Communicating Effectively

In the video program, “The Art of Effective Communication,” Jane uses email, voicemail and a face-to­­­-face conversation as a form of communication.  She needs to let Mark know that she needs the information from his missing report in order to complete her own report by another deadline.  If she could get a date that she will receive the information from him or the information by itself it would help her to be on time with her report.  What impact does email, voicemail or face-to-face communication have on her receiving the information?   It is clearly a form of informal communication because it was not planned, and she communicated as soon as she thought of the information and shared it (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, and Kramer, 2008).

Email – Written Communication

I perceived this message to be impersonal, yet important enough to write down so that Mark will have something to reference.   Jane really needs the report from Mark so she can complete her own report.  Sharing information in writing helps to present factual information in a way that should be easy to understand and help to provide a record of the information shared (Portny, et al., 2008).  Jane’s email was short and to the point, however, I think that she could have given Mark a few more details.  Maybe she could have included which report she needs and a personal deadline which gives her time to look over his information to include with her report.  Also, her email is not clear about what information she needs, she has no idea if Mark understands it unless he replies, and there is no proof that Mark received the email and read it.

Voicemail – Audio or Verbal Communication

As I listened to this voicemail, I thought that this was worse than the email.  Jane has no idea if the message was recorded clearly and completely or if Mark checked his messages.  In addition, we do not know if there is a possible language barrier between her and Mark.  It is hard to rewind and keep listening to a telephone message just to write down all of the details.  On the other hand, if communication issues are very serious, then people should consider video or audio recording for later analysis (Greer, 2010).

Face-to-Face Communication

I find the face-to-face communication to be the best form of communication.  Usually, if someone comes to see you in person it has to be very important because they could have called or emailed.  But for whatever reason, they want to get their point across.  Since Jane was talking to Mark in person, I felt that she made it more personable.   With her being in person, Mark can ask any questions and write down the details since he was at his desk.

The best form of communication to use for this example is face-to-face communication because of the sense of urgency.  In my opinion, each of these three forms of communication are equal, but presenting them in different manners makes one seem better than the other.  Deciding which form of communication to use can also depend on the situation.  As a matter of fact, using a combination of two forms of communication is probably the most effective way to communicate.  For example, if I really needed to talk to someone about something important, then I would speak to that person face-to-face and give him or her a written document to reinforce what we talked about.  No form of communication is concrete if all of the details are not present and the information is not presented clearly.

Communication is vital on any project team.  The communication plan should be presented in the first instructional design meeting by the project manager.  It should contain information about what information will be shared, who will share the information, how often, what form it will take and when it will be distributed (Greer, 2010).  In order to avoid conflict, team members need to meet regularly and come up with ideas to help each other communicate effectively.

(2012). Retrieved from The art of effective communication: http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6145/03/mm/aoc/index.html

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/USW1/201260_02/MS_INDT/EDUC_6145/Week%202/Resources/Week%202%20Resources/embedded/Murphy_W2_6145.pdf

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.