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The Critical Role of Communication in Project Management

The Critical Role of Communication in Project Management

Industry Advice Management

Successfully managing a project from start to finish requires certain key skills . Scheduling, time management, and the ability to negotiate with internal and external parties are all critical competencies. Leadership, risk management, and critical thinking similarly all fall high on the list.

But the skill that is perhaps most important to project management is the one that underlies all of these others: Communication. 

Without strong communication skills, project managers would find it incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to effectively manage their teams and coordinate efforts in order to bring about a project’s successful resolution. 

Below, we explore the importance of effective communication in project management, define the different types of communication project managers are likely to engage in, and offer tips that you can use to become a more effective communicator to excel in your project management career . 

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The Importance of Effective Communication in Project Management

As a part of their day-to-day jobs, project managers perform a variety of roles and responsibilities . At its core, however, the job is about coordinating the efforts of everyone involved in a project so that shared goals can be achieved. This requires that a project manager is skilled in gathering information and in sharing it with the right people on their team. 

“Communication is the most important aspect in project management, because what project managers do a majority of the time is communicate to coordinate efforts,” says Sarmann Kennedyd , assistant teaching professor in Northeastern’s Master of Science in Project Management program . “To coordinate efforts, they have to gather a lot of information and disseminate it across all teams involved with the project.”

Without this communication, it’s possible that efforts might be duplicated by multiple people or teams involved in the project, that important goals and milestones might be missed, that resources become misallocated, or that the project’s scope begins to creep outside of the realm of what was originally intended. The end result is that projects can screech to a halt, or worse: fail altogether.

“Communication is one of the most essential ingredients [in successful project management] and skills that a project manager has to have,” Kennedyd says.

Types of Communication in Project Management

In project management, as in all other business processes, there are multiple different types of communication and communication styles that might impact a project. Often, these different styles can be understood to come from different “perspectives,” which we explore below.

1. The Project Perspective

When communication is viewed from the perspective of the project itself, it is usually broken into two categories: internal and external communication. 

Internal communication typically refers to the exchange of information that occurs between individuals who are actively working on a project—the project manager and their team. It is often characterized by the detailed discussion that happens during planning or issue resolution.  

External communication , on the other hand, refers to the flow of information between the members of a project team and key stakeholders not directly a part of the project. This might involve members of the executive team, the CEO, other departments or projects, the press, or internal and external customers. Because this communication is geared towards individuals who are not directly working on a project, it is often more formal and “polished” compared to internal communications. 

2. The Organizational Perspective

When communication is viewed from an organizational perspective, it is usually broken into three distinct categories which take into account the various ways in which an organization might be structured: vertical, horizontal, and diagonal communication. 

Vertical communication takes place between individuals who operate on different hierarchical levels within an organization and is sometimes referred to as “upward” or “downward” communication. Upward communication might involve a member of the project team updating the project manager about a particular roadblock that is getting in the way of completing a task, or the project manager communicating with their superior on the progression of the project. Downward communication works in the opposite direction, such as when the project manager assigns tasks to individuals on their team.

Horizontal communication takes place between individuals who operate on the same level within an organization. It’s the communication that occurs between peers and colleagues, such as when a team gathers for a daily scrum meeting or stand-up to align on what tasks will be completed. 

Diagonal communication is typically limited to businesses and institutions with more organizational complexity and refers to the communication that takes place between individuals within different functional divisions or departments within the organization. For example, a project manager tasked with overseeing the development of a mobile app might turn to a member of the software team to understand how they dealt with similar issues or challenges. 

When engaging in vertical, horizontal, or diagonal communication, it’s critical that a project manager or member of a project team understand the underlying politics involved, and use that knowledge to frame their discussions. 

3. The Formality Perspective

When communication is viewed through the lens of formality, it is generally split into informal and formal communications, which are rather straightforward in their definitions. 

Informal communications are often synonymous with internal communications outlined above. Daily emails, touchbases, and unplanned meetings form the bulk of this communication, which is generally raw and unpolished. 

Formal communications , on the other hand, are seen more as products to be consumed. Reports, press releases, and presentations to key stakeholders often fall into this bucket. Because of the audience that they are typically addressed to, these communications are often more highly-produced and planned.

4. The Channel Perspective

The channel perspective refers to the channel or medium by which communication is transmitted or delivered. Common communication channels include verbal vs. non-verbal communication, in-person vs. remote or virtual communication, and written vs. oral communication. 

It’s important to note that each of these communication channels offers its own benefits and disadvantages which a project manager should be aware of and leverage accordingly. 

In-person communication, for example, enables the parties to observe body language and demeanor which might influence the message being sent, but it is not always possible due to the increasing use of remote teams in corporate environments. Similarly, written communication allows the writer to tailor their messaging to communicate precisely what they want to share, but it might lack certain subtleties that could otherwise be obvious in verbal communication (such as sarcasm). 

It’s up to the project manager to understand which channel best applies to their unique needs, and to balance those needs accordingly against the potential drawbacks of each channel. 

Tips for Effective Project Communication

1. make use of technology..

Just because your project team might be remote doesn’t mean that all of your communications need to be written. There is value in face-to-face meetings, and leveraging technology to facilitate these face-to-face interactions can go far in influencing the progress of your project. Virtual meetings and video conferencing are two incredibly helpful tools in this regard. 

2. Keep cultural and language barriers in mind.

Companies and organizations are increasingly diverse, elevating the possibility that a member of your project team might not be a native English speaker. This might increase the risk of confusion during communications about the project. 

Being mindful of any cultural differences or language barriers of those involved in your team is, therefore, of critical importance. When possible, avoid using colloquialisms, jokes, and sarcasm, which can be difficult to translate across languages and cultures. 

3. Understand who should get what information and how.

As a project manager, a large part of your job is to act as a gatekeeper to information. While this means that you are responsible for providing relevant information to the members of your team, it also means that you are responsible for shielding them from irrelevant information which might cause confusion or otherwise disrupt their work. Understanding how to determine who gets what information is an essential part of a project manager’s job.

Similarly, it’s up to you to determine the best channel and form of communication for whatever audience you are speaking to. Don’t be afraid to tailor your methods of communication to individual stakeholders or members of your team, if you think doing so will help the project stay on track.

For example, if you know that a certain stakeholder prefers to analyze the numbers, you might want to generate a granular report for them that goes into the level of detail they are looking for. On the other hand, if a different stakeholder is only concerned with high-level numbers and key takeaways, you might instead choose to leverage graphs and charts to illustrate those key points. 

Developing the Communication Skills Necessary for Project Success

If you are looking to improve and develop your communication skills as they relate to project management, earning a relevant advanced degree, such as a master’s in project management , could be one option of getting you where you want to be—especially if the program offers a concentration or focus on communication. 

At Northeastern, individuals pursuing a master’s degree in project management can choose from 10 different specializations, including a Concentration in Organizational Communication. With classes focused on crisis communication, intercultural communication, negotiation, and organizational communication, amongst others, this track places a special emphasis on the various types of communication a project manager is likely to need to engage in during their career. 

For more information about how a master’s degree in project management can help advance your career, download our free guide to breaking into the industry below.

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Effective Communication: Definition, 7 Steps, Examples

Home Blog Project Management Effective Communication: Definition, 7 Steps, Examples

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Communication is an inseparable aspect of daily life and we cannot live without communicating with anyone. Communication can take place in both ways; either in-person communication or communication through various social media platforms. However, effective communication is something that you need to know for various business purposes. As we communicate with innumerable people daily, we do not know what is the percentage of communication and how well it reaches the desired audience.

Effective communication means where we know what we are trying to communicate and the audience is getting exactly what we are trying to say. This communication is a very important aspect of both our professional and personal lives. It involves developing certain skills with the help of which we can exchange information with more clarity, understanding, and empathy. To know all about what is effective communication and how it can improve your career, do go for Project Management course as it will be a plus point in your career ahead. 

What is Effective Communication?

Effective communication definition is the process of exchanging or transmitting ideas, information, thoughts, knowledge, data, opinion, or messages from the sender through a selected method or channel to the receiver with a purpose that can be understood with clarity. The process of effective communication makes both the sandal and receiver satisfied. It is a cyclic process that starts with the sender and also ends with the sender as the sender receives a response or feedback from the receiver.

Communication can occur in multiple forms and the information can be communicated from one person to another in various ways. The different forms of communication can be stated as follows: 

  • Verbal communication 
  • Non-verbal communication 
  • Written communication 
  • Visual communication 

These forms of communication can take place in person, over the phone, or through various digital platforms. While the effectiveness of your communication can vary, it affects your professional area in various ways. The more effective your communication will be, the more you will be good at your work and personal aspects.

Although it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of your communication, you can feel or see its impact on your work. According to the reports from a survey conducted in the USA and UK where almost 1 lakh employees lost $62.4 million on average in a year as a result of poor communication. On the contrary, the companies which involve effective communication got almost 50 Percent higher total returns and made the stakeholders content.

project on effective communication

Effective communication examples can be stated as active listening, giving and taking feedback, empathy, and respectfulness, responding to messages, having volume and clarity in messages, understanding non-verbal data, building friendliness and confidence, adapting your communication style to the audience, and so on.

Why is Effective Communication Important in Business?

The tricky part about effective communication is whether what we are trying to say is exactly understood by the receiver or not. You must communicate effectively because of the following reasons: 

Effective Communication in General Life

  • It brings people together and helps build and maintain relationships. 
  • It encourages the development of building trust with each other. 
  • It helps to transform a group of people or a team into an effective unit. 
  • It gets your message across and helps to establish an understanding with your listeners. 
  • It encourages people to become more innovative so that they can be productive. 
  • It helps to increase accountability in a person so that it can increase the workflow of a particular process or unit. 

Effective Communication in Workplace

Effective communication in the workplace can help you in the following manner: 

  • It can help you to build an efficient team and manage the team members and other employees if required. 
  • It can enhance your innovation and creativity and you can reap its fruits as multiple benefits. 
  • It can help you to grow your company at a fast pace as good communication will help you to get better results. 
  • You can retain more and more sincere employees in your company with the help of effective communication. 
  • It will help you to build strong relationships among employees and get more opportunities for your company. 
  • It increases the engagement of employees in their work and also establishes responsibility toward their team. 
  • Another important benefit of effective communication is that it increases customer satisfaction. 
  • It helps to easily make decisions and carry out discussions that are goal oriented. 

Effective Communication in Personal Life

Effective communication in your personal life can improve your relations with people in the following manner: 

  • It can improve your mental health and social relations with people around you. 
  • It can help you to be more emotionally stable as you can better communicate with people. 
  • It can improve your existing connections with your peers and can develop a deep bond. 
  • It can help build new relations that are based on trust and transparency. 
  • It can also enhance problem-solving skills that can help you resolve conflicts with people around you.

project on effective communication

Significance of Effective Communication in Business

Communication plays a fundamental role in various aspects of a business. Thus, you must have proper internal communication as well as effective communication outside your organization. The following reasons will let you know what makes communication effective and why should it be a focus in your business: 

1. Employee Management

Managers are ought to be good communicators and they are supposed to inform their team members and employees of what is expected from them. With effective communication, the management of employees becomes easy as the managers also give constructive feedback on their performance to build pattern relations and also improve organizational work. With good communication skills, a manager also gets to know what are the personal goals of an employee that he may wish to work towards. 

2. Team Building

A more cohesive and effective team will stand with the encouragement of effective communication in an organization. It will boost the morale of the employees and team members. Employees will be happy to perform their roles with the idea that they are more clearly informed about the organizational vision. Good communication practices directly influence the importance of team building in a workplace. Effective communication also includes the aspect of phrasing the employees about their achievements and making them understand that they are working towards a common goal. 

3. Growth of Organization

Poor communication or lack of communication can lead to the downfall of an organization. This is a true and bitter statement to make. without proper internal and external communication, companies will face a lot of struggles to survive. Effective communication also results in removing unnecessary delays in implementing policies and increases the productivity of an organization leading to the growth of the same. 

4. Build Strong Relationship

Good relationships are built and maintained with the help of encouraging positive interactions with the other employees and team members and that can only happen if you have the skills of effective communication. Communication is the key to the process of positive encounters. Without effective communication, it will be impossible to construct and foster positive and productive relationships. 

5. Ascertain Transparency and Develop Trust

Companies remain more transparent with constant internal and external communication. This is very important when you are trying to build trust in your product, services, and brand. It is also applicable for building the trust of the employees in the higher management and vice Versa. Transparency and trust are very integral parts of an organizational process, especially when dealing with tough decision-making. 

6. Facilitates Creativity and Innovation

Creativity and innovation can only take place when employees feel free to communicate their new and innovative ideas to higher management. With the help of effective communication, you can make your employees comfortable so that they can feel free to speak their new ideas and integrate cooperation. Without effective communication, employees will not be able to fully communicate their innovative or creative ideas, as a result, will not be implemented for the betterment of the company. 

7. Reduces Misunderstanding

A major drawback of poor or lack of communication is that it creates a lot of misunderstanding between the employer and the employees. If the employee lacks the relevant communication skills then it becomes very difficult for the employer to understand what the employee is trying to say which leads to unnecessary misunderstandings. So with effective communication, misunderstandings can be duly reduced. 

8. Organizational Growth

With proper communication, organizations tend to grow as it removes all the discrepancies that are related to information, data, and messages. Effective communication makes the organizational process faster and more appropriate so that it can deliver the desired results and can aim toward organizational growth. As a result, it increases the profit and productivity of the company and also builds goodwill among the customers.

Effective Communication Skills

Communicating with a person is a skill as well as an art that comes with experience and constant practice. However, some predetermined skills are known as the key to effective communication, which are enumerated as follows: 

1. Observance

You must possess sharp observational skills for performing effective communication. As a professional, it is expected from you that you observe what is happening in and around your organization so that you can gain more information and knowledge and convey messages to your team members. 

2. Clarity and Brave

You should draft the message in understandable and simple words. drafting a simple message will let your employees have clarity about what you are trying to communicate. The receiver should get the desired message and understand it and that is why it should be clear and precise. 

3. Listening and Understanding

A key aspect of good and effective communication is that the receiver must be a good listener so that he can properly understand what the sender is trying to say or communicate. The receiver should be alert in catching the message of the sender and interpret the message properly. 

4. Emotional Intelligence

Emotional awareness and intelligence are some major requirements for effective communication. you must have the ability to emotionally influence others so that they work towards the organizational goal from within and not only for the sake of their own interest. 

5. Self Efficacy

To achieve the goal of effective communication it is important that as a manager who has responsibility for his team members, you must have faith in yourself that you can achieve the communication goals. Self-efficacy will lead you to better understand the goals of the organization so that you can achieve them. 

6. Self Confidence

When you are trying to communicate a message to another person do not forget to be confident enough in what you are trying to communicate. Self-confidence will let you have a clear vision of the purpose of your communication so that the receiver can also interpret your message clearly. 

7. Respectful 

To enhance the essence of effective communication it is important that while delivering a message you must respect the ideas, values, beliefs, and conceptions of the receiver. You should maintain courtesy so that the receiver may interpret your message as you want it to. 

8. Selection of the Right Medium

There are multiple mediums available so that you can communicate your message. You should be mindful of choosing the correct medium for your message. You can select the right medium depending on the nature of your message, the priority of the situation, the choices of the receiver, and so on. 

9. Providing Feedback

To successfully have effective communication it must be a two-way process. So to understand the perspective of the other person, the sender, and the receiver must give feedback to one another depending on what they think or want to say about the message.

To understand the process of effective communication in detail, take PMP certification course which will help you communicate effectively both as the sender and the receiver.

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7 C's of Effective Communication

The 7 C's of effective communication has been developed to ensure that you become a good communicator and communicate with your peers most effectively and efficiently. it will help you to better engage your audience and increase your productivity at work. The 7 C's of effective communication are enumerated as follows:

project on effective communication

When you are trying to build effective communication you must ensure that your communication is clear and the receiver does not have to assume things to interpret your message. Clear communication helps to save time and effort from both ends. Do not try to gather too much information in one single communication. This will lead to disruption in the understanding of the receiver. Make the communication clear and to the point. 

Always make sure that your communication is correct. As a professional, you may have to write a lot of emails in a single day which often causes typing mistakes. Make sure that you get rid of these mistakes and that there is no disturbance in your communication. Apply spell check and proofread your message before communicating it to the receiver. Do not spell the name of the receiver incorrectly and ensure that the technical terms that you are using are understandable to the receiver. 

3. Complete

Complete communication involves all the information and details that the receiver should know before responding or taking action based on the communication. You can also approach the 'call to action' option in your email if you want the receiver to take some extensive action based on your communication. An incomplete message wastes a lot of time and effort of the team members and creates misunderstanding. So make sure that your communication is complete. 

Good communication involves your message being prim and proper. stick to the point of what you are trying to communicate and do not beat around the bush. Very often people tend to say five sentences in a place where they could have communicated the message in just two sentences. This can cause a lack of efficiency in the organization which can negatively impact productivity too. Your communication should be crisp and accurate to make it effective. 

5. Concrete

Before making a statement or trying to communicate with the other person you should be sure about the idea that you are trying to communicate. You should have faith in what you want to convey to the listeners. A concrete idea will lead to a better statement so that your audience can understand your message. Concreteness is a very important aspect of communication especially when it is related to advertising, sales, and marketing . You should grab the attention of the audience with your concrete communication rather than boring them. 

6. Coherent

You cannot be an effective communicator if you become illogical while communicating. Your communication needs to have a logical flow in order to make it effective. your statements and messages should be interconnected to the previous exchange of messages so that you can stick to the main topic and not divert the attention of the receiver. This will help the receiver to keep a track of what the topic is and what it is that you want to convey. 

7. Courteous

Being a professional in the corporate world, being courteous is one of the first important qualities that you should have in yourself. Courteousness is a necessity to maintain a healthy working relationship so that you can have a positive exchange of thoughts and messages with your colleagues. Work partners are not necessarily friends so being courteous is one of the many important things that one should implement. Arguments, insults, and fights among colleagues will result in bad morale and will eventually lower the productivity of the organization.

Process of Effective Communication

The process of communication is a long one that involves certain elements. Without the major elements of effective communication, the process cannot be a success. A well-defined project definition is a key element of effective communication that ensures all stakeholders are on the same page and can work together towards project success. The following are the elements of the process of effective communication: 

The sender lays down the foundation of effective communication. The message is based on the idea and expression of the sender. Thus, the sender is the initiator of the communication. The sender is the one who encodes the idea that he wants to communicate in a message that can be understood by the receiver. 

The message is the idea, thought, speech, symbol, sign, gesture, etc, that is to be communicated to the receiver by the sender. The mode in which the message will be encoded is decided by the sender based on the nature and type of information. it can be both verbal and nonverbal in nature.

3. Encoding

Encoding is the process in which the target idea is transformed into a medium so that it can be communicated to the receiver. encoding is a very important step in the process of communication that if went wrong, can disrupt the whole process of communication.

The channel is the mode or medium through which the message flows or is transmitted to the receiver. The channel is the mode through which the sender and receiver are connected and the message flows through it. The choice of a proper channel is paramount considering the advantages and disadvantages of each channel.

5. Receiver

The receiver is the person for whom the message was intended. The receiver should be an active listener so that he can well interpret the meaning of the message. The receiver needs to correctly comprehend the message based on his knowledge, experience, and skills.

6. Decoding

Decoding is done by the receiver who interprets the underlying meaning of the message. The receiver comprehends the message and tries to understand it most effectively.

7. Feedback

Feedback is the end aspect of communication. Feedback is the response of the receiver that he sends to the sender in connection with the message. Feedback makes sure that the communication is effective and that the messages are properly interpreted and understood by the receiver.

As a professional in the corporate world, you need to constantly update yourself to build better communication skills. Apart from professional life, effective communication can also empower your personal life. Now you know 'effective communication meaning' and to upskill yourself you can register for the best PRINCE2 training , and it will help you to gain a lot of knowledge regarding what is project management and effective communication. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. what is good for effective communication.

Effective communication is based on a lot of factors but the major things that make your communication effective are:  

  • Become an active and good listener 
  • Follow the 7 C's of effective communication 
  • Practice public speaking 
  • Focus on non-verbal communication 
  • Send and receive constructive feedback 

2. What is effective communication skill?

The major effective communication skills are: 

  • Observance 
  • Clarity and Brave  
  • Listening and Understanding 
  • Emotional Intelligence 
  • Self Efficacy 
  • Self Confidence 
  • Respectful 
  • Selection of the right medium 
  • Providing feedback

3. What are the barriers to communication?

Here are the most common barriers that can negatively impact effective communication: 

  • Interpersonal Barriers 
  • Language Barriers 
  • Cultural Barriers 
  • Gender Barriers 
  • Perceptual Barriers 
  • Emotional Barriers 
  • Physical Barriers 

4. Examples of effective communication?

Here are some examples of effective communication: 

  • Active listening 
  • Adapting your communication style to the listeners 
  • Friendliness 
  • Giving and receiving constructive feedback 
  • Confidence 
  • Volume and clarity 
  • Empathy and respect 
  • Understanding non-verbal messages 
  • Responsiveness

Profile

Kevin D.Davis

Kevin D. Davis is a seasoned and results-driven Program/Project Management Professional with a Master's Certificate in Advanced Project Management. With expertise in leading multi-million dollar projects, strategic planning, and sales operations, Kevin excels in maximizing solutions and building business cases. He possesses a deep understanding of methodologies such as PMBOK, Lean Six Sigma, and TQM to achieve business/technology alignment. With over 100 instructional training sessions and extensive experience as a PMP Exam Prep Instructor at KnowledgeHut, Kevin has a proven track record in project management training and consulting. His expertise has helped in driving successful project outcomes and fostering organizational growth.

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The Importance of Effective Communication in Project Management

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Can you imagine managing a project without communication? Sounds like a nightmare, right?

It would be pretty much impossible—what with all the layers of project requirements , details, and decisions that need to be approved by all those important folks up the chain of command. Every step requires some new task to talk about, and that task depends on another task, decision, or person.

When it comes to project management, you can’t go at it alone. But even the best tools won’t matter much without effective communication. In other words, you’ve got to know how to talk to your people!

So what are some of the best ways to improve your communication in project management? Let’s walk through it.

Why is communication important in project management?

Types of communication in project management, top communication skills for project managers, simple tips for effective project communication.

The importance of communication in project management can’t be stressed enough. That’s because it’s critical to project success.

Good communication keeps conflict and confusion from bogging your project down by ensuring key players are aligned on project goals and know exactly what’s expected of them. It also helps build team-wide trust so everyone works better together from project start to finish.

No project relies on a single type of communication to get work done. You might use a combination of these communication methods to keep people informed on your projects:

  • Meetings (in-person, phone, or video chat)
  • Project plans
  • Discussion boards
  • Collaboration apps
  • Status reports

So how do you know which communication types are right for your project? Look at what worked well—and what didn’t—for past projects. Then bring your team and stakeholders into the conversation to get their input. Everyone has different communication styles , so take those into consideration to ensure your project communications will actually land. 

A communication plan can help you devise a strategy for what effective communication will look like on any given project. That way everyone involved in the project knows what to expect and how to communicate with each other effectively and efficiently.

You want to be the best project manager in the history of your company, right? Of course you do!

Here are 5 communication skills the best project managers regularly apply to their projects:

  • Listen. Effective project managers don’t just wait for their turn to talk. Listen to your team—both the good and the bad—to really understand issues and look for ways to fix them.
  • Emphasize efficiency over speed. Make sure your team knows that going 10 miles an hour toward a specific destination is much better than going 30 miles an hour in circles.
  • Dig into the details. Listening is one thing, but to get to the bottom of processes and situations, good project managers are willing to get their hands a little dirty and ask important client questions .
  • Respect your team. As we’ve said, project management is all about relationships. When you treat your team well, they’ll (usually) treat you well in return. Be nice!
  • Keep everyone in the loop. Just because the project manager knows what’s going on, that doesn’t mean everyone else does. So send out monthly, weekly, or even daily project updates to ensure everyone involved is informed and up-to-date.

Remember: Project management isn’t just about tools and process. It’s about people. Good project managers develop relationships that ultimately help projects move smoothly.

That’s not to say tools like team collaboration software aren’t helpful. Useful project management software will help your team share ideas and make decisions together.

The savvy project manager knows how to manage those tools, details, and people through meaningful, strategic conversations. They pull the best out of people—making the introvert a little more outspoken while figuring out a way to make the difficult team member a little easier to deal with.

Think about your project management communications in terms of routines. As a project manager, you want to be sure you’re making it easy for your team to access and share information—and ask for more when needed.

Let’s look at some simple ways you can set your team and projects up for success with effective communication. 

1. Set clear project expectations

When you kick off a project, make sure everyone—including both your team and stakeholders—know what’s expected of them throughout the course of the project. You also need to know what everyone else expects from you.

Here are some good ways to do this:

  • Develop your project purpose. This is your team’s mission statement, the “why” behind everything you’re doing on this project.
  • Set project goals. Once you have the purpose in place, you can realistically set your goals for the project. What are the primary indicators of success?  
  • Determine the key players. Which team members and stakeholders need to be involved and to what extent? Who should be at all the meetings, and who should only be involved from an approval standpoint? Does everyone understand their roles? Use a Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed (RACI) chart to map task roles and responsibilities.
  • Document your project plan , and review it regularly. Your plan should act as the center of all project communication. Make sure your team and stakeholders have easy access to your plan so they can update and track progress every step of the way.
  • Discuss task dependencies and how they’ll be met (or not). Make sure to look for potential roadblocks and risks along the way. On top of that, each team member should know what needs to be done before they get started on their task.
  • Be realistic on time and scale. Deliver what you say you’re going to deliver. And, remember the cardinal rule of communication in project management—don’t overpromise!
  • Adjust when needed. Just like most things in life, a project probably won’t go like you plan. Be flexible enough and honest with your team to adjust on the fly when needed.

The most important thing is to get the details on the table and ask: What does success and failure look like on this project?

When you’re honest about what a project win looks like—whether it’s on the administrative end or through frontline project management communications—you’ll have a much easier time setting (and resetting) expectations as work progresses. 

2. Discuss project deliverables

If you’re not actively checking in on your deliverables and reviewing them as a team, you’re missing a huge opportunity to collaborate and build a stronger product. When outlining your plan, make sure you’ve built in time to review, discuss, and critique your team deliverables.

This generates more confidence in what you’re building and will also keep team members accountable for project decisions. By just having a short review and discussion, you’re taking steps to eliminate a risk that a current deliverable will have a negative impact on your scope later on.

3. Conduct status meetings

Regularly hold status meetings—otherwise known as scrums or standups. These brief get-togethers are necessary to keep everyone informed about progress and blockers. Decide together if you want these meetings to be daily (15 minutes) or weekly (50 minutes).

Productive meetings will include:

  • Designated note-taker
  • Written agenda
  • Updated status report
  • Actionable next steps and goals
  • Post-meeting recaps to keep all meeting attendees accountable
  • A scheduled next meeting

Keep stakeholders in the know as well so they’re seeing progress and know where they fit in the process. 

TeamGantt’s Project Health Report is a great tool for communicating project status, as it provides a snapshot of what’s going well, what’s running behind, and what’s overdue. Share it in meetings with your team and stakeholders so you can work together to ensure your project stays on track.

TeamGantt project health report showing tasks that are ok, behind, or overdue

4. Ask questions

Being a project manager requires you to be inquisitive—you have to understand processes, people, and deliverables. Chances are, you’ll work with someone who comes up with a new way of working or takes a new spin on something you’re working on. That’s awesome! Just make sure you understand it—and that you can articulate the what, why, when, and how of that new thing.

Most important, never be afraid to ask your team questions . In the end, it’s a win-win situation for you and your team because the more you understand the work, the easier it is for you to advocate for it with stakeholders—or plan for similar activities in future projects.

You set the tone for effective communication

Bottom line: No matter what you do, be open to discussing how you communicate with your team. You want to know what’s best for the project while also being open and willing to adapt if that will set a tone of positive collaboration.

All that together will lead to success. You can count on it.

Good planning leads to better project communication

A clear and collaborative project plan is your best tool for communicating and tracking all the details, deadlines, and to-dos that will lead your team and project to success. And TeamGantt makes planning easy!

Create, monitor, and collaborate on all your project plans in minutes. You’ll have all the features you need to ensure projects finish on time and under budget—from drag and drop simplicity and team collaboration to customizable views and workload management.

Best of all, it’s all wrapped up in a simple and intuitive interface your whole team will love. 😍

Try TeamGantt for free today!

ProjectPractical.com

10 Best Practices for Effective Communication in Projects

Editorial Team

project communication tips

All Project Managers know that communication is the life blood of every project.

Already, the majority of your time will be spent communicating with your project team. Whether you’re issuing instructions, checking tasks or providing expert guidance. However, while you can be relied on to communicate effectively, the same isn’t always true of your team.

Let’s be honest. While there’s no need to point fingers, sometimes poor communication is down to individuals. Still though, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your team have the most effective processes and platforms for seamless communication. It’s in the interest of your project.

That’s because effective communication is the only tool that guarantees you complete oversight of your project. So irrespective of your team, you need to know these 10 best practices for effective communication.

1. Make Time For Regular Catch Ups

Too many meetings can be a problem. However, too few will have your project floundering. You need to strike the right balance. The right balance is not canceling your regular catch-ups.

That’s because if you do, you won’t know what’s happening on your project. It might make your team think that you don’t have effective oversight of their work.

While you already have a busy schedule, regular individual catch-ups will give your team an important, private line of communication to you. This is when they can tell you everything about their deliverables in a safe environment. It also provides plenty of motivation for them to hit your deadlines.

You don’t need to have these meetings in person. Virtual meetings work too. It’s just vital that you have them. You could use Skype, have a conference call. If you don’t have time, request that every workstrand provides you with a regular update on their work. This will help you identify problems as they emerge and prioritize your meetings more effectively.

While it doesn’t matter how you hold these meetings, it’s important that they’re regular. More, always try not to prioritize seeing your favorite team members. You need to use your time effectively, making sure everyone gets face time with you.

2. Establish Regular Review Points

In addition to regular catch-ups, regular and planned review points help you communicate project wide changes across your team and stakeholders. These can take the form of Project Boards, Milestone Meetings, or another format that’s appropriate to your work.

At these meetings, there should be a set agenda. The agenda should include milestone reviews, budgetary performance, and a review of ongoing risks.

Assign a named person accountability for organizing and keeping a regular note of meetings. This ensures that they are productive, the business that you need to cover is completed, and that previous actions are followed up. The magic of meeting notes is that you can share them digitally with your entire team. They also will help you review whether actions have progressed.

It’s important that if work needs to be reviewed before the meeting, everyone has access to it in advance. Productive presentations and discussions about the progress of your work will keep your Review Points relevant and attendees engaged.

Finally, remember to invite a mixture of people to your reviews. Encourage more senior members of your project team to let more junior members of staff present at these meetings. It will help them with their professional development, while encouraging a more open and transparent working environment.

3. Use Online Collaboration Tools

Online collaboration tools are great. They include Google Docs, Microsoft 365 Suite, Monday, Asana or other online collaboration tools that allow your team to manage their projects remotely and share files quickly.

These tools can really help bring a new level of oversight and transparency to your project. However beware, if you implement online collaboration tools incorrectly they will not work. If no one is using them, they will not be worth the time or the money that you have invested in them.

Foster a culture within your project team that strives to use online collaboration tools to their full potential. You can do this by establishing clear ways of working, assigning individual responsibility to one team member to make sure online records stay up to date, and give clear instructions that work needs to be completed on specific platforms.

As Project Manager, it’s important to ensure that you use these tools too. If you are asking the rest of your office to change their working behaviors, you will have to change your own too. If not, they will resent it and be less likely to comply with your instructions.

4. Keep Your Stakeholders Involved

To run a project successfully, you need to ensure that are communicating with your stakeholders regularly. While this will happen organically during your regular project meetings and milestone reviews, it’s worth putting in some extra effort and opening up the communication channels as wide as possible.

Within your company this could include regular meetings with other project managers,  setting up  virtual mailboxes  for occassional virtual mails, a monthly catch-up with your boss, and even weekly or monthly update reports about your project .

It’s always better to communicate with your stakeholders proactively that to wait to be asked to provide an update on the project.

If your organization has a regular Executive Committee, or Board Meeting, when your project has reached a specific milestone, proactively ask the meeting organist whether you are able to provide an update on your work. It will inspire confidence in your project and give you the power to explain delays without surprising anyone. It’s also an easy way to communicate changes to the project without getting your stakeholders concerned.

5. Don’t Neglect Your Project Documentation

Communication isn’t just about how people speak to each other. It includes all of your project documentation too. Communication includes your project strategy, you project roadmap, and how assigned tasks, role descriptions and project briefs are delivered to your team.

There shouldn’t be any ambiguity in your project documentation. If there is, it will hinder how effectively your project team are able to complete their tasks and figure out exactly what they’re doing.

To assess whether your Project Documentation is up to scratch, take responsibility and review it. If there’s anything included that you do not understand, seek clarifications. Once you are satisfied, make sure the accountable team members update their documentation.

It’s helpful to use online collaboration tools to ensure that your Project Documents are in a centrally located and managed space. This could be on a shared hard-drive, online, hosted on your internal servers or as a print out that is easily locatable in the office.

Clear and accessible Project Documentation will save your team time. If you have everything stored in one place and your project team can find the information quickly and effectively it will save you time too. That’s because your team will not be constantly be posing the same questions to you, and will be able to work out for themselves what they need to do to complete their work.

Well maintained Project Documentation is also a great way to prevent mistakes and project scope creep happening.

6. Be Present

Remote working is one of the great wonders of our age. Flexible working patterns are a fatalistic way to retain employees, and help your team achieve a better work / life balance.

However, while remote working is important, remember that visibility and accessibility are fundamental aspects of good communication. This means that when employees are working remotely, they should be contactable. The same applies to you too.

This doesn’t mean that you need to be in the office all the time. However, when you are out, your project team needs to know when they can contact you, what the preferred method of communication is, or who they should be speaking to instead.

Use technology to your advantage. Have a call with someone on Skype, or you can even use Whatsapp to check that your figures are correct.

While it’s important that you are available when your team are experiencing issues, it’s also important to be there when they aren’t.

An active presence builds confidence in your capabilities as a manager. It will also help your team be more proactive when they need to tell you that things are not going well.

Related Articles:

  • 10 Best Practices For Effective Project Monitoring And Control
  • 10 Best Practices for Effective Project Quality Management
  • 12 Best Practices for Effective Project Scope Management
  • 15 Best Practices For Effective Project Schedule Management
  • 15 Best Practices For Effective Project Risk Management
  • 12 Best Practices for Effective and Successful Project Execution
  • 13 Best Practices to Manage Project Issues Effectively
  • 16 Best Practices for Running Project Status Meetings Effectively

7. Let Team Bonding Flourish

Everyone needs to communicate well with each other for your projects to succeed. Unsurprisingly, communication becomes much easier when everyone in your project team gets along.

That’s why it’s important to foster a good working relationship with everyone in your team and to encourage your team to get to know each other.

One of the easiest ways to encourage communication within your team is to facilitate team bonding. This allows your team to get to know each other outside of the working environment, and relate to one another in a more humanized context.

When people enjoy each others company, it’s easier for them to think of their work as a whole, rather than individually assigned tasks. Teams with good working relationships are more likely to share problems, successes and new ideas with their team. It’s all about creating a safe environment.

A true team environment will allow everyone to cooperate more effectively, and actually want to communicate when they get into work each day.

8. Be Inclusive

In addition to encouraging engagement in your team, you need to make sure that everyone feels like their opinion is valued.

If they don’t, they will be less likely to tell you when something is not going well on their project, and will be inclined to silo information. Lead by example and make sure that you listen to everyone’s opinion. If you brush off a suggestion from a junior employee, it may change the behavior of other team members towards them.

It’s great when you proactively seek the opinion of junior members of staff and make it clear that your door is always open to new ideas. Irrespective of whether they take up the offer, it makes your team feel like they won’t have to hide their personal problems at work.

Ensuring that you have the right representation in your team also helps foster a more inclusive working environment. This could mean ensuring that your have a broad representation in your management positions, giving your team the confidence to communicate.

9. Create an Open and Transparent Working Environment

Be honest with your project team. When things go wrong, tell them.

Perhaps your company is going through a difficult patch, is undergoing a takeover, or maybe your project just hasn’t hit the milestone that you were aiming for.

Lead by example and make sure you communicate problems to your team. It will help create a more comfortable working environment. It also shows them that it’s perfectly natural to announce bad news, and will prevent resentment from building unnecessarily.

By creating an open and transparent working environment, you also able to build a better rapport with your project team, and build their confidence in you as a manager.

Sometimes work isn’t easy. We all sometimes find it difficult to tell people what’s happening. However, if you are open and honest, they are more likely to treat you with respect and keep you informed about the daily workings of your project.

10. Celebrate Achievements Together

When you hit a project milestone, celebrate! Just make sure that you do it together, as a team.

Although one exceptional employee may have delivered a project milestone, you work in a team where everyone’s input is important. Even if some team members contributions have been small, don’t block them from celebrations.

Everyone has something to offer, and celebrating it together helps motivate the entire team. Always make sure you take time to celebrate achievements, as it shows that you understand what has gone well during the project. Celebrating together also ensures that certain team members are not unintentionally alienated.

Yes, communication can feel like it’s a lot of effort. Just remember, it’s the only way you will know exactly what your project team are achieving, or not achieving.

To deliver successful projects, you need to ensure that your project team are working in a healthy environment that promotes great communication between everyone.

If you’re worried that your team aren’t telling your everything, or just aren’t talking enough, take some time out and identify the obstacles.

While you can encourage individuals to communicate better, you’ll have a more impressive impact if you work towards an environment where effective communication is rewarded. When you’re doing it, just don’t forget these 10 project management communication best practices.

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Project Communication Plan Definition, Tips and Tactics

A blue banner that says "improving project communication" against the background of a white paper plane.

Last Updated September 30, 2015

Effective communication is often the foundation of successful projects. Good communication can unite team members and stakeholders to a project’s strategy, objectives and budget. It can also enable everyone involved in the project to understand his or her roles, which may make them more likely to support the project. In project management, effective communication starts with a project communication plan.

Why is a Project Communication Plan Important?

Without a project communication plan, projects can incur more risk and fail to meet desired outcomes. Research by the Project Management Institute (PMI) supports this assertion. The PMI reported that among companies with highly effective communication, 80% of projects met their goals, compared to a 52% success rate for those with minimally effective communication. The more effective communicators enjoyed much higher rates of on-time and on-budget performance, as well (72% vs. 37% and 76% vs. 48%, respectively).

Organizations who take steps to implement a project communication plan and improve project communication can reap the benefits of more successful projects, which is especially important in this complex and competitive global business environment.

Tips for More Effective Project Communication

Project managers and C-Suite executives often agree that effective communication to stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle is an essential core competency. Here are some tips to communicate more effectively:

  • Make communication a priority – Communication should be front and center in all project planning. Make a conscious effort to engage in a communication strategy.
  • Don’t assume you know everything – If you’re struggling in a particular area, seeking help from others with more experience is advisable. Emphasize that communication is a two-way street, and allow stakeholders to offer their views when appropriate.
  • Keep things positive – Don’t hide negative news, but avoid gloom-and-doom updates to stakeholders who may already be nervous about the project’s progress. Share information that tells them what they need to know. Explain problems or setbacks clearly, but be sure to include the solutions, as well.
  • Switch up the communication channels – Weekly emails are great, but also include face-to-face updates and phone calls, or new charts, graphs and images to keep communications fresh, and help recipients pay attention to the details.
  • Keep updates timely and concise – Don’t overwhelm stakeholders with details. Instead, keep project updates clear and concise. But, make sure stakeholders know what they need to know in the appropriate time frame.

How to Develop a Project Communication Plan

The PMI report concluded that companies that communicate more effectively were more likely to use project communication plans on every project. When developing a communication strategy, here are a few questions to ask:

  • Who needs to be informed? Project team members , executives, stakeholders or clients?
  • What kind of communication will be required? Team and management meetings, project updates?
  • How frequently will communication be needed? Weekly? Bi-weekly? Monthly?
  • What details must be communicated? Meeting notes, progress, problems, successes?
  • Who needs to know what? For example, does the CEO need to know about a delivery hitch? Who needs to know about budget overages?

When preparing communications, continue demonstrating how the key project deliverables are benefitting the business and/or stakeholders. Tailor your message to the various stakeholder groups, and limit the fine points to those on a must-know basis.

Achieve Business Objectives with Effective Project Communication

Research has shown that improving project communication increases the likelihood of achieving objectives. As a project manager , your success depends on successful projects. It makes sense to implement a sound project communication plan for each project. Be sure to demonstrate your understanding of project deliverables, its impact on the business and the quality achieved for each deliverable. Modify your communications to each audience so they can remain engaged, supportive and confident in the outcome of your project.

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The Keystone of Success: The Crucial Role of Communication in Project Management 

The Keystone of Success: The Crucial Role of Communication in Project Management 

In the dynamic landscape of project management, the key to success often lies in the effective exchange of information. When deadlines are tight and resources limited, effective communication emerges as the linchpin that holds the entire endeavour together. Often overlooked, communication is the secret ingredient that can make or break a project's success.  

Research has consistently shown that projects are more likely to be successful when communication is prioritised and maintained throughout the project lifecycle. Clear and consistent communication helps prevent misunderstandings, reduces conflicts, and enhances overall project efficiency.  

Communication is the keystone upon which every project is propped up, enabling teams to collaborate, align their efforts, and achieve their goals. From the initial planning stages to the final implementation, clear and open communication plays a pivotal role in mitigating risks, fostering innovation, and ensuring the timely completion of projects.  

In this article, I will explore the significance of communication in project management, shedding light on its various aspects and providing insights into its benefits. 

The Multifaceted Nature of Communication 

Communication in project management encompasses a broad spectrum of interactions, including verbal, written, and non-verbal forms. It involves conveying ideas, sharing progress updates, addressing challenges, and seeking feedback from team members, stakeholders, and clients. Effective communication ensures everyone is on the same page, enabling seamless coordination and preventing misunderstandings that can lead to project delays or failures. 

Key Components of Communication in Project Management 

project on effective communication

1. Stakeholder Engagement: Engaging stakeholders at various levels is crucial. Project managers must identify the key stakeholders, understand their needs and expectations, and develop a communication plan tailored to each group. Regular updates, meetings, and reports ensure stakeholders are informed and engaged. Engaging stakeholders through regular updates and transparent communication builds trust and keeps them invested in the project's progress. When stakeholders feel informed and valued, they are more likely to provide crucial support and resources. It will be essential for project managers to adapt their communication to each group of stakeholders. 

2. Team Collaboration: A project is only as strong as its team. Effective communication among team members encourages collaboration, idea-sharing, and problem-solving. Project managers must establish communication norms, tools, and platforms to facilitate seamless interactions. They must understand their team members and their expectations in terms of communication to communicate efficiently to each member of the team. 

3. Clear Objectives and Goals: Transparent communication of project objectives and goals ensures everyone understands the project's purpose and scope. This clarity reduces the chances of scope creep and keeps the team focused on the intended outcomes. Linking objectives, goals and purpose, the why of the project will be very important to get buy-in. It is not enough to talk to people’s brains; project managers need to speak to people’s hearts. 

4. Timely Reporting: Regular reporting on project progress, milestones, and challenges is essential. Timely updates allow project managers to identify potential issues early and take corrective actions, preventing small problems from snowballing into larger setbacks. Getting regular feedback will be an important step in identifying potential problems early. 

5. Risk Management and Issue Resolution: Effective communication aids in identifying and addressing risks and issues promptly. When team members are comfortable sharing concerns, solutions can be devised in a timely manner, minimising project disruptions. Open communication empowers teams to identify and mitigate risks effectively. A culture of transparency allows for proactive risk management, reducing the chances of unexpected disruptions. Teams can address challenges head-on, minimising their impact on project timelines and outcomes. 

6. Change Management: Projects often encounter changes in requirements, scope, or resources. Open communication about these changes helps manage expectations and allows for adjustments without derailing the project. 

Key Challenges in Communication 

project on effective communication

While the importance of communication is undisputed, project managers often grapple with a range of challenges that hinder effective communication: 

1. Information Overload: In today's digital age, project managers are bombarded with a deluge of information from various sources. Distinguishing relevant information from noise can be overwhelming, leading to crucial details being missed. It can also be the case when project managers share information with stakeholders. The right amount and level of information to share will depend on each stakeholder group or individual. 

2. Communication Barriers: Multidisciplinary teams may struggle to communicate due to differences in terminology, jargon, or cultural backgrounds. Such barriers can impede understanding and collaboration. This is the most important and challenging aspect of communication to get right for project managers. 

3. Lack of Clarity: Vague or ambiguous communication can result in misunderstandings and confusion. Project managers must strive for clarity in all communication channels to ensure everyone is on the same page. 

4. Remote Work Challenges: The rise of remote work has introduced new hurdles to effective communication, such as time zone differences, technological glitches, and a lack of face-to-face interactions. Project managers will need to adapt their communication to the circumstances of each stakeholder group. 

Strategies for Enhancing Communication in Project Management 

project on effective communication

Overcoming communication challenges requires a strategic approach that fosters a culture of clear and efficient communication. 

1. Develop a Communication Plan: Just as a project plan outlines tasks and milestones, a communication plan delineates who needs to be informed, what information needs to be shared, and how often. This structured approach ensures no critical communication falls through the cracks. Develop a comprehensive communication plan at the outset of the project. This plan should outline the communication objectives, target audiences, preferred channels, and frequency of updates. Adhering to this plan keeps all stakeholders informed and minimises confusion. 

2. Use Technology Wisely: Leverage project management software, collaborative tools, and communication platforms to streamline information sharing. Video conferencing, instant messaging, and document-sharing platforms help bridge the gap in remote work settings. Leverage communication and collaboration tools to streamline interactions among team members, stakeholders, and clients. Always remember that technology should be used to help people and make delivering projects easier and smoother. Managing many different communication channels will feel daunting to some people. 

3. Establish Clear Channels: Define and communicate the preferred channels for different types of communication. For instance, urgent matters might be communicated through instant messaging, while comprehensive project updates are shared through scheduled meetings. 

4. Active Listening and Feedback: Encourage open dialogue and active listening within the team. Regularly seek feedback on the effectiveness of communication processes and make adjustments accordingly. Effective communication involves not just talking but also listening. Encourage team members to voice their ideas and concerns and actively listen to their feedback. This fosters a culture of open dialogue and mutual respect. 

5. Cultural Sensitivity: When working with diverse teams, be mindful of cultural differences that might affect communication styles. Foster an environment where team members feel comfortable expressing their communication preferences. Different stakeholders have different information needs. Tailor your communication style and content to suit the audience, whether it's the technical team, senior management, or external clients. 

6. Feedback Loops: Create feedback mechanisms to assess the effectiveness of communication. Surveys, one-on-one discussions, and retrospective meetings allow team members to share their thoughts on the communication process, enabling continuous improvement. 

7. Face-to-Face Interaction: While digital communication is convenient, face-to-face interactions remain invaluable. In-person meetings and workshops foster deeper connections, facilitate brainstorming, and help resolve complex issues. 

8. Visualisation and Graphics: Visual aids can greatly enhance communication by simplifying complex information. Consider using graphics such as Gantt charts, flowcharts, and diagrams to illustrate project timelines, processes, and dependencies. 

Conclusion 

In project management, communication is the linchpin that holds all components together. Communication is more than just conveying information; it's a catalyst for success. From setting the project scope to managing risks and engaging stakeholders, effective communication is the force that propels projects towards success. Project managers who prioritise open and transparent communication foster an environment of trust, collaboration, and innovation, allowing teams to navigate challenges and seize opportunities with confidence. As the dynamic landscape of project management continues to evolve, one thing remains certain: communication will remain the foundation upon which successful projects are built.  

Further suggested reading: 

1. Gido, J., & Clements, J. P. (2014). Successful project management. Cengage Learning. 

2. Kerzner, H. (2017). Project Management Best Practices: Achieving Global Excellence. Wiley. 

3. Kock, N. (2015). The challenges of project management in virtual teams. Team Performance Management: An International Journal, 21(3/4), 119-126. 

4. Meredith, J. R., & Mantel, S. J. (2011). Project Management: A Managerial Approach. Wiley. 

5. Turner, J. R. (2019). Handbook of project-based management (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. 

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How to Create a Project Communication Plan (Template Included)

ProjectManager

Communication is strange. It should be so easy. You say something and someone listens and understands. But it doesn’t always work out that way, does it?

So, what can you do to ensure your words are heard and the message you’re trying to convey is comprehended and acted on correctly? That’s a tall order. You’ve probably noticed in both your personal and professional life that it’s easier said than done.

But there’s a way to make communication clearer through a process. If you have a project communication plan, like our free template, then you have a way to get information to those who need it in a way that’s understandable and actionable.

What Is a Project Communication Plan?

A communication plan is used to define the information that’s disseminated to the project team as well as project stakeholders. It not only defines what should be communicated but also when it should be communicated and how often. The communication plan will also decide on the channel that the communication should be delivered. This information likely varies depending on who the communication is targeting. For example, stakeholders will only need a general understanding of the project, while team members will get more detailed information.

Project management software helps you schedule communication more efficiently. ProjectManager helps you create the schedule for your communication plan on a Gantt chart, so there’s an easy-to-read visual of its frequency. Meetings, newsletters, social events, conferences, seminars, etc., can all be charted on the timeline to keep track of your various communications. You can also set up recurring tasks so you don’t have to add the same thing over and over again throughout your project. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

ProjectManager's Gantt chart

How to Create a Project Communication Plan In 4 Steps

A project communication plan should be a thorough and comprehensive review of the who, what, where, how and when of communication. To make sure you’ve hit all the key points, the following must be included when writing your communication plan.

1. Define Your Communication Guidelines

Define what is appropriate communication for each group that will receive communications throughout the life cycle of your project . As mentioned above, such guidelines will include what type of information will be shared with which member of the project team.

2. Identify Your Target Audience

Communication is tailored to the target audience, but in a project , there’s more than one group that gets communication. There are stakeholders, team members, possibly architects, engineers, subcontractors, vendors, et al. List all these groups.

3. Determine a Communication Schedule

Everyone who’s listed in your target audience for communication will have a different schedule by which they receive information. Determine whether they require communication daily, weekly or monthly.

4. Choose Delivery Channels

As noted earlier, there are different channels for communication. A team might get their communication in a meeting, while stakeholders might prefer email or even a phone call. Define the preferred channel of communication for each.

Project Communication Plan Template

To help you create your communication plan, ProjectManager has a free project communication plan template for Word. Here you just have to fill in the blanks to define everything from your vision and objectives to schedule. This is one of dozens of free project management templates for Excel and Word you can download from our site. There’s one for almost everything you’ll ever need when managing a project.

Project communication plan template

Why Is It Important to Create a Project Communication Plan?

Communication isn’t just about barking directives or conveying your message, it’s also about asking questions. Communications are a two-way street, and if you’re only going one-way then you’re going to get stuck at a dead end.

There’s enough data to support the idea that communication is crucial to project success. Everything you do in project management is partial if not entirely a communicative process. Planning is a way to communicate your path through time to complete a series of tasks. Managing those tasks is a constant communicative effort with your team. And so on.

You wouldn’t start a project without a plan in place, and so a communications plan is equally important. It defines how you’re going to get the critical project information to the people who need it, clearly and in a timely manner.

Different projects, of course, demand different communication management styles. Large projects require more structure to your communication plan, but a smaller one doesn’t mean you can just wing it. Communication plans must be made in context, but they must be made.

When you formalize the process of communication in a project, you’re taking steps to make the project successful. If you don’t, your project could fall off course.

Benefits of Using a Project Communication Plan

A communication plan might not seem as important as your resource planning or risk management, but it’s an essential part of the proper way to manage a project. It will keep stakeholders informed, which is one way to manage their expectations, and it helps your team stay on track and avoid overspending on the budget. This increases the chance of a successful project and a product or service that meets your client’s or customer’s satisfaction.

12 Tips for Creating an Effective Project Communication Plan

Now that we’re all on board with the validity of creating a communication plan, how exactly do we make one that can work fluidly across all the channels we need to communicate? Let’s define the communication plan for a larger project, as it’s easier to take away what you don’t need than add it later.

1. Know the Project Culture

Knowing the context of the communications is critical to creating an effective plan. That means understanding the culture of the organization for which you’re working. How structured or casual is it? How have communications been handled in the past? Have those communications been successful? Know the environment you’re working in first.

2. Start with the Project Background

Before effective communication can start, you should have a clear picture of what exactly it is that you’re communicating. By describing the project landscape, so to speak, you know what your parameters are, and it’ll help you get buy-in from the stakeholders and your team. In short, you  lead through your communication .

Start with a project vision and its objectives and jot them down. This is the lodestar you’ll follow throughout your project, so you want to have them clearly defined from the start and remind people throughout the project of the importance of this mission.

Next, you must assign an owner to the communication process. If you have too many people responsible for communications, then your message is scattered and less effective. Pick that person and provide them with the right project collaboration tools .

You’re also going to need a review method in place to monitor the effectiveness of your communications. This way, if your metrics show that you’re not getting a message across to those who need to hear it, you can tweak the process before it negatively impacts the whole project.

And you’re going to want to record the measurement process after you close out the project. Now you have a record of how well your communication plan worked and where it fell short, so you can address those issues when developing a communication plan for your next project.

3. Have an Actual Communication Plan

It seems obvious that a better communication plan requires having a plan, but it’s surprising how many people fly by the seat of their pants. Communication is sending emails, setting meetings or talking with someone. You tell them what they need to know and then they take that information and apply it.

Sure, but it doesn’t always work out that way. You need to have a process in place to make sure no messages fall through the cracks. A plan helps you reach the right people with the right information.

You can use the calendar feature in ProjectManager to create tasks for key dates. Those tasks have descriptions, comments, file attachments and assignees, priority levels and more. By planning out your tasks ahead of time, you’ll maintain a steady flow of communication for everyone involved.

For more information about how project planning software can help you with your communication plan, watch the video below. Create plans, communicate with team members, store files and track results in real time with online software. Improve your plans and your project communication with one capable tool. Learn more:

4. Analyze the Situation

What are the strengths and weaknesses of your plan? You might have a project team that’s very well organized and communicates easily. But maybe stakeholders are not happy with the method you’ve chosen to communicate the project’s progress with them.

These strengths and weaknesses are not etched in stone. They can be springboards of opportunity, and you should use them as such. Now you have a chance to improve your communication. Be aware of all strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and even threats to your communication process, and record them all.

5. Review Lessons from Past Projects

If this isn’t your first project, then you have a historical record to look back upon. That’s a great resource, one that’ll give you precedent and direction on moving forward. Even if you’ve never led a project before, chances are that the organization you’re working for has, and they have archives of past projects , which can be a valuable tool at your disposal.

Start with a list of the basic communications that have taken place, how they were made and if they were successful. Now document what you’ve learned from this research and apply it to the present communication plan.

6. Be SMART!

What are you going to achieve with your communication plan? Good communication, of course. But how do you make sure of that?

Well, begin with a list. What are your three top objectives? Got those. But make sure you’re SMART about it. Yes, SMART is an acronym to remind you to be:

  • M easurable
  • A ctionable
  • R elevant; and

Relevance is key. Don’t assume everyone wants the same amount of info delivered in the same way, but most everyone wants their information delivered consistently on time.

7. Have Communication Guidelines and Follow Them

With your objectives in place, you now need to formulate a plan by which to achieve them. So, you need to set guidelines to help you get those communication objectives out.

For example, you must determine how you’re going to deliver the message, whether you want structured and regular feedback, meetings, a procedure of approval before sending a missive, what to send, etc.

Define the core types of communications you are producing, and then set about clarifying the method of delivery and process for feedback and approvals for each method. The communications owner or liaison should own this chart and process to make sure they are followed up on.

8. Make Rules for Meetings

Meetings are a great communication tool and should be part of any project communication plan. But meetings have a bad reputation as time-wasters. They certainly can be, but they don’t have to be inefficient. That’s why you want to have guidelines to make sure your meeting is getting the right message to the right people.

Start by only having those people in a meeting who need to be there. Then make sure you have an agenda to keep you on message. Keep meeting minutes and assign action items. Not all meetings need such structure, but you want them to facilitate the work, not interrupt it.

9. Determine Who are Your Stakeholders

These are people that you’ll be in communication with throughout the project, as you note the progress, so they can feel things are moving smoothly to a positive end. If you miscommunicate with them, you risk the very project itself as you’ll need to meet their expectations .

So, you want to map those stakeholders , what their role in the project is and what it is that they need to know about the project, what frequency you need to communicate with them, etc. Make sure you also ask your stakeholders how they need information. Some of them have stakeholders of their own!

Make sure this list is shared with those stakeholders, so they can approve or comment. This will help to keep them in the loop and you focused on the project at hand.

10. Focus on What Truly Matters for Stakeholders

You can get inundated with data when you’re managing a project. That’s why it’s important to prioritize the most important data points and define where that information needs to go.

Communicating on projects means focusing on one thing or else you have too broad a message. There are many metrics to communicate, from project status and issues to project risk and deliverables. Decide which are most crucial for which people.

11. Choose the Right Channels

There are many channels to disseminate your message. One method might not be the magic bullet to cure all your communication ills. Some like email, others prefer text or chat and there are those who still like to get a printed document . Know who needs what and set up those channels.

12. Monitor Your Project Communications

Yes, communications aren’t thrown into the void with the hope that they’ll connect. If you want to know if your communications are hitting their marks, you must monitor them. You can simply ask if they’ve been received or require an acknowledgment of receipt. There is also software that can automate this process for you.

Key Project Management Reports to Include in Your Project Communication Plan

When communicating during the execution of a project , there are several vehicles that best deliver the information to show your progress. Of course, different stakeholders need different reports, but the following are the most substantial ones.

Status Report

The status report periodically updates the work being done by the project team to the project manager and stakeholders. It’s a marker that shows where the project is in relation to where it’s supposed to be at that time. They help with the communication of keeping everyone focused on the same issue and provide a record of the project’s progress. They should be clear.

ProjectManager's status report filter

Budget Report

The budget report is focused on the costs of the project as they are being spent in real time and compared to the established budget from the project plan. The only way to communicate how much money is being spent on a project is to monitor it and report back periodically to capture a picture of your spending at that time. Then you can look at where you planned to be in your budget at that point in the project and determine if you’re on track or not.

Workload Report

The workload report charts the workload for your project, according to the progress of the teams and their tasks. Workload management reports communicate how far along each team member is with their tasks by showing if the task is completed, still in progress or overdue. This is another way to communicate the progress of the project as well as keep everyone abreast of where they are in the larger picture.

Project Dashboards

A dashboard is going to track a series of project metrics and just crunch that data to show in charts and graphs where you are in the project. This takes what’s often complex and hard-to-digest information and delivers it in a more palatable and understandable way.

ProjectManager's real-time dashboard

If your dashboard is illustrating metrics in real-time, like ProjectManager , then that data is current and you can easily share the information with your stakeholders. This makes communication clear and offers stakeholders a visual for the project’s progress during presentations.

Related Content

  • 10 Project Meetings to Guide Your Project Management Team
  • 12 Essential Project Reports
  • Project Documentation: 15 Essential Documents

If you’re ready to take the leap into the 21 st century, then start using project management software to facilitate your project communication needs. ProjectManager is an online tool that means you’re messages are delivered and received in real time, and your communication plan folds in seamlessly with all the other aspects of the project. Get started with ProjectManager and take this free 30-day trial.

Click here to browse ProjectManager's free templates

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12 tips for effective communication in the workplace

Julia Martins contributor headshot

Today, we’re in almost constant contact with our coworkers. You might not put a lot of thought into saying “hi” to your coworker, grabbing virtual coffee with a remote team member, or sending a gif of a cat wearing pajamas to your team—and that’s ok. Even though you’re communicating at work, there’s a difference between these types of messages and communication in the workplace.

Communication in the workplace refers to communication you do at work about work. Knowing when and how to effectively communicate at work can help you reduce miscommunication, increase team happiness, bolster collaboration, and foster trust. Teams that know how to communicate effectively about work are better prepared for difficult situations. But building good communication habits takes time and effort—and that’s where we come in. Here are 12 ways to take your workplace communication skills to the next level.

What does “workplace communication” mean?

Communication in the workplace can happen face-to-face, in writing, over a video conferencing platform, or in a group meeting. It can also happen in real time or asynchronously , which happens when you’re communicating about work over email, with recorded video, or in a platform like a  project management tool . Some examples of workplace communication include:

Team meetings

1:1 feedback sessions

Receiving information

Communicating about project status or progress

Collaboration on cross-functional tasks

Nonverbal communication

Collaboration Report: How the most effective teams in the world collaborate

Explore key traits that have made the most effective teams in the world successful: their strategies, techniques, and tips for working well together.

Collaboration Report: How the most effective teams in the world collaborates

What makes communication good?

Now that you know what type of communication can be included in workplace communication, how do you start getting better at it? There are a few key tenets of good communication that you can use no matter the type of communication it is. In particular, good communication:

Aims for clarity. Whether you’re sending a Slack message, drafting an email, or giving an off-the-cuff reply, aim to clearly communicate your message.

Seeks to solve conflicts, not create them. The reason you’re communicating is to solve a problem or promote effective collaboration on a project or task. Good communication in the workplace can bring up blockers or provide feedback—but make sure the goal is to get to a better place than where you are now.

Goes both ways. Every instance of communication in the workplace is an exchange of information—even if one person is only communicating nonverbally.

The benefits of open workplace communication

Clear, effective workplace communication can:

Boost employee engagement and belonging

Encourage team buy-in

Increase productivity

Build a healthy workplace and organizational culture

Reduce conflict

Increase retention

7 tips for more effective communication in the workplace

Effective communication in the workplace is all about where, how, and when you’re communicating. Try these seven tips to become a stronger communicator.

1. Know where to communicate—and about what

Communication happens in many different forms—face-to-face, over email, via instant messages, and in work management platforms. To be most effective, make sure you’re following communication guidelines and messaging about the right things in the right places.

Sometimes, knowing where to communicate is half the battle. Your company may have different communication tools —which makes knowing which tool to use all the more important. Which tool is appropriate for your question or comment? Do you need to communicate in real time, or is it ok to send an asynchronous message? If you’re not sure, ask a team member or manager where you should be sending different types of messages. It is important for everyone to be on the same page. For example, at Asana, we use:

2. Build collaboration skills

Collaboration is the bedrock of effective teamwork. In order to build strong team collaboration skills , you need to practice open and honest communication. This doesn’t necessarily mean always agreeing on things—knowing how to disagree and work through those differences is a key part of collaboration, too.

Collaboration and communication skills are kind of a “chicken and egg” scenario. You can build good collaboration by communicating effectively—but knowing how to collaborate is a key component of strong communication. Essentially, this just means you’ll have to practice improving both collaboration and communication skills over time. As you improve team collaboration, you’ll get better at conveying information and opinions in a work environment—and as a result, that honest communication will make collaboration feel more effortless.

3. Talk face-to-face when you can

Perhaps the most tried-and-true way to avoid miscommunication is to talk face-to-face. If your team is virtual, speaking via video conferencing also works. Face-to-face communication is particularly important if you know a conversation is going to be hard. Tone can be difficult to communicate through writing so ideally, you want your team member to be able to see your facial expressions and body language.

If your team is remote or distributed, communicating via a phone call instead of a video conference could work as well.  Video conferencing fatigue  is real, and it can make collaboration and communication particularly difficult for remote teams. Communicating over the phone reduces some of the visual strain, while still giving you the ability to hear your team member’s voice and tone.

4. Watch your body language and tone of voice

Communication isn’t just about what you say—it’s also about how you say it. Make sure you aren’t crossing your arms or coming off as curt. Oftentimes, your body language may have nothing to do with the current situation—maybe you’re tired or stressed about something in your personal life. But your team members, who might not have that context, could see your actions and assume you’re angry or upset about something. Particularly for hard conversations, try to relax your body language and facial expressions to avoid giving off any unintentional cues.

5. Prioritize two-way communication

Listening is just as important to communication in the workplace as talking. Part of being a collaborative team member is listening to other people’s ideas instead of just trying to put your own ideas out there.

There are two common  types of listening : listening to reply and listening to understand. When you listen to reply, you’re focusing on what you’re going to say next, rather than what the other person is saying. With this type of listening, you risk missing key information or even repeating what the other person just said.

Instead, try to listen to understand—that is, listen to what the other person has to say without thinking about how you’re going to reply. If you do think of something you want to say, jot it down so you can go back to listening to understand , instead of trying to remember the thing you want to say next.

6. Stick to facts, not stories

“Facts vs. stories”  is a technique recommended by the co-founder of the Conscious Leadership Group, Diana Chapman. In this case, “facts” are things that have actually happened—things that everyone in the room would easily agree on. A “story,” on the other hand, is your interpretation of the situation.

For example, say your manager gives you live feedback during a small team meeting. That is a fact. You weren’t expecting the feedback, and you feel like your manager shared the feedback—instead of saving it for your 1:1—because they’re dissatisfied with your work. This is a “story” because you have no way of knowing if this is true or not.

Stories are inevitable—we all create stories from facts. But try to separate stories from facts, and avoid acting on stories until you’re able to validate them. For example in this case, you might want to talk to your manager during your next 1:1 and ask why they shared feedback in a team meeting.

7. Make sure you’re speaking to the right person

Effective workplace communication is as much about who you’re talking to as it is about what you’re saying. Poor communication often occurs when you’re talking to the wrong people, or trying to share information in the wrong setting.

To avoid this, make sure the right people are in the room or receiving the message. If you aren’t sure who that would be, go through an exercise to identify any important  project stakeholders  who might be missing.

5 tips to build leadership communication skills

If you’re a leader, you have the power to set and establish communication conventions on your team. Strong communication can build healthy company culture , trust among your employees, and break down silos between cross-functional teams. Here’s how:

1. Address any underlying changes

Before you start improving your team’s communication skills, ensure there are no underlying issues that keep everyone from communicating honestly. Does everyone feel comfortable talking openly? Is there anything that might make a team member feel like they can’t be their full selves?

One of the most valuable things you can do as a leader is to make sure your employees feel comfortable showing up to work as their whole selves (or as much of themselves as they want to bring). Whether that means voicing disagreements, talking about their passions outside of work, or being honest about what type of communication works best for them—make sure to understand each team member’s needs, and ensure they’re being met in the team environment.

quotation mark

One theme that kept coming up in our employee engagement surveys was that we could improve information sharing and communication across the organization, so we looked for a way to do that.”

2. Frequently ask for feedback

If you don’t ask for feedback on your communication style, you may never get it. Even though communication in the workplace impacts every other interaction, team members might not immediately think of it as something to provide feedback on. By asking your employees for feedback on your communication style, you can continue to improve and develop clear communication strategies for your team.

3. Understand team communication styles

Another effective way to communicate with your team is to ask them how they want to communicate. Communication preferences shouldn’t be a secret—or a guessing game—and knowing off the bat if your team members prefer video conferences or phone calls, early morning meetings or afternoon jam sessions, can help you create an environment where they can thrive.

Important questions to ask include:

Are they an early bird or a night owl?

Do they like structured meetings or prefer free-flow brainstorming sessions?

Do they do their best thinking out loud, on the spot, or on paper?

What personality type do they identify with: introvert, extrovert, or ambivert?

Do they feel like they know their team members, or would they prefer more team bonding activities?

What type of meetings or tasks are most energizing for them?

4. Make time for team building or icebreakers

Getting to know your team is a critical part in knowing how to communicate with them. It’s particularly important to make time to get to know your team outside of a workplace setting. Icebreaker questions can help bring an element of personality and fun to every meeting, so consider starting with a light chat before diving into your meeting agenda.

5. Set the tone

Remember: the way you communicate and collaborate will impact your entire team. It’s up to you to set the standard for open and clear communication in the workplace. Once you set and communicate this standard, your team will follow suit.

Every few months, make a note to check back in on how everyone is feeling about team communication. Are there any habits that have cropped up in the last few months that you want to cull or encourage? Regularly thinking about how your team communicates—instead of “setting and forgetting” your team practices—can help you be more intentional about your communication methods.

As an organization grows, communication starts to bottleneck. At Hope for Haiti, we’ve seen those inefficiencies hurt us: when we can’t run like a well-oiled machine, we’re not serving as many people as we could be—and it’s our responsibility to improve upon that.”

More types of workplace communication

Most discussions about communication in the workplace assume the “workplace” is in person. But there are a variety of ways to communicate across different locations—from global offices to remote teams. Most communication best practices still apply to any type of team, but there are a few additional considerations and best practices you can use to help team members truly connect.

Distributed teams

Distributed teams work across multiple national or global offices. These teams might span different time zones and languages, and each office will have its own culture and habits. Don’t expect each distributed team to communicate in the same way—in fact, one of the advantages of distributed teams is the variety of thought you’re exposed to by working with teammates from all over the world.

If you work on a distributed team, it’s critical to over-communicate so that team members in different time zones and offices stay in the loop. Make sure to document everything in a central source of truth that team members can access when they’re online, and look for a tool that updates in real-time so no one has to slow down due to information lag.

Keep in mind that time zones might affect how people come to a conversation. Try to schedule meetings when everyone is available, or offer recordings and notes if team members can’t make it. It’s also critical to double check that the right people are in the loop, and that they aren’t just being left out because they’re in a different office than the majority of your team.

Online coworkers

If you’re working with a virtual team, it’s critical to establish where you’re going to communicate and how frequently. Knowing exactly what each communication tool should be used for can help team members feel connected—even while they’re remote.

While working remotely, we’ve had to re-learn how to communicate in many ways. Slack, Asana, and integrations between these tools has replaced or supplemented a lot of in-person ways we used to communicate.”

Remote team members can feel siloed and disconnected from one another, so consider doing an exercise with your entire team about preferred communication habits. Some team members might love cold calls, while others might prefer scheduled meetings with clear agendas. Because team members have fewer chances to interact in person, it’s critical to establish these preferences as a team, so you can keep the communication channels open.

Finally, make sure to bring team members in for regular team bonding events. Whether you’re doing  icebreaker activities  at the beginning of every meeting or scheduling some time to just chat at the end of each week, dedicated team time can help team members connect no matter where they’re dialing in from.

The cherry on top of effective workplace communication

The last component of clear communication is having a central source of truth for all of your communication and work information. Using a centralized system like a  work management tool  can help you coordinate work across all levels of your team. Learn more about how work management makes project coordination and communication easier in our  introduction to work management article .

project on effective communication

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MASTER OF COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT ONLINE

The Role of Communication in Effective Project Management

November 15, 2023

View all blog posts under Articles

In both large and small companies, effective project management is crucial. Project managers must possess both effective communication skills and the ability to articulate their vision for a project so that it stands out from the crowd. A project manager oversees company operations in order to achieve a business objective, whether short-term or long-term. Project management involves several moving parts, and the larger the project at hand, the more difficult management can be.

A project manager must possess a variety of skills in order to successfully direct their team, and those interested in a career as a project manager can develop these skills in an online Master of Communication Management (MCM) program. Students in an online MCM program will develop the communication skills that companies are looking for in their project managers, making them a valuable resource to any business.

Project Management Meeting

Photo credit Amtec

Communicating Vital Information in a Timely Manner

Project management can seem like an uphill battle, as it requires a variety of tasks and responsibilities. If one of these tasks is mishandled, project delays or failure can result. Therefore, a project manager must not only keep a clear view of the overall scope of the project but also make sure they are available at all times to everyone who is working on specific tasks.

This is particularly true in large companies where projects may be handled by multiple departments. In this situation, a project manager needs to execute their vision for their portion of the project and must also coordinate with other managers to make sure the larger project is completed.

Communication is a key component of project management because it ensures that every person involved knows what they are working toward. For instance, according to the Association for Project Management, at the beginning of a project, a manager will need to:

  • Clearly define the goals of the project
  • Make sure that every team member understands these goals.
  • Outline performance expectations for all project members, as well as everyone's individual responsibilities.

If a project manager can clearly articulate a project vision and make sure that the people working under them understand this vision, completing the project will be much easier, and the manager may not need to be as hands-on in directing the team. A project manager who can envision a project and make this vision understood by those around them will be better able to make their projects stand out from the crowd.

The primary role of communication in project management is to make certain that everyone involved shares this vision and the goals of the project.

The Association for Project Management also makes it clear that promoting effective communication requires that a project manager use both verbal communication and non-verbal communication, such as body language. The words that a manager may use, as well as his or her body language, are critical to effective communication.

Matching the Communication to the Project

A student enrolled in a Master of Communication program will quickly discover that there are several types of communication that project managers can use. Students will also learn that tailoring the communication to the specific project is crucial. While stand-up presentations still have their place in project management, advances in technology mean that there are several other methods of communication that can make a project more successful.

It’s also important for project managers to select the communication method that fits the needs of the organization. What works in a small company likely won’t apply to a large business.

For many project managers, active communication methods are the most useful. These involve interacting directly with team members, and they are the most effective way to make sure everyone understands their responsibilities. According to 2020 Project Management, some of the most common forms of active communication are:

  • In-person meetings
  • Video conferencing
  • Telephone conferencing

Webinars are a form of active communication that is becoming increasingly popular with project managers, particularly those who work in large companies. Essentially, a webinar is a traditional stand-up presentation that is conducted over the internet instead of in person. These presentations are especially useful for projects where the team members are in different locations and gathering them would be difficult or cost prohibitive.

Some project managers may also make use of passive communication, which does not involve direct interaction with team members. Instead, the project manager would take a more hands-off approach and provide the team members with any resources they may need to fulfill their responsibilities. A few forms of passive communication include:

  • Blogs and websites
  • Online bulletin boards
  • Podcasts and webcasts

A successful project manager will use a combination of passive and active communication methods. Using these different types of methods in concert will make sure that every team member is able to receive information in whatever way they prefer.

Many project managers choose to communicate with their team using team collaboration software. These websites and computer programs allow project managers to instantly communicate vital information to their team members, and they provide a convenient portal for everyone to access necessary project materials, make progress reports, and complete day-to-day tasks. Project managers should understand available communication methods and then choose the option that best fits the needs of their project. Tailoring the communication method to the project ensures that everyone has the information they need.

Putting Together a Project Manager's Toolbox of Skills

A mistake that many people make is thinking that project management is simply about talking and listening. While these basic communication skills are certainly a component of effective project management, they aren’t the only abilities that a manager should possess. In USC’s online MCM program, students will develop a tool box of skills that all effective project managers should have. In addition to being able to clearly communicate with a project team, students will learn how to view a project as a whole, prioritize important goals, and much more. Take a closer look at some of the most important skills of a project manager.

Connecting to the Bigger Picture

According to Innovative Management Solutions, the ability to focus on the larger picture is one of the most essential skills that project managers must possess. Most projects are made up of countless small tasks, and a project manager should be able to understand how these tasks interact and contribute to the entire project. Companies value project managers who can take the big picture into account, as this means they’re able to keep a large project on track.

Prioritization

Prioritization of goals is another crucial skill, and it ties into the skill of seeing the big picture. A project will almost always contain several goals; arranging these goals by order of importance is a key component of project management. In USC’s online MCM program, students can learn how to examine a project and determine which goals should take priority.

Agile Mindset

As recommended by Innovative Management Solutions, project managers must also be prepared for priorities to shift during the course of a project. Something that may have been a primary goal at the beginning of the process can become less important as work is completed. A project manager must have the ability to reassess priorities as projects move forward, and then communicate the new goals to team members.

Listen and Respond Accordingly

The ability to listen is also one of the most important characteristics of an effective project manager. A project manager should be available to team members whenever they have questions and concerns. Talking and listening are equally important in productive communication, and project managers can develop both these skills in an online Master of Communication Management degree program .

Characteristics of an Effective Project Manager

The goal of effective project management is twofold. First, a project manager needs to be able to communicate and direct their team. Second, managers need to be able to develop and execute projects that will stand out and add value to the company for which they work. To be able to achieve these goals and increase their value to businesses, project managers must have several important characteristics.

A data-driven mindset is one of the most important qualities of a successful project manager, according to Innovative Management Solutions. Everything that a project manager does or asks their team to do should be backed by evidence. A project manager who does not base their decisions on evidence is leaving their project to chance, which companies will not tolerate.

The ability to understand and employ the latest project management tools and technology is another vital attribute a project manager should develop. While working toward an online MCM, prospective project managers can learn about these tools and how to implement them in their future projects.

Effectively reacting to change is another characteristic of successful project management that students in an online MCM program can develop. Change can derail a project in several ways. For instance, a change in company leadership may force a project manager to redirect their project so that it’s noticed by the new heads of the business. Project managers must be able to react quickly to changing landscapes and adjust their plans for their project so that it stays on track.

Why Companies Value Project Management

Before enrolling in USC’s online MCM program, it’s important for students to understand why companies value project management so highly. In addition to increasing organizational efficiency, project management can benefit companies in several ways, which is why large businesses are constantly searching for skilled, experienced project managers.

According to Chron, saving money is one of the main reasons that high-quality project managers are prized by companies. These people will be able to keep a project within budget by making sure that no resources are wasted and that the project is completed on time. In addition, without effective communication and management, the cost of a project can easily increase far beyond the budget.

Project managers can also help a business work toward its mission by considering whether the scope of a project actually fits the needs of the company. While constant innovation and goal-oriented growth are hallmarks of a successful business, taking on projects that are too large can be counter-productive. Before a project begins, a project manager can make sure that its scope fits the company so that success is more likely.

Finally, but perhaps most importantly, successful project management can help give companies an edge over their competitors. Some project managers choose to specialize in a certain field, and companies can take advantage of this specialization to undertake projects that their competitors might not be able to complete. However, regardless of specialization, effective communication helps to reduce confusion, encourage transparency and helps keep projects on time and budget.

Communication is integral to effective project management. Those who are interested in developing strong communication skills at work can visit the USC Online Master of Communication Management program to see how students develop strong communication skills and learn how to apply these skills to real-world projects and business situations.

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Communication techniques for effective project management

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Projects are more likely to reap success through strong teamwork and effective communication. For project managers, it’s paramount to have solid communication techniques. Studies by Project Management Institute found lack of communication was classed as the biggest contributor for project failure.

Having open communication is essential and should be available to all project stakeholders, including workers and contractors. Whether in person or through virtual means, regular communication guarantees workplace morale and business success.

There are three main communication techniques we can use for effective project management:

  • Interactive communication
  • Push communication
  • Pull communication

Interactive communication 

Interactive communication is used most when sharing sensitive and important information. Usually, it’s immediately acknowledged and actioned, mostly through:

  • In-person meetings
  • Phone calls
  • Video conferences

Interactive communication usually involves meeting people face-to-face, however foreign that might seem to us in recent times. But the societal shift towards virtual communication has forced us to adapt.

Videocalls have proven just as effective for conveying messages; your persona, body language, even tone of voice, are just as easily portrayed as they would be in person. We can think of this communication as a conversation.

Interactive communication is the best way to gauge what you require from clients. And it’s great for presenting any methods and updates necessary for the project, especially those needed from third parties like contractors or suppliers.

Push communication 

Push communication involves sending information without expecting an immediate response. It’s usually through:

  • Newsletters
  • Project outlines

It’s best for when you need to convey information that isn’t time-sensitive or urgent. Usually push communication is used for updates, benefits, or changes to projects.

It’s good business practise to ensure all your methods don’t revolve around push communication, as it could come across as unreceptive or neglectful for the team, stakeholders and project needs.

Try to restrict push communication to weekly emails or monthly newsletters. Or of course when sending a lot of information or documentation changes to clients. Perhaps combine this with interactive communication – share the brief information via a phone call and the details via email.

Pull communication 

Pull communication usually allows us to access information whenever we desire. Forms of pull communication include:

  • Website and landing pages
  • Knowledge base
  • Management software and apps

It’s especially effective when clients want to access project information at their own leisure. Or when information needs to be relayed to stakeholders or contractors. This involves clear transparency and demonstrates a high sense of trust between you and your project team, managers and stakeholders.

Gauge what the team and client’s want, and then decide how to and where best to share information. We should try to use all three methods fluidly and appropriately:

  • Interactive communication for immediacy.
  • Push communication for large amounts of information.
  • Pull communication for accessibility.

So how can I ensure effective communication during projects?

Hold regular meetings.

Having regular meetings with team members increases a shared understanding for objectives and deadlines. The meetings can also be a platform for project members to share any ideas or concerns they have, which in turn will help them feel supported and valued whilst working with you.

Be sure to regulate the time for each meeting so they don’t become too lengthy. And provide time for people to share any admin tasks and future agenda ideas.

Be inclusive

Try not isolate anyone when sending out project reports or inviting people to meetings. Keep relevant people in a shared loop, so they’re at least aware of any project changes or new developments.

It’s always better to send a little too much information than too little. Ask your colleagues what form of communication technique they prefer, as some methods may exclude some people.

Be clear and precise

Whether you’re sending updates or requesting feedback, try to limit time wasted during actual communication. Have your purpose of the email or phone call ready beforehand and take a moment to outline your thoughts.

Also consider exactly who you’re communicating with. Are they a team member who you need updates from? Or are they clients who should be addressed in a different way?

Present what you need in a clear and accessible structure, allowing everyone to easily understand your points and opinions.

Take everyone’s opinions into consideration

Sometimes a shared viewpoint can be more productive than listening to one person’s view, so make a habit to consider multiple opinions rather than just your own. Recognise when you’re wrong about something, or when someone else’s idea is better. Your team will respect you further and communication methods will remain intact and undamaged.

We face several situations that benefit one specific type of communication method. Choosing the right one will help determine whether targets are met and changes are understood. But be sure to use all three, helping to build great rapport and in turn project success.

The results of effective communication comes from having great levels of engagement, understanding and comfort in working with your team on various tasks. As a project professional, you really need to have an arsenal of qualities, but good communication skills is one of the biggest drivers for business success.

Listen to Ann Pilkington, Tim Lyons and Elizabeth Harrin discuss how to be a great communicator on the APM Podcast

You may also be interested in:

  • Poor communication: cause or symptom in project failures?
  • The first key principle for stakeholder engagement is communication
  • Becoming a successful project communicator (🔒)

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Communication projects: 4 ways to bring them to life

project on effective communication

As more companies opt into long-term remote work, effective communication projects are more important than ever. In this new environment, your communication projects can’t rely on a set-it-and-forget-it approach.

They need to be proactive, comprehensive, and collaborative to be successful. However, designing or revamping communication projects can feel daunting.

That’s why we’re here to show you four best practices to successfully manage communication projects and a work software that can help you smoothly run any initiative.

What are communication projects?

As the name depicts, communication projects are projects focused on communication. Examples of communication projects include internal comms projects, marcomms projects, and business communication projects.

In practice, communication can be shared in various forms (verbal, written, and digital), within teams and company-wide. Effective communication projects help team members work more effectively together.

Managing a communication project is an ongoing exercise in collaboration. They require prioritization, frequent check-ins, and collaboration across your business, meaning teams may need to juggle various responsibilities.

Aside from the above, teams may face other difficulties when implementing communication projects.

Let’s get into them.

“Communication Projects” is a part of our Project Management Glossary — check out the full list of terms and definitions.

Key challenges with communication projects

Common challenges include:

Outdated communication approaches

Some businesses still use outdated communication methods. For example, maybe employees still insist on sharing important information on an old intranet that no one else reads. Upgrading your communication approach can help ensure everyone is aligned and on board.

Information or knowledge silos

Likewise, managing a team that is widely spread out can be a challenge with communication projects. Keeping your team regularly updated and on the same page will ensure knowledge is shared, not siloed. Each team member will know what’s going on, what they need to do, and what everyone is working towards.

Information overload

It can be easy to get overloaded with too much information. As always, you’ve got to adapt the message to the receiver. By just dumping information, you risk that it isn’t read at all. Try breaking down your communication project into manageable chunks instead.

Lack of tools/technology

Ultimately, the right technology can make or break your communication projects. We have a growing and widely distributed team at monday.com, but we overcome communication project challenges by having one source of truth for all project components, always communicating within the context of the work, and automating tasks such as notifications or reminders so nothing falls through the cracks.

With this in mind, let’s now dive into the top best practices for managing communication projects.

5 best practices for managing communication projects

Communication projects only succeed if you have an effective strategy. Here are some best practice tips to keep everyone on track and working towards the same goal.

  • Assess your current approach: You likely already have some processes in place, so it’s time to assess what’s working and what isn’t.
  • Maintain communication consistency with remote and hybrid teams: Hybrid and remote workers often miss out if workers in the office have impromptu meetings without sending a summary to relevant team members. That’s why it’s important that all team members have the right tools and technology for effective communication workflows.
  • Encourage knowledge sharing among employees: Previously, you might have heard about project updates in a shared lunch area. Now, these casual touchpoints are hard to come by. To stay informed across the business you need to get creative and collaborative. From Slack to Loom to communicating within your Work OS , there is no lack of user-friendly chat platforms to help your team stay connected.
  • Identify your communication project tools: If you don’t have the project management tools in place to support your communication projects, now is the time to act. When picking the right tool for the job, it’s important to understand your business requirements and align those with the tool you are considering.

Let’s look at how you might put this to work.

Managing communication projects with monday.com

Using monday.com’s Work OS helps you streamline any workflow. As communication projects can vary from small items to large scale projects, teams can utilize the monday.com template library, which offers hundreds of customizable templates for any use case.

Consider starting with our communications project template . You can also create Gantt charts .

Managing communication projects on monday.com will ensure increased transparency and easier collaboration across your entire organization, no matter how big or how small.

For instance, you can co-edit in real-time, instantly share comments, and drag and drop your text without disrupting your team members. In fact, you can literally enable hundreds of people to work together seamlessly in one workdoc .

Frequently asked questions

Here you can find the most commonly asked communication project questions to quickly get the answers you need.

What are communication project skills?

Communication is essential to successful project management because it forms the foundations of setting clear objectives, collaboration, feedback and more. Types of communication skills include active listening (checking that a message is understood), non-verbal communication (body language) and culture (being open-minded and encouraging towards new ideas).

Why are communication projects important?

Essentially, communication projects act as the roadmap for sharing information. The project defines what, who, when and how information will be shared — whether that’s across internal channels like email or external channels like social media — as well as how this communication will be tracked (for example views and clicks). What you say and how you say it is key to getting people onboard and working towards the same actions and goals.

What is a communication project tool?

Communication project tools help in a number of ways. For example, they help to map and automate communications so that the right people receive them and at the right time, so that people aren’t bombarded with too many messages and crucially it helps prevent sensitive information going to the wrong person. A good example of a communication project tool is monday.com.

Bring your communication projects to life with monday.com

As you can see, communication projects have a lot of moving parts. But with the right strategy, tools, and technology you can efficiently and effectively manage them.

Let’s go over some final tips for how monday.com can help with communication projects:

  • Bring together your team and conversations about your communication projects using Boards to avoid digging through long email threads.
  • Every communication project can be scheduled on the Dashboard. You can then stay on top of your schedule and know what’s coming up with calendar views.
  • Know who’s working on what, and get notified of tasks moving from one stage to another.

Remember to break down your project into manageable chunks, and aim to manage everything in one place. You’ll soon start to see your communication projects come to life.

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What Is a Project Communication Plan?

April 21, 2022 - 7 min read

Maria Waida

In project management, one of the most effective ways of keeping stakeholders and teams aligned is through the use of a communication plan. But what is a project communication plan and how does it help keep projects running smoothly? 

In this article, we will cover the key components of a project communication plan, including identifying stakeholders, defining communication goals and strategies, determining communication channels, establishing a communication schedule, and assigning communication responsibilities.

Learn these need-to-know communication plan details and discover a pre-built template that will help you get all of your collaborators on the same page.

Why effective communication matters

Effective communication matters because breakdowns often occur when goals are not aligned, emails get lost, and the right tools aren’t created. 

One PMI survey found that 30% of respondents identified “poor communication” as the primary reason for scope gap and project failure. And, considering the cost of failure, it’s no wonder a communication plan is necessary for every project you launch. 

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Creating an effective communication plan means setting your team up for success. 

What is a project communication plan?

A project communication plan is an agreement between collaborators and stakeholders that outlines what, when, and how information will be shared at key intervals. Information like status updates, task-related questions, and meeting details should all be included in this written guide. The goal is to define and streamline team communications as much as possible. 

Communication plan template wrike

Why is a communication plan important in project management?

A communication plan is important in project management because it helps get stakeholders, clients, freelancers, and team members all on the same page. Communication plans fail if there is excessive discussion around the project or the scope of each interaction (like detailed copy notes versus big picture suggestions) isn’t defined. These issues can have a significant effect on deadlines and budgets. 

A project communication plan also establishes professional boundaries. For example, your stakeholders may want to limit their interaction to email, whereas your freelancers may be comfortable with texting when the conversation is time-sensitive. 

project on effective communication

Now that we are living in a post-pandemic working world, the importance of a good communication plan is even greater. Thousands of workplaces have now migrated to a hybrid or fully remote working model. With many teams widely dispersed across locations and time zones, communication has to be a top priority. A good project communication plan ensures that every stakeholder, no matter where they are based, is updated with the information they need when they need it.

What goes into a good communication plan in project management?

Here’s what every good communication plan in project management includes:

  • A contact sheet with collaborator roles and relevant contact information that highlights project phase owners
  • List what needs to be communicated throughout the project, like meeting updates and content outlines
  • Include the five Ws of virtual communication (who, what, where, when, why) for each major communication type 
  • Highlight good things to know regarding formality, personal pronouns, or special requests from collaborators
  • Create a schedule of events for any pre-planned phone calls, virtual status meetings that actually work, and digital check-ins
  • Designate status update types, where they will be located, and who will update them
  • Assign reviewers to tasks that require them
  • Define the communication method, date/time, and frequency of each major communication type

Communication plan examples

Your unique roadmap to an effective communication plan will vary depending on your client, team, and project scope . Use these examples to inspire and inform your next outline.

  • Project update protocol: Agree with the client on how often they’d like to be updated on the status of their project. What will the project update include (relevant stats, milestones, and next phases)? Will this project update be delivered via email, Zoom call, or Wrike task? Iron these details out to enable more transparent and professional communication.
  • Customer complaint resolution: Label the communication “customer complaint," assign a goal and timeline, then add an approver. Designate the next steps for the approval in the task itself. Have the approver update the task status from Open to Closed once the complaint is resolved.
  • Order fulfillment: Manually enter the order, add name and description (including items, SKUs, location, etc.), then assign it to a team member. Automate supply chain operation by creating task dependencies for every new order, like triggering the completion of the order task to notify a member of the customer service team when they should email the customer with an update. 
  • Web copy creation: Add a list of review process statuses that include “web page outline," “web page in progress," and “webpage ready for review." Ask team members who draft the copy to @mention reviewers when they have completed each page to keep the project moving forward. 

What are the benefits of a good project communication plan?

The benefits of a good project communication plan include staying in line with budget, timeline, and scope expectations, to name a few. The right strategy can solve most major communication breakdowns before they even happen. 

Having a plan upfront makes it easier to focus on task completion instead of forgetting who said what at the last meeting or sifting through dozens of email chains for the latest update. 

An effective project communication plan also saves you the effort of having to answer individual “what’s the status” emails. When there is a plan to ensure that all stakeholders are kept appropriately informed, your project team can respond to change, ensure good client management, and maintain a high standard of communication. 

Introducing Wrike's communication plan template

In addition to Wrike’s tailored project management capabilities, we have yet another resource you can use to maximize team productivity: the communication plan template . Add this template to your workflow, plug in your most important information, and kick off your project with an efficient system for sharing and requesting updates. Inside Wrike’s communication plan, you’ll find designated areas for:

  • Stakeholder analysis summary and roles they will play in the project
  • Key project interests or goals
  • Team leads for the project
  • Preferred communication channels with proper protocols
  • Expectations for communication frequency
  • Recurring task creation

Each of these features makes it easy for stakeholders to stay informed and involved while heightening your team’s ability to function, even over long periods. Try Wrike’s two-week free trial and see how our communication plan template helps unify teams and stakeholders.

Maria Waida

Maria Waida

Maria is a freelance content writer who specializes in blogging and other marketing materials for enterprise software businesses.

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Bellevue University Project Management Center of Excellence

Bellevue University Project Management Center of Excellence

Communication In Project Management

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– Retrieved from PMI.org

Managing communications effectively and efficiently

By Abudi, Gina

Communication on our projects is challenging! There are so many individuals we must communicate with from the very beginning through to implementation and evaluation – and they all want to be communicated with differently! Additionally, our communications vary depending on the role we have on the project, the stage of the project that we are in, and with whom we are communicating. Regardless of your role on the project – you must learn to communicate effectively to be successful.

While there are many paths we can take in discussing communications on projects, this paper will discuss best practices for engaging stakeholders early on and continuing to communicate and engage stakeholders and others throughout the project lifecycle. Additionally, given that many of our projects these days have a virtual component and likely we are working with individuals from across the globe – our communications are becoming even more complex and challenging. The use of technology enables for more effective communications in such situations along with an understanding of cultural differences and their impact on how we process communications received.

Review full article PMI.org

Art of communication in project management

By Rajkumar, Sivasankari

This paper focuses on the importance of communication in project management. Nothing is more important to the success of a project than effective communication.  More effective communication = Better project management  is obviously known to everyone in project management, but we do face difficulties in implementing it due to various factors like the nature of the project, structure of the organization etc. About 90% of the time in a project is spent on communication by the project manager. If this continues in a project, there is a danger of missing the deliverables or other outcomes as required by the sponsor. This paper highlights more specific details like, what communication means in a project, the steps required for effective communication, the major obstacles in communication, how to overcome obstacles through communication sharing, the importance of communications in diverse work groups and provides a four-step process for effective communication explained with a case study. As all of us know, communication is not an absolute, finite thing. Developing an effective communication plan is explained in steps on how to identify communication requirements: 5Ws (What, Why, Who, Where, When) and 1H (How). Enterprise environmental factors and organizational process assets are also described. So in short, if the steps outlined in this paper are considered and followed, more time would be saved for the project manager. Therefore, he or she can concentrate on other loopholes and successfully complete the project.

Project communication–foundation for project success

By Berzkalns, Ilga

Project management is not just putting together a project plan using work breakdown structures, calculating critical paths, and developing charts and timelines. Even the best project plan will not be successful without project communication. Effective, regular project communication requires planning and tailoring to the appropriate recipient of the information. Effective project communication ensures that all relevant parties can contribute to the project to their fullest extent to meet and exceed expectations.

The purpose of this paper is to describe an approach for planning and establishing a project communication system. While many project managers are well-versed in task and deliverable oriented project planning activities, a systematic, consistent, and repeatable approach to planning and, ultimately, monitoring and control of communication is often overlooked. Furthermore, communication plans should focus on the control aspects of the project, and not on the task-based communications between individual project team members in completing project deliverables – a common mistake that can result in complex, unmanageable communication plans. Are project plans and communication plans a duplication of effort? This question is further explored in the paper.

Bringing your project communications into the 21st century

By Matassa, Pete

Excellent project communications can serve as a catalyst for transforming stakeholder perceptions of a project from good to very successful. Conversely, poor project communications can transform stakeholder perceptions of a project from excellent to mediocre.

Historically, project managers have emphasized hard skills of project management; issues such as developing better project metrics to control the project and creating more sophisticated work breakdown structures to track the project. However, in spite of implemented continuous improvement for project hard skills, often project stakeholders are still not satisfied with the product delivered. A key contributor to this lack of satisfaction is that project communications have not demonstrated the same level of continuous improvement.

Communication works for those who work at it

By Deguire, Manon

As organizations evolve toward flatter structures, project managers are increasingly called upon to interact and communicate with different organizational levels, adding yet again an extra and demanding dimension to their more traditional communication roles. This paper describes a variety of reference models that can prove both inspirational and helpful to the development of a variety of communication skills that better suit project managers’ evolving present and future challenges.

Project communication management in five steps

By Terrell, Michael S.

For some project managers, communicating effectively is natural and easy. For others, effective communication is a learning experience. Either way, we spend considerable time in verbal as well as formal and informal written communication. Whether these communications involve exchanging status information or setting project objectives, project managers must ensure that the information is transmitted and received effectively.

Requirements for effective project communications

By Levin, Ginger | Rad, Parviz F.

The primary mission of the project manager working with either a virtual team or a traditional team is the delivery of the desired product or the facilitation of the required service. To that end, the team’s efforts are focused on the activities and measures that would produce the deliverable of the project in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The team must plan the delivery of the product or service through best practices, policies, and procedures. Effective communication within the team and with the project’s internal and external stakeholders is required.

Communication is defined as the transfer of some type of message that contains one or more pieces of information. The information that is conveyed can be either through formal channels or informal channels. Today’s project manager is both blessed and cursed by the quantity of communication tools available in the workplace. Formats for communication are extensive and include individual meetings, staff meetings, conference calls, e-mails, videoconferences, messages, and faxes. What each of these formats has in common is that all communication is interpersonal and goes from the sender to the receiver or receivers.

Communications as a strategic PM function

By Davis-Muffett, Patricia

As information technology becomes more and more enmeshed in every aspect of global business, we increasingly hear about the need for chief information officers and their teams to gain a better understanding of the needs of business executives and to understand how best to communicate with them. This poses a major challenge. And since project management is a profession that emerged primarily from the technical disciplines of engineering and technology, it poses a major challenge for the project manager as well. Project managers have typically been highly technically proficient and very good at motivating a team. The disciplines associated with communications and marketing, however, are quite foreign. As more and more project managers gain a place at the table with business executives, these skills become increasingly critical. It is no longer sufficient to have a communications plan built around providing the appropriate status reviews at the right point in the governance process. Instead, project management offices must take a proactive approach to actively marketing their project goals to the wider organization and to other stakeholders beyond their organization if they want to keep their funding, maintain focus on their efforts, and, ultimately, ensure success.

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Effective Communication: A master key to your project’s grand success

Effective Communication: A master key to your project’s grand success

Communication is the key factor in the overall success of managing any project by a project manager, as project manager spends maximum amount of time (up to approx. 90%) in communicating something or other thing to someone or other using some or other form of communication. Good communication skill means an ability to translate one’s thoughts into a language that is understood by others in an easy and simple manner. In lighter terms…if someone understands only English language and you send email in Hindi language…what will happen….conflict…misunderstandings…no reply…! We need to understand this part of the communication very well. Let us understand what an effective communication is: There are three elements in any face-to-face communication: 1)    Words 2)    Para Lingual (Tone and pitch of voice) 3)    Nonverbal behavior (e.g. Facial expression) Now stop for a while and try to guess how many percentage we can assign to each of the above out of 100% according to your experience for having effective and successful communication? E.g. Words = 40%, Tone of Voice = 40%, Nonverbal = 20%. The non-verbal elements are particularly important for communicating feelings, hidden emotions and attitude, especially when they are in disharmony: If words disagree with the tone of the voice and nonverbal behavior, people tend to believe the tone of the voice and nonverbal behavior. When delivering a lecture or presentation, the textual content of the lecture is delivered entirely verbally, but the non-verbal cues are very important in conveying the speaker's attitude towards what they are saying, particularly their belief or conviction. The three elements account differently for our liking for the person who puts forward a message concerning their feelings: a study indicated that words account for 7%, tone of voice accounts for 38%, and body language accounts for 55% of the liking. Check this numbers with yours above! For effective communication about emotions, these three parts of the message need to support each other - they have to be in perfect harmony with each other. In case of any disharmony among them, the receiver of the message might be irritated by two messages coming from two different channels (verbal channel and non verbal channel), giving cues in two different directions. (E.g. verbal channel says I am happy with you but non verbal channel says I am not happy with you) The following example should help to illustrate disharmony in verbal and non-verbal communication. •     Verbal: "I do not have a doubt on your capabilities!" •    Non-verbal : person avoids eye-contact, a person does not look confident while saying above etc. It becomes more likely that the receiver will trust the predominant form of communication, according to the findings it is Para-lingual and non-verbal (38% + 55%), rather than the literal meaning of the words (7%). Same thing even applies to written communication. In written communication the words you choose; length of the sentences, rhythm, and even font style and color choices express tone, attitude and feelings. For example, now a day we see the email communication has increased but in fact that is sometimes causing misunderstandings. The fundamental truth behind this misunderstanding is that even written communication has got non verbal (not written, but inner feelings and emotions expressed through above mentioned parameters.). For example not replying an important email also conveys some cues to the sender about feelings and emotions of the receiver who is avoiding replying your email. The important point here is how much we are really sincere and conscious of these things while we communicate! Here are some common reasons for blocks to effective communication: a) We sometimes lose the essence of what is trying to be conveyed (transmitted) by the other. b) Being lost in our own feelings or ideas. In such a state we do not listen attentively to others point of view. c) Lack of sincerity. When our thoughts and feelings are honest and respectful, then the hearts of others will open to us. A positive express highway (without any traffic within!) of trust is built and communication flows easily and positively. d) Creating negative perceptions (understandings) and emotions about others i.e. how we visualize or label them. Such emotions, no matter how well hidden, are finally always communicated to others on a subtle (non-physical), non-verbal level, and create an atmosphere of tension and unease. e) Not letting go of negative perceptions (understandings) and emotions about ourselves and others. The only method to revive our team relationship with team members is to let go of negativity (if any) on a daily basis, to prevent it from building up. Far too often, the build-up happens without us even noticing it and, we wonder why positive feedback is not coming from the other side. In a nutshell, always remember "Manner always wins over the Matter". Remember that our tone of voice, our body language ( particularly our eyes and face ), our attitudes and our feelings, are constantly in communication with others, expressing anger, fear, love, trust, rejection, acceptance - in fact, are all our feelings and emotions. In short, our feelings and emotions also travel along with our words and it reaches first and faster than the words! We cannot hide what we mean (even if we want to!), we may do so for a while, but finally the truth emerges. We can conclude with a communication slogan that: “To handle yourself use your head, to handle others use your heart!” Wishing you happy and healthy communication.

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10 Powerful Remote Work Communication Tips

Posted: January 11, 2024 | Last updated: January 11, 2024

<p>More and more people are working remotely, from fully remote companies to roles that became work-from-home jobs during the pandemic. Perhaps you’ve been working from home and want to continue doing so. Or maybe you’ve already returned to work and found working from home suits you better. In either case, finding a new job that is remote by design might be your best solution for job satisfaction and work-life balance. Here are some places to look. </p>

Working remotely comes with many challenges. It can lower the productivity of teams and individuals. Also, it can be lonely and depressing for some workers who are used to going to work every day in a lively, spacious office where they can easily collaborate with their coworkers.

However, the benefits of flexibility and working from the comfort of one’s home seem more beneficial than the drawbacks. 

For these reasons, precise and effective remote work communication is critical, especially for teams working on big projects for weeks or months. Here, we have gathered some of the best remote work communication tips to help you stay on track and maintain or possibly increase your productivity.

<p>The man, let's call him "Dan," worked in an office where he was technically just a helper. And while he only had a lower title, he took on a big workload to provide assistance. In his words, he had a "ridiculous amount of work."</p>

Become Familiar With Your Company’s Remote Work Policy

Among the remote work communication best practices, It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with your employer’s remote work requirements. This includes how and when your colleagues and superiors can reach you, whether your work hours will be strict or flexible, and so on. Make sure to respect these requirements to show that you are a reliable person who can be trusted, even when you are working from home.

<p>John says he wasn’t going to accept that paltry offer lying down and promptly turned in his resignation, leaving the same day. He then sent a letter requesting acceptable pay for his past overtime, the paid leave he hadn’t taken, and overall adequate compensation. It was just as promptly ignored. After another strongly worded demand to be paid for his time, John hired a lawyer.</p>

Improve Your Written Communication

This is probably one of the most critical working-from-home communication tips. When you work remotely, you deal with a lot of written communication.

Be it emails or instant messaging, paying attention to what you write and how you write it is a good idea. Focusing on clear, concise, and consistent writing would be best.

Here are some general good practices:

  • Write in short and clear sentences.
  • Use simple words and phrases to convey your thoughts.
  • Start with the most important things.
  • Check your writing for mistakes.
  • Use basic spell check and correction software.

<p><span>One forum member thinks Bella’s husband needs to focus on his issues and stay far away from his mother. “It sounds like your MIL has done quite a number on her sons. If your husband is struggling enough with mental illness to get out of the home care to this extent, then he should, as a minimum, understand that this is not the time to bring a manipulator back into his life. He isn’t well enough to try and make major decisions on what’s best for their children. If he requires the intensive focus and care required for treatment, then the focus should be on that.”</span></p>

Be Careful With Overcommunication and Redundant Details

When communicating online, especially with written communication, it is essential to stick to the most important things. Too much information and details can shift the focus and become a significant distraction.

Overcommunication is lousy communication. So, always ask yourself what the main topics and aspects that need to be addressed and what can be left for a later stage of the work that needs to be done. This way, you won’t overwhelm your colleagues and clients with too much information.

<p><span>Microsoft’s research indicates that remote work can potentially limit collaboration and inventive dialogue, emphasizing the importance of in-person interactions. For companies reliant on team dynamics and brainstorming, these factors could be instrumental.</span></p>

Don’t Shy Away From Video Meetings and Calls

If you find yourself writing an incredibly long email, then perhaps doing a video meeting or a call would be better. Remember that these are also professional communications; you should look, talk, and sound your best.

Prepare for such meetings and calls, knowing exactly what you will discuss, and consider taking notes. Keep the chit-chat to a minimum and focus on the most critical aspects of your work and the project you are talking about.

<p><span>A few months after the second incident, Dave accepted an offer for a sweet job at a fantastic company, and he was more than happy to put in his two weeks’ notice. A few days before Dave’s two weeks were up, he found out through his brother that his niece had lice. Knowing he spends a lot of time with her, he checked, and lucky him, he also contracted the annoying bug.</span></p>

Find Out Your Colleague’s Communication Preferences

Another way to show that you are a good team player is to determine the communication preferences of the people you work with. And respect them, of course. Some folks prefer instant messaging, while others would rather jump into a conference call.

Also, it would be best to establish proper communication channels for various matters as a team. For instance, email is most suitable for important department- and company-wide updates, while project discussions can occur during conference calls and group chats.

<p>While Dan knew his position was of a "helper" status, that didn't give Lenny a right to keep personal, vindictive files on him to try to belittle his use in the office. Additionally, it was wrong of the boss to not let Dan know  how valuable he was until after he refused to come back to work. Dan stood strong and not only got his job back and received a nice salary increase, but Lenny got sacked.</p>

Be a Proactive Communicator

As part of your effective communication, it is vital to show the people you work with that you care about what you do while working from home.

Therefore, choose the active approach. Ask questions, send emails, leave comments, and engage in the conversation. Become an active voice within the digital workplace that you have created.

Don’t hesitate to give your opinion or ask questions when things are unclear. This way, you will show that you are somebody who truly cares and works towards success.

<p>  Instead of facing challenges head-on, some choose the easier tasks, leaving the tough ones for “later.”  </p>

Be Careful With Sarcasm and Humor

Memes and casual chit-chat certainly have a place within an online environment. But practice caution when it comes to work. Depending on who is reading them, lighthearted  jokes and sarcastic remarks might come across as rude or inappropriate. Perhaps, first, take the time to get to know your colleagues and only then reveal your comedic genius. This may take longer than usual when your team works from home or in remote locations.

<p><span>A second individual admits that sometimes cultural gaps can be hard to overcome, and everyone has the right to feel what they feel and act accordingly. In their opinion, Bop and his GF would be happier with other people long-term.</span></p>

Assume Good Intentions

It’s easy for meaning to be lost in translation . Remind yourself that no malice is intended if you are the receiver of a joke or a sarcastic remark. After all, does anybody win by being hateful?

Of course, with time, you might realize that you are dealing with a not-so-pleasant person. If that is the case, you should talk to your superiors immediately. Such behavior will probably only get worse with time and cause more harm. It can be pretty demotivating for some people and harm the flow of communication.

<p>Emily is at a crossroads, torn between her sense of professional responsibility and her desire for fair compensation. She had worked tirelessly to obtain her certification, enduring the challenges and sacrifices that came with it. Now, faced with the prospect of assisting Estelle without recognition or reward, Emily hesitates.</p> <p>“With unique expertise in the certification, I find myself torn between personal boundaries and a sense of camaraderie,” Emily confesses. “The fate of Estelle’s educational journey hangs in the balance, with limited options for support.”</p>

Use Project Management Software

If your work is done within a team, you should resort to project management software. Finding suitable management software should be a top priority if you are the team manager.

This way, you can easily track the work of your team and witness the daily progress that you are making. Nowadays, there are many project management tools and platforms that you can opt for. They are a great way to optimize communication and increase productivity.

<p>The message was sent, and the deed was done. Our protagonist’s heart swelled with satisfaction, triumph, and a tinge of rebellion. Revenge had been served again, and its flavor was nothing short of delectable.</p> <p>They relished in the knowledge that they had upheld their principles and stood their ground against a boss who had shown them no mercy in their time of need.</p>

Be Respectful and Kind – We Are All Human

Remote work communication can become relatively mundane and robotic at times. So don’t neglect the human factor. Take the time to greet people and ask them how they are.

I wish them happy holidays and so on. And most of all, remember to be kind and respectful. Nobody is perfect. Just be nice, and people will meet you with the same.

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Global health research suffers from a power imbalance − decolonizing mentorship can help level the playing field.

A hand in a blue latex glove holding a clear globe.

  Oluwafemi Atanda Adeagbo , University of Iowa ; Brenda Yankam , University of Nigeria , and Engelbert Bain Luchuo , University of Johannesburg

Mentorship is a cornerstone of the infrastructure supporting global health. Transferring knowledge, developing skills and cultivating a supportive professional environment among researchers and clinicians around the world are key to achieving health equity on a global scale.

For example, most people in Africa would have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by now if the patented knowledge about the vaccine technology were shared with African scholars and local pharmaceutical companies to produce a generic version. As of October 2023, although over 95% of available doses have been used, less than 52% of the population is fully vaccinated.

However, researchers from the Global South – countries in the regions of Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and Oceania with limited resources and a lower standard of living – face challenges that impede effective mentorship.

One reason is that mentorship is often hierarchical . Mentors, typically from the Global North, or high-income countries, are often seen as more credible than mentees who are mostly from the Global South. Mentees are often described as inexperienced, requiring training and guidance. While mentorships are by definition hierarchical, researchers from the Global South are assumed to lack the skills to adequately implement health programs or conduct research and would benefit from greater experience of scholars from the Global North.

Hierarchical relationships, especially those between people from the Global North and Global South, are not mutually beneficial or fair. Based on our personal experiences and research as public health researchers , statisticians and social scientists , we believe that cultural humility and equitable partnerships are key to effective global health projects.

Scholars from the Global North and Global South can learn from each other. Decolonizing mentorship in global health, or addressing the historical power imbalances between researchers from the Global North and Global South, can help advance global health for all.

Challenges in global health research

Some scholars have defined global health as “collaborate transnational research and action for promoting health for all.” Historically, however, the concept of global health is rooted in Western ideas of who is considered human . Europeans are depicted as the norm or standard , while non-Europeans are depicted as strange or inferior.

This hierarchy is omnipresent in knowledge exchange and health resource allocation between the Global North and Global South. For example, the European Union rejected proposals that would have allowed African countries, mostly former European colonies, to manufacture generic COVID-19 vaccines when the 55 million doses the West donated expired in February 2022.

Scholarly collaborations between the Global North and Global South are also unequal in power. Notably, most of the major global health institutes are located in the Global North , although the greatest burden of diseases such as HIV and malaria is centered in the Global South. Conferences where researchers gather to learn about new innovations in their field and to network are typically located in high-income countries. Few Global South scholars are able to attend because of travel restrictions and financial constraints, leaving them without guidance on how to navigate and significantly contribute to the field.

For example, several scholars from the Global South have noted how visa restrictions and fees affected their ability to attend global health conferences in high-income countries. But even having a visa does not guarantee easy entry. Winifred Byanyima, executive director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, who is originally from Uganda, was traveling to Montreal, Canada, to attend the world’s largest AIDS conference in 2022. She was almost denied boarding a plane, however, despite her high-level position.

Moreover, a lack of healthy mentorship cultures and supportive networks among institutions in low- and middle-income countries impedes the professional development of Global South scholars. Furthermore, some current mentorship frameworks and best practices are mostly designed for high-income countries , where there is more institutional support .

Language and cultural barriers are often significant obstacles for scholars in the Global South, hindering effective communication and collaboration. Colonialism , or the domination and exploitation of certain groups and individuals, has also influenced how education and research is conducted in the Global South, such that researchers are discouraged from questioning their seniors. This may limit a scholar’s critical thinking and create communication barriers between mentees and mentors.

These hierarchical power dynamics also limit the full potential of cross-cultural learning and knowledge exchange between the Global North and Global South.

Decolonizing global health

A crucial strategy to empower Global South scholars is to decolonize mentorship. This means recognizing that people have different levels of skills and expertise in different contexts.

Mentorship environments characterized by humility and co-learning can help researchers break free from historical power imbalances. This includes acknowledging and valuing the unique perspectives and experiences of scholars from local regions. For example, a researcher from the Global North may be more knowledgeable about a new technology, but a researcher from the Global South may know how best to adapt the technology locally. Tailoring mentorship programs to address the specific needs of scholars in the Global South will also help cultivate a sense of inclusivity and belonging.

Doctor in a white lab coat and hijab

Recognizing and valuing linguistic diversity can help address language barriers. Establishing communication channels that accommodate various languages would allow scholars to be able to fully participate in the global health dialogue.

Finally, breaking the chains of the colonial mindset can help foster more egalitarian relationships in research. Mentors become facilitators of learning instead of dispensers of knowledge. Mentees become active contributors instead of consumers of knowledge. Challenging hierarchical relationships and power imbalances can enable a more collaborative and reciprocal dynamic where both parties benefit.

Decolonizing mentorship in global health is not a theoretical concept but an actionable strategy. Addressing the unique challenges that researchers in the Global South face can help bridge the global health divide, allowing local scholars to actively shape the future of the field and their communities.

Oluwafemi Atanda Adeagbo , Assistant Professor of Public Health, University of Iowa ; Brenda Yankam , Research Associate in Statistics, University of Nigeria , and Engelbert Bain Luchuo , Senior Research Associate, University of Johannesburg

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

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SAHF Releases Brief for Housing Providers on Effective Resident Communication Strategies

Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) and SAHF’s Housing Stability Cohort (HSC) have released a new resource, “ Resident Communication Touchpoints Brief .” The brief offers pro-active, trauma-informed methods to enable housing providers to communicate with tenants at lease-up, throughout tenancy, and in cases of late rent.

In addition to describing each communication touchpoint, the brief provides examples of documents that HSC participants use to communicate clearly and effectively with residents. The sample documents highlight emerging best practices and ways in which housing operators can adjust existing policies and systems to strengthen housing stability for residents.

Read the brief here .

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$7 Million for 30 Seconds? To Advertisers, the Super Bowl Is Worth It.

In a time of fragmentation, advertising during the game’s broadcast is still a reliable way to boost company revenue and familiarize viewers with a brand.

A cat wearing a bow tie.

By Santul Nerkar

A cat meowing for Hellmann’s mayonnaise, Peyton Manning chucking Bud Light beers to patrons in a bar and Kris Jenner stacking Oreo cookies. They all have one thing in common: Those companies paid seven figures to get their products in front of viewers during this year’s Super Bowl.

For the second consecutive year, the average cost of a 30-second ad spot during the Super Bowl was $7 million. Even as many businesses are being more disciplined with the money they have for marketing, and with spending on advertising slowing in recent years, the cost of a Super Bowl ad continues to go up.

The reason is simple: There is no opportunity guaranteed to reach more people than the Super Bowl, and the slice of every other pie keeps shrinking.

“It’s a throwback in terms of reaching everyone all at once,” said Charles Taylor, a professor of marketing at the Villanova School of Business.

In an increasingly fragmented media landscape, the number of opportunities for companies to reach a mass audience through advertising on network television has dwindled. Popular shows have increasingly moved to streaming platforms, along with audiences. More and more, networks find themselves relying on live events, like award shows and sports, to draw viewers.

“Live events are still huge for advertisers, and those are the ones that draw the highest attention,” said Frank Maguire, a vice president at Sharethrough, an advertising integration platform.

Not all live events are created equal, though. A record-low audience watched the Emmy Awards in January . Leagues like the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League have struggled to retain and increase viewership, and ratings for the N.C.A.A. men’s basketball final have fallen in recent years.

But the National Football League has continued its strong upward march , both in terms of viewership and media deals. In 2021, television networks committed $110 billion for the rights to broadcast the league for a decade, and the N.F.L. has continued to set record viewership numbers. More than 115 million people watched last year’s championship game.

The Super Bowl stands alone as a mass-marketing opportunity on television. A decade ago, the average cost of a 30-second spot was $4 million; a decade before that, it was $2.4 million. Analysts say the rise is a result of supply and demand: With a fixed amount of time and advertising spots for each Super Bowl broadcast, the competition is fierce. CBS, which will broadcast Sunday’s game, sold out its ad spots in a matter of weeks in November. Paramount, which owns CBS, will reportedly run nearly a dozen spots to promote its films.

“In this era of fragmentation, the Super Bowl is what television used to be,” said Brad Adgate, a veteran media analyst.

For many years, Super Bowl ads were kept closely guarded until the day of the game. Now, companies employ marketing campaigns that often start in mid-January.

“It’s about building a long-running narrative,” said Kofi Amoo-Gottfried, the chief marketing officer at DoorDash, whose Super Bowl ad this year is pushing a promotional deal.

Many viewers now turn on the Super Bowl broadcast with an idea of what to expect for the ads. A January preview of a Pringles ad, for instance, featured the mustache of an unknown man, prompting many fans to guess it belonged to the Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce. (In fact, it belonged to the actor Chris Pratt.)

“You’re not just paying for that 30-second spot; it is a four- to six-week buzz that you’re creating,” said Mary Scott, a professor of strategic communications at Montclair State University and a former president at United Entertainment Group, a sports and entertainment marketing agency.

The rise in female viewership for N.F.L. games this season, made even more prominent by Taylor Swift’s relationship with Mr. Kelce, is another potential marketing opportunity for companies.

The news that Kansas City made the Super Bowl was welcomed by health-and-beauty companies, which disproportionately target young women. That demographic has tuned into more football games this season, thanks in large part to Ms. Swift’s appearances at Kansas City games.

NYX Makeup, a subsidiary of L’Oreal, has bought its first Super Bowl ad spot, while Dove is returning with an ad spot for the first time since 2015. E.L.F. cosmetics is advertising for the second straight year.

Kory Marchisotto, E.L.F.’s chief marketing officer, acknowledged that Kansas City’s playing in the Super Bowl was good for business. Ms. Marchisotto said her company kept different versions of ads in the days leading up to the game, a departure from how Super Bowl ads used to be prepared. Companies want to stay as nimble as possible, staying responsive to the specific interests of the audience watching the game.

“It was way easier when you would create a spot, spend a year on it, put it in market, and sit back and let it fly,” she said.

At the same time, companies are investing more heavily into making sure they’re getting the most for their $7 million. More ads this year are expected to feature interactive components like QR codes, which help companies track engagement with their brands in real time.

The technology debuted at the Super Bowl in 2022 with a floating code for Coinbase, a cryptocurrency company. The concept was used in more ads in last year’s Super Bowl — including one for avocados from Mexico and one for a public service announcement from a religious organization. The strategy also featured prominently during the N.F.L.’s first Black Friday broadcast in November.

Together, the Super Bowl’s ads are an annual snapshot of the economic and social moment in the country, said Ethan Heftman, a vice president of agency sales at Ampersand, an ad consortium owned by Comcast, Charter and Cox.

“As long as you have new industries — auto, cellular, tech companies,” Mr. Heftman said, “there’ll always be brands seeking that broad awareness.”

Santul Nerkar is a reporter covering business and sports. More about Santul Nerkar

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  1. The Critical Role of Communication in Project Management

    Below, we explore the importance of effective communication in project management, define the different types of communication project managers are likely to engage in, and offer tips that you can use to become a more effective communicator to excel in your project management career.

  2. Managing Communications Effectively and Efficiently

    Improving the effectiveness of communications overall, including frequency and quality Keeping individuals engaged in the initiative through open communications Getting stakeholders involved in communications through enabling for more effective two-way conversations

  3. Art of communication in project management

    Developing an effective communication plan is explained in steps on how to identify communication requirements: 5Ws (What, Why, Who, Where, When) and 1H (How). Enterprise environmental factors and organizational process assets are also described.

  4. Effective Communication: Definition, 7 Steps, Examples

    Effective communication definition is the process of exchanging or transmitting ideas, information, thoughts, knowledge, data, opinion, or messages from the sender through a selected method or channel to the receiver with a purpose that can be understood with clarity.

  5. Effective Communication Tips for Project Management

    Simple tips for effective project communication Why Communication Is Important in Project Management | TeamGantt Watch on Why is communication important in project management? The importance of communication in project management can't be stressed enough. That's because it's critical to project success.

  6. Project Communication Management

    Effective communication management uses five steps to help project managers actively listen to customers and teammates, and then involve them in developing solutions that meet the project's objectives. Michael S. Terrell, PMP, has been involved in project management for over 18 years.

  7. 10 Best Practices for Effective Communication in Projects

    Best Practice All Project Managers know that communication is the life blood of every project. Already, the majority of your time will be spent communicating with your project team. Whether you're issuing instructions, checking tasks or providing expert guidance.

  8. How to Write an Effective Communication Plan [2023] • Asana

    1. Establish your communication methods. The first step to creating a communication plan is to decide where your team will communicate—and about what. This includes when to use which tools and when to communicate live vs. asynchronously. Live, synchronous communication is communication that happens in real time.

  9. How To Create A Project Communication Plan [+ Template]

    1. Understand your project parameters Sit down and make sure you understand and define the parameters of the project, including project size, information about the client's company, project deliverables, timeline, and who the project team is. Consider your team's and client's communication styles: How successful have communications been to date?

  10. Project Communication Plan Definition, Tips and Tactics

    The PMI reported that among companies with highly effective communication, 80% of projects met their goals, compared to a 52% success rate for those with minimally effective communication. The more effective communicators enjoyed much higher rates of on-time and on-budget performance, as well (72% vs. 37% and 76% vs. 48%, respectively). ...

  11. The Keystone of Success: The Crucial Role of Communication in Project

    Effective communication ensures everyone is on the same page, enabling seamless coordination and preventing misunderstandings that can lead to project delays or failures. Key Components of Communication in Project Management 1. Stakeholder Engagement: Engaging stakeholders at various levels is crucial.

  12. How to Create a Project Communication Plan (Template Included)

    A project communication plan should be a thorough and comprehensive review of the who, what, where, how and when of communication. To make sure you've hit all the key points, the following must be included when writing your communication plan. 1. Define Your Communication Guidelines

  13. How to Create a Project Communication Plan

    While individual communication plans differ by project, all effective communication plans include scope, contact details, and more. Consider adding the following information to a communication plan: Type of Project: Name the project to make it easy to find and reference.

  14. 12 tips for effective communication in the workplace

    Effective communication in the workplace is all about where, how, and when you're communicating. Try these seven tips to become a stronger communicator. 1. Know where to communicate—and about what. Communication happens in many different forms—face-to-face, over email, via instant messages, and in work management platforms.

  15. 10 Key Project Management Communication Strategies

    1. Be clear. According to Janis Bleichert of EXPERTE, one trend has become unmistakably clear across most of the agile project management methods: In order to be effective, project communication—regardless of whether it's within teams, among stakeholders, or even between project owners—has to be clear and visible.

  16. The Importance of Communication in Project Management

    Updated December 5, 2022 Good communication is an important component in project management, allowing projects to progress smoothly and on time. It ensures team members are aligned on project goals and understand exactly what's expected of them. It also helps build trust so everyone works better together from project start to finish.

  17. The Role of Communication in Effective Project Management

    Characteristics of an Effective Project Manager. The goal of effective project management is twofold. First, a project manager needs to be able to communicate and direct their team. Second, managers need to be able to develop and execute projects that will stand out and add value to the company for which they work.

  18. Communication techniques for effective project management

    The results of effective communication comes from having great levels of engagement, understanding and comfort in working with your team on various tasks. As a project professional, you really need to have an arsenal of qualities, but good communication skills is one of the biggest drivers for business success.

  19. Communication: The Foundation of Project Management

    The communication about quality management is important; if not effective, it will influence the project as well as cost and time management. Thus, effective project communication by a project manager, as the leader of the project, will influence all other areas positively and will contribute to the effective management of the whole project.

  20. Communication Projects: 4 Steps To Bring Projects To Life

    In practice, communication can be shared in various forms (verbal, written, and digital), within teams and company-wide. Effective communication projects help team members work more effectively together. Managing a communication project is an ongoing exercise in collaboration. They require prioritization, frequent check-ins, and collaboration ...

  21. Project Communication Plan: Explained

    An effective project communication plan also saves you the effort of having to answer individual "what's the status" emails. When there is a plan to ensure that all stakeholders are kept appropriately informed, your project team can respond to change, ensure good client management, and maintain a high standard of communication. ...

  22. Communication In Project Management

    Effective project communication ensures that all relevant parties can contribute to the project to their fullest extent to meet and exceed expectations. The purpose of this paper is to describe an approach for planning and establishing a project communication system. While many project managers are well-versed in task and deliverable oriented ...

  23. Effective Communication: A master key to your projects grand success

    Let us understand what an effective communication is: There are three elements in any face-to-face communication: 1) Words. 2) Para Lingual (Tone and pitch of voice) 3) Nonverbal behavior (e.g. Facial expression) Now stop for a while and try to guess how many percentage we can assign to each of the above out of 100% according to your experience ...

  24. 10 Powerful Remote Work Communication Tips

    1 / 11. 10 Powerful Remote Work Communication Tips ©Provided by Kinda Frugal. Working remotely comes with many challenges. It can lower the productivity of teams and individuals. Also, it can be ...

  25. Global health research suffers from a power imbalance − decolonizing

    Language and cultural barriers are often significant obstacles for scholars in the Global South, hindering effective communication and collaboration. Colonialism , or the domination and exploitation of certain groups and individuals, has also influenced how education and research is conducted in the Global South, such that researchers are ...

  26. SAHF Releases Brief for Housing Providers on Effective Resident

    Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) and SAHF's Housing Stability Cohort (HSC) have released a new resource, "Resident Communication Touchpoints Brief." The brief offers pro-active, trauma-informed methods for housing providers to communicate with tenants at lease-up, throughout tenancy, and in cases of late rent.

  27. How To Earn A Project Management Degree

    A bachelor's in project management typically consists of 120 credits and takes four years for full-time students. Some schools offer accelerated degrees, which take six or seven semesters to ...

  28. $7 Million for 30 Seconds? To Advertisers, the Super Bowl Is Worth It

    A decade ago, the average cost of a 30-second spot was $4 million; a decade before that, it was $2.4 million. Analysts say the rise is a result of supply and demand: With a fixed amount of time ...

  29. EOI

    The main objective of the assignment is to develop and implement an effective and efficient communication and visibility program that will reach out to the population and showcase the projects' overall, achievements, results and impacts in the country and region. The assignment is expected to produce a documentary visual audio production showcasing the projects' development impacts. The ...