The Project Shrink

You  can practice your communication skills by engaging in social media. Josh Nankivel from PMStudent.com explains a technique he uses when creating engaging blog posts for an audience he has never met.


 

This week in the Project Shrink question box:

"Dear Project Shrink. When a meeting is biased towards an individual, complaining about the performance of a person, and not the real issues, how do I correct if I am the last in the meeting line up?"

Let me first congratulate you on the fact that you are reluctant to focus on personal attacks (or maybe the individual is you?). Two rules in projects concerning social interaction:

1) in group communication it should never be a personal attack;
2) if you have issues with an individual, you'll discuss it in private between the two of you.

In my initial answer to this question, I wanted to make distinction in the reasons why Complain Parties occur. But in the end it doesn't make a difference if it's about creating a common enemy for some black hat team building. Or about creating a scapegoat to hide your own failures. Or just because he looks so much more awesome in jeans than you. Or about skills.

No difference.

If you really are last in line, before officially the "floor" is handed over to you (which seems like a problem of its own to me), you'll have to cut in. In general I don't suggest you start yelling: "Stop this Pitty Fest. Focus on the real issues!"

I would ask kindly for clarification.  

"I understand you have some issues with Bob. But could you please explain the underlying problems involved so I get a sense of how I might help solve your problem?"

1. Acknowledge that you hear his problem with Bob.
2. Move the focus to the "real" issues.
3. Offer assistance to help.

And if this doesn't help?

Well. What do you think?
 

This week in the Project Shrink question box:

"Dear Project Shrink. How do you tell your Project Manager his leadership skills are terrible?"

Ah. A nice topic full of booby traps.

First there is this whole idea that your boss should not have to motivate you. You should be a self-starter, self-motivator, one happy-always-smiling-so-jolly-you-get-sick employee. And who needs leadership? You are a paid professional, you should know where you are going. Vision? Bah! Humbug!

I personally don't think that this is how it works. For some people, perhaps. But certainly not for everyone. So yes, you might demand from your Project Manager he has leadership skills.

So, how to address this issue?

Be sure of your arguments on which you base your opinion. What actions did he perform that bothered you? Which actions were neglected you would have expected? I prefer to collect examples of certain situations as it helps you to do two things: 1) it helps you to communicate what it is you mean, and 2) it assists you in reflecting on your perception of the situation: is it just a feeling or did it really happen?

I am always in favor of talking directly to the person that bothers me. Note that I said "in favor", not "like doing". I am not sure there is a right way of doing this.

Like Statford and Waldorf, the two old Muppets on the balcony: "Booooo! Boooo! You are terrible! Booooo!"

Ok. It need to be respectful.

"Dear, powerful boss. Let me first express my sincerest appreciation for allowing me into three meters distance of your eternal wisdom. I cannot remember working for such a great and wonderful human being."

Short and on topic. Definitely that.

"Dear Chief. Bill has some problems with your way of leading. Bill, that is that guy, over there."

And keep it focused on your opinion. About what you personally experience.

How would you tell your manager?
 

If you run virtual teams I'll share you in this clip a great tip for team building: creating 3 short movies (1-2mins).

Whatever your take is of social media, there is no denying that it has attracted a mass audience. From children to grandparents, from wold travelers to cubicle warriors, they all have found a place at social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn. Perhaps it might have been a kids play at first, but, somehow, something that wasn't supposed to be valuable for business, now is. Looking closer at social media, this is not a surprise.

Sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Youtube, Twitter and blogs in general are primary concerned with social interaction, hence the “social” in media. Anything that can help improve communication in any context, but especially in a business environment, is more than welcome. I am mainly concerned with the world of executing projects, an area in which bad communication traditionally is the number one project killer. Problems all ready occur in an setting where team members and stakeholders are in one building, speaking the same language. The use of virtual, distributed teams has only increased the challenges in the communication department.

Face-to-face communication is way more effective than sending emails back and forth. Words just form 7% of our communication, the rest is 38% tone of voice and 55% body language; elements we lack when dealing with virtual channels. When you're company is housed in one central building, it might be even difficult to locate the right person for a specific expertise. If you blow up the pond you're currently fishing in to the size of an ocean, you'll get a sense of the problem globalization is creating for locating the right talent.

Putting home movies on Youtube is not going to solve all these issues. But the way these tools are constructed enable improved communication when face-to-face interaction is not feasible. In this post I will discuss two elements of social media that do just that: feedback and “filling in blanks”. The second part is dedicated to ensuring the tools are used.

I want to emphasize that the specific tools discussed are used for illustration purposes only. I'll focus on publicly available tools that are free. These sites might not offer the security your organization needs. In some cases it is desirable to only allow access behind your company's firewall. For almost every type of free public tool, is a hosted or private version available.

Communication

*) Feedback

The secret to effective communication is feedback. In a normal face-to-face discussion you ask questions, clarification and confirmation to make sure the message is understood. You can create a summary of what is being said, you can reply the same information but in different words; there are all kinds of techniques to enhance the effectiveness of the talk.

In social media digital feedback mechanism are provided. The ability to leave comments on blogs is an essential part of the medium. Social networks like LinkedIn provide the opportunity to have entire online conversations in an answer-reply sequence: the discussion groups.

Example: On a project the sponsor can use a blog to describe the business situation that underlies the project goal. He can inform team members and stakeholders about changes in the environment and decisions that have to be made. By allowing and encouraging comments, team members can have a direct discussion with the sponsor without too many links in the communication chain.


*) Filling the blanks

Social media is all about having a “conversation”. An exchange of information between persons. You can write your question in a word document. Upload it. Send me a mail. I check the mail. Download the document. Answer the question. Well, you get the idea. It’s a hassle. But that is not why this conversation isn’t “social media”. Social media puts the emphasis on the person in the conversation. It is not only about the message itself, but also about the personas of the people involved in the exchange.

That is why we love big photos of real people next to the conversation. That is why it’s important to have an prominent “about” page on your blog. When we have a conversation the actual content of the message is only a small part of the story. Based upon our perception of the other person we fill in blanks, we create assumptions, we draw conclusions and color the message to a more “detailed” image.

Social media supports multiple mechanisms to help us fill in the blanks. LinkedIn displays the badges of the groups you are a member of. People see the groups you are associating yourself with and create assumptions based on that. I am a member of several Project Management communities. The mechanism works the same as the “I am a PC, I am a Mac” campaign. If you have a PC, people think you are a nerd, if you have a Mac, people think you are cool and creative.

LinkedIn provides recommendations. People write recommendations for other people. With this they are building a reputation. If I need a plumber, I ask my neighbor. I trust my neighbor, therefor I trust the plumber he recommends. The reputation that is build up and propagated is used by me to build up a mental construct of the persona.

Example: When you have to locate a specific expertise within your company, you can find the talent fast and efficient if they have an profile page on the social network. Once located, you'll be able to make up your mind by reading recommendations from others and other elements of this persons digital footprint.

Roadmap

The fact that social media offers mechanisms to improve communication doesn't automatically mean it is going to happen. It's an enabler when properly used. The fact that blogs offer the opportunity for feedback, doesn't mean it is being used. If an executive is using a blog to “reach out”, invites to feedback, but doesn't participate himself in the discussions that might follow, this mechanism will stop being effective quickly.


*) Project

If you are running projects, this is where you want to solve your communication issues. Although social media is a very young, research about successful virtual teams showed us how to use social media in projects before social media was invented. In 2004 the Harvard Business Review published a great article called “Can Absence Make A Team Grow Stronger”. The article describes three rules to create successful virtual teams. Although the authors don’t use the word “Social Media”, this technology fits like a glove to their research findings. The essence: it’s not about the tool. It’s about you, enabling your team to work as if they are in the same room.

Rule 1: Exploit Diversity:
With virtual teams, this diversity will probably be larger than with collocated teams. Diversity creates different viewpoints, different ways of problem solving, other ways of looking at the world in general. To be able to exploit diversity in a constructive way, people have to get to know each other a little better. Build trust and respect by sharing their backgrounds, expertise and reputation. The “filling the blanks” mechanisms from social media are suited for this purpose. You'll have to make sure everyone has filled in his or her profile, and create opportunities to share this information.

Rule 2: Use Technology to Simulate Reality
What the authors found is successful virtual teams use technology to mimic real life group processes. It should be regarded as the same level as “real life”. For example, a virtual meeting should be treated with the same respect and priority as face-to-face meetings.  

Rule 3: Hold The Team Together
Rule number three is concerned with the Project Manager or team leader. It is about your job. It is about your task. It’s your job to communicate with the team to make it work. You have to identify commonalities between the group members that strengthen the group. Use this to emphasize a group identity. Adopt common language that sets the team apart from other teams.

*) Personal

To be able to use social media in your project or organization you'll have to give the good example, you'll have to lead by example. Successful usage start with your personal skills. You'll have to be comfortable communicating digitally. And you'll have to be clear about what you bring to the table, what is it you're about?

You can start training your personal social media skills by starting a blog or commenting on others. Get over fears and become comfortable. Create online profiles, for example on LinkedIn or Facebook. Not to get a lot of “friends”, but merely to put yourself on the spot in defining yourself on a profile page.

Remember, it’s not about the tool. It’s about you, being able to use it.

*) Professional

Just being on your own is not very “social”. Social media is about connecting with people and conversations. On the professional level you have to develop your interaction skills. Start reading and participating in online communities, on blogs and social networks. Get into the conversation.

It is not only about getting used to having engaging conversations online, but also about getting noticed. The professional network is huge, how are people going to find out about you?

Again, it’s not about the tool. It’s about you, connecting to your professional community.
 

This post is largely based upon my 2009 presentation: "Everything A Project Manager Should Know About Social Media". You can find the slidedeck here.