Communication and Stakeholder management Ch 1-4.pptx

CHAPTER ONE:
OVERVIEW OF COMMUNICATION
MANAGEMENT

What is communication?
• The root of the word “communication” in Latin
is communicare, which means to share, or to
make common.
• Communication is defined as the process of
understanding and sharing meaning
• To understand is to perceive, to interpret, and to
relate our perception and interpretation to what
we already know.”
• If a friend tells you a story about falling off a bike,
what image comes to mind?
• Now your friend points out the window and you
see a motorcycle lying on the ground.

• Understanding the words and the concepts or
objects they refer to is an important part of
the communication process.
• Sharing means doing something together with
one or more people.
• You may share a joint activity, as when you
share in compiling a report; or
• you may benefit jointly from a resource, as
when you and several coworkers share a pizza.

• In communication, sharing occurs when you
convey thoughts, feelings, ideas, or insights to
others.
• You can also share with yourself (a process
called intrapersonal communication)
• when you bring ideas to consciousness, ponder
how you feel about something, or
• figure out the solution to a problem and have a
classic “Aha!” moment when something
becomes clear.

• NATURE OF PROJECT COMMUNICATION
MANAGEMENT
How much communication should you do?
• Depending on who you ask, project managers
spend anywhere from 60% – 90% of their time
on communication with the various people on
their projects.
• To explain why communication is so crucial,
• consider the Guide formula for determining
the number of communication channels:
• n (n-1) / 2, In this formula, n is the number
of people on the project.

WHEN PROJECT COMMUNICATION HAPPENS?
• Here are some of the more common meetings
where project communication occurs during a
project:
 Project kickoff meeting
 Presentations for clients, customers, or
other stakeholders
 Executive updates, written briefs and
presentations
 The daily standup, or weekly or monthly
status meetings in person or via Teams, Zoom,
video chat etc.
 Milestone meetings to discuss progress,

 Review meetings to periodically
present and get acceptance on project
deliverables
 Lessons learned meetings or
retrospectives.
• You can probably think of other times
where you are communicating with people
on a project.
• After all, it’s a large part of what
you do all day! Effective project

IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT
FOR PROJECT
• Good communication is an important
component in project management,
• allowing projects to progress smoothly and
on time.
• It ensures team members are aligned on
project goals and understand exactly what’s
expected of them.
• It also helps build trust so everyone works
better together from project start to finish.
• communication is crucial in order to keep
each professional informed and on-task.

• Project managers spend much of their time as
leaders communicating to their team to ensure
the success of the project.
• While project managers make communication a
priority for themselves,
• it's also important for other professionals to
dedicate themselves to improving their
communication skills when working on a
project.
• This may include asking questions when they
feel unsure about a detail in the project or
• sharing an idea to aid in the progress of the
project.

COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES
The main purpose of communication is;
• to make a fluent flow of information in the
organization.
• Communication is one of the essential parts of
management functions.
• No organization can exist and grow without an
effective communication system.
• The effectiveness of managerial functions depends
upon the effectiveness of the communication system
of the organization.

• At present, communication has been playing
an important role in the smooth operations of
the business.
• It is to be considered as blood circulation of
the management.
• A manager has to invest his more official time
to communicate among subordinates to fulfill
the managerial functions of getting things done
through others.

Types of Communication
• Professionals separate most forms of
communication into three categories: verbal,
nonverbal and written communication.
• Though each of these types are essential,
many professionals rely on verbal and written
communication the most.
• Here is a list of specific types of
communication that professionals use in
project management:

1. Meetings
• Meetings are an effective method of
communication when you have an update on a
project that may need a nuanced explanation or if
you anticipate many questions about it.
• It's beneficial to start projects with a meeting, so
you can establish your team of professionals and
a precedent for communication.
• Consider holding meetings either in person and
over a video call to be inclusive to all professionals.

2. Email
• Emails are a classic form of communication that many
offices use as a method for both formal and informal
communication.
3. Phone calls
• Phone calls are a great method of communication
when you need a quick answer or the message you are
communicating is urgent. Phone calls often feel more
personal than some forms of written communication.

4. Discussion boards
• Consider setting up a discussion board or group chat
in the early phases of your project.
• Discussion boards allow professionals to ask general
questions and connect with their team members.
• It's beneficial to use a discussion board both as an
informational and team bonding tool,
• as it may help improve your team's collaboration skills
and increase the quality of their work.

5. Surveys
• Professionals send out surveys to gain a general
consensus regarding a particular issue.
• Consider using surveys when you want your team
members to vote on a particular subject or need feedback
from your team.
• Surveys are a great tool for anonymous communication
as well.
• This means you can ask for your team members'
opinions without them feeling nervous about your
response.

6. Presentations
• Presentations are a helpful form of verbal
communication that professionals use when they
are educating their coworkers on a topic or
sharing news.
• Consider presenting on milestones in your project
or arranging presentations to teach professionals
how to perform a certain task.
• You may want to perform a presentation in an in-
person or video call meeting or you may create a
document version of your presentation for
professionals to view individually

7. Memos
• Memos are short, informational messages that
update professionals on issues related to the
• Project managers often use memos to share new
policies or procedures relating to project tasks.
When writing memos, try to keep your message
brief.
• Professionals often email memos or print them
to post in a public area of the workplace.

Procedures of Communication
• In order to successfully communicate, it's
important to understand how the process
works. Here are the seven steps in the
communication process:
1. 1.The sender develops an idea to be sent.
2. The sender encodes the message.
3. The sender selects the channel of
communication that will be used.
4. The message travels over the channel of
communication.

5. The message is received by the receiver.
6. The receiver decodes the message.
7. The receiver provides feedback, if applicable.
1. The sender develops an idea to be sent
 The beginning of the communication process
involves the sender creating an idea that they plan to
send to another person or group of people.
 Essentially, they're planning the overall subject
matter or information they want to transmit.

2. The sender encodes the message
Once the sender develops an idea,
they translate it into a form that can be
transmitted to someone else.
This means they transform the thoughts of the
information they want to send into a certain
format.
For example, if you are writing a letter, you'll
translate your idea into words.
The message can also be nonverbal, oral or
symbolic.

3.The sender selects the channel of communication
that will be used
 Next, the sender decides how the message will be sent.
 This involves selecting the most suitable medium for the
message they're relaying.
 Some communication mediums include speaking, writing,
electronic transmission or nonverbal communication.
 If you're communicating at work, make sure to select the
proper and most professional channel of communication.

4. The message travels over the channel of
communication
After the medium is chosen, the message then
begins the process of transmission.
The exact process of this will depend on the
selected medium.
In order for the message to be properly sent,
the sender should have selected the appropriate
medium.

5. The message is received by the receiver
 Next, the message is received by the recipient.
 This step in the communication process is done by
hearing the message, seeing it, feeling it or another
form of reception.

6. The receiver decodes the message
 The receiver then decodes the sender's message.
 In other words, they interpret it and convert it into a
thought.
 After they've done this, they analyze the message and
attempt to understand it.
 The communication process is performed effectively
when the sender and receiver have the same meaning for
the transmitted message.

7. The receiver provides feedback, if applicable
 Lastly, unless it's a one-way communication,
 the receiver will provide feedback in the form of
a reply to the original sender of the message.
 Feedback provides the recipient with the ability
to ensure the senders that their message was
properly received and interpreted.
 this is two-way communication.

Communication Barriers
The process of communication has multiple barriers.
•The intended communiqué will often be disturbed and
distorted leading to a condition of misunderstanding and
failure of communication.
•The Barriers to effective communication could be of
many types like linguistic, psychological, emotional,
physical, and cultural etc. We will see all of these types in
detail below.

1. Linguistic Barriers
 The language barrier is one of the main barriers that
limit effective communication.
 Language is the most commonly employed tool of
communication.
 The fact that each major region has its own language is
one of the Barriers to effective communication.
 Sometimes even a thick dialect may render the
communication ineffective.

 As per some estimates, the dialects of every two
regions changes within a few kilometers.
 Even in the same workplace, different employees will
have different linguistic skills.
 As a result, the communication channels that span
across the organization would be affected by this.
 Thus, keeping this barrier in mind, different
considerations have to be made for different employees.
Some of them are very proficient in a certain language
and others will be ok with these languages.

2. Psychological Barriers
• There are various mental and psychological issues that
may be barriers to effective communication.
• Some people have stage fear, speech disorders, phobia,
depression etc.
• All of these conditions are very difficult to manage
sometimes and will most certainly limit the ease of
communication.

3. Emotional Barriers
 The emotional IQ of a person determines the ease and comfort with which they can
communicate.
 A person who is emotionally mature will be able to communicate effectively.
 On the other hand, people who let their emotions take over will face certain
difficulties.
 A perfect mixture of emotions and facts is necessary for effective communication.
 Emotions like anger, frustration, humor, can blur the decision-making capacities of a
person and thus limit the effectiveness of their communication.

Physical Barriers to Communication
They are the most obvious barriers to effective communication.
 These barriers are mostly easily removable in principle at least.
 They include barriers like noise, closed doors, faulty equipment used
for communication, closed cabins, etc.
 Sometimes, in a large office, the physical separation between
various employees combined with faulty equipment may result in
severe barriers to effective communication.

Cultural Barriers of Communication
 As the world is getting more and more globalized, any large
office may have people from several parts of the world.
 Different cultures have a different meaning for several basic
values of society.
 Dressing, Religions or lack of them, food, drinks, pets, and the
general behavior will change drastically from one culture to another.
 Hence, it is a must that we must take these different cultures into
account while communication.

 This is what we call being culturally
appropriate.
 In many multinational companies, special
courses are offered at the orientation stages that
let people know about other cultures and how to
be courteous and tolerant of others.

Organisational Structure Barriers
 As we saw there are many methods of communication at an
organizational level.
 Each of these methods has its own problems and constraints
that may become barriers to effective communication.
 Most of these barriers arise because of misinformation or
lack of appropriate transparency available to the employees.

• Attitude Barriers
 Certain people like to be left alone.
 They are the introverts or just people who are not very social.
 Others like to be social or sometimes extra clingy! Both these
cases could become a barrier to communication.
 Some people have attitude issues, like huge ego and
inconsiderate behaviors.

Channels of Project Communication
 Communication is central to all meaningful collaboration and teamwork.
 Communication keeps a whole organization moving.
 There are different ways we can communicate such as written communication, verbal
communication, non-verbal communication and visual communication.
 It is important that whatever type of communication we choose, the information needs
to be conveyed effectively.
 Various modes or medium to transmit and receive the
information is referred as “communication channels”.

Number of communication channels
There has to be a direct channel between any
of the 2 people involved in a communication.
The number of direct channels which can exist
with “N” number of stakeholders will be
“N(N-1)/2”.
As the number of stakeholders increases in a
team, the number of channels increases much
faster.
The high number of channels can make
communication very complex.

There are number of different types of communication
channels exist as listed below:
1. Face-to-face conversations
2. Videoconferencing
3. Audio conferencing
4. Emails
5. Written letters and memos
6. Chats and messaging
7. Blogs
8. Formal written documents
9. Spreadsheets etc.
 The above channels need to be identified and used effectively for achieving maximum impact
and richness of information as desired.

Formal channels
• It is an official way of communicating.
• A formal communication channel transmits
information such as the goals, policies and
procedures of an organization.
• Messages in this type of communication
channel follow a chain of command.
• This means information flows from a manager
to his subordinates and they in turn pass on the
information to the next level of staff.

• Some examples of Formal channels include
company newsletters, business plans,
instructions, annual reports, agreements,
company-wide communications, board
presentations etc.

Informalchannels
 It is also an official way of communicating,
with somewhat relaxed norms.
 There may not be a need for a chain of
command or hierarchy in this kind of
communication.
 There will be immense official
communication where such hierarchy or
command is not needed, but they happen
within the official framework.

 Some examples will include conversations on
the work floor addressing queries of team
members, lunch time conversations, many of
the emails where formal command is not
needed such as someone is seeking some quick
information etc.
 Under the official environment, both formal
and informal channels are used as needed.

CHAPTER TWO:
Project Communication Process
• Communications management occurs in a well-
defined and repeatable cycle.
• Here are the 3 steps of the communications process
1. Plan Communication Management
2. Manage Communication
3. Monitor Communication

1. Plan Communication Management
At or before kickoff, the project manager proposes
a communication plan and seeks input from team members
and stakeholders.
• The plan outlines who will provide communication, how
information will be issued, the frequency, and what action(s)
are expected.
• The intent is to ensure that all team members and
stakeholders know what to expect from each other during the
project.

• As part of communication planning, a project
manager should perform some degree of stakeholder
analysis to answer some key questions:
 Who – the stakeholders impacted by the project
and who will expect updates and information
 What – their expectations of the project, what
they want to “know” about the project
 Why – why the project matters to them
 Influence – their respective influence on the
project’s resources and outcomes (low / medium /
high)

• Understanding stakeholders is critical
because ;-
 how to communicate, what they expect, and how to
manage them varies according to these factors.
 You should adapt the plan with everyone in mind, but
provide special consideration for the most influential people.
 You will also need to consider the frequency and detail
preferred by the most influential stakeholders so that you can
meet their expectations from the beginning.
 You will also want to consider who should receive
information, who may provide information /input before
communication is issued, and how to send that information.

2. Manage Communication
 Once planning is done and the project starts, the
communication really begins!
 This step is all about action – issuing meeting minutes,
providing reports, and documenting proposed changes as
agreed.
 Your biggest responsibility here is to ensure that all
commitments are met on time and to the agreed level of
expectation.
 There are numerous examples where project
communication supports other project management
processes.

• Just to expand on that a bit, here are a few
examples of where that might typically occur:
 Stakeholder engagement – provides a general
awareness of project status, issues, concerns,
and required action or support needed for
project success.
 Progress monitoring and reporting – helps
through regular overview of project progress,
accomplishments, path forward, and next
steps.

 Key decisions documentation – provides a
mechanism for documenting and distributing
key decisions with the project team for future
reference.
 Team building – helps a project team establish
and maintain trust through regular
communication, discussions around issues and
concerns, and getting to know each other.

 Expectations management – sets the tone and
details for how communication will flow,
when who will receive it, and criteria for
taking appropriate action (if needed).
 Transition and change management –
ensures that team members and stakeholders
are aware of any proposed changes, their
potential impact, and aligned in their support
of changes.

3. Monitor Communication
• In this step the project manager seeks input from
the team and stakeholders, along with feedback.
• Are people looking for more information, less, or
doing something different from what was agreed?
• A direct conversation or survey can be helpful to
understand if needs are being met and any area(s)
that may need adjustment.
• Based on feedback from the Monitor step,
incorporate feedback and adapt the plan as needed.

• The goal here is to ensure that expectations are
fully aligned with how communication is
occurring.
• Learn from what works and what doesn’t, then
make the appropriate changes so the team can
improve the way communications are done.
• For example, if you don’t get the required
response from an email, pick up the phone.
There are more examples of how you can
switch up your communications in the table
below.

CHAPTER THREE:
Project Stakeholders Management
Introduction to stakeholders
 A stakeholder is any party, whether an individual or group, who
has an interest in what a company is doing.
 Many companies define their stakeholders and keep them in
consideration when they develop programs and decide on
projects.
 Stakeholders are important because their satisfaction with the
business or a particular project or offering can make a big
difference in the success of the company

Types of stakeholders
 Customers are some of the largest
stakeholders of a business because they are
directly impacted by the quality and
availability of a company's products or
services
 Investors are especially interested in a
business because their investment relies on the
company's success
 Employees are stakeholders in the company
because they rely on sound business decisions

 A community is a stakeholder on its own
because a company's actions can improve the
local community it operates within.
 Suppliers, partners, like contractors, and
vendors are stakeholders because they may
rely on the partnership with the company to
succeed as their own business.
 State and federal governments are also
company stakeholders

Stakeholders Analysis
 The stakeholder analysis is conducted at the
beginning of a project
 to better understand the need of each
stakeholder and their primary requirements.
 A stakeholder includes any person or group
the project will impact,including investors,
advisors, sponsors, team members and current
or future customers.

 The purpose of a stakeholder analysis is to
outline the key stakeholders and their needs at
the start of the project.
 Part of stakeholder analysis is to do the
interviews, design work, brainstorming, and
then to map the results of that against your
core requirements defined

Stakeholders vs. Shareholders
 A stakeholder is any individual, business or entity
that has a unique interest in the business.
 A shareholder is someone who owns stock in a
company, which comes with part ownership and
most times, decision-making authority.
 Stakeholders usually don't have to invest any
money into the company to be stakeholders,
 whereas shareholders do or they are individuals
who formed the business and gave themselves
shares in the company as its founders

Stakeholders Satisfaction
 One primary objective in project management is to create
happy stakeholders.
 Whether it’s helping users do their jobs more efficiently or
enabling the leadership team to increase the organization’s
revenue levels, meeting and exceeding stakeholders’
expectations is a big part of the job.
 But project teams that leave it at that may end up missing
opportunities for improvement

 Project Teams are keenly aware how important
it is to maximize their relationships with
satisfied stakeholders.
 They understand the power a happy end user or
project sponsor can have over other customers,

tips to start getting the most out of every satisfied
stakeholder.
 Find out why they’re happy
 Ask them where you can do better
 Enlist their help as project champions
 Include them in your next open house

Role of Stakeholders in Project Management
• The main roles played by the stakeholders, that highlight
their importance are:
• Defining the Service
• Deploying the Service
• Service Operation and Monitoring

CHAPTER FOUR: The Project Stakeholders Processes
Identify stakeholders
1. PRIMARY STAKEHOLDERS
Beneficiaries or targets of the effort
 Beneficiaries are those who stand to gain something –
services, skills, money, goods, social connection, etc. – as a
direct result of the effort.
 Targets are those who may or may not stand to gain
personally, or
 whose actions represent a benefit to a particular (usually
disadvantaged) population or to the community as a whole

Some examples of Beneficiaries are:
 A particular population – a racial or ethnic group, a
socio-economic group, residents of a housing project,
etc.
 Residents of a particular geographic area – a
neighborhood, a town, a rural area.
 People experiencing or at risk for a particular
problem or condition – homelessness, lack of basic
skills, unemployment, diabetes.

 People involved or participants in a particular
organization or institution – students at a
school, youth involved in the justice system,
welfare recipients.
 People whose behavior the effort aims to
change- delinquent youth, smokers, people who
engage in unsafe sex, people who don’t exercise.

2. SECONDARY STAKEHOLDERS
Those directly involved with or responsible for beneficiaries or
targets of the effort
• These might include individuals and organizations that live with, are
close to, or care for the people in question, and those that offer services
directly to them. Among these you might find:
 Parents, spouses, siblings, children, other family members,
significant others, friends.
 Schools and their employees – teachers, counselors, aides, etc.

 Doctors and other medical professionals, particularly
primary care providers.
 Social workers and psychotherapists.
 Health and human service organizations and their line
staff – youth workers, welfare case workers, etc.
• Community volunteers in various capacities, from
drivers to volunteer instructors in training programs
to those who staff food pantries and soup kitchens

KEY STAKEHOLDERS
1. Government officials and policy makers
• These are the people who can devise, pass, and enforce
laws and regulations that may either fulfill the goals of
your effort or directly cancel them out.
2. Legislators. Federal and state or provincial
representatives, senators, members of parliament, etc. who
introduce and pass laws and generally control public
budgets at the federal and state or provincial levels.

3. Local board members. Boards of health, planning,
zoning, etc., through their power to issue permits and
regulations, can be crucial allies and dangerous
opponents.
4. State/federal agencies. Government agencies often
devise and issue regulations and reporting requirements,
and can sometimes make or break an effort by how they
choose to regulate and how vigorously they enforce their
regulations.

Plan Stakeholder Engagement
A stakeholder engagement plan (SEP)
documents;-
 how involved and influential your project
stakeholders are.
 It also outlines your stakeholder
communication plan,
 including when you’ll reach out to each
stakeholder, what platform you’ll use, and how
much information you’ll deliver.

 Stakeholders can either be individuals from
within your team or external parties that are
impacted by your work.
 One benefit of an SEP is its collaborative
nature.

Key components of an SEP include:
 Stakeholder name: Identify who your stakeholder is.
 Interest level: Give stakeholders labels based on what
level of interest or engagement they have in the
project. See the five levels of stakeholder engagement
below.
 Influence level: Give stakeholders rating labels from
very high to very low based on how much influence
they have on the project.

 Communication frequency: Identify how often
you’ll communicate with this stakeholder.
 Communication channel approach: Identify
what communication tool you’ll use to
communicate with this stakeholder.
 Information type: Identify the type of
information you’ll deliver to this stakeholder
when communicating.

Steps to create an SEP
1. Need to understand what their needs are and how they
influence your project.
2. Map stakeholders on influence/interest grid

3. Build a communication plan
4. Use feedback to revise plan as needed
5. Manage Stakeholder Engagement

Monitor Stakeholder Engagement
 Stakeholders are vital to the success of
every project.
 Monitoring and controlling Stakeholder
Engagement is more than just responding to
concerns. It requires, throughout the project
life cycle,

 anticipating engagement requirements
 monitoring stakeholder relationships
 ensuring that the engagement plan is followed
 adopting different strategies, when needed

How to MONITOR (INSPECT) STAKEHOLDER
ENGAGEMENT:
Stakeholder Engagement inspection is always
assessed against the
1. Stakeholder Management Plan. Keep this
handy and available.
2. You will want to check that the project's
Stakeholder Engagement activities are;-

3. Managing Stakeholder expectations
4. Improving the understanding of Stakeholders'
5. needs and expectations
6. Fostering Stakeholder support
7. Addressing emerging issues early, before they
get too big
8. Enhancing Stakeholder satisfaction to the
degree possible.

Communication and Stakeholder management Ch 1-4.pptx

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