Analysis of communication skills and conflict reso

Analysis of communication skills and conflict resolution methods of project managers

because a project manager must be an excellent communicator, we will first discuss the common problems in the communication process and provide some simple suggestions for improving your communication skills. For project managers, another common problem is how to solve conflicts. Here we will provide some solutions: middle conflict. We will also briefly discuss how a manager can get time to work more effectively with others

communication

no matter how hard people try to understand what they mean, communication is difficult after all. There are so many difficulties in this process that it is difficult to communicate effectively. Words have different meanings, and people often have different understandings or tendencies. The reputation of the project manager (whether he is a joker or a serious person) will affect the reception of information. Everyone who communicates with the project manager tends to listen to the information they are willing or want to hear, but this is not necessarily the information the project manager is trying to convey. Sometimes, people don't pay attention to listening, their attention is distracted, or their thoughts are closed

communication process includes information sender, information, media, information receiver, understanding of information and feedback of sender

there is a maxim about communication: "first you tell people what you intend to tell them, then tell them, and then tell them what you have told them." There are many truths in the use of this multiple information transmission

here are some regular steps to promote your communication with others

. just as you need an agenda before the meeting, you should prepare the communication content in advance, rather than decide at the beginning of the communication

. hold a face-to-face meeting so that you can observe the body language of others. Set aside enough time for meetings throughout the day

. determine the sequence and combination between discussion, face-to-face meeting and memorandum, so as to achieve the most effective effect

. be careful and considerate when using email. Many emails are written too casually, sent too hastily and carelessly, which do not attract enough attention from the recipients, and may also lead to unnecessary doubts. If there are contacts, e-commerce emails can be sent to people scattered in different regions quickly, which is the obvious advantage of e-mail. Of course, they must have time to read, digest and put the torrent of information into action

. be consistent with your words and deeds

. use simple language

feedback

communication is like a service system. It cannot operate effectively without feedback. Communication can be further strengthened by requiring the recipient to restate the information in his own language. This can effectively open the closed mind of the listener. Another effective way is to make a written record of all oral communications, make a backup, and then hold a meeting to discuss it. It is very effective to adopt the dualistic model and ask the recipient to restate its content, not just to repeat it simply

notice

it is unrealistic to frequently meet all participants in a large project. Even in smaller projects, it is unlikely to hold member meetings. Therefore, it is very popular to issue project notes and reminder documents for actions with higher priority in a certain stage. When you convey information in writing, consider using brightly colored paper and printing the project name on the top to distinguish this notice from other emails. In addition, e-mail and other forms of modern scientific and technological communication can also be used. This is why many project managers believe that email is the most widely used project management tool

adjacent office

we have discussed in the chapter on team building that arranging people on the project to work nearby can also promote communication. Because everyone is close, we can meet often, which makes communication easier and more frequent. If people often contact each other, their views tend to be more unified

tracking

whether through electronic form, face-to-face, or written communication, it is necessary to track through some system. Many people can put down the agreements reached with others that need to track actions in chronological order through only one action record. More effective is a tracking system that records the actions to be performed by the key personnel by printing their names on the top. Another change of this method is to set up a file for each key person, in which all discussions and memos that want to be put into action are stored. In either case, hold periodic meetings with each key person, and plan the topics to be discussed with the records of file cards or folders

when knowing that the project manager or other relevant managers have a consistent tracking system, people who work for him or work with him will realize that any decision about them is carefully considered, so they will pay more attention to the work entrusted to them

conflict resolution

work is full of conflict. Conflict is inevitable, because in a relatively permanent organization, projects are temporary institutions. One of the root causes of conflict is competition for resources. For another reason, a project manager explained as follows:

"the project requires us to adopt the packaging pattern of standard mode. However, the equipment and power engineers in our team have different personal styles and working backgrounds, which leads to conflicts."

regardless of the organizational form, there are always conflicts of interest between the project manager and the executive manager, so the project manager must anticipate and tolerate these conflicts. If you have a low tolerance for conflict, you will feel frustrated as a project manager

although it is normal to have limited resources and there will be differences of opinion on who needs this resource most, the following three complementary conflict resolution measures are still worth trying

· arbitration. In this method, the third team listens to the debate between the two teams and finally decides which side wins in the conflict. This is also a good method when there is a legal dispute between the two organizations. This process is also applicable when a scheme manager and senior leader decide that project a will get some rare resources that project B also wants

· arbitration. This approach requires a third group to "separate differences". This method makes the two teams with different opinions feel that their treatment is almost good or bad. For example, a program manager or a higher manager decides that project a and project B will receive 50% of the available resources, and they all have to accept results different from the estimated assumptions

· negotiation. This method involves giving and taking between the two sides of the argument. For example, the managers of project a and project B will meet, and they will compare their voluntary bottom line and their influence in the key stages of the project, and finally reach a consensus on reallocating resources between their projects. Three practical and effective ways to reduce conflict can be considered

(1) actively reduce conflict, because conflict always exists, and even if you ignore it or hope it does not exist, it will not disappear automatically. In fact, if you don't face it, things tend to get worse

(2) keep and maintain some good plans, which are reflected in the form of the latest and actual schedule agreed by the participants

(3) have a comprehensive communication with all employees involved and their management

efficient time management

for project managers with broad responsibilities (in a way, they must deal with everything for everyone), unless they use their time very efficiently, they can easily finish their work on weekday evenings and weekends. Of course, they should not sacrifice the effect because of the pursuit of efficiency. Effective means to achieve the desired results. Effectiveness is the most important, but the project manager knows that it is more likely to be effective if he can use his time efficiently

the highest program in time management is "priority of important things". The project manager must know what is the most important thing in the current year, the current month, the current week, the current day and even at that time. A project manager told me that she spent 2/3 of the day holding meetings, convening discussion groups, training researchers and handling the work of the committee, and only 1/8 of these (2/3) were related to the project she was responsible for. Only when a B2B project manager clearly understands what should be prioritized can he use his time more effectively. Therefore, we should choose several (no more than three to four) really important and influential things to deal with every day

the second important tool for effective time management is to spend a lot of time on a single important thing (for example, a oneortwo hour single conversation with a colleague is better than 12 15 minute meetings). This can be achieved by keeping a record of how much time you actually spend each week. A time record is a simple schedule. The leftmost end is the time point with an interval of 10, 15 or 30 minutes, and the top five columns account for one column every day. You insist on making such a time record within one week of your sampling. At the end of the week, you can check what you have actually done in each time column of the week. Then plan how to adjust your behavior next week to spend more time on a single topic. If you persist in doing this several times in a few months, you will better master the art of managing time

because project managers are involved in how to integrate the work of many people, countless meetings will be held. As some anonymous wise men said, "meeting is a system in which minutes are reserved, but countless hours spent are still degradable." It is very important to manipulate the meeting efficiently and effectively. The following are the key factors to improve the meeting

. know in advance why the meeting is held and what results are expected to be achieved. Consider whether you can cancel the meeting

. determine the minimum number of people for the meeting

. select the meeting place, and the layout of the meeting room should be consistent with the purpose of the meeting (if it is necessary to discuss equally among members, round tables should be arranged, and if it is a presentation, it should be arranged in the lecture hall). One part is the project

. circulate the agenda list of topic order among participants, and perhaps discuss it with key participants in private in advance

. when everything is ready and the meeting starts on time, we must first reaffirm the purpose and agenda of the meeting

. if possible, ask each participant (one at a time) to express his own views on the topic before the end of the topic. Just because participants are loud or dominant does not mean that they have the most say in a topic. A quiet