Interpersonal skills & Communication

Interpersonalskills &Communication Edina NagyLajos KissSzabolcs Hornyák

Overview • Interpersonalskills • Leadership • Team building • Motivation • Communication • Influencing • Decisionmaking • Negotiation • References

The leader… If the leader is good the people will follow him.

Interpersonalskills Project managers (leaders) use a combination of technical, human, and conceptual skills to analyze situations and interact appropriately with team members. Using appropriate interpersonal skills aids project managers in capitalizing on the strengths of all team members.

Interpersonalskills Leadership

Leadership Leadership involves focusing the efforts of a group of people toward a common goal and enabling them towork as a team. In general terms, leadership is the ability to get things done through others. Respect and trust,rather than fear and submission, are the key elements of effective leadership. Although important throughoutall project phases, effective leadership is critical during the beginning phases of a project when the emphasis ison communicating the vision and motivating and inspiring project participants to achieve high performance.

Interpersonalskills Team Building

Team Building Team building is the process of helping a group of individuals, bound by a common sense of purpose, to work interdependently with each other, the leader, external stakeholders, and the organization. Team building activities consist of tasks and processes. Developing a team environment involves handling project team problems and discussing these as team issues without placing blame on individuals. Outcomes of team building include mutual trust, high quality of information exchange, better decision making, and effective project control.

Interpersonalskills Motivation

Motivation The overall success of the project depends upon the project team’s commitment, which is directly related to their level of motivation. Motivating in a project environment involves creating an environment to meet project objectives while offering maximum self-satisfaction related to what people value most. These values may include job satisfaction, challenging work, achievement and growth, sufficient financial compensation, and other rewards and recognition the individual considers necessary and important.

Motivation In the lowest level of the pyramid is the basic physiological needs, and then towards the apex of the pyramid there are higher motives. All individual is in a level of the pyramid. According to maslow that the next level's needs arises if the underneath needs are fulfilled in parts.

Interpersonalskills Communication

Communication Communication has beenidentifiedasone of thesinglebiggestreasonsfor project successorfailure. Effectivecommunicationwithinthe project team and betweenthe project manager, team members, and allexternalstakeholders is essential. Opennessincommunication is a gatewaytoteamwork and high performance. Itimprovesrelationshipsamong project team members and createsmutualtrust.

Communication To communicate effectively, the project manager should be aware of the communication styles of other parties, cultural issues, relationships, personalities, and overall context of the situation. Project managers should identify various communication channels, understand what information they need to provide, what information they need to receive, and which interpersonal skills will help them communicate effectively with various project stakeholders.

Communication Communication activity has many potential dimensions: • Internal (within the project) and external(customer, other projects, the media, the public), • Formal (reports, memos, briefings) and informal (emails, ad-hoc discussions), • Vertical (up and down the organization) and horizontal (with peers), • Official (newsletters, annual report) and unofficial (off the record communications), • Written and oral • Verbal and non-verbal (voice inflections, body language).

Interpersonalskills Influencing

Influencing Influencing is a strategy of sharing power and relying on interpersonal skills to get others to cooperate towards common goals. Using the following guidelines can influence team members: • Lead by example, and follow through with commitments • Clarify how a decision will be made • Use a flexible interpersonal style, adjust the style to the audience • Apply your power skillfully and cautiously. Think of long-term collaboration.

Interpersonalskills DecisionMaking

DecisionMaking There are four basic decision styles normally used by project managers: • command • consultation • consensus • coin flip (random) There are four major factors that affect the decision style: time constraints, trust, quality, and acceptance. Project managers may make decisions individually, or they may involve the project team in the decision-making process.

DecisionMaking Project managers and project teams sometimes use a decision-making model or process such as the six-phase model shown below: Fully explore, clarify, and define the problem.

DecisionMaking Project managers and project teams sometimes use a decision-making model or process such as the six-phase model shown below: Prolong the new idea generating process by brainstorming multiple solutions and discouraging premature decisions.

DecisionMaking Project managers and project teams sometimes use a decision-making model or process such as the six-phase model shown below: Define evaluation criteria, rate pros and cons of alternatives, select best solution.

DecisionMaking Project managers and project teams sometimes use a decision-making model or process such as the six-phase model shown below: Involve key participants to gain acceptance and commitment to making the solution work.

DecisionMaking Project managers and project teams sometimes use a decision-making model or process such as the six-phase model shown below: Post-implementation analysis, evaluation, and lessons learned.

DecisionMaking Project managers and project teams sometimes use a decision-making model or process such as the six-phase model shown below: Evaluate how well the problem was solved or project goals were achieved (extension of previous phase).

Interpersonalskills Negotiation

Negotiation Negotiation is a strategy of conferring with parties of shared or opposed interests with a view to compromise or reach an agreement. Negotiation is an integral part of project management and done well, increases the probability of project success.

Negotiation The following skills are useful in negotiating successfully: • Analyze the situation. • Differentiate between wants and needs • Focus on interests and issues rather than on positions. • Ask high and offer low, but be realistic. • Do a good job in listening and articulating.

References PMBOK®—FourthEdition Interpersonal skills - APPENDIX G Page: 417. - 421. Chapter 10 - Project Communications Management Page: 243.

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Interpersonal skills & Communication