Project Management in Two Parts

To All Presenters (and Project Managers):

If you can't effectively convey the requirements for the project, if you can't speak geek to IT and strategic planning to the CEO equally well, if you can't foster an environment where everyone wants to be part of the team and feels like a contributor . . . you are hopelessly doomed.

You must communicate effectively to be successful. If there is a misunderstanding it will ultimately manifest itself in terms of excess time and expense.

So how do you communicate effectively with diverse groups of people? How do you avoid expensive misunderstandings?

You listen.

You listen as others repeat back your message to assure they understood what you said. You listen for cues from your audience regarding the information they seem interested in. This way you can tailor your own presentation to align with their needs and your language with their level of sophistication on the topic.

You also listen for emotional "tells." Is the team frustrated? Are they tired? Or do they convey a sense of high energy and commitment? If you're not listening, you'll never know.

You write.

You must communicate in both verbal and written form assuring both match. If someone doesn't understand your directives completely their confusion will become apparent when they can't get your verbal and non-verbal communication to jive.

You repeat.

Redundancy gets annoying, but just before it does it is an effective way to assure comprehension and support memory. Don't be afraid to repeat your message. You never know what will trigger the next great question from your team. Better to get questions now then contend with risk and overruns later.

THE POINT: Project Management is two parts communication, one part integration.