One of the topics in the Project
Management Body of Knowledge published by the Project Management Institute is
Communication Management. Certified PMP Project Managers have taken a test which
includes questions associated with Communication Management. Additionally,
there are a multitude of books written on effective communication including Crucial
Conversations, Getting to Yes, Just Listen, Radical Honesty, and How to Win
Friends and Influence People to name just a few. So why is communication still
one of the biggest issues on projects, large and small? What is it about
communicating that is so challenging? Is it our listening, our messaging, or is
it simply that we are not present to either what we are saying or how we are listening?
It is not a lack of courses,
tools, advancements, or opportunities to practice communication. And it is not
as if we do not know it is importance. Communication is how we get things done.
What makes communication a pain point for projects? Why does it show up in “lessons
learned” so frequently? When a “Go to Green” strategy begins to be put in
place, why is it that communication comes up as one of the strategies? Why does
communication come up as one of those areas where we could always use a tune
up? What can we each do to improve our communication practice?
When we communicate, we
get to practice presence. What does that look like? There are some mechanics that we can practice such
as putting our phones down, screens facing downward and silenced. We can
eliminate other distractions that may interfere with our ability to focus
including closing the blinds, placing our PCs in a do not disturb during
meetings, and closing down other applications that are active such as email. However,
those are only the distractions that can interrupt us as we are present to the
meeting we are attending or the conversation in which we are engaged. Practicing
presence is a cornerstone to leadership. Being present to the circumstances in
which we are participating, moment by moment, without thinking ahead or thinking
about the past, being in the now, being fully present to the moment, to the
conversation at hand without judgement is a skill and an art.
When it comes to listening,
being present to the conversation requires listening to what is said and what
is not said. To hear the nuance of the speaker and be aware of what they are
sharing. Listening from their perspective, from what they are intending is crucial.
It is not listening with a predetermined response, riddled with assumptions,
and judging their abilities. It is hearing what they said and seeking to
understand, asking questions for clarification, and being able to repeat the
words they shared. It may require you to quiet your mind, it may require you to
slow your own thoughts, and it may require you to be humble in your listening. Do
you remember the commercials from long ago, “Speed Kills”? That is true in
communication as well.
When it comes to speaking,
being the one who shares the message, being present to who you are speaking
with is the “pixy dust”. Meeting the audience, the individuals you are sharing
the message with, “where they are”. What in the world does that mean? In
business terms it means sharing an executive message with the executives,
sharing a client message with the client, and sharing a team message with the
team. The information that is shared may be “the same” although it is shared
from a different perspective. It means that details may not be appropriate for
executives, and the executive message may not inspire the team to deliver. It
means that each of these groups are always checking in for the “what’s in it
for me” part of the message. Being able to deliver the information in a way for
each audience to “get it” is an art.
Practicing communication
begins with every relationship. Finding out what works and what does not work
when you are communicating is easy. Just ask those who know you for feedback. The
way you do one thing is the way you do everything so the feedback they give you
will be true in your personal communication and your professional
communication. Since you are communicating every day, practicing is easy. What
are you practicing today?
