Como tornar a comunicação do seu projeto mais eficaz?

When communicating with people, it's key to know who needs what information. The RACI matrix is a great tool for this. It shows who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for different tasks. For example, a project leader might just need an overview, while team member doing the task may need all the details. Using the RACI matrix helps ensure everyone gets the right information at the right time.

1) Tailoring Your Message: Imagine speaking to a room full of people who speak different languages. 2) Building Trust: Trust is the foundation of successful project management. When stakeholders feel that you understand their needs and concerns, they are more likely to trust your leadership. 3) Efficient Resource Allocation: Effective communication requires time and resources. By knowing your audience, you can allocate your communication resources more efficiently. 4) Adapting to Changing Needs: Projects are dynamic, and so are the needs of your stakeholders.

The Communication in a project can be made effective by setting up a Communication management plan. Also by setting up a Communication strategy, what information should be communicated with whom, How & when. It is also important to get feedback for any communication from the receiver side.

In my personal experience, enhancing project communication's effectiveness involves setting clear expectations from the start, establishing a centralized communication hub, and fostering an open and collaborative team environment. Regular status meetings with concise agendas, active listening, and encouraging team members to voice concerns or suggestions have proven invaluable. Utilizing digital tools for document sharing and project tracking has streamlined communication and ensured everyone has access to up-to-date information. Lastly, providing regular updates to stakeholders, tailored to their needs, has helped maintain their engagement and support throughout the project lifecycle.

Number of the stakeholders in the project (from engineering and business side) is low and such that it is usually easy and achievable - to establish a one-on-one communication... from time to time. At least in the beginning, if a Project Manager doesn't know all of the stakeholders - then this practice is very helpful. In time this networking will help to understand personalities, expectations and communication "how to" for each person. It is very helpful to have such tailored approach to increase a success rate of the official update meetings and general project communication events.

In an omni-channel environment where the consumer wants to choose how, when and where to interact, this channel planning is very important. It is not necessary to be present in all of them, but it is necessary to be present in those that our audience uses.

In real life, sometimes stakeholders miss messages/reports for various reasons. If you're in a hurry to get something done, do not wait forever for them to respond through the usual channels. Try reaching out through different means to catch their attention regarding the issue or problem.

1) Matching the Message to the Medium: Different messages require different channels. For instance, if you need to convey complex technical details, a written email might be the best choice as it allows the recipient to refer back to the information. 2) Considering the Audience's Preferences: Understanding your audience, as mentioned earlier, extends to knowing how they prefer to receive information. 3) Minimizing Miscommunication: The choice of channel can impact the clarity of your message. Email, for example, can sometimes lead to misunderstandings due to the lack of tone and body language. 4) Efficiency and Productivity: Different channels have different speeds.

All people are not alike. 1) I was working with a customer who introduced me to their manager on email so I responded and connected via email; the manager says, "Why are you hiding behind emails, please call me', I gave him a call immediately and he goes, " I'm a little old school and prefer to talk' and then on I would just give him a call. 2) For a similar situation, I called a customer to discuss and reschedule a couple of meetings. After the call I sent him a recap and he responded, "please use email for such communication, I do not prefer to be called on my phone", I made note and always connected with him via email and he promptly responded. Try to have a communication plan with stake holders' preference of mode of communication.

It is a good to know who are you communicating with, and what are the preferences. For some people (stakeholders) an e-mail is sufficient and preferred method. For some a phone or video call must accompany an e-mail. For the official communication of important project events, there must be established a pre-agreed way to do so: update meetings with all stakeholders present - so presentation is the channel; circular e-mail for lesser events (brief updates) and so on; verbal - call or video, I use these for announcements. So the hierarchy of communication means vs. the importance of the message must be established and agreed upon.

1) Minimizing Misunderstanding: Ambiguity is the enemy of effective communication. Using jargon or vague language can lead to misunderstandings that can, in turn, lead to costly mistakes or project delays. 2) Saving Time and Energy: In the fast-paced world of project management, time is a precious resource. A clear and concise message gets to the point quickly, saving both your time and that of your stakeholders. 3) Facilitating Decision-Making: When stakeholders receive a clear and concise message, they can make decisions more effectively. 4) Enhancing Engagement: Using visual aids such as charts, graphs, or diagrams can be incredibly effective in making your message more engaging and memorable.

Know what outcome you want. 1) Inform customer : If the outcome in to let the customer know something, keep it clear and to the point. Use bullet points or different paragraphs when there are multiple items. 2) Get Response : When you need the customer to take a decision or respond to something, say confirm a date/time for a zoom call, be sure to highlight the important point and end with the call for action. Sometimes we flood the email with way too much content and the main action point gets lost. Keep it simple and always have 1 or few clearly defined action points towards the end to which the customer can respond.

Avoid the concern of how a message will be received. If there is an information to be shared, you should do so without the fear of the response. Only then the details and clearness of the message can be ensured. - Say "hello" and avoid "as you all know" - assume they do not know what is going on; - Get to the point immediately, point out the main facts - people will not read through a mass of sentences; - Avoid the risk of over-explaining, crucial information is sufficient. Do not be too detailed and technical. People will reach out for more information; - If possible or applicable, outline the plan to address the issue; this is your plan - so open the possibility for suggestions and comments - invite others;

It is very important to provide the appropriate level of details and overview in the content of communication basis the person/ stakeholder you are responding to. Often, miscommunication happens when people avoid reciting the same message to a different person in an organization. There is no harm in repeating yourself with the relevant details until the purpose of that communication thread is met.

If you find yourself reacting emotionally to what someone says, say so. And ask for more details : "I may not be understanding you correctly, and I find myself taking what you said personally. What I thought you just said is XXX. Is that what you meant?"

One thing that I have found useful to enhance positive communication is one's ability to accept to lose in an argument. You win an argument and lose a friend which is not really worth it. A good number of people want to play the victim as a defensive tactic and avoid being asked challenging questions.

Remember that there is a difference between acknowledgement and agreement. When you disagree with someone, try saying I understand that you feel this way, however by doing it this way we would…

It is essential to appreciate the fact that no two neurodivergent people are the same. What works well for one member , may not for another. So if in doubt as to how you can adapt your body language to make them feel more comfortable, just ask! It surely makes a huge difference.

I have seen leaders combining communication skills with emotional intelligence. It enables you to be heard more accurately, inspire and motivate others as well as strengthen relationships with co-workers. It’s a useful skill to have, especially in a rapidly evolving workplace.

It’s helpful to ask your team members how they prefer to communicate. Do they like email summaries or hopping on a brief call? What’s the best way to get their attention for a delayed deliverable? This will strengthen team rapport and your team will respond to your communication better when you take them into account.

It is quite possible as a project manager you will be expected to send messages to multiple stakeholders. As you plan for each audience, remember that team members of one audience may also be part of another target group, and so may receive several messages. Plan your communications so that individuals receive the right information and are not inundated, or worse, confused by the different messages that they receive.

Consistent messaging and documentation contribute to effective project communication. Consistent messaging can help avoid confusion and align awareness and common understanding. Also, all communication records should be documented as reference points. If there is any doubt, team members can go back to the documentation for clarity, and to make sure that they are all on the same page.