successful project management - Commonwealth of Learning

stakeholders in the project. Interaction will be deemed communicative when
those who receive your message absorb it, and in turn give you feedback
towards a common position. This is the sort of thing that happens when
participants in the project append their signatures to the terms of reference
document. Signing is confirmation that interaction has occurred. If the team
members you are targeting have not heard what you said, then you have not said
anything. Those of you who have read Shakespeare will recall what Prince
Hamlet said to his band of actors, “Suit the action to the word, and the word to
the action”. This is very instructive to you the project manager simply because
being fluent means matching your words to your action. Could you start practicing
this?
To do that we discuss the following six ideas:
• Speak with ease.
• Explain complicated ideas simply.
• Communicate convincingly.
• Bring your message to life.
• Speak clearly and audibly.
• Use pauses appropriately and powerfully.
Before a close examination of each, pause a while and say to yourself what you
understand by each one. Think of a project you are doing or intend to do in your
institution, how, for example, does explaining complicated ideas of that project
facilitate interaction? Are you aware of what ideas could sound complicated to
members before engaging them in a planning meeting?
Speak with Ease
Your use of language instantly tips project team members about how competent or
how educated you are, but most importantly how knowledgeable you are about the
project that you are persuading them to render their expertise. Andrew Leigh (2008)
has observed that numerous studies show the link between success and a good
vocabulary, and let us add “success in project management”. Everyone of us has a
bank of vocabulary, but while it is fine to have it, what finally counts is how much of
that we readily exploit to suit the purpose of interaction. Also, how much of that is
appropriate and can concretise whatever message is to be conveyed so that there is
dialogue leading to resolutions about the project milestones.
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