University of Alberta

Interpersonal Communication Skills

for Project Managers
ENG M 657- Fall 2008

Lecture No. 1
Understanding Communication
By
Sami Fahmy, PhD, P. Eng. PMP
1
 Agenda
• Definition
• Project environment and its impact on
communication and relationships
• Importance of communication
• The nature of communication
• The Communication model or process;
• Formal and informal communication
networks
• Ethical dimension of communication
• Face to face and electronic communication
• Characteristics of good communication
2
 Learning Objectives
• Identify common communication problems that
are impacting on your performance
• Develop speaking skills that will help you get
your message across effectively and efficiently.
• Develop skills in listening actively and
empathetically to others
• Learn what your non-verbal messages are
telling others
• Know how your assumption influence your
perception and feelings
3
 You will specifically learn
• Why misunderstandings happen and how
to prevent them
• When to stop talking and start listening
interactively
• How to use the speaking and listening
skills to achieve your goals
• How to interpret the non-verbal messages
you receive from others

4
 References
• Conflict Management for Project Managers
(PMI) by John Adams & Bryan Campell

• Team Building for Project Managers (PMI) by

John Adams & Bryan Campell

• Roles and Responsibilities of the Project

Manager (PMI) by John Adams & Bryan Campell

• Managing Projects in Organizations, by Dr.

David Frame
5
 References (cont.)
• The Art of Communication, 50 minutes
Series book by Decker Bert
• Effective listening, how to profit by tuning
into the ideas and suggestion of others, by
Kevin J. Murphy.
• Difficult people. how to deal with
impossible clients, bosses and employee
by Roberta Cava
• Human Resources Skills for Project
Managers, by Vijay Verma
6
 The Learning Process
How Do We Form New Habits?

Unconscious
Competence

Conscious
Competence

Conscious
Incompetence

Unconscious
Incompetence

7
 Opening Exercise

• In your teams, List seven common

communication challenges that comes
up in a project team environment
• Think of way to reduce or eliminate
their occurrence
• Use table

8
 The first problem
for all of us men and women
is not to learn but to unlearn
Gloria Stelmen

9
How to Maximize Your Benefits from
this course

• Have an open mind

• Participate
• Ask questions
• Take notes
• Teach someone
• Use what you learn – Apply immediately

10
 Application Areas
• Office environment: dealing with
colleagues, team members, other project
manager, boss and subordinates
• Site offices: talking to superintendents
and subcontractors
• Dealing with Contractors, consultants
and clients
• Home environment, dealing with
spouse and family members
11
Warning, as you practice the new
tools
• Let others know what you are doing( I am
different now)
• Commitment to apply the tools and
techniques
• Choosing appropriate situation for trying
your new skills
• Expect occasional failure
• Be persistent

12
 What is the
ROOT CAUSE
of
ALL
the problems and the troubles
that we face
at home and at work
13
 POOR
COMMUNCATION

14
 Class discussion
For the same culture and language,
60 to 70%
of communication

are
misunderstood and misinterpreted

Add to this, that we only hear almost

50% of what is being said 15
 The Goal
is
to Become
A
Skillful
Communicator
16
 Focus on key Areas
Effective Active
Speaking Listening

Gender Skillful Cultural

communication Communicator Intelligence

Recognize & Appreciate Eliminate Assumptions &

Body Language Confirm Perceptions

17
 Opening Exercise
Self awareness/self discovery
• Circle of Influence
• Your life experiences will influence every
communication encounter that you face
• We all view life experiences through our
own filters
• Now you know your filters, How often do
you clean your filters?

18
 Values Culture
Education School
years

Religion
Parents’
Relationship
YOU

Family Birth
Order

First job Grand Parents

Influence Life
Experience Experience19
 Class Discussions
We see the world
through own filters
These can sometimes be a barriers
to good communication.
How?

20
 Project Environment

• Temporary environment
• Matrix Organization
• Team work
• Project management, you are not the boss
• You are not involved in the hiring process

21
What is Communication
An exchange of
information and meaning
from one individual to
another
or
to a group of people
22
 How good are you as a
communicator?
• How good are you as a communicator?
• How do you handle bad news and good
new? Do you kill the messenger?
• How do you handle conflicts,
negotiations?
• How do you handle problems?
• Do you listen to your team?
• How do you run your meetings?
• Do you give clear messages 23
The biggest problem in
Communication
is
the illusion
that
It has been
accomplished
(George Bernard Shaw)
24
Why Communication is Important:
• We spend 80 to 90 % of the day
communicating
• Poor communication is the major cause of
problems in family and business life
• Technical skills/communication skills you
can not separate
• Increases your personal power
• Decides if you win or lose in life
• A prerequisite for success in business life
25
Communication Characteristics
1. We are always communicating
2. Communication happens at three levels
3. Communication is irreversible
4. Communication is not a panacea
5. Communication demands the receiver to act
6. Communication Context is very important
(physical, chronological)
7. Communication is a process
26
 Class Discussions

We see the world

through own filters
These can sometimes be a barriers
to good communication.
How?

Do you ever clean your filters

27
I know you believe that you understand

what you think I said

But, I am not sure that you realize

that
what you heard is not what I meant

28
Sender Dictionary Filters Filter Dictionary Receiver

M
E
Idea or Idea or
D
Meaning Meaning
I
U
M

IDEA WORDS + EMOTION WORDS EMOTION IDEA

meaning & WORDS (meaning)

ENCODING MEDIUM DECODING

The Communication Model 29

Noise: Barriers to Communication
DICTIONARY PERSONAL ENVIONMENTAL
Filters Filters
• Language
• Emotions • Physical barrier
• Experience • Perception
• Subject • Attitude • Wrong medium
Knowledge • Hidden agenda
• Background • Personality conflict • Noise Level
• Assumptions • Ego
Education • Prejudice
• Cultural
• Values

30
Communication Filters/ Barriers

Experience Emotions
Background Attitudes
Culture Subject Knowledge
Prejudice Mood
Wording Education
Noise Level Ambiguity
Perceptions Non-verbal message

31
Who is Responsible?

The sender

Or

The receiver
32
Communication Model Exercise
(Individual/group)
• Individually, think of a situation where a
communication/interaction went wrong or
did not accomplish the intended goal
• Diagnose the problem using the table in
the next slide.
• Think of a way to prevent this
communication error from happening
again in the future
• Share with the rest of the team
• Share with the rest of the class
33
 Identify the possible cause for the
misunderstanding
Speaker Medium Noise Listener
Wrong words Wrong Emotional No feed aback
Wrong medium barrier Attitude
assumptions Wrong Hidden Experience
agenda
Cultural issues context • Personality level
Attitude  Noise Level conflict Language
Ego • Physical Back ground
barrier
Biases • Radio or TV Value
Messages unclear, on Ego
imprecise, • Overcrowded Biases
place
incorrect, Hearing ability
incomplete Illness
Ignored the  did not seek
receiver clarification34
 Communication Blockers

• A Communication Blocker is a behavior

or an action of a the speaker that
interrupts the flow of communication
between two individuals or an individual
and a team.
(research done by Tahir Siddique)

35
 Examples of Communication
Blockers
• Long delays in responding to emails/ messages
• Conducting meetings without agendas
• Lack of trust among team members
• Lack of trust between staff and management
• Negative feelings towards team members
• Concealing information from others
• Personal rivalries among team members
• Sabotaging others' success
• Workplace bullying
• Management's arrogant/ superior attitude

36
 Examples of Communication
Blockers
• Don't care' attitude when asked to complete a task
• Backstabbing work mates
• Making assumptions/ judgments about others
• Fear or intimidation around sharing ideas, thoughts or
feelings.
• Using imprecise language resulting in ambiguity and
vagueness
• Lack of recognition of employee's hard work
• Not listening effectively or ignoring staff issues
• Failing to ask for / or provide performance related
feedback
• Cultural differences in communication
• Discrimination / prejudice / racism 37
 Messages Elements
Content Feeling Motives
•What you are • How the
• Reputation
talking about message is
being
communicated • Ego
•The issue or
the subject
+ • Value free + • Social
Outcome (no right or
issues
wrong feeling)

•Win/lose • Need
situation

38
Message Effectiveness
1. Process - mechanism for message
delivery
2. Skills - context in which message is
given
3. Environment - selected method of
communication, meduim
4. Application - when and how to
facilitate message delivery
5. Audience who is present
39
Barriers to effective Interpersonal
communication
• Emotions
• Filters
• Overloaded with information
• Defensiveness
• Cultural differences
• Not listening
• Use of jargon

40
 Making your massage count

Message failures can be attributed to:

– Message misinterpreted due to deficient
in tone, wrong words or medium or
timing.
– The message arrived too late to be
effective.
– Message ended up in the wrong place/
person.

41
 Message impact

• Words 7%
• Tone of voice 38%
• Body language 55%

42
 How to convey information and
meaning effectively to the listener
1. Organize the information in your mind
first
2. Plan your talk
Decide on What, When, How, Why,
and where
3. Get the person attention
4. Deliver the message
5. Check for understanding
6. Get agreement
43
Ways to Improve Communication
• Be a Good listener
• Be patient and positive
• Do not become defensive
• Take responsibility for your actions
• Have an open-minded
• Pay attention to emotions
• Reduce assumptions

44
 ETHICAL COMMUNICATION
• Ethics center around a sense of
responsibility to others or the rest of the
world
• How do you judge your actions or others
to be unethical
• Doing the ethical thing is not always easy,
it may be costly.
• What you believe is right and what is
practical or realistic
45
 Five Tests
for Ethical communication
1. The categorical test (every one else)
2. The utilitarian test (most good for most
people for most of the time)
3. The golden rule ( As I would like to be
treated)
4. The professional test( other
professionals people )
5. The publicity test( Radio or TV)
46
 Communication Networks

1. Formal
1. Downwards( Top down)
2. Upward (bottom up)
3. Horizontal (lateral)

47
 Communication Networks

2. Informal
These are pattern of interaction based on
friendship, shared personality , common
interest, career interests

Which is more dependable?

48
 Face-to-face communication
• Richness
• Speed
• Control
• Personal quality
• It is not always the best way to communicate
• Some times it is expensive and difficult to
arrange
• It is time consuming: most of the meeting take
most of the afternoon

49
Other communication channel
• Hard copy, forma letter
• By phone
• Teleconferencing
• Instant message What are the
advantage and
• Teleconference disadvantages of
• Voice Mail each method
• E-Mail When do you use
this approach
• Short Notes
• Informal Visits
• Formal Meetings
• Formal Reports and Memos
• Faxed Messages
• Formal Presentations 50
Choose the Appropriate Medium
for your message
• Real issues to resolve
• Make proposal
• Routine messages and day-to-day work on the
project
• Give praise
• Give constructive criticism
• Consider the culture and the personality of
people involved

51
 Final Comments
• You are IN CHARGE.
• PERSONAL TOUCH is very powerful.
• PLAN, plan, plan
• learn to know what is really going on in your
team (USE THE SIX SENSE).
• NEVER send a message that has more
Negative than positive potential.
• Use TACTful approach. (Thank, Acknowledge,
Correct, Thank)
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