.
Key Principles
The less rational the basis for adoption, the more difficult is
the basis for change in a given belief or attitude group.
Emotionally-charged attitudes are especially difficult to
change.
The closer a structure is to the center of one’s belief system,
the more central it becomes to one’s self-concept.
Zero-order beliefs, thus, become self-defining.
The Objectives of Persuasion
Conserving positive opinion
Crystallizing latent opinion
Neutralizing hostile opinion
The Conditions Under Which Attitudes May Be
Influenced
Generalization
Differentiation
Imitation
Trauma
The Principles of Influence
Liking
Reciprocity
Social Proof
Consistency
Authority
Scarcity
Liking
The principle:
People like those who like them.
The application:
Uncover real similarities and offer genuine praise.
Reciprocity
The principle:
People repay in kind.
The application:
Give what you want to receive.
Social Proof
The principle:
People follow the lead of similar others.
The application:
Use peer power whenever it’s available.
Consistency
The principle:
People align with their clear commitments.
The application:
Make their commitments active, public, and voluntary.
Authority
The principle:
People defer to experts.
The application:
Expose your expertise. Don’t assume it is self-evident.
Scarcity
The principle:
People want more of what they can have less of.
The application:
Highlight unique benefits and exclusive information.
Two-Sided Arguments
Seem to Work Best When:
The audience initially disagrees with your proposal.
You know the audience will be exposed to subsequent
counter-persuasion or propaganda.
Two-Sided Arguments
Seem to Work Best When:
The audience has a low level of involvement with or
knowledge of the topic.
You hope to produce more enduring results.
Being Persuasive
Keep the argument simple.
Make the message real for your audience.
Listen before you speak.
Channel fear into excitement.
Repeat the message personally.
Choose your words carefully.
References
Robert Cialdini, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Boston: Wm. Morrow
and Co., 1993.
Milton Rokeach, The Open and Closed Mind. New York: The Free Press, 1960.
Jeffrey Pfeffer, Managing with Power: Politics and Influence in Organizations.
Boston: HBS Press, 1992.
Todd Jick, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, and Barry Stein, The Challenge of
Organizational Change. New York: MacMillan, 1992.
Robert Cialdini, “Harnessing the Science of Persuasion,” Harvard Business
Review, October 2001, pp. 72-79.
Nonverbal Communication
Communicating
Without Using Words
Copyright 2004: J. S. O’Rourke, University of Notre Dame
Nonverbal Categories
Sign language
Action language
Object language
The Nonverbal Process
Cue
Expectation
Inference
Functions of
Nonverbal Communication
Accenting
Complimenting
Contradicting
Regulating
Repeating
Substituting
Principles of
Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal communication occurs in a context.
Nonverbal behaviors are usually packaged.
Nonverbal behavior always communicates.
Nonverbal behavior is governed by rules.
Nonverbal behavior is highly believable.
Nonverbal behavior is meta-communicational.
Dimensions of
the Nonverbal Code
Kinesics:
 Emblems
 Illustrators
 Affect displays
 Regulators
 Adaptors
Physical Characteristics
Dimensions of the
Nonverbal Code
Haptics
Paralanguage
Proxemics
Chronemics
Chromatics
Olfactics
Gustics
Acoustics
Silence
Some Effects of
Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal cues are often difficult to read.
Nonverbal cues are often difficult to interpret.
Nonverbal behaviors are often contradictory.
Some nonverbal cues are more important than other.
Some Effects of
Nonverbal Communication
We often read into some cues much that isn’t there, and fail to
read some cues that are clearly present.
We’re not as skilled as this as we tend to think we are: our
confidence often exceeds our ability.
EFFECTIVE
LISTENING
Copyright 2004: J. S. O’Rourke, University of Notre Dame
LISTENING
There is a substantial difference between hearing and listening.
Hearing is merely an involuntary physical response to the
environment. Listening, on the other hand, is a sophisticated
communication skill which can be mastered only with considerable
practice. You can learn to be an effective, capable listener by using
the techniques we’ll review.
Why Listening Matters:
By taking responsibility for successful communication
through active and reflective listening, you can become more
successful at those activities that depend on communication,
including your personal and professional life.
How Well Do You Listen?
Rate yourself as a listener.
How would your subordinates rate you?
How about your peers?
How Well Do You Listen?
How would your boss rate you?
What would your significant other say?
How would your best friend rate you?
Why Listen?
The average person spends about 70 percent of each day engaged in
some type of communication. Of that time,
45 percent is spent listening, 30 percent speaking, 16 percent
reading, and only 9 percent writing.
Why Listen?
Listening demonstrates acceptance.
Listening promotes problem-solving abilities.
Listening can increase a speaker’s receptiveness to
the ideas of others.
Why Listen?
Listening demonstrates acceptance.
Listening increases the self-esteem of the other person.
Listening helps you overcome self-consciousness and selfcenteredness.
Listening can help to prevent head-on emotional collisions.
Ineffective Listening Habits
Dr. Ralph Nichols has discovered that many of us employ
ineffective listening habits that interfere with learning:
Calling the subject uninteresting
Criticizing the speaker’s delivery
Getting over-stimulated
Listening only for the facts
Ineffective Listening Habits
Trying to make an outline of everything we hear.
Faking attention to the speaker.
Tolerating or creating distractions.
Ineffective Listening Habits
Avoiding difficult, expository or technical material
Letting emotion-laden words throw us off the track
Wasting the differential between speech speed and thought
speed
Developing Good Listening Habits
Researchers at the Unisys Corporation have identified ways in
which you can review your ineffective habits, identify those you
should replace, and substitute more effective strategies for
listening, learning, and remembering. They’ve identified 18
habits you may wish to consider for your own inventory of
communication skills.
Developing Good Listening Habits
Stop talking.
One conversation at a time.
Empathize with the person speaking.
Ask questions.
Don’t interrupt.
Developing Good Listening Habits
Show interest.
Give your undivided attention.
Don’t jump to conclusions.
Avoid distractions.
Evaluate facts and evidence.
Developing Good Listening Habits
Recognize your own biases and prejudices.
Don’t argue mentally.
React to ideas, not to the speaker.
Don’t waste your thought-power advantage.
Wishing doesn’t make it so.
Developing Good Listening Habits
Listen for what is not said.
Listen to how something is said.
And, most important: share the responsibility for
communication success.
Active Listening Is A Skill
Fosters catharsis
Encourages the speaker to be less afraid of negative
feelings
Promotes a relationship of warmth between speaker and
listener
Promotes problem-solving in the speaker
Increases the speaker’s receptiveness to the ideas and
thoughts of others
Essential Active Listening Skills

Paraphrasing

Reflecting feelings

Reflecting meaning

Reflecting conclusions
How Can I Improve
My Listening Habits?
Professor James J. Floyd has suggested a system for
improving the ways in which we listen to the rest of the
world. The first phase involves four steps:
Review your listening inventory (good and bad habits).
Recognize your undesirable listening habits.
How Can I Improve
My Listening Habits?
Refuse to tolerate undesirable or ineffective habits.
Replace undesirable habits with effective ones.
Improve Your Ability
To Pay Attention
Resist the temptation to daydream.
Reduce environmental distraction.
Ignore internal (self-generated) distractions.
Improve Your Ability
To Pay Attention
Refuse to be distracted by speaker appearance or
mannerisms.
Repeatedly remind yourself to focus on the message.
Improving the Non-Verbal Dimension of Listening
Don’t underestimate the difficulty of interpreting non-verbal
messages.
Consider context: non-verbal behavior may have different
meanings in different contexts.
Interpret verbal and non-verbal communication
simultaneously.
Solicit feedback.
Improving the Verbal
Dimension of Listening
Increase your verbal experience and expertise.
Avoid stereotyping.
Study and consider verbal context to interpret meaning.
Set aside biases and emotions (but don’t ignore them).
Improving the Verbal
Dimension of Listening
Overcome the fear of failure:
Don’t refuse to try.
 Don’t belittle the situation.
 Don’t lower your goals.
 Don’t look for easy listening situations.

Improving the Analytic Dimensions of Listening
Distinguish between factual and non-factual support material.
Apply the various tests for factual support.
Evaluate the appropriateness of speakers’ use of non-factual
support.
Understand the relationship between support and reasoning.
Improving the Analytic Dimensions of Listening
Apply the various tests for reasoning.
Monitor ethical and unethical uses of propaganda.
Improving Your Ability To
Listen Empathically
Strive to develop a positive, caring attitude.
Apply dialogic principles to your listening in a variety of
situations.
Reduce or eliminate monologic tendencies in your
listening.
Improving Your Ability To
Listen Empathically
Avoid the tendency to talk rather than listen.
Resist the temptation to judge or give advice.
Provide feedback which will encourage further
communication.
Guidelines for
Constructive Feedback
Acknowledge the Need for Feedback.
Give Both Positive and Negative Feedback.
Guidelines for
Constructive Feedback
Know When to Give Feedback.
Know How to Give Feedback.
Knowing When Not
to Give Feedback
You don’t know much about the circumstances of the
behavior.
You don’t care about the person or will not be around
long enough to follow up on the aftermath of your
feedback. Hit-and-run feedback is not fair.
Knowing When Not
to Give Feedback
The other person seems low in self-esteem.
You are low in self-esteem.
The feedback, positive or negative, is about something
the person has no power to change.
Knowing When Not
to Give Feedback
Your purpose is not really improvement, but to put
someone on the spot (“gotcha!”), or demonstrate how
smart or how much more responsible you are.
The time, place, or circumstances are inappropriate
(for example, in the presence of a customer).
Knowing How to Give
Effective Feedback
Be Descriptive.
Don’t Use Labels.
Don’t Exaggerate.
Don’t Be Judgmental.
Knowing How to Give
Effective Feedback
Speak for Yourself.
Talk First about Yourself, Not about the Other Person.
Phrase the Issue as a Statement, Not as a Question.
Knowing How to Give
Effective Feedback
Restrict Your Feedback to Things You Know for Certain.
Help People Hear and Accept Your Compliments When
Giving Positive Feedback.
Know How to Receive Feedback
Breathe.
Listen Carefully.
Acknowledge the Feedback.
Acknowledge Valid Points.
Take Time Out to Sort Out What You Heard.
Suggested Further Readings
DiSalvo, V., D. C. Larsen, and W. J. Seiler. “Communication
Skills Needed by Persons in Business Organizations”,
Communication Education 25 (1976), 269-275.
Floyd, J. J. Listening: A Practical Approach. Glenview, IL:
Scott, Foresman and Company, 1985.
Huseman, R. C., J. M. Lahiff, and J. D. Hatfield. Business
Communication. Hinsdale, IL: Dryden Press, 1981.
Suggested Further Readings
Nichols, R. G. and L. Stevens. Are you Listening? New York:
McGraw-Hill, 1957.
Rogers, C. R. and F. J. Roethlisberger. “Barriers and
Gateways to Communication.” Harvard Business Review 30
(1952), 46-52.
Wolvin, A. D. and C. G. Coakley. Listening. Dubuque, IA:
Wm. C. Brown Company, 1982.