5 Ways to Improve Your Communication in Projects

According to George Bernard Shaw, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

In reality we fail to realize that we all are different in the way we perceive things and use that understanding as a guide to our communication with others. Probabilistically speaking, there can be as many perceptions about a subject as the number of people present in a group discussing it. Therefore, assuming that you have explained your point of view, may not necessarily mean that it has been absorbed in the manner as you think, simply because the person you are speaking with may process the information exchanged based on his/her understanding of things.

Project management as a discipline requires exemplary leadership skills, and what is leadership without effective communication?

According to Brian Tracy, motivational speaker and author, “Communication is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding a bicycle or typing. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of very part of your life.” So if you think that are facing communication issues within your project, or if you’ve had a 360-degree performance review which highlights communication skills with a red flag, then here are five ways which you can practice to improve upon your communication in projects:

1. Build a sense of humor:

Sense of humor helps to break the ice. Imagine a situation when you are taking over a new team or implementing a transformation which has been strategically decided by the management. Naturally, you will receive a few cold-shoulders. But cracking a joke when appropriate or laughing at yourself, helps to break the ice and connect with others.

2. Put yourself in the other’s shoe and try to empathize:

If you find that you are unable to put your point across to a team member, then try to put yourself in his/her shoe, and understand where he/she is coming from. Try to re-phrase your statements and opinions according to the other person’s frame of mind.

3. Ask questions and encourage others to do the same:

Sometimes two people may be meaning same but putting it differently, which may either sound confusing to one person or raise a few doubts. This situation may unnecessarily waste everyone else’s time and could be very frustrating. Therefore, it is best to ask questions to clarify your doubts and encourage team members to do the same. Asking questions brings out multidimensional perspective of any issue and helps to present a clear picture.

4. Be open-minded:

Often your team member might have a better solution to a problem. Always keep an open mind so as to listen properly to a team member’s suggestion. You may or may not accept the solution due to constraints such as compliance issue or budget issue. Rejecting your team member’s suggestion without evaluating the pros or cons, or without explaining him/her about the constraints why his/her solution cannot be accepted, may seem very condescending to your team member.  Such a behavior will kill the spirit of collaboration and widen the communication gap between you and your team members. This situation should (at best) be avoided in your project.

5. Summarize:

Always try to communicate in as few words as possible. Simple and clear sentences are understood faster and leave lesser scope for multiple interpretations. Try to avoid jargons and abbreviations unless they are very specific to your project and industry. At the end of a meeting always summarize in clear points what has been discussed. The same should be documented and shared with the project team so that everyone is on the same page.

Source: 5 Ways to Improve Your Communication in Projects