The Right Words: Communicate Clearly With Stakeholders

  PM Network  

Lewis Carroll’s 1872 classic Through the Looking- Glass might not seem to have much to do with the current project landscape in Asia Pacific and beyond. Yet consider this from Humpty Dumpty: “When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean—nothing more and nothing less.”

Interestingly, Mr. Dumpty’s view of communication is similar to that of most people’s today. But if you want to communicate with a purpose, the listener needs to understand why you have chosen the words you have.

Making a noise or sending e-mails is not true communication; communication is a twoway process to build a common understanding. Without that understanding it’s impossible to agree, disagree or resolve anything.

Although any language is made up of words and words have meaning, it’s context that is critical. Take the following sentence, for instance: “Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.” It could be restated as: “Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to bestow the gift.” Most people with a command of English would have little difficulty in distinguishing the different meanings of the word “present” within the context of the whole sentence.

But it’s not that simple, especially for project managers working with …

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