Upon
observing the identical message through the three modalities, it was
astonishing to perceive the differences in the methods of communication. The
content of this message is presented with a sociable tone which is detected by
the courteous words utilize in the message. I found the email message to be
formal, courteous, and very much to the point. When reading the email I could
see that Jane needed the information from Mark as soon as possible by her
choice of words. I also perceive some impatience as she indicated that she
might miss her deadline if she didn’t receive the report at a timely manner.
Jane showed politeness in her email by being considerate of Mark’s time and his
busy schedule.
The
key factors that affected my perspective of the distribution of the message
comprised the words being expressed, facial expression, body language, as well
as the tone of voice. According to Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton,
& Kramer (2008) “in today’s workplace, communication takes numerous forms”
(p. 357). I find all three approaches to
be an effective means of communication; however, they all have their use.
However, I feel that utilizing a combination of all three can sometime be
effective in ensuring all persona type is attained. Once you identify the
personalities within the project team, you are probable to select the key
communication modality that is best for them. In one of this week’s videos Dr.
Budrovich suggests tailoring your communication strategy to fit the specific
needs of each stakeholders (Laureate Education, Inc.).
In my opinion, face-to-face is more convenient
due to the fact of promoting a question and answer section. This method of communication
also allows me to detect visual cues. Nevertheless, with the enhancement of
technology, email has become more ideal, professional, as well as a more
convenient way to communicate.
References
Laureate
Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). Communicating with stakeholders.
[Video webcast].
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). Practitioner
voices: Strategies for working with
stakeholders. [Video webcast].
Portny,
S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., &
Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and
controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Hello Jacqueline,
ReplyDeleteI think you made some really good observations regarding this week's modality assignment. Although I felt that the email was the best form of communication I do see how body language can play an important role in communication. As you point out in your post the face-to-face modality allowed for expression of body language and facial expressions unlike both of the other modalities.
The most effective method of confirming informal communication is to document the conversation (Portny, et al., 2008, p. 357). Jacqueline There is no other way to state the facts, without documentation people can forget what was said. Also strong documentation helps all parties to have something to reference information.
ReplyDeleteJacqueline
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great blog post. I also chose the F2F communication because of the chance for dialogue and clarification, however it was not based on the example provided in our video this week. I personally found the F2F conversation to be distracting and kind of grating--but I do think the personal touch is important and that written responses (like email) "don’t allow the audience to ask questions; verify receipt of the message [except email with read receipts]; PM to pick up nonverbal signals to suggest an audience’s reactions; or support interactive discussions” (2008, p. 358).
And as Dr. Stolovich tells us “communication is not just words… it is spirit and attitude (93% is nonverbal like tonality and body language)…important communication is best delivered live and with all team members present with follow-up in writing” (Communicating with Stakeholders, Laureate, n.d.).
Having said all that though I personally found the email to be most compelling for me (maybe because I use email so much). I would be more likely to read an email than to listen to a voicemail because I am often in the classroom and not at my desk but I always have my laptop so can check email. I also agree with the point you made from Dr. Stolovich about documenting all communication--with email you have a record of the communication. With the F2F conversation, I think I would go back and send a follow-up email to document the conversation.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (Date Unknown). Communicating with Stakeholders. Retrieved from: https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2823017_1%26url%3D
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.