communication strategies by dr. fawzi kabbara
TRANSCRIPT
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
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!