The Most Underrated Skill in Project Management

More than anything, communication is the most underrated skill in project management. Often, project management is a very process-driven activity. The thing that brings it to life is the journey of developing empathy, trust, and rapport with the client organization. The central skill that helps you create this is effective communication. Let’s explore why effective communication is non-negotiable when it comes to managing and delivering high-impact projects.

Never underestimate the impact of effective communication in project management. When managing projects, it’s really important that you make it more than just a process of ticking the boxes. How we interact with others is so important if we want to communicate with them in the right way. It is often overlooked and people rarely modify their communication style to suit the audience they are speaking to. Imagine that you are a structural engineer and love producing detailed designs. If a non-technical client wants an update on the project, the last thing they want to hear about is design standards and the equations you used to calculate the size of the beam! What they want is an overview of how the project is going, is it going to plan, is it within budget and what will it look like when complete.

1. Prioritize Clarity

In general, we often think that communication is about speaking. But, often the best communicators are the best listeners. To be effective communicators, you need to listen to the client organization, understand them, and be aware of what their needs are. You need to understand their vision - why are they doing this project in the first place? What do they want to achieve by completing this project?

2. Never Make Assumptions

Apart from clarity, effective communication also sets the foundation for trust with the client organization. For instance, I was exposed to a project where a client organization had a brief they communicated to the supplier. The supplier’s key contact took that information and came up with an assumed proposal, revised scope, cost, and programme – all without engaging the wider team that were developing this solution. Only after signing the contract, did they communicate the details and timeline back to his wider team. The response? Complete uproar! The team couldn’t deliver for that cost or in that timeline. As a result, the key contact was left stranded, entirely because of an assumption. Critically, the trust with the client organization was eroded. If conversely the project manager had consulted his team, they would have obtained buy-in from internal stakeholders which would have prevented the outcome that materialized in the end.

3. Develop Your Communication Skills

For skills like engineering, there’s a standard process which you can learn by attending training courses and practicing with examples. However, when it comes to communication, it’s harder to learn because you need to be able to relate to completely unique individuals with altogether different drivers.

In this case, communicating well is about truly connecting with the other person at their level. This could mean finding common ground between them. To do this, you need to understand their personality type and also specifically to the project - what are their drivers? Also think about the following questions:

• What are their concerns?
• What keeps them awake at night?
• What have they responded well to?
• What have they not responded well to?

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, and in this case it’s about pushing yourself and stepping outside of your comfort zone. Even if you’re naturally an introvert (like me), pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone will help you grow as an individual. Go out there and make those conversations happen. You can attend networking events, approach people from different levels, and lead with something personal you’ve learnt about them from prior research on their background. This approach works even with very influential individuals.

Another transformative learning opportunity is public speaking. Like many others, I used to tremble when I was speaking in front of five people, let alone more than that! The interesting thing is that the more you do it the more comfortable you become, even if you slip up, you realize that it isn’t the end of the world. This skill alone gives you confidence to grow as a communicator and ensures you always consider how you communicate something to make the biggest impact.

Lastly, another essential skill is the ability to adapt your style to the person you’re talking to. This could mean changing your tone, how fast or slow you speak, and the choice of words. This is nowhere more relevant than with the recent shift to hybrid or remote work. In contrast to in-person meetings where we use our hands and bodies for natural non-verbal communication, it’s really hard to do the same in virtual meetings and connect on the same level. One hack I’ve found is getting a standing desk, which helps you use your body a bit more. If you prefer sitting, using more of your hands can also bring your voice to life which helps you connect better with the other person.

1. Effective Communication Matters in Project Management

Effective communication can make or break your project’s success. Avoid mishaps by investing time in clear and concise communication. Understand that a large part of communication isn’t speaking, but listening. Listening is the first step to building trust and delivering the right solution for the CO.

2. Build Trust Through Clarity

You can build trust through clear communication. The clearer your project details, the better you will be able to deliver for the client and match (or exceed) expectations. The goal is to leave no stone unturned and be crystal clear in all your communication. Trust grows as a result of that.

3. Develop Your Communication Skills

Effective communication doesn’t come to all of us naturally. The good news is that you can develop it through practice, just like any other skill. Open up your mind to speak and communicate with people of all levels. Even if it may be comfortable at the start, you will get over it as you expand your comfort zone and become a better speaker, writer, and overall communicator. The benefits can spill over to your personal life as well!