Join hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome as they focus in this episode on improving overall communication effectiveness with teams, stakeholders, upper management, and peers. They share personal anecdotes, practical tips, and techniques such as varying your message delivery, improving communication skills through organizations like Toastmasters, and the importance of documentation. They also discuss the impact of cultural and linguistic differences in communication, the use of modern tools like ChatGPT to enhance messaging, and the necessity of choosing the right communication medium for the situation. Tune in to learn how to communicate clearly and effectively to drive project success.

Main Take-Aways

When you communicate as a project leader:

1)     consider innovative methods to understand how your communication os flowing through your team(s)

2)     seek out formal training and instruction to improve your oral and written communication

3)     review your communication from the perspective of your receiver

4)     be clear in how you present your communication through thoughtful structuring of your communication

5)     engage your entire team in discussions

6)     provide deadlines to your receiver for acknowledgement of formal communication

7)     select the optimal medium for your message

8)     leverage your receiver’s communication tools when working remorely

9)     consider using AI to fine-tune your communication

10)  review communication carefully before sending

Show Notes

Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Effectively Communicating Your Message

00:27 Unlocking communication skills for project leadership effectiveness.

01:14 Tim begins with a technique for understanding how communication flows through your teams by providing instructions to the teams with slightly differing terminology.

02:49 Merv acknowledges that as a young professional he needed training in presenting in front of an audience and joined an organization, Toastmasters International, to acquire the needed training. He recommends personal growth in communication methods by seeking out instruction.

04:41 Merv follows this with a tip to put yourself in your receiver’s chair to consider how your communication is being heard.

05:16 Tim responds with a method he uses to decipher a confusing communication, that of reading it from the bottom up.

06:08 Merv shares an effective email strategy of putting the main thought of the communication in the subject line and first sentence or two.

06:54 Tim agrees and states that to be clear in your communication, restate your messaging several times in your opening, body, and closing.

08:09 Tim presents a technique of providing a deadline for the receiver to formally acknowledge a written communication to which Merv responds that this technique can be included in a project communication plan.

10:43 Merv provides a tip on how you can encourage every member of your team to engage in discussions by using round-robin brainstorming.

12:05 Merv offers a tip that you can use with your team to choose the right medium for your message.

15:51 Tim encourages you to leverage the technology of your customer when working remotely to save time and effort in the learning curve.

17:52 Merv suggests that you should harness AI to fine-tune your written communications, but he also cautions that you maintain your originality.

20:00 Merv gives one final thought: review your communication carefully before sending.