I have actually facilitated this sort of
communication activity at my current employer.
I have facilitated several classes that cover communication styles. This activity displays different channels of
communication with various levels of richness.
“Richness refers to the number of verbal and nonverbal cues of modes of
communication that the channel carries” (Dobkin and Pace, 2006, p. 16). The three different examples of communication
demonstrated that each channel of communication could be received differently
even though the message was the same.
Since I have had a lot of personal training on this topic, I can look
past missing cues that exist in the various channels of communication. As a result, my interpretation of the message
did not change as I already knew what the activity was trying to reveal to us. By the way, channels of communication are
“the mediums that carry messages between communicators” (Dobkin and Pace, 2006,
p. 15).
When compared to almost any other
communication form known to man, a face-to-face encounter is always the highest
in richness. We can see, hear and
experience all of the verbal and non-verbal cues. In essence, nothing is hidden from the
message. As a receiver of the this
channel of communication, I can immediately give a response. This really helps to facilitate information
most efficiently.
The voicemail version is a little bit lower on
the richness scale. We are missing the
non-verbal cues that the face-to-face encounter enabled us to have. Sometimes tone of voice takes over in this
scenario. Even if you are not in a bad
mood, you runt he risk of sounding mad or agitated if you do not use the right
tone. If done in person, the receiver of
communication can also rely on the non-verbal cue to determine whether or not
this communicator is angry or condescending.
Finally, the email communication is the worst
of the three examples. One thing I like
about emails is that I can see a lot of definite data. There is no hiding from a word or a number
given in email form. What you see is
what you get. I do like this about email
data. If you have a lot to keep up with,
email communication can be your friend if you do not mind reading through tons
of emails. The drawback of this type of
message is that we loose both our verbal and non-verbal cues. To be effective, communicators must spend
extra time crafting a good email. Using
just the right words or phrases may determine whether or not you are received
well or at all.
In conclusion, “the key to successful project
management is effective communication” (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer,
Sutton and Kramer, 2008, p. 357). Since
we might have several different communication preferences within our own
project team, it is vital that we take time to find out everyone’s
communication preferences. I would even
go as far as to take a moment to touch base with each member and ask them what
there communication preferences may be.
I would also make time for regular project team meetings. “Project teams should have the opportunity to
meet periodically to reaffirm the project’s focus” (Portny, Mantel, Meredith,
Shafer, Sutton and Kramer, 2008, p. 365).
Planning time to communicate regularly will only help your team. The success of your project may just depend
on whether or not communication was a success or a failure within your project
and team. Make time to give
communication the attention it needs.
Dobkin,
B.A., and Pace, R.C. (2006) Communications in a Changing World (2nd
Ed). Boston: McGraw-Hill
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J.,
Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project
management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ:
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.