This week in my
EDUC-6145-1 Project Management class at Walden University, I was asked to view
a multimedia program called “The Art of Effective Communication (Laureate,
n.d.).” In this program, I viewed a project manager named Jane communicating
with someone named Mark about a deadline. The message was presented in three
modalities: email, voicemail, and face to face. I am asked to interpret the
message as it was delivered in each modality and point out if anything changed
in interpretation from one point to the next. I am also asked to share what it
implies about communicating effectively to members of a project team and what I
learned that will help me communicate more effectively.
Jane is asking
Mark to send an ETA on the missing report. She explains that she will miss her
deadline if he does not send the report soon. She starts off with “I know you
have been busy in that all day meeting.” She then asks him to let her know when
he can send the report over, or if he can send the needed data in a separate
email. All three modalities contain exactly the same message, but the three
modalities convey different communication tones.
I perceived the
email as a passive “please help me” tone, i.e. the project manager pleading for
them to send the product; however, there is really no way to interpret the
sender’s tone in this email. How it is perceived may depend entirely upon the
receiver’s mental state and mood when it is received. It doesn’t adequately show
the urgency that should be conveyed. However, email is a good follow-up tool or
a way to send information when you want to track a conversation, but it does
not properly convey tone and body language. On the other hand, the voicemail
does convey the proper tone minus body language. Her tone is still “please help
me”, but it comes across as sincere and clearly sends the urgency message.
However, I think that a voicemail is simply too easy for the receiver to delete
and forget. In contrast to email and voicemail, the face to face message comes
across as directive and urgent. Jane's body language is clear—I need this now.
There can be no question whether or not Mark received the message. However, I
recommend that Jane follow up the face to face meeting with an email so that
the conversation is documented and Mark has a reminder of it (Portny et al.,
2008).
It is amazing how
the same message seems so different in the three modalities even though it is
exactly the same words. This shows that the way you send the
message is important. Some people only communicate in email. Although, email
provides a good way of tracking the conversation, there is a possibility that
the urgency of the message will not be conveyed. In a phone call, even though
the tone is evident, it is too easy for the receiver to dismiss and forget the
message leaving the sender wondering if it was received. However, the face to
face communication was straightforward, sent the proper urgency through tone
and body language, and allowed the receiver to ask questions.
What I learned
from this analysis is that it is important to choose the modality that fits the
situation. Neither email, voicemail, nor face to face is a one fits all
solution to effective communication. If it is urgent, face to face is sometimes
the best way to communicate and then follow up that with either a phone call if
the demand is not met. If it is simply information, email is appropriate.
However, if it needs a direct response that is not time sensitive, then email
or voicemail is appropriate. I personally would follow any one of the three up
with one of the other modalities depending upon the urgency and importance of
the message (Portny et al., 2008).
References
Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). The Art of Effective
Communication [Multimedia file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
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.
There definitely isn’t a one size fits all solution for communication for every situation. I was thinking about the urgent situation and how face-to-face may be best. Unfortunately I think there are often circumstances where you aren’t working in close enough proximity for in person communication. Then you need to rely on email and voice mail. Sometimes I question how often you should email or call when you aren’t receiving a response. You don’t want to feel like you are stalking someone.
ReplyDeleteHi Preston,
ReplyDeleteI too noted the pleading tone to the email. I much prefer people to be clear and straight when asking for work especially if it is something that I have missed as it seems in this case. The "I really need you to do this so I don't get in trouble" part isn't necessary and I think a more straightforward approach would get a faster response.
I agree with you that email is great for following up and making sure everything is clear after communication has taken place in another form.
Thanks,
Kevin