Art of Effective Communication exercise

Communication

In my opinion all three of the modalities; written text, audio, and f2f all conveyed the same message:  Jane needs me (Mark) to complete a report that she gets information from in order to complete her report.  Her ability to complete and meet her deadline is dependent upon me. I need to get my report done as soon as possible as to not impact her.

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

I didn’t really see a change between the messages, obviously with the written text I can choose to read it with an attitude, but I didn’t for that message.  I (Mark) is in the wrong and needs to get his report done, I don’t know if his report is past due, however it definitely has an impact on Jane’s work.

• What factors influenced how you perceived the message?

Tone of voice, my tells me all the time, it’s not what I say, but my tone.  20 years in the Marine Corps has conditioned me to be very direct and matter of fact.  I have to be aware of that when communicating to others.

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

The voicemail and the f2f meeting, because I could hear the tone, it also I see the need she has for me to get my part done.

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

Messages need to be clearly stated.  More importantly due dates need to be established and accountability for completing tasks enforced.  If there are dependencies, they should be stated and each person needs to understand the impact they could have on the rest of the team’s ability to complete their tasks.