This week’s resources state that effective communication among all project team members is essential for a project’s success. "The Art of Effective Communication" illustrated this week shows how you communicate with different stakeholders is of equal importance to what you communicate and can influence how your message is interpreted. There were three different modalities: written text, audio, and video.
How did your interpretation of the message change from one modality to the next?
My interpretation of the message to Mark, from Jane after reading, listening and viewing it changed each time. Reading it gave me a sense of “annoyed.” Jane is not happy about Mark not completing the report which contains data she needs for her report and she could miss her own deadline. Listening to the same email message gave me a sense of “frustration.” And viewing the email gave me a sense of “come on Mark, get this report done because I need data from it.”
What factors influenced how you perceived the message?
Factors that influenced how I perceived the message are sight and hearing. By seeing the message and hearing the messages, I was able to decide on Jane’s tone in each modality. I was able to also get a sense of her mood, and attitude. I was able to perceive Jane’s tone similarly in each.
Which form of communication best conveyed the true meaning and intent of the message?
The form of communication that best conveyed the true meaning and intent of the message would be the video. By seeing and hearing and watching Jane’s facial expressions and her tone in her voice relaying the message convinced me that she really needs the completed report from Mark for the data for her report in order for her to meet her deadline. I also thought the audio message was convincing since Jane’s tone in her voice seemed stressed and desperate for Mark to complete his report for the data in her report.
What are the implications of what you learned from this exercise for communicating effectively with members of a project team?
The implications of what I learned from this exercise for communicating effectively with members of a project team are that tone, attitude, visuals make a big difference when trying to get a point across and a job done. There needs to be open communication.
Reference:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.): "The Art of Effective Communication". [Multimedia]. Retrieved from http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6145/03/mm/aoc/index.html
3 comments:
It was interesting reading your interpretation of the message Jane was attempting to communicate to Mark in the different forms of communications. I can see how the email message could be interpreted poorly by Mark and he could potentially become annoyed as you mentioned. The face-to-face communication provides an opportunity for Mark and Jane to interact and ask questions and provide clarification (Portny, et al., 2008). Perhaps in addition to the meeting that Jane had mentioned there was also a more pressing issue for Mark to address before sending the report to Jane or maybe he is also waiting for someone to send data that he needs to complete the report. Having an opportunity for the issue to be addressed in person may give Mark a better opportunity to clarify and discuss why he has not gotten her the report as of yet.
Thanks!
Amber
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.
Wow! I was surprised that you viewed all means of communication negatively. Granted the message is one that implies Mark isn't exactly pulling his weight, but I found all (except the face-to-face) to be professional, respectful and to the point. In fact, I found the voice mail to be the least threatening of all of them because Jane's voice sounded calm and friendly. However, the face-to-face communication rubbed me the wrong way because of Jane's nonverbal communication. She was leaning into Mark's cubicle, arms crossed, and she had poor eye contact. She seemed annoyed with Mark. However, that was the means you preferred. I guess it just goes to show that each person is different. Nice reflection, Cheryl.
Cheers,
Lesley
Cheryl,
Great blog post! I am shocked that you got the most from the voicemail than any other medium of communication. Dr. Stolovitch says that 80% of communication is non-verbal! WOW!! Have you ever been in a situation where a person's non-verbal cues speak louder than the words they are saying? I gathered that Jane was irritated with possibly missing her deadline, but I also felt that she was more caring in the video than I originally imaged when reading the email. How do we encourage those around us that face-to-face communication is better than email communication, in that more interpretation is needed in the latter?
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