Can managers learn to communicate?

by Jo Ann Sweeney - 16:50 on 14 August 2010

Are people skills about character – some people have them and some don’t – or can they be learned and developed over time?

Probably it is a bit of both. Some of us naturally click with people while others of us have to make an effort to see things from perspectives different to our own. The starting point is seeing this as a continuum rather than an either-or situation and understanding where we are on the spectrum and where we want to be.

Those of us who naturally click with others will find we’re already good at listening, developing trusting relationships, setting clear priorities, encouraging collaboration, communicating vision and the other skills that build team cohesion.

Start with mindset

If we are not so good we can develop these skills. The starting point is a change in mindset. This is about seeing people and the role they play in the team as being as important as the team’s tasks and objectives. When we have this mindset we are will to put significant chunks of our time and energy into encouraging people as well as into tasks

American Adam Michaelson PMP sums this up: “I see these skills more as attributes of character, especially building relationships, collaboration and consensus. They’re harder to teach if you don’t have integrity in the way you work. It’s not about our ability for introspection but about our trustworthiness.”

Value people

Valuing individuals for who they are is also crucial. People who like people, who respect and value others, can’t hide it. Their attitudes show in the way they speak to and behave towards others. The opposite also applies.

“The more we interact with people the easier projects become,” said Australian project manager Paul Ramussen. “Lots of projects tend to be very people-centred, so people-based skills are core. You can build them up, though it will take lots of work to develop if you don’t have them in the first place.”

Practice, practice, practice

Listening, understanding, collaborating and other communication skills are built through practice over time. The more we practice the more competent we become, especially if we have someone more experienced to coach and guide us.

Washington-based Jhaymee Wilson PMP said: “Communication skills are not something you learn overnight, you can’t open a book and learn them. They take trial and error. If you work at it and practice you can develop a strong communication skills set.”

Added South African Linky Van Der Merwe PMP: “If project managers keep on practicing they will become effective professionals. After all communications is what we do 90 per cent of the time.”

This article is based on interviews that were originally published as Five Essential Rules for Project Leaders on the PMI Career Central website.

In this series I look in detail at each of the essential communication skills identified in my research, asking how project managers can develop those they need in their roles. My earlier articles are:
No. 1: Active listening
No. 2: Building relationships based on trust
No. 3: Setting clear priorities
No. 4: Enabling collaboration
No. 5: Conveying vision

Jo Ann Sweeney is a communications consultant who helps project teams win the support of their sponsors, senior executives and end users.
 

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