Effective Project Communication
As Albert Einstein famously said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” Connecting back to the workplace, many projects can go awry simply because they weren’t communicated well. How do you fix this? Here are some tips:
Communicate impact
Why and how does the project impact each of your employees? What is the major problem you’re trying to solve and how is the project the solution? While employees will of course want to learn the tasks and timelines for the project, they’ll also need to know if their input counts. How can you involved them in this project, beyond expecting deliverables by a certain time period?
Know your audience
Are you introducing new technology to a group of senior executives? Explaining marketing tactics to the finance department? Yes, sometimes you do need to communicate information across all departments as whole. However, make sure you tailor your meetings to the group of people in front of you. Don’t waste time on endless financial goals when your sales team needs to be trained in marketing tactics instead.
Don’t overwhelm with too much information
Of course, you’ve hired an intelligent team who listens and participates well. However, they also have a lot on their plates already, and shoving too much information into a small meeting window just spells disaster. Instead, make sure you allocate information more productively. Explain overall concepts and take questions and suggestions at team meetings. Hand out or email additional details. Make yourself or a trusted colleague available for questions throughout the day.
Give it time to sink in
Did you hold a meetings to brainstorm for new ideas, but your team is drawing a blank? It can be helpful to present a goal in advance, if only to allot for ideation to happen. Also, it gives your employees more time to plan, organize their schedule, and discuss it on their own time. You’d be surprised how much innovation can result when you allow time for great ideas to simmer.
Be clear and specific
Always always keep it concise. If you have deadlines, make it clear and plan ahead accordingly. Let your employees know the expectations from the get go, as well as the timeline. If there is an important root issue at the source of the project that needs to be addressed, address it in order to keep your employees on track.
16
Feb
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