Communicating Effectively

            We were asked to observe a piece of communication in three different modalities: as written text, as audio, and as video. Pause after receiving the communication in each modality, and reflect upon what you interpret the message to mean.

Here is what I observed from each communication modality.

Email:

Through an email, the message can come off a little rude. Instead of saying that you need that person to send you the report a.s.a.p., she went on in saying that the receiver is going to make her run behind if they haven’t done your work. She went further on, saying that if you haven’t finished your work; just send me what you have. This could come off as you saying that the receiver is not doing their work at all.

Voicemail:

This message wasn’t taken as being so rude because you could hear the tone of voice from the source. She sounded a little more relaxed in this setting.

Face-to-Face:

The smile at the end made her seem really friendly. I guess I could sense more concern in her voice because of the face-to-face environment. It also made me feel more sympathetic and would possibly make me want to get those documents to her sooner.

•    How did your interpretation of the message change from one modality to the next?

    Starting off with the email I felt as though the message could be interpreted in any way, which could possibly leave the receiver upset. The voicemail was able to give me a sense of how that person felt by hearing the tone of their voice in the message left. The face-to-face message seemed to be the most effective because the body language and tone of voice brought clarity to the sender’s message.

•    What factors influenced how you perceived the message?

    The tone of voice, written language, and body language were all key factors that influenced the way that I interpreted the message. According to Portny, et al. (2008), another way to avoid messages being perceived the wrong way is to avoid having an informal discussion with only some of the people who are affected by or involved directly with the specific topic.

•    Which form of communication best conveyed the true meaning and intent of the message?

    I would prefer a face-to-face meeting on any occasion or at least Skype. The reason being because there is less chance that someone will interpret what you are saying negatively if they could see and hear how you are delivering the message. There is little room for misunderstandings when someone is delivering a message in person. Although there may still be some confusion, it is easier cleared up through a face-to-face communication rather than voicemail or written communication.

•    What are the implications of what you learned from this exercise for communicating effectively with members of a project team?

    These activities made me realize that words are not always expressed effectively and can be taken in multiple different ways. The best way to communicate with a project team would be a face-to-face meeting if time permits. Dr. Stolovitch (n.d.) stated that there are two big things to remember about communication. He said remember to avoid ambiguity and document everything. Throughout working on a project a relationship with the stakeholders and team members over time, and they will learn what you can or cannot say to one another.

References

Portny, S., Mantel, S., Meredith, J., Shafer, S., Sutton, M., & Kramer, B. (2008). Project management planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Stolovitch, H. (Performer) (n.d.). Communicating with stakeholders. [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=/webapps/blackboard/execute/launcher?type=Course&id=_2652514_1&url=