Last week I covered the first two tenets that
have increased my ability to maintain healthy project communication. They are integrity
and responsibility. These two key principles, being your word and being
responsible for all aspects of communication, are the foundation for ensuring communication
is managed. There are three remaining tenets which I’ve found are important to
reducing misunderstandings and adding clarity. Interestingly, these seem to be
so obvious and yet they are frequently missed. By missed, I mean we fail to
recognize that we are making the mistake that these tenets help us avoid. One of
the reasons we miss them is that the speed at which a project moves, we just
don’t seem to have the time, our brains move so quickly to the next action item,
that we fail to slow down enough to take these into consideration. The first of
the tenets is to assume nothing. The second is to maintain objectivity, and the
last is once is never enough.
Assume Nothing
I was in a meeting where someone was sharing
information. The information they were sharing seemed factual, they were speaking
about it with authority and seemed to have gotten the information from a good
source. The problem was it wasn’t fact, it was hearsay. After a few pointed questions
it was discovered that no one had proven the information true or not. When
communicating on a project, it is imperative that no assumptions are made, that
facts are shared, not hearsay, and if hearsay is shared, represent it as such.
This tenet goes for all aspects of communication
for all aspects of the project. No assumptions associated with requirements,
design, coding, or testing may create a higher quality product. At issue is
that we are not always aware of the assumptions that we are making. A second
set of eyes when delivering any communication will support in reducing the
assumptions made. Requesting feedback on a note out to a client is a great way
to reduce the likelihood of any assumptions making it into the communication.
Maintain Objectivity
Maintaining objectivity simply means we are aware
of our feelings while we are communicating. Ensuring we aren’t allowing our emotions
to control our communication is a key component of emotional intelligence,
understanding our emotions and being aware of them without them taking over. Additionally,
being aware of the cause of the emotion is another important insight. That
doesn’t mean that we don’t get angry, frustrated, or find ourselves in
conflict. It simply means that we are aware and maintain our objectivity
throughout the dialogue. Continuing to look for a positive outcome throughout
the communication process is the goal and ensuring that those that you are
working with are after the same goal moves the conversation forward.
Once is Never Enough
How many times have you heard a teammate say, “I
sent him an email”, as if that was the only way to communicate an urgent
request with someone. We have so many methods of communication, use all of them.
When an important message must be sent, send it in multiple ways. When an important
message must be heard, send it more than once. When an action must be completed
in a timely manner, send a reminder, or five. Large projects require push and
pull communication. They require that we push information out to various
participants and then work to pull the information critical to the project into
the appropriate place. Once is never enough when it is critical to project success
or a timely response is needed.
