I have read and listened to an interoffice message in three modalities. First I read the message in the form of an email, then listened to it as a voicemail, and finally watched a video of an office colleague delivering the message to the recipient (Multimedia program, from website).
As I read the email I got the clear message that the sender needed Mark, the recipient, to supply her with information and that it was required for her to complete the work. I felt that the need was strong and her wellbeing with her job depended on it. Since I could re-read the message it was clear that the recipient had two options, supply the complete report, or just the needed information. When listening to the voicemail I also understood the same meaning as in the email, yet I felt that it lacked the urgency that the written format provided. I believe that I would have a higher probability of forgetting to get back to Mary or supplying the information needed than from the written email. Also I don’t think the option of just getting the needed information to Mary instead of the complete report was as evident in the voicemail as with the email. The scenario of Mary talking to Mark and giving the message face-to-face proved to be the weakest form of what I believe Mary wanted to get across. Her speaking style and tendency to soften the expectations of her request left me thinking that it wasn’t a big deal if I got the information to her or not. If I was Mark and I was very busy with many demands on me I might let that request fall on the priority list. I think I would appreciate someone communicating more directly with me and providing stronger details of what they needed.
In the project management text, communication is categorized as formal or informal (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, and Kramer, 2008). I think that in the multimedia program the forms of communications could be seen in one or the other of these categories. The case of the email, it was preplanned by its nature of being written and provided a record of what was communicated. It was a formal form of communication that gave the recipient the opportunity to revisit the message and perhaps have a higher possibility to fulfill the request of the sender. The voicemail could probably be seen as preplanned, but it had some limitations in its form. There is no way for the caller to know if the recipient is giving their complete attention to their voicemail calls at the time they listen to them. Once heard there may be low likelihood that the recipient will listen again to make sure they totally understood the message. The face-to-face communication might have been informal due to coming across Mark unexpectedly and thinking about her need at that moment. This might have influenced the demeanor of the communication. With this face-to-face communication and probably most, there are so many influences that effect what the recipient understands or remembers. In the video Mary communicated in a style that seemed to be weak and passive in voice. Her affect was passive and almost apologetic.
By putting this set of communication examples in a project setting I would make the following assumptions. First, I believe that the more formal the communication can be the better for the project. This is especially true if the communication can be in writing. Written communications allow the communicator to carefully select their words, maintain focus, and have a format that provides accountability measures to assure that those that receive the messages have received them (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, and Kramer, 2008).
References
Multimedia program. The Art of Effective Communication. Retrieved from http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6145/03/mm/aoc/index.html.
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.
Christopher,
ReplyDeleteAlthough face-to-face communication is usually the preferred method, I also felt the voicemail in this scenario was weak. The inflection in her voice and her nonverbal clues failed to relate the urgency of the matter at hand. The email was wordy and failed to deliver the purpose up front. Because of this, the recipient could easily have disregarded it and failed to respond in a timely manner. While voicemail can be extremely annoying and time-consuming, in this instance I felt it portrayed the urgency of the message the best of all the delivery methods.
Whether you're informing others of a policy change or assigning a new project, your communication is only effective if the recipient receives, reviews and understands the message. If an email is disregarded or quickly skimmed, the recipient may not really receive the message at all. Also, just because you sent the message doesn't relieve you of the responsibility of following up and receiving feedback to ensure the message was received and interpreted correctly (Rogier, 2011).
Rogier, M. (2011). Barriers to communication for Managers. Retrieved 1/22/2011 from http://www.ehow.com/info_7827671_barriers-communication-managers.html
While email may not be always regarded highly as a form of communication, it is considered a formal method of communication since it is able to be archived and considered permanent and accessible (Heller & Hindle, 1998). Most communication occurs through face-to-face interactions, and as Portny et al (2008) mentioned, the most powerful form of communication. Of course, regardless of the method of communication chosen, we should always ensure our non-verbal cues match the message we are sending and we have documentation of the exchange.
ReplyDeleteHeller, R., and Hindle, T. (1998) Essential Manager's Manual. New York, NY: DK Publishing, Inc.
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.