The Art of Effective Communication

In today’s workplace communications takes many forms. As a member of project manager team both written and verbal communication is important when sharing information with the team. Informal and formal communications are also meaningful ways to share information.  Effective communication is “sharing the right messages with the right people in a timely manner” Portny et al (2008). The ability to communicate well, both orally and in writing is a critical skill for project managers. Non-verbal signs like attitude, body language and timing also contribute to effective communication.

A Comparison of three Modes of Communication

	Email	Voicemail	Face-to-Face
Interpretation	Email communication is the most impersonal form of communication.  The message in the words is clear and concise and conveys the urgency of the request. This medium is considered written communication.	Voicemail is more personal. The sender did not identify herself, but the voice conveying the message is clear with a professional tone.  The voice also conveys authority and urgency. This medium is considered oral communication that is formal because the message is recorded.	This is the most personal form of communication because the sender is in close proximity to the receiver.  This is definitely informal oral communication. The sender of the message seems apologetic about the request. The sender is making every attempt to not seem annoyed.
Strengths	The tone of the message is clear and concise and explains the reason for the request and the consequence if the request is not granted. The message does not relay the mood of the sender. This method is straight forward and to the point but lacks a personal touch.	A voicemail allows the sender to be clear and concise but distant and more formal. Unlike the email the receiver can judge the tone and mood of the sender’s voice. This method is also straight forward and to the point.	This method allows interaction between the sender and the receiver. The receiver can make a judgment about the sender’s mood, tone, body language and facial expression in relation to the message, and make a judgment about the urgency of the request. This is informal communication as there is no written record of this request
Weaknesses	If the message is poorly written the words can be misunderstood causing hurt feelings or anger. There is also no guarantee that the message will be received as the receiver will have to open the email and read the content.	There can also be misinterpretations of the message and there is also no guarantee that the message will be received as the receiver will have to access the voicemail machine and listen to the content.	There is no written record of this message and the receiver can forget that the message was ever sent.
Suggestions	Face to face communication is ideal but it is also necessary to have a written record of the message to ensure that there is no confusion about the content of the message. No one method is satisfactory. A voicemail message should always be followed by either an email or a face to face meeting. A face to face meeting by an email or some form of written record to ensure that the message is not only sent but received.

References:

"The Art of Effective Communication". Multimedia Program. Laureate Education, Inc.

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Chapter 12, "Communicating and Documenting Project Progress".

Stolovitch, H. (n/d). "Communicating with Stakeholders". Multimedia. Laureate Education, Inc.