Can you imagine managing a project without communication? Sounds like a nightmare, right?

It would be pretty much impossible—what with all the layers of project requirements, details, and decisions that need to be approved by all those important folks up the chain of command. Every step requires some new task to talk about, and that task depends on another task, decision, or person.

When it comes to project management, you can’t go at it alone. But even the best tools won’t matter much without effective communication. In other words, you’ve got to know how to talk to your people!

So what are some of the best ways to improve your communication in project management? Let’s walk through it.

Why is communication important?

The importance of communication can’t be stressed enough. That’s because it’s critical to project success.

Good communication keeps conflict and confusion from bogging your project down by ensuring key players are aligned on project goals and know exactly what’s expected of them. It also helps build team-wide trust so everyone works better together from project start to finish.

Types of communication

No project relies on a single type of communication to get work done. You might use a combination of these communication methods to keep people informed on your projects:

-Email

-Meetings (in-person, phone, or video chat)

-Project plans

-Discussion boards

-Collaboration apps

-Status reports

-Surveys

So how do you know which communication types are right for your project? Look at what worked well—and what didn’t—for past projects. Then bring your team and stakeholders into the conversation to get their input. Everyone has different communication styles, so take those into consideration to ensure your project communications will actually land. 

Conclusion

A communication plan can help you ! A strategy for what effective communication will look like on any given project. That way everyone involved in the project knows what to expect and how to communicate with each other effectively and efficiently.

Do you create a communication plan for your projects? If you need more information about that, you can schedule a meeting with us!