Effective communication is vital in any project management. The prime reason for this is it keeps all the members on the same page. If you ask any project manager about the most essential things of their job, they will say communication. However, communicating effectively with team members is quite challenging. There are plenty of benefits that you can get if you do effective communication. When a manager prioritizes effective communication, the team also discusses any obstacle openly. This is especially crucial for remote teams. To help you with this, we have listed down effective communication strategies. These strategies will help organize your team with collaboration tools. Plus, it will also help you finish off the project as planned and scheduled.
Effective Communication Strategies that Every Manager Should Know About
Here, we will tell you how a manager can encourage and maximize communication. Plus, you will also get to know how to make the most effective use of your team member’s time.
Spend Time Training
Te Wu, CEO of PMO Advisory, said, “Most of the time, managers overlook training. Particularly, in something obvious like communication. Managers think it is an easy thing to do and do not need any specific kind of training. It is not the case though. Making your team familiar with multiple kinds of communication styles is more than important. It can help your team members work together better. The training includes some exercises in collaboration.
Also, it can be a few team-building courses. No matter what method you go for, you must provide your team members with real-life scenarios. It is because it will make them see how they would work through these. However, working through crisis management and conflict resolution seems excessive. But, the more your team is trained to work in stressful situations, the better they will communicate through it.”
Show Appreciation
Even if there is a lot on your plate, it is never a bad idea to tell your team members if they are doing a good job. As a good project manager, it is your responsibility to acknowledge key contributions and ideas. Also, you must recognize any other ways through which your team members have strengthened the project. Communicating these successes is an amazing way to encourage your employees. Also, it allows co-workers to realize their efforts and hard work. Moreover, it allows other workers a chance to learn and get motivated from each other.
Check-in Regularly
A lot of project managers have regular meetings with their team members. Daily meetings help communicate the big tasks for the day. Also, it aligns the members on tasks and dependencies. Furthermore, regular meetings provide everyone a chance to have a word with the project managers. In this way, they can ask urgent questions or discuss any issue they are having. Besides, for bigger projects, a daily meeting for the whole team is not possible. Instead, professionals recommend smaller daily meetings for sub-teams. Plus, weekly meetings for the whole project team are also recommended. The project managers can use the Gantt Chart or Kanban Board so that every member gets verbal as well as visual information.
Apart from regular check-ins about typical project KPIs, there should be occasional gatherings. In those gatherings, discuss the company’s objectives. The purpose of these meetings should be to give insights into the objectives and challenges the company is facing. Also, you can discuss what good results have come up. By doing so, the managers can break the routine of daily tasks.
Listen Actively
Austin Benton, Digital Marketing at Gotham Artists, said, “Listening is equally important as talking. If a project manager wants to create good communication in a team, he or she must be a good listener. It is because, without the freedom to express their concerns and thoughts, the team will not open up. As a result, you will not have the clear and open communication that you need. Therefore, if you are a manager of a certain project, showing that you are listening to your team will create a good space for communication. You can do this by listening and actively acting on the information that the team member gave you.
Attaining a good space for communication can include team building and showing that things shared with you are listened to. One way to show active listening is to summarize a member’s main point and discuss it later. In this way, all the members will feel acknowledged. Plus, by doing so, you improve understanding and the level of collaboration. Though, it may sound time-consuming but by doing this, you will save time in the long run. It is because you will not have misunderstandings.”
Use Available Tools
There is no doubt that there is project management software available. However, there are also plenty of online communication tools which help communication efforts. These tools can help conversation, particularly for mobile and remote teams. It is because these tools provide a central hub for communication. For instance, Skype is a great way to go on quick conference calls. Also, if you want to share presentations with a large group, then GoToMeeting is the perfect platform to go for. In short, if you have a particular communication channel, there is probably a tool available to help you.
Constant Feedback
Kristie Tse, Founder at Uncover Mental Health Counseling, said, “Constant feedback is crucial if you want to have a successful project. When feedback is utilized properly, it gives employees particular goals to focus on. Also, it makes them reinforce productive behavior. Managers can schedule some forms of feedback at regular intervals. For instance, performance reviews. Other sorts of feedback include informal huddles or one-on-one sessions.
Besides, while having feedback sessions, try to refrain from being harsh and offensive. No matter how worried you are about your team’s performance, try not to act overly critical. Always keep in mind that do not give negative feedback in public. Discuss them in private with the concerned member. Moreover, during feedback sessions, try to be specific and descriptive. By doing so, your feedback sticks in the team member’s mind. Plus, you need to be timely with the feedback. The sooner you address the problem, the better. Give the feedback as soon as the issue occurs.”
Be Sincere
A lot of teams struggle with project management communication. It is because they usually forget how effective communication should be practiced and nurtured. Managers should make the most use of collaboration and communication apps. Also, they must practice kindness. Managers can do so by sending sincere and warm messages to members. Also, they can commend them for a job nicely done now and then.
Conclusion
As a project manager, your communication style tells a lot about you. Are you relaxed and supportive as you tell your team through creative projects? Or are you intense in pushing your team to work efficiently? There are many communication styles and failing in communication can result in low performance and morale. No doubt, team communication is a critical thing to do. Therefore, you must be thoughtful about the strategies you are going to follow while communicating with your team members. As a project manager, you are going to set the tone for how your team members communicate with each other. Hopefully, the strategies we have discussed in this article will help you communicate effectively with your team. By following these strategies, you can lead a successful project that is fruitful for your company in the long run.
