The inaugural PMI Australia 2013 conference is over. To create the event, the PMI Australian Chapters collaborated to develop a platform for professionals, academics and community representatives to share knowledge and experience. For a first time and a new committee it was a great start and we look forward to the 2014 event.
Our contribution was a presentation: Communication ≠ Engagement that included the world’s first ‘mass verbal tweet’! Certainly social media and web technologies have made broadcast communication in the 21st century easier then ever, but communication does not equal engagement and the ‘verbal tweet’ proved this!
Project success requires the key stakeholders, including senior executives and the sponsor to be actively engaged in support of the project objectives. And achieving engagement requires mutuality, a robust relationship built on empathy and trust, plus credibility and leadership to bring different stakeholder viewpoints into alignment to assist the work of the project.
Effective communication is the tool that facilitates the building of relationships and engagement but this type of communication is focused, personal and two-way. As a consequence, the project team need to invest significant time and effort in these key communication channels. The challenge is identifying the right stakeholders and the right messages to communicate ‘at this point in time’.
You can download the presentation from: http://www.mosaicprojects.com.au/Resources_Papers_170.html
And read our blog on credibility at: /2013/04/27/credibility/
When our paper was originally submitted last year, I was expecting to be doing the presentation. However, in the interim I was accepted as a member of the International Faculty of the EAN University in Bogota, Colombia, presenting a Masters’ level course – Managing Project Teams. So I’m enjoying a few weeks in South America and the second author, Patrick Weaver enjoyed the hospitality of Sydney and presented the paper for us.
Pat Weaver
Lynda Bourne
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