Communicating Effectively

           Our professor assigned us the task of watching a media presentation in which a message was delivered through three separate and distinct modalities.  After watching each presented modality, my interpretation of the message changed.  This illustrates the importance of effective communication with members of a project team.  Not only is it important to communicate confidently and consistently, it is important to relay the message in multiple formats and in many ways.  The way we communicate can change the interpretation of the message.

In his reflections on effective leadership, Greer points out that Ralph Waldo Emerson said “God will not have his work be made manifest by cowards” (2010, p.61) and “A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the luster of the firmament of bards and sages... Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string” (2010, p.50).  In so many ways, people who trust themselves communicate effectively because there is power and strength behind their words.  They do not back down when there is a communication breach.  Rather, they see it as just that, a breakdown in communication.  Strong communicators bring peace rather than strife to a project because they do not blame others; they simply communicate the message over and over in many different ways until the message is heard (Simonson, et.al., 2012).  They inspire others to get the work done.  Strong communicators lead effectively (Portny, et.al., 2008).

Reflection: My interpretation of the message as delivered in each of the different modalities
Email	Jane needs an immediate response from Mark regarding the status of important data.
Voicemail	Jane appreciates Mark’s help, but she is stuck on her project until she receives Mark’s data.  Jane needs to know the status of the data.  It seems like an urgent request.  Jane seems annoyed with Mark.
Face to Face	Jane needs an immediate response regarding the data Mark is working on since she is at a standstill and may miss her deadline. She communicates the urgency effectively by approaching him face to face.  Obviously, she cannot work on her project or she would be working rather than standing at his desk speaking to him.

References

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Learning from a project post-mortem: school district technology resources initiative

          A few years ago, our school district technology coordinator approached me to help her with a project.  The project goal was to compile a digital resource for students and parents, accessible on our school district website.  Each IDer/SME (teacher) on this team would record herself/himself teaching a specific reading/math skill in order to provide students and parents a resource for help with relearning missed skills due to absences, etc… Each teacher was trained in Camtasia, a screen capture software, and given the necessary software and hardware to begin the project.  Each teacher was also trained in uploading the media files to the school district website.  The project, to my knowledge, was never completed and/or used effectively.

            Although I was effectively trained in both Camtasia and website configuration, I only followed through on the project with a few recordings of specific reading skills.  The project fell to the bottom of my priority list as I was not held accountable and I did not see the program being used effectively.  Quite honestly, at the time it seemed like a waste of time given the other more demanding pulls on my life as a teacher.

            Had the PM been more intentional about holding the IDers/SMEs accountable, perhaps with a monetary reward or even brief emails throughout the project, this project may have been more successful (Portny, et.al., 2008).  It seemed like a great idea on paper, but it never took off.  Perhaps the PM could have spearheaded the project more effectively by showing us school districts where this type of media is being used effectively (Portny, et.al, 2008).  Or perhaps the PM could have consistently referred the IDers and SMEs back to the project goals and objectives, encouraging us to stick to the project with more intensity (Simonson, et.al., 2012, p.158).  Communication could have been helped the project to be more successful (Greer, 2010).  Since the project did not, over time, seem to be a priority to the PM, the IDers/SMEs did not give it priority.

References

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Project Management Course: Welcome

As I continue my journey towards mastering curriculum design and instructional technology, Walden University says I must learn to be a PM.  Although I don't think it's necessary, my colleagues have informed me that Fortune Magazine says PMing is an up and coming career, so thank you Walden U!

I hope you will find this blog to be interesting, informative, and helpful as we explore the PM world together.