Marjorie AndersonDirector of Community| Product SchoolNewtown Square, Pa, United States
There are times in communicating with others when what is said and what is heard are completely different things. This could happen for various reasons. Assuredly, this could cause a hiccup in managing stakeholder expectations if everyone is not on the same page due to a communication roadblock. What are some ways you have overcome such hurdles? One of my tried and true tactics is to repeat what has been said to me for understanding. What happens when, no matter what, your message still gets lost and it causes conflict? What are some ways you've gone about resolving it? Saving Changes...
Rebecca BraglioCommunity Engagement Specialist II| Project Management InstituteNewtown Square, Pa, United States
When I've found that a stakeholder has "heard what she wanted to hear/misconstrued things" rather than what I actually said (or what was actually agreed upon), I do a few things to put out the fire. I usually acknowledge immediately that there was a miscommunication -- and I don't attribute blame to anyone for it. I then try to segway into how do we fix this quickly and move forward.
As a preventative measure, I might preface conversations with "So per our discussion where we agreed that xxxx." I've found it's a good way to test to make sure we're all on the same page, because if we aren't that's when someone usually speaks up. Saving Changes...
