When working as a manager of an instructional design project, it is extremely important to establish and implement (and continuously improve) communication channels with all stakeholders. “A project fraught with communication problems leads to delays, misunderstandings, frustration, [and] workplace conflicts…”(Sharma, 2010).
Effective communication is vital to the success of any project. Project managers can communicate with stakeholders through written communications such as email, instant messaging, memoranda and reports. Verbal communication methods include face-to-face dialogues and recorded messages. Within the realm of verbal communication is interactive communication, where individuals can interact with each other in real time.
You may be wondering which method of communication is best for a given situation or purpose. Well, generally speaking and for most situations, interactive communication (face-to-face) is best. For example, this week in my instructional design course I was asked to review a message in three different modalities: as written text in an email, as audio in a telephone message, and as a video (simulated) face-to-face message. As you might imagine, the video delivery method was most effective for me for a number of reasons including:
1. I was able to observe the other person’s facial and body expressions making the communication more authentic, sincere and earnest.
2. Observing the person while simultaneously listening to the message made the entire experience seem “real” and I wanted to provide the information requested because of the “reality” of the message.
3. Because of the other person’s physical presence (albeit virtual) I felt more of a ‘sense of urgency’ than with the other communication delivery methods. (In the message, the other person was asking for some needed data in order to complete a report which was quickly approaching its deadline.)
Many types of written communication are considered “push” delivery methods because they are presented to (or pushed to) stakeholders. The push method is effective as well, and often, is the most efficient way to reach a larger audience. For example, sending a written progress report to all the stakeholders of a large, complex project may take considerably less time to deliver than setting up and conducting a formal meeting and discussing the project’s progress. Back to my assignment…when I read the assigned message in email form, although I understood it, the tone seemed almost apologetic. I don’t believe the intent of the message was to be apologetic. Right away then, you can see how one communication method differs from another in how its message is received and interpreted.
Lastly, I would like to mention the telephone message, which is effective as well as it is a form of verbal communication. But, even if effective, recorded voice messages are not the most effective as we’ve already learned. With recorded voice, or audio, there is more of an element of authenticity than in written communication because the voice on the other end is human and real. However, recorded messages are not heard in real-time, and thus cannot offer the benefits of interactivity. For my assignment, when I listened to the recorded message, I believe that I did understand the message as it was communicated, by that I mean I understood the urgency of the message. Because there was no interactivity, I could not clarify with the other person the full intent of the message—I was forced to use my own discretion as to what the message actually meant. A disadvantage? Perhaps…but not in this assignment.
References:
Sharma, R. (2010) Effective Communication Methods in Project Communications Management. Retrieved November 18, 2010 from: http://www.brighthub.com/office/project-management/articles/85785.aspx
3 comments:
Sandra,
You make some very valid points in your post. I also thought the face-to-face was the best method that brought out the true intent of the message. The e-mail was the worst for me as I actually thought she was a bit threatening in her message and made it seem as though the blame would be placed on him if he didn't get his report to her on time. For me, that is not an e-mail I would respond to and instead call or set up a meeting with them to ensure I didn't misinterpret it. I think for this assignment, an e-mail isn't the method to choose.
What I learned from this exercise was that e-mails can't be relied on as much as I would like. I send a lot of e-mails throughout the day, but I need to remind myself that depending on the content, it may be better to call the intended recipient or meet in person. Although the written word reaches a lot of people at once, we need to remind ourselves, that it also reaches many different interpretations of the message's meaning.
Thanks,
Teri
Hi Sandra,
Although I do agree that the face to face is probably the best way to communicate, I didn't find it to be the best in this case. I was having trouble with Jane's body language. It did not seem to match the words. Now this could be because of the fact that it was staged and not in real life so I did not get that sense of urgency which I did get from the voice mail.
In my research I found an article which stated "communication systems use two kinds of signals: signs and symbols. Signs are signals that are causally related to the message they convey.... Symbols, on the other hand, are social conventions" (Krauss, 2002, p2-3). Which stated another way the signs are what we see, such as someone blushing, and the symbols are what we hear, such as tremulous voice. "Verbal communication often involves both signs and symbols" (Krauss, 2002, p3). This is what I was missing in the video this week.
Sheri
Reference
Krauss, R. (2002). The psychology of verbal communication. Retrieved on November 20, 2010 from http://www.columbia.edu/~rmk7/PDF/IESBS.pdf
Hi Sandra,
I also talked about how communication is key for a project to succeed. I also felt that the face-to-face interaction was the most effective. I know in a regular conversation the material will come across different then that video did. To me it was too staged but I was able to get a better understanding because of it.
Another reason I felt that face-to-face was the most effective is because it takes the guessing out of how a person feels. For example I always have my principal email me saying that a parent wants to meet with me after school, and every time that is all she puts and every time I get nervous cause I never know if it is good or bad because of the lack of information. It is different when it comes to face-to-face because she can tell me that and I can tell in her facial expression if it is about something good or bad.
Very insightful!
Kyle
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