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P R O F I L E
PMs share communication tips Focusing on your words, explaining, and actively listening are priorities for effective communication with teams and clients.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent H ow do project managers foster and ensure ef- fective communication among their team and clients? Are there some strategies that are better than others? GET VERBAL. At Maser Consulting P.A. , (Red Bank, NJ), a 600-person multidiscipline firm, Daniel Busch, project manager, has found that verbal com- munication is the most critical, and he prefers to do it in-person. “Verbal communication is key to establishing rela- tionships whether with your staff, peers, or clients. You can’t read body language or voice inflection in an email. In fact, sometimes, you can even misin- terpret language in an email which could be detri- mental,” he says. And, Busch explains that when you have a discus- sion, it’s important to summarize the key points and ask for confirmation that they are in agree- ment with your understanding of the information/ conversation. “This leaves the door open for conversation about agreement or conflict,” he says. Busch provides an example. He says about a year ago, they were trying to sell a new consulting ser- vice to an existing client.
“I had not yet met this new team leader. Because it was a service relevant to my client, I made it a point to meet the new group leader in-person and made an initial introduction to the client via tele- phone. This initial conversation with the client did not go particularly well. However, after having met the new service leader through a face-to-face dis- cussion, I learned more about his expertise and was convinced the client was missing out on a great op- portunity to enhance their financial return on the project.” “Verbal communication is key to establishing relationships whether with your staff, peers, or clients. You can’t read body language or voice inflection in an email.” Busch knew that he had the right team to make it happen. Through a subsequent conversation be- tween him and the client, he was able better com- municate the financial opportunity they had and convince him that they could get him there. As a result, this has led to a significant amount of work for the firm and put the client well on their way to achieving an enhanced financial return. See COMMUNICATION, page 12
THE ZWEIG LETTER February 1, 2016, ISSUE 1137
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