Anyone who has been involved in projects, whether managing them, part of the team or part of the PMO (Project Management Office) knows that effective communication is crucial for a successful project. And since stakeholder management is part of any project it stands to reason that communication with stakeholders also has to be clear and effective. Often different stakeholders will not be fully aligned with the project’s goals. That might seem counter-intuitive – surely everyone wants the project to succeed? But, in reality, stakeholders can have competing priorities about what the final project outcome will look like. However, challenges such as this can be mitigated, and opportunities maximised, when everyone is clear and honest in their communication.
That’s not always as easy as it sounds. Many professionals find it difficult to convey their messages succinctly with the end result being misunderstandings or, worse, conflicts. yet, by focusing on clear communication, project professionals can build good relationships with all stakeholders on a project and ensure everyone has the same understanding and expectations of the project. When that is the case, team morale is boosted and the chance of project success improves.
How Stakeholders Influence Projects
Project stakeholders are individual people or groups who have a vested interest in the successful delivery of a project. This could be the clients of the department running the project (either external clients or internal to the organisation). Stakeholders can also be senior executives, suppliers or even a whole community. Whatever type of stakeholders are involved in your project, their expectations will influence the project’s direction, especially if they also control the project budget.
Recognising the different perspectives is vital. Take, as an example, a recent project I was involved on with a group of volunteers to deliver a new website for a charity. Everybody wanted the project to succeed – it was, after all, for a very good cause – but some stakeholders, towards the end of the project, began voicing dissatisfaction with one part of the final website. It wasn’t what they expected and they had assumed it would look different to how it actually did. This was a lesson for everyone involved. There were technical limitations concerning the part of the website in dispute but, nevertheless, clearer communication of that fact much earlier in the project would not have resulted in a late stage pause of the new launch while frayed tempers were soothed.
Most definitely a lesson learned in spending time to understand varying interests and assumptions so the project manager can tailor their communication strategies appropriately.
The Importance of Good Stakeholder Engagement
By ensuring their are open and honest relationships with all stakeholders, project managers will understand their expectations, which will ensure project decisions always align with the overall objectives. That doesn’t mean that all expectations are always aligned with objectives because some stakeholders will expect more than can reasonably be delivered with the resources available. Nevertheless, having open dialogue ensure stakeholders know that their opinions have been heard. Failure to do this can result in issues surfacing late in the project when they are likely to be more difficult – or more expensive – to resolve.
Effective communication is necessary to engage the stakeholders and make them feel involved in the decision-making process. For this reason, project managers should ensure they communicate with them regularly – of course with status updates or progress reports – but also, where possible face-to-face.
Some projects are so complex that stakeholder communication is a challenge in itself. Project managers need to understand the relationships between different groups or people so that the communication strategies are appropriate for each different group. Identifying the specific interests of the stakeholders ensures all voices are heard – not just the loudest or the most senior.
Key Communication Strategies To Use With Project Stakeholders
Several communication strategies can be used to improve stakeholder management. As I’ve already mentioned, one of the first steps is to understand each stakeholder’s specific expectations and preferences. This helps to customise communication methods so that stakeholders receive vital information via emails, presentations, face-to-face or virtual discussions – or whatever is their preferred method. That is a task set out at the project initiation stage, but there is much more to communication that sending regular emails or having regular meeting so let’s take a closer look at 3 other areas of communication that project managers should be focusing on…
Active Listening
Active listening is an essential component of effective communication. It requires fully engaging with the speaker to understand their perspective. Project managers can adjust their strategies by genuinely taking on board stakeholder feedback (from past projects and during current projects) and clearly showing that their opinions matter.
Active listening is one of the building blocks of a good relationship with stakeholders – or indeed anyone with whom you are communicating. When all views and opinions are acknowledged, people are more likely to work together in challenging situations to find solutions to problems. It’s always worth summarising all discussions with stakeholders in writing – to confirm everyone’s understanding is the same when important decisions have been made.
Flexibility in Communication Style
Visual aids enhance understanding for many people, especially when complex information is concerned so use charts or graphs to make it easier for stakeholders to fully understand key points. Adapting to the different types of data or information on different projects is a skill that the best project professionals will aim to develop to ensure their messages are received as intended.
Overcoming Communication Barriers
Another part of effective communication is being able to overcome communication barriers, which are far more common than most project professionals would like to acknowledge. Communication barriers occur in various forms and can be due to various reasons. For instance, language different levels of technical understanding are common barriers so recognising and addressing these right from the start is essential for genuinely effective stakeholder management.
Let’s take a closer look at those 3 common communication barriers…
Cultural and Language Differences
Cultural differences will have an impact on the communication styles that work best within an international project. It’s important to recognise that certain words, phrases or tone of voice may be considered direct in one culture but rude in another. So, project professionals need to be aware and sensitive when communicating with people from diverse backgrounds. This can be true even when people speak the same language.
Avoid Jargon
Not everyone will understand jargon or technical terms and, in fact, there is rarely a good reason to use jargon or overly technical language. Instead, use clear words and phrases throughout the project documentation and communications to ensure your audience fully understands the information. Where there are complex concepts try to explain them in simple language. There will always be difficult decisions and compromises to be made on projects but when everyone fully understands why then they are more likely to be on board with the project’s direction.
Communicate Openly
Open communication should always be actively encouraged – leading by example is one way to do this. That’s not always easy but will avoid misunderstandings and, in the long run, result in more successful projects. Seeking feedback throughout the project is also a good way to create a culture of open communication. You can choose to do that via surveys to allow stakeholders to voice their thoughts and concerns. This approach builds trust but, perhaps more importantly, allows you to continuously improve your communication strategies. One additional benefit is that open discussions reveal different perspectives, which can lead to innovative solutions to problems. This is a simple way to gain valuable insights that will have a positive impact on all future project outcomes.
