Communication skills should be upgraded now!

Better communication skills start with the right choice of communications media. Good intentions are sometimes lost in misunderstanding that could have been avoided with honest, face to face discussion. Yet face to face is not always practical. How do you make the right choice?

The Project Communication Plan

A proper communication plan has four elements. Audience, frequency, location, and agenda are all parts of the plan that can be illustrated to the stakeholders to guide them to what meeting or email they would like to observe on a regular basis.

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Managing Conflict

Give the feedback as close in time to the behavior as possible.
Use non-threatening language.
Demonstrate the impact that the behavior has on others and on company goals.
Ensure that the receiver understands your feedback.
Work together to identify useful solutions.

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Better Communication Skills - Email, Meetings

Here are some guidelines when it comes to email:

The more important the communication, the less you should rely on email.
Never use email for feedback, even positive feedback, except to reinforce something you've already communicated in person.
By all means take advantage of email as a distribution mechanism for other written documents, for scheduling meetings and agendas, etc.

Effective leadership communications have the following characteristics:

They don't become routine. Usually they're not regularly scheduled, but event driven.
They are focused and always provide limited, specific information.
They are followed up by talking points, management guides, surveys to determine whether the message was well received, or some other means.

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