ANSWER
Communication Plan
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Communication Plan
Effective communication management in a project-based organization requires communication that is clear and concise. The table below shows the type of communication used by the project member.
| Description
(What type of communication needs to take place, i.e., a team meeting?) |
Stakeholders Involved
(Who should be included in the development of this communication?) |
Frequency
(How often will the communication occur?) |
Stakeholder’s Preferred Method of Communication
(Meeting, newsletter, etc.) |
Audience
(Who is the recipient of the communication?) |
Project Member
(Who is responsible for the communication?) |
| Group communication | Stakeholders include; | Depending on the nature of the project | Depending on the needs | Depends on the purpose and content | Depends on the organization |
| It is interdependence; each member relies on one another | Group members that are the core people of the project | Regular team meetings | Face-to-face communication | Team members | Project manager |
| Involves a shared goal or objective | Clients and customers | Daily stand-up meetings | Video Conferencing | Project stakeholders | Communication Specialist |
| There is interaction between members | Communication experts | Weekly progress reports | Instant messaging | Project managers | Team leader |
| Strong leadership to ensure the group stays on track. | Managers are also included to be leaders | As-needed communication | Project management software | Other relevant parties, such as creditors, customers, and clients | Assigned individual team member |
| Established norms |
The communication cycle is a process that involves the exchange of messages between the sender and the receiver (LaBelle et al., 2023). The key elements of the communication cycle are as follows; the sender, which is the person who initiates the message, and it can be an individual or a group of people who want to convey their ideas to the receiver. The message, this is the information that the sender wants to communicate, and it can be verbal, written, or non-verbal such as through body language and gestures. Encoding is another element, it is the process of transforming a message into a form that can be simply comprehended by the receiver, and it entails choosing suitable language, tone, and medium of communication. The channel is the way along which the information is circulated, either face-to-face, via email, phone calls, video conferencing, or any other form of communication. Decoding, which stands to be on the receiver side, is the process of interpreting the message by the receiver and involves extracting the meaning of the message and understanding its implications. The receiver is another key element; it is the person or group of people who receive the message and are responsible for interpreting the message and providing feedback to the sender. Lastly is feedback, the response provided by the receiver to the sender; it helps the sender to assess whether the message was understood correctly or whether any adjustments need to be made.
The sender needs to have a clear understanding of what they need to communicate and who their audience is, using appropriate language and tone to ensure the message is well received. The message should be clear and well-structured to convey the intended meaning and avoid any ambiguity. The encoding process should be well planned and executed; the sender should select the appropriate medium of communication that is most effective for the intended audience. The channel should be wisely chosen based on the nature of the message, the target audience, and the urgency of the communication. The sender should also consider the merits and demerits of each channel and select the most effective one. On decoding, the receiver should be able to extract the meaning of the message accurately. The receiver should actively listen to the message and try to understand the sender’s perspective, and lastly, the feedback should be constructive and provide the sender with information about how the message was received.
Potential communication barriers within a team function can arise due to a variety of factors, including differences in communication styles, cultural differences, language barriers, lack of trust, conflicting priorities, and misaligned expectations. These priorities can lead to misunderstandings, delays, and mistakes which can impact team performance and outcomes.
To overcome these communication barriers, there are strategies that can be applied, such as active listening. Active listening is a communication strategy that involves fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and remembering the information that was conveyed by the speaker. It helps to improve communication by enabling team members to understand each other’s perspectives and concerns better. It involves focusing on the speaker’s verbal and non-verbal cues asking clarifying questions, and paraphrasing the speaker’s message to ensure understanding. Clear and concise communication is another strategy, and it involves using simple and direct language to convey a message effectively. It helps to overcome language barriers by ensuring the message is understood by all team members. It involves the usage of appropriate tone, pitch, and volume. The third one is collaborative problem-solving, which involves working together to identify and address communication barriers and other challenges that may arise within the team. This strategy encourages the members to share ideas and opinions to develop mutually beneficial solutions. It helps to build trust and respect among members, which leads to higher levels of team functioning (Paladino, Lakin & Sanders, 2019).
To support team functioning while still meeting the preferences of stakeholders, it is essential to consider their communication needs and preferences. For example, some stakeholders may prefer face-face communication, while others may prefer email or other forms of digital communication (Piran & Suh, 2019). By understanding the communication preference of stakeholders, teams can use different communication strategies to ensure that messages are delivered effectively.
References
LaBelle, S., Capra, J., Hellem, A., Kuchenbecker, C., Hodges, A. L., & Murphy, M. K. (2023). The contribution of instructional communication research to teaching–learning beyond the classroom. Communication Education, 72(1), 92-95.
Paladino, J., Lakin, J. R., & Sanders, J. J. (2019). Communication strategies for sharing prognostic information with patients: beyond survival statistics. JAMA, 322(14), 1345-1346.
Piran, M. J., & Suh, D. Y. (2019, August). Learning-driven wireless communications, towards 6G. In 2019 International Conference on Computing, Electronics & Communications Engineering (iCCECE) (pp. 219-224). IEEE.
QUESTION
Communication Plan Template
Part 1: Communication among stakeholders is a key aspect of successful project management. Complete the template below to plan out the details of communicating throughout the project.
| Description
(What type of communication needs to take place, i.e., team meeting?) |
Stakeholders Involved
(Who should be included in the development of this communication?) |
Frequency
(How often will the communication occur?) |
Stakeholder’s Preferred Method of Communication
(Meeting, newsletter, etc.) |
Audience
(Who is the recipient of the communication?) |
Project Member
(Who is responsible for the communication?) |
Part 2: Address the following questions.
- In 200-300 words, describe the key elements in the communication cycle. Analyze the key elements of each stage in the cycle.
- Answer the following question in 400-600 words: Identify potential communication barriers within a team function. Research three communication strategies, and provide a description of each. Discuss how they can improve communication to support team functioning while still meeting the preferences of stakeholders.
References
This assignment requires two or three scholarly resources. Cite these references below.