Project managers play a pivotal role in businesses that are heavily project-based, such as agencies and consultancies.
One of their key responsibilities is to keep abreast of what’s on track, or more importantly, what’s not – their communication of this is often the difference between success and failure on each project.
A full understanding of how a project is performing will allow you and your team to make any necessary adjustments which may be needed to help it meet its full potential before it becomes a bigger issue.
If you are looking for some good communication techniques which will ensure projects run more smoothly and subsequently boost productivity, read on.
Employ the right Reporting Software
Any project manager can appreciate the vital importance of project management reports.
These reports will give full visibility on a project’s health and highlight any areas that need working on.
By using software such as a project reporting dashboard, everyone will be able to see at a glance where the project is up to and whether it is on track to meet each deadlines and budgets.
Some software packages, such as Synergist, will provide a dashboard that can be personalised to every team in your business.
This will flag any issues in their department, meaning that they can be dealt with immediately, rather than causing complications further down the line.
Having one centralised dashboard will make communication easier as you can be sure that every member of your team has access to the information they need, should you need to reference this later.
Offer Attentive Feedback
One of the easiest communication techniques is to be attentive when you give feedback.
If you are only ever giving negative feedback to your team, this can greatly hinder their development. Not only can this lower their confidence in their role, but it could sever the relationship between you, making them less likely to trust your judgment or advice.
Equally, if you sandwich positive feedback in between two negative messages it may be that only the middle section is heard by the recipient, meaning no adjustments will be made.
Therefore, it is important to always be sincere when giving feedback and make sure that you are providing your team with constructive criticism.
Store Information Centrally
With project-based businesses, it is unavoidable that multiple people will be working on the same task and need access to the same data.
Therefore, to cut down on confusion and time spent chasing different team members for files, updates or information, a central information storage system may be useful.
Using this kind of system will allow you to access all client files and communications from one central location, which is updated in real time.
A high-quality project management software will allow you to do this and mean that no-one is ever left without a critical file in an important situation.
Use active listening
One of the best ways to improve communication to your team is to make sure that you are employing active listening techniques.
Listening to your team without interrupting will ensure that any information being relayed to you gets across and that your team feel valued and understood.
Check for signs that your message has been received and understood by your team members, and offer answers to any questions they may have. This will reduce mistakes further down the line and ensure that your colleagues fully understand their work.
Along with this, it will help them to open up when they are unsure of anything in future and help avoid miscommunications or errors.
There you have it, a few good communication techniques that can improve efficiency in your team and your role as project manager.
