Communication skills are undeniably crucial for project managers to have in their arsenal. It’s nearly impossible to do this job without them. Don’t just believe us, though. We came in with the facts. For example, the Project Management Institute has observed that around 90% of a project manager’s role is focused on communication-related activities.
But, as any seasoned project manager knows, that does not mean any of us are very good at it. And that’s a shame. We’ve all experienced times when miscommunication lost us time, money, and buy-in.
In this post, we break down the entire concept of communication, go over communication skills, and leave you with ten applications that you can improve for greater project success.
- Active Listening
- Using Empathy
- Conversing with Friendliness
- Expressing Respect
- Relying on Trust
- Keeping an Open-Mind
- Giving & Receiving Feedback
- Speaking Clearly
- Demonstrating Leadership
- Constantly Organizing
First, we develop some background, but a further explanation of each communication skill can be found below.
So, What Are Communication Skills?
If communication is considered the act of exchanging information, communication skills are the ability to complete that very exchange. Project management is in no way a perfect science. You can write as many lists, emails, and plans as you want, and things will still go wrong.
That’s why you need to build your skills to the point where conveying your ideas, feelings, and any other relevant project information is as easy as possible.
One lesson project managers must learn is how to utilize all facets of communication for their benefit. Writing, language, context, and the message itself are all things that can fumble the landing. And in project management, that can be a very costly problem to have.
What Are Interpersonal Skills?
Interacting with other people takes a lot of work. Our brains have to balance a lot of different processes and inputs. In the middle of all of that, the brain also has to put something out to keep the interaction moving along.
That’s why there is a lot of crossover between communication skills and interpersonal skills.
Interpersonal skills umbrella over all facets of personal interactions, including communication and attitude. Think about eye contact or the ability to handle different kinds of social situations, like loving, awkward, confrontational, etc.
To put it another way, it would not be crazy to base some of these skills as “interpersonal” and completely negate the concept of communication.
Why Project Managers Need (To Improve) Communication Skills
For any of the skills we mention below, you might notice that you are very good at one of them—even a few of them—while lacking aggressively on others. This is not abnormal. If anything, that makes you very, very normal.
The problem with that is overuse, like a muscle. You might have really strong legs, but if you rely on them too much, other parts will fall behind.
Let’s use an example of communication skills in the workplace. You might write a mean email with all relevant attachments, all the right people are CC’d, and every detail your team needs is included. And then you run into a team member on your way out of the office.
The thing is… COVID might have been improving your email game (written communication skills) for a long time, and you forgot how to speak to people and collect information in real time. That is okay, and no one blames you, but that kind of stuff adds up.
We believe that everyone wants to improve on their craft—life gets pretty boring if not. To do that, you need to improve the necessary skills for that craft. Surgeons need steady hands, data analysts need to identify patterns, and project managers need solid communication skills.
Here are some immediate ways improving your communication skills can make your life better.
Helps Manage The Project
Things will go a lot better when information is shared accurately. Communication management is something you have to take seriously, and with dialed-in communication skills, you have the potential to save everyone headaches, time, and money.
Allow You To Support Others & Problem Solve
We can be honest here. Sometimes project management is like being the umpire at a peewee baseball game. You stand there with your mask up, hands on your hips, and listen while one side swears they hit the ball out of sight, and the other is yelling that they can see it “right ther-uh.” It’s messy.
But if you have good communication skills, you can navigate this season like a pro and not make anyone cry. Also, things go wrong. That’s just a fact of life. As a project manager, your job is to make sure things stay within the bounds of your scope, and sometimes that means giving a pep-talk or two.
You Have To Write Down, Talk About, & Explain Everything—ALL THE TIME
Just like in that peewee game, you’ll need to explain the situation again and again until the emotions on the field settle. Then, you’ll walk over to the sidelines and explain the entire situation in detail to the coach. And after the game is over, some concerned parents will probably want the scoop.
You probably get where we are going with this.
Project managers answer to a lot of different parties all day long. You have to document meetings, express the need for changes, advocate for those changes to different stakeholders, and then create a mass-spread message about this other unrelated yet relevant thing.
Few professionals communicate that much, so it wouldn’t hurt to be good at it all—or at least one of those things.
Top 10 Communication Skills That Every Project Manager Needs
Now that we all understand why we are here let’s get into some skills we think every project manager should consider.
We get that some jobs may not require ALL of these to be perfect, but we recommend flexing these social muscles every once in a while. Anyone in project management should understand that being prepared is always better.
Examine these communication skills, be honest with yourself, and take what you can use.
1. Listening—Like, Actually Listening
This might seem like a basic one, but it’s important. It could also be called “active listening.” As cliche as it sounds, communication is a two-way street and needs to be treated like one.
We understand that as a project manager, you might have a perspective others lack. It’s your job to have eyes on all of the different aspects of a project. When someone comes to you with an idea, issue, or need that you think isn’t relevant or accurate, it can be easy to stop them right there and kill the interaction dead. You have “bigger fish to fry” and don’t have time for this inapplicable conversation, right?
Wrong. We recommend you find a different way to approach things because this strategy will only limit you.
In general, in project management, there are a few kinds of conversations you have, including
- Plan creation or ideation
- Problem-solving
- Information swapping
With each of these interactions, there are opportunities to learn valuable information. You should treat them as such.
Also, if you can’t collect information from conversations, really listen to people, and use that information productively, you might need to look into a new line of work.
2. Empathy
In a tense moment where you have to flex all kinds of communication skills to avoid getting your head bit off, it’s always a good idea to go with empathy. This means that you place yourself in their shoes and work to see the situation from their perspective.
Use phrases like
- “You’re right. That would be (difficult, scary, frustrating, jarring, etc.).”
- “I didn’t see it that way.”
- “What path forward would make this experience better for you?”
Some of you cynics out there might think that this is how you, as the project manager, get taken advantage of. But overwhelmingly, this kind of attitude will work in your favor.
It gives whoever you are communicating with the space to relax, lower their defenses, and get you closer to the root of the problem.
Furthermore, if you don’t care about people, what they are saying to you, or what they are talking about, people will realize it, and all of your dialogue will diminish and worsen as a result.
3. Friendliness
Kill them with kindness may be a cliche, but it’s no joke. If you come at people with a sour attitude, you will end up looking at a mirror for most of your day, and that’s just going to waste time.
If you lead with criticism and “the cold, hard truth,” you might be directly affecting your ROI and not in a good way.
You collect more flies with money than vinegar. Project managers interact vertically, horizontally, and diagonally with all kinds of people who hold all kinds of positions. It’s much smarter to come at interactions kindly—softly, even. We promise you will get so much farther.
Your instinct might be to have a hard tone, but depending on the context, you should ignore it. If you aren’t approachable, no one will approach you. It’s that simple.
4. Respect
In all reality, if you don’t give others respect, you will never receive it. You’ve likely had conversations with people and could tell they couldn’t care less about you or what you were saying. It’s rude, frustrating, and completely unproductive.
You can be in a rush. You can have a lot going on. That is all just fine. You cannot be a successful project manager without respecting people, their time, and their contribution to the project.
If you find that you have a hard time with this communication skill, think about why. Do you feel that your contribution to the project is greater or more important than that of others? Logically, that is a flawed way of seeing things.
Try appreciating each person’s assistance in the bigger picture, seeing the longer implications if they weren’t completing that task. At the very least, your life would be harder, so be the tiniest bit grateful and respectful just for that.
5. Trust
As you continue managing projects, you’ll learn that delegation is how your world goes ‘round. And the only way to delegate successfully is to trust that team members and stakeholders will at least try.
Yes, you might be cleaning up someone else’s mess every once in a while, but you might be pleasantly surprised.
And there is nothing wrong with being prepared. It’s a project manager’s job to be prepared.
BUT, assisting others and helping your colleagues avoid mistakes is completely different from “doing it for them” because you have a blatant lack of faith.
If you want others to trust you, you have to be able to trust them.
6. Open-Mindedness
Communicating with any stakeholder or team member with an open mind is an incredible skill that cannot be ignored. Let’s be honest, you won’t always have the best idea, even if you think you do.
Sometimes, we have to put our pride down and have an open mind for new ideas to land on. The brain is both a receiver and a generator of thought. And as much as we like to believe we can multitask, we can’t.
If you are generating thoughts and ideas, you leave no room for receiving them.
The concept of collaboration is relevant to this. A project cannot be successful without to cooperation and collaboration of multiple parties. Your role as project manager is to balance this effort with the interests of stakeholders.
That work takes teamwork.
Make no mistake, open-mindedness allows for collaboration. There might only be two options, and the one you like is mediocre at best, what do you do?
You can either compromise and collaborate with others involved in the project, OR you can resist. Perhaps you see it another way, but that will be the view from your colleague’s perspective. Try to give others the space to improve the project and their experience of it. You and your team will be better for it.
7. Feedback (Giving & Taking)
Growth as a project manager is done through learning what your weaknesses are and doing more than hiding them. Without that kind of progress, you’ll get stuck in old behavior and thought patterns.
Problems you’ve had before won’t be lessons to learn from. They’ll remain problems and, over time, make you a worse project manager. And that is something no one wants.
Over the course of your career, being open to receiving feedback will make or break you as a project manager. You can’t just show up, let people know exactly what you think with no filter or consideration, and walk away scott-free.
You have to be willing to hear their side, as well.
8. Speaking
Being a shy project manager is hard but not impossible. Being able to speak to your colleagues and discuss issues and setbacks is an undeniable skill in project management.
It’s important that you are able to communicate clearly with different people from different backgrounds.
Also, the ability to perform public speaking is extremely helpful. Some benefits include
- Career Advancement
- Improved Networking
- Personal Satisfaction
- Boosted Confidence
People in project management are expected to speak up, so this is a good communication skill to have in your repertoire.
Here are some ways to improve your spoken communication, especially in professional settings.
- Practice as much as you can
- Know your audience and come prepared
- Make eye contact
- Remember that being nervous is normal
Also, try to organize your material in the most effective way for reading or reference.
9. Leadership
A fact you’ll need to come to terms with in any management position is that people are here for a paycheck. Yes, they want to enjoy their work, but more often than not, they are looking for the least annoying way to make a living. Because of that, you’ll often need to get people buying into less-than-fun aspects of the project.
Be sure to balance this with getting people excited about the actual fun stuff.
With that in mind, tread carefully. Leading any team to success can be a challenge. But we recommend that you remain realistic. If you simply endeavor to make things as easy or tolerable as possible, you’ll probably get people to buy in.
Also, consider teaching moments as an opportunity to lead. You’ll get on a lot of good sides if you gently show them a better way rather than just explain why their way is garbage.
10. Organizing
This communication skill is this far down because it’s only possible when used in accessory to all the other skills. One key aspect of the role of a project manager is keeping all of your stuff straight.
Using specialized project software is helpful here. But the biggest thing is documentation. Take notes of everything you can. Keep your email clean.
On that note, use your email. They are extremely helpful, effective, and succinct and will leave a very clear trail of what information has been shared.
How To Improve Communication Skills For Better Project Management
While each of the above sections has some detail regarding how to improve, they are each restricted to that one communication skill. When you are attempting to develop effective communication skills, you have to use them all together. So, let’s talk about how to do that very thing.
Seek New Perspectives
The internet is a vast place with documentation of an incredible range of experiences. Podcasts, books, webinars, discussions, online forums, and any other kind of potential learning platform is your friend. Everyone you encounter has something to teach you, even if it’s just how not to do something.
Google things. Listen to a random podcast episode. Use all of that to your advantage.
ASK for Feedback
Earlier, we mentioned that one communication skill relevant to project managers is giving and receiving feedback. To improve your communication skills, let’s take that one step further.
We recommend that you take the initiative, step up, and ask for feedback. Don’t wait for people to come to you. Don’t only wait for the project to be completed or get to a point where you are comfortable finding out. Be forward and ask how you did.
Honest opinions like this are invaluable to your growth as a project manager.
Reflect
At the end of the day, when you are winding down and considering your day. Take a look at how you handled yourself. Are you proud of how you managed that issue? Is there a better way you can manage that aspect of the project?
Try to reflect regularly on your choices, your progress, and the ways you have to change course. You’ll learn a lot just from that.
Your Communication Skills Indicate Your Ability
Sure, you might be an incredible project manager, but if you can’t communicate, no one will know that. Additionally, no one will even attempt to learn that. You could be passed over for a new project, promotion, and other kinds of progression when you fail to put yourself out there.
It’s like an artist who knows how to market themselves. You have to speak up, navigate social situations well, and make people believe you deserve to be in the room.
And whether or not you agree, your ability to manage projects heavily depends on your ability to communicate. At least, that’s what owners and other stakeholders believe.
Use these skills to find what you lack in and use the improvement tips to do just that—improve. The future you, working on future projects, will be so glad you did.
