A previous post outlined the importance of communication in Project Management. As most will know, poor or inadequate communication can destroy projects. Bad communication leads to low morale, negative attitudes, missed deadlines, higher staff turnover, disgruntled clients, delays and frustration (amongst others) and adds to an overall impression of bad management.
PMBOK outlines a structured regime of communiction tools, but often the soft skills of communication are what's really lacking. Technical approaches to this sort of skill set are not always the answer.
With this in mind, consider the technique of "Active Listening". This skill is a useful way of deliberately communicating with project participants, and enables and empowers people who a. believe they have been heard, and b. get their message across and receive what's being communicated. In one example of an active listening technique, the acronym CAPS stands for Clarify, Acknowledge, Paraphrase and Summarise, all steps to greater understanding between participants. A good summary of the techniques can be found here with additional references.
The following phrases are examples of how to put Active Listening into practice:
- Clarify: "What exactly are you trying to say?"
- Acknowledge: "I hear what you are saying is ....."
- Paraphrase: "In other words, you are saying that....."
- Summarise: "So in short we're saying that...?"
At first glance the phrases may seem very similar, but each of the actions they are conveying are quite different, and these actions can be used in different parts of a discussion very effectively to clearly understand the other's point of view, and allow them to feel really heard and valued.
Another useful reference is here.
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