Yesterday, today and tomorrow – the web will continue to evolve but one thing will remain constant: the need for good project management and communication. To whit: once you’ve identified your project, made your case, scoped your project and assembled your team, what happens next? Strong communication is one of the most critical tools in determining any project’s success, and in higher ed – with its huge range of skill sets, styles and personalities – creating that strong communication flow can be immensely challenging … and rewarding. Let’s talk tactics, tips, and tools for building communication as part of your basic project management methodology. In this presentation, we will understand a range of communication styles that can help (and hinder) projects, identify tactics for more effective communication with a broad variety of higher education project team members, and evaluate tools and channels to foster strong project management communication.

1. Talking It Out: Simple, Sublime &
(sort of) the Key to Project Success
Project Management Communication
Colleen Brennan-Barry
Monroe Community College / Rochester, NY
@ColB ** #TalkItOut

2. 80%
of a Project Manager’s time
is spent communicating.
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3. Three Realities for Every PM

4. Three Realities for Every PM
You set the tempo.
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5. Three Realities for Every PM
The types of project stakeholders – and
communication needs – are legion.
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6. Three Realities for Every PM
Project communication can make
or break a project.
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7. NO PRESSURE.
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8. Project Communications:
BASELINES
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9. “Systematic planning,
implementing, monitoring, and
revision of all the channels of
communication within an
organization, and between
organizations”
Project Communications:

10. Project Communicator Roles
• Cruise Director
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11. Project Communicator Roles
• Cruise Director
• Drill Sergeant
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12. Project Communicator Roles
• Cruise Director
• Drill Sergeant
• Archivist
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13. Project Communicator Roles
• Cruise Director
• Drill Sergeant
• Archivist
• Troubleshooter
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Cannon;

14. Project Communicator Roles
• Cruise Director
• Drill Sergeant
• Archivist
• Troubleshooter
• Distributor
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Cannon; Gwan Kho

15. Project Communicator Roles
• Cruise Director
• Drill Sergeant
• Archivist
• Troubleshooter
• Distributor
• Translator
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Cannon; Gwan Kho; bpedro

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17. Project Communicator Responsibilities
“Planning is worthless
unless there is first a
strategic vision.”
– John Naisbitt
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18. In a nutshell:
Sharing
the right
messages with
the right
people in
the right way.
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ColKorn1982

19. Project Communications:
PLANNING

20. Planning: Step 1
Get Educated: Intake and Initiation
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21. Planning: Step 2
Lay the Project Out
• What is the content? (Content & Deliverables)

22. Planning: Step 2
Lay the Project Out
• Who needs & manages the content? (Roles &
Personalities)

23. Planning: Step 2
Lay the Project Out
• How do they need it, & how can we deliver it?
(Channels & Resources)

24. Planning: Step 2
Lay the Project Out
• When do they need it? (Timeline & Frequency)

25. Planning: Step 2
Lay the Project Out
• What is its importance? (Prioritization)

26. Planning: Step 2
Lay the Project Out
• How do we complete it? (Benchmarks)

27. Planning: Step 2
Lay the Project Out
• How do we measure and evaluate? (Metrics)
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28. Planning: Step
3
Identify
Stakeholders
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MARCZERO1980

29. Planning:
Step 4
Create
Documentation &
Workflows
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MARCZERO1980

30. Planning: Step 5
Set the Structure and the Beat
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31. Project Communications:
STYLES & STRATEGIES

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33. 4 Types of Communicators
According to American Management Association
Controller
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34. 4 Types of Communicators
According to American Management Association
Analyzer
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35. 4 Types of Communicators
According to American Management Association
Supporter
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36. 4 Types of Communicators
According to American Management Association
Promoter
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37. 3 Types of Communication
1. Oral
2. Written
3. Non-Verbal

38. Oral
Meetings, meetings, meetings
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39. Written
Document, document, document
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40. Non-Verbal
Observe, observe, observe
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41. “Written
words are only
painted fire; a
look is the fire
itself.” - Mark Twain
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43. Communication Qualities

44. A key part of the communicator’s job:
Determine each communication’s
type and traits.

45. Tailor Your Communications:
Effective project communication is
audience- and situation-specific.
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46. For Example:
Upward Communication
• To Project Sponsor / Higher Ups
• More formal
• More official
• Written or formal presentation
• “Big Picture” and progress
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47. For Example:
Lateral Communication
• To Project Team
• Informal
• Both official and unofficial
• Oral and written
• Project detail, vision, motivation
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48. For Example:
Tertiary Communication
• To General Stakeholders
• Intermediate formality
• Official
• Written
• Overview and non-detailed
updates
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49. Considerations
Culture
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50. Considerations
Industry
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51. Considerations
Change
“Life belongs to the living, and he who
lives must be prepared for change.”
- Goethe

52. Considerations
Conflict Strategy
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53. Considerations
Simplicity
“The more we elaborate
our means of
communication, the less
we communicate.”
- J. B. Priestly
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54. Project Communications:
TOOLS

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56. Consider your WHOLE toolbox.

57. Tools: Traditional
• Phone
• Meetings
• Documentation
• Email
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echiner1

58. • Blogs
• Wikis
• Bug & Ticket Tracking
• Collaborative PM Systems
• Cloud Docs & Tools
Tools: Technical

59. • Blogs
• Wikis
• Bug & Ticket Tracking
• Collaborative PM Systems
• Cloud Docs & Tools
Tools: Technical

60. • Blogs
• Wiki
• Issue Ticket
Tracking
• Collaborative PM Systems
• Cloud Docs & Tools
Tools: Technical

61. • Blogs
• Wiki
• Issue Ticket Tracking
• Collaborative
PM Systems
• Cloud Docs & Tools
Tools: Technical

62. • Blogs
• Wiki
• Issue Ticket Tracking
• Collaborative PM Systems
• Cloud Docs &
Tools
Tools: Technical

63. Tools: Software

64. Project Communications:
IN SUMMARY
• Communication sets project tempo, tone and
success.
• Project communication is layered and complex, and
needs a full plan to guide it.
• Communication happens in many ways and forms,
and must be tailored to each audience /use case.
• Use available tools to help reach communication
goals.

65. Colleen Brennan-Barry
colleenbrennanbarry.com
@ColB ** cbarry@monroecc.edu
Thank you.