Posts Tagged ‘project communications management’

Launch of Scouts Canada’s Revitalized Uniform: A Case Study of Excellent Project Scope and Communications Management

27 March 2011

Scouts Canada: Project Scope and Communications ManagementSeveral things went right on the recent launch of Scouts Canada’s revitalized uniform but there are two project management knowledge areas that the team focused on that made it really successful—project scope management, particularly the Collect Requirements process, and project communications management.

To respect the movement’s century-old history and to address potential emotional concerns, the team spent countless hours gathering the requirements via formal studies, surveys, focus groups and face-to-face discussions. Without a well-integrated project communications management plan, the requirements gathering process would not have been successful.

Throughout the project, updates were sent to more than 100,000 members whilst continually engaging the senior management team, and local staff and volunteers. The resulting media coverage in national newspapers, radio and television—and the buzz on social media sites—points to a solid and well-executed marketing and public relations strategy.

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Communication: Words That Change Minds

3 December 2009

Project Communications ManagementShelle Rose Charvet is the author of Words That Change Minds. As an expert in below-conscious communication processes, she talks about “toward” and “away” types of communication in her keynote speeches.

“Toward” focuses on achieving goals such as staying within budget and even trying to lose weight. In contrast, “away” deals with preventing problems (moving away from) such as asking for additional funding or being called obese.

Unfortunately, some people are not motivated by “toward” words. So, if you are not getting any response on your “RED” project status, it might be worthwhile to adjust your communication style to the “away” format.

Consider saying “we will pay a huge penalty if we deliver late” vs. “deliver on time to get your bonus”. “Die prematurely and not see your grandchildren” might be a better motivator than “eat healthy to stay fit”.

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Why You Should Watch What You Say

27 July 2009

Project Communications ManagementOn his first week on the job, a former colleague of mine was sent for orientation training. While having dinner at a local bar, two attractive women propositioned him. Because he was married, he politely declined.

After the incident, he excitedly recorded a voicemail message. Unfortunately, he accidently sent it for global distribution. The next day, he received a personal message from the CEO.

The moral of the story is that you need to be very careful in all of your communications: e-mail, voicemail or even hallway conversations. You just don’t know who will hear it or where your e-mail might be forwarded to. No matter how excited or frustrated you are, think twice before you press the send button.

By the way, the CEO’s message to my friend was this: “You are crazy. I would have accepted the offer.”

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Magic Words to Make Your Presentations Better

25 June 2009

Project Communications ManagementHalina St. James suggested that you prefix your opening statement in any presentation with two magic words: “Hi, Mom!” If your mom can understand what follows, then your presentation is simple and clear. Otherwise, you’ll need to rewrite it. Consider the paragraphs below.

“Hi, Mom! We need to utilize proper project management techniques by adhering to the five process groups across all nine knowledge areas.”

“Hi, Mom! On your next object-oriented programming project, think of the acronym PIE—polymorphism, inheritance and encapsulation.”

“Hi, Mom! I would like to share with you the results of our project which leveraged the pervasiveness of social media to increase our revenue channels above industry average through inbound marketing.”

If your mom responded by saying “Huh?”, then you’ve got a lot of work to do to ensure that your audience can lucidly remember your message.

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A Word That Triggers People to Raise Their Defences

17 June 2009

Project Communications ManagementIf a project team member performed a task incorrectly, don’t try to fix the mistake by saying: “You SHOULD do it this way.” or “You SHOULD have asked for help sooner.”

The word SHOULD conveys a message of authority and superiority—you know more than someone and you are not afraid to tell them. Based on instinct, the other person will most likely raise their defences to justify their actions or inactions. Moreover, you will likely lecture the other person on how to do things correctly instead of mentoring them on how to identify and avoid potential problems on their own in the future.

“It looks like you had a rough time in completing that task within budget. What can we do differently next time?” By avoiding the word SHOULD, the conversation focuses on collaborative problem solving.

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