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3 quick ways to improve your project management communication skills

Effective communication isn’t a skill you should underestimate, especially when it comes to successful project management. 

The ability to clearly and cohesively communicate your ideas or thoughts to a team can be crucial. It can not only help you avoid any crossed-wires, but it can also enable you to strengthen connections, establish trust, and generally increase your team’s efficiency and productivity. 

Today, we’re going to explore 3 ways to improve your communication skills in a professional capacity. These tips will be essential if you’re looking to develop your leadership qualities, and will be equally ideal if you’re thinking of completing a Project Management Certification.

So, have we communicated ourselves clearly? Then let’s dive in…

Don’t interrupt

When in conversation with your colleague, try to refrain from interrupting them. Instead, listen carefully and attentively, absorbing the information they’re attempting to convey whilst giving them ample space to express themselves.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t be active in the conversation. Being present in the dialogue, asking questions for clarification or requesting the other to expand on certain topics, means you will be able to access a deeper level of understanding.

If you’re planning to become a project manager or leader in an organisation, this skill is absolutely vital. Your colleagues may want to convey certain facts or outline what support they need in order to meet established milestones, or they may want to flag specific difficulties or concerns for your attention. Either way, when your team approaches you, give them the focus and respect they deserve.

Be authentic

We’ve all been there, haven’t we? Trapped in an exchange where the other individual is… well… babbling nonsense, throwing jargon around like it’s going out of fashion in a misguided attempt to show off their own cleverness.

Nobody enjoys those conversations and really, they don’t achieve anything either. They’re condescending, frustrating and unnecessary. So when you are communicating with a team member, make sure that you are authentic and direct in your expression.

Genuineness can go a long way to building trust with a team. If you’re too focused on throwing around convoluted terminology or flaunting your own expertise, you’ll only alienate those around you. Yet if you’re authentic in what you’re expressing and are happy to ‘hand over the reins’ of the conversation to the skilled individuals in your team, chances are your team will respond with a similar level of enthusiasm and engagement.

And do you know what enthusiastic and engaged teams do? They collaborate much more consistently and are able to achieve much more in a shorter space of time.

Be an enabler

Now we’re not talking about goading a co-worker into eating just one more doughnut. Rather, we mean being the person who encourages others to share their ideas and inspiration, their research, data, information, discoveries, achievements, progress and assets.

Whatever you think will benefit the team’s performance, create an inviting space where you can come together and discuss your findings. Great leadership skills involve nurturing collaboration and connection, yet by opening up conversations where your role is to acknowledge and uplift others, you will ensure your team is all on the same page, remaining on track through shared accountability, whilst also reinforcing a solid support network within your organisation.     

Likewise, having total clarity on what everyone’s achieved/what responsibilities remain outstanding means you’ll be able to more efficiently identify the progress of a project, and identify where resources may potentially need to be redistributed.

So there you have it. This is just an insight into 3 quick ways you can develop your communication skills as a project manager or team leader. 

As we said before, communication is undeniably a crucial skill for effective project management. With so many moving pieces and plates to keep spinning, with teams potentially split across locations around the world, the only way you’ll be able to efficiently take a project from inception to completion is through clear communication and shared understanding. And as a leader, your ability to connect, collaborate and nurture your team is equally non-negotiable, if you want to achieve great outcomes for your business.   

If you’re considering pursuing a Project Management Certification in New Zealand, expect to dive much deeper into the topic of communication skills, in addition to other skills such as systematic and lateral thinking, planning and implementing projects, plus improving critical personnel skills too.

In fact, working towards the position of Project Manager could be the best step to evolve your career (especially as the salary of a successful Project Manager averages between $120k and $140k.) So if you’d like to develop your professional skills and job prospects even further, make sure to check out what our course can offer you today.

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