PMI Lebanon Chapter

COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES

Dr. Fawzi Kabbara, 30/03/2017

Kabbara & Associates

Getting Started

• For the better part of every day, we are

communicating to and with others.

• Whether it’s the speech you deliver in the

boardroom, or a discussion with your spouse, or a look

to your child, it all means something.

• This presentation will help you understand the

different methods of communication and how to make

the most of each of them.

Session Outline

• Establish Common Ground

• Identify Barriers

• Non-Verbal & Para-verbal Communication

• Verbal Communication and Active Listening

• Project Communication Management

The Big Picture

• When we say the word, “communication,” what do

you think of?

• The more elaborate our means of communication,

the less we need to communicate

• There are different ways in which we communicate.

Interchange of Thoughts

Speech Writing

Signs

The Components of Communication

•Stimulus

•Filter

•Message

•Medium

•Destination

Fe

ed

ba

ck

Effect of Communication

Your communication can have many

different effects on your life, including your:

•Level of stress

•Relationships with others

•Level of satisfaction with your life

•Productivity

•Ability to meet your goals

•Ability to solve problems

How Do We Communicate?

• This is what you are sayingVerbal

• This is how you say it Paraverbal

• Gestures & Body LanguageNonverbal

Other Factors in Communication

Face-to-Face

E-mail

Fax

Telephone

TV / Radio

No. of People:

Individual

Group

Level:

Child

Boss

Colleague

Trainee

Method Mass Audience

Formal Communication Network

CEO

VP-1

MGR-1 MGR-2

VP-2

MGR-3 MGR-4

Upward

Downward

Cross-Channel

Horizontal

Communication Skills

●Good communication skills are the key to business

success

●Absence of communication leads to the

termination of relationships and loss of potential

projects

Success of a company depends on its employees’ communications skills

Top Five Communication Skills for Project Managers

Listening Actively

Setting Clear Priorities

Enabling Collaboration

Conveying the Organization’s Vision

Building Relationships based on Trust

Communication Goal

Communication

Facilitate

Information

Sharing

Increased

message

Effectiveness

The purpose of communication

is to be well understood

To express thoughts, ideas, and

feeling with others in professional

manner

Once weak points in

communication are handled,

effectiveness is achieved through

sharing information.

Communication Skills are Acquired and not Innate

Communication Barriers

•Like most things in life, communication is far more

complicated than it seems.

•Let’s look at some of the most common barriers and

how to reduce their impact on communication.

Common Barriers

Language

Culture

Location

Language Barriers

Different languages

Not first language

Same language, but different dialect

Cultural Barriers

Same words, different meanings

Different cultures, class, or lifestyle

Find out about the other person’s culture

Differences in Time and Place

Utilize tools like email

Schedule a convenient time

Time zones

Paraverbal Communication Skills

•Try saying these three sentences out loud, placing the

emphasis on the underlined word:

1- “I didn’t say you were wrong.” (Implying it wasn’t me)

2- “I didn’t say you were wrong.” (Implying I

communicated it in another way)

3- “I didn’t say you were wrong.” (Implying I said

something else)

PITCH ! TONE ! VOLUME! EMPHASIS! SPEED!

Paraverbal Communication Skills

People react to the key of your voice

Low = serious or authoritative

High = anxious or upset

Variation in pitch keeps the other party interested

Smiling warms up your voice!

Paraverbal Communication Skills

Can make the listener feel anxious

Will seem natural

Can make the listener feel bored

The pace at which you speak also has a tremendous effect on

your communication ability.

Hurried

Pace

Moderate

Pace

Slow

Pace

Non-Verbal Communication Skills

• When you are communicating, your body is sending

a message that is as powerful as your words.

• Ability to interpret body language, add it to the

message you are receiving, and understand the

message being sent appropriately.

All About Body Language

Standing or sitting

Position of Arms and legs

Facial Expressions

Category A

Category C

Category B

Non-Verbal CommunicationThe key components of non-verbal communication are:

Eye Contact Timing Fluency Voice

DistanceFacial ExpressionsClothing

Gestures

Body Posture

Communication Zones

It Differs Among Cultures!

Public

3.5m - ∞

Social1.0 – 3.5m

Personal0.5m - 1.0m

Intimate 0 – 0.5m

Interpreting Gestures

GESTURE INTERPRETATION

Nodding head Yes

Shaking head No

Moving head from side to

side

Maybe

Shrugging shoulders Not sure; I don’t know

Crossed arms Defensive

Tapping hands or fingers Bored, anxious, nervous

Shaking index finger Angry

Thumbs up Agreement, OK

Thumbs down Disagreement, not OK

Mehrabian Study, 1971“Silent Messages”

7% verbal38%

paraverbal

55% body language

Verbal Message

•Let’s look at the actual message you are sending and

how to formulate it.

•We will explore the STAR acronym

STAR

• Where, Who, and When?Situation

• State the taskTask

• What resolved the problemAction

• What was the result?Result

Listening Skills

So far, we have discussed all the

components of sending a message:

•Non-verbal

•Para-verbal

•Verbal

Now, let’s turn the tables and look at how

to effectively receive messages.

Seven Ways to Listen Better Today

Listen, don’t talk or text

Avoid interruptions

90% Listening and 10% talking

Make sure your talk is relevant to the conversation

Do not offer advice unless the other person asks for it

Be aware of your environment, reduce noise and distractions

Take appropriate notes if required, & Maintain Eye Contact

Reflective Listening

●Demonstrate acceptance & understanding to the speaker’s feelings and content

●Be aware of the emotional element that drives the speaker & his perceptions

●Stay focused on the central point of the issue

●Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes

Effective Listening Skills

●Give individual attention

●Respect right to share

●Pay attention to nonverbal messages

●Clarify message

●Ask questions

●Paraphrase

"We have two ears and one mouth. Therefore, we should listen twice as much as we speak."

AssertivenessSay out loud what you expect from people or you may be

bound for disappointment

Human Communication

Reflects “who you are”

Passiveness Aggressiveness Assertiveness

• Reluctance

• Inability to express feelings and thoughts

• Putting down the other person

• Intimidating

• An alternative to both extremes

• Standing up for your rights and opinions while respecting the rights of others

Confidence

●Good listening skills and self-worth increases

confidence

●Confidence helps knowing what is wanted and

needed and taking responsibility for meeting life

preferences.

●It helps express yourself to the person whose

cooperation is needed.

Confidence speeches use assertive messages labeled with:

I Feel OR I Prefer

Asking Good Questions

●There are questioning techniques that you can use

throughout the communication process.

●Open questions are great conversation starters, fact

finders, and communication enhancers. Use them

whenever possible.

Open Questions

Who

What

Where

When

Why

How

Closed Questions

Limits the answer to yes or no

Tend to shut down conversations

Is it five o’clock yet?

Probing Questions

ClarificationCompleteness

and Correctness

Determining Relevance

Drilling Down Summarizing

These questions can be open or closed, but each

type serves a specific purpose.

Communications Planning

•Every project should include some type of

communications management plan

• It is a document that guides project communications

Communications Management Plan Contentains

•A description of a collection and filing structure for

gathering and storing various types of information

•A distribution structure describing what information goes

to whom, when, and how

•A format for communicating key project information

•A project schedule for producing the information

•Access methods for obtaining the information

•A method for updating the communications management

plans as the project progresses and develops

•A stakeholder communications analysis

Sample Stakeholder Analysis for Project Communications

Thank You!