Communicating Effectively

Communication has many different forms, both verbal and nonverbal. As instructional designers and educators, it is essential that we not only learn how to communicate effectively, but to search for the best method of communication that fits specific needs. Depending on the method of delivery (written text, as audio, or as video), an identical message might take on a new meaning for the recipient (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, 2008).  

Communication along with negotiation and conflict resolution are some of the skills we must become proficient at if we are to master the art of instructional design and/or project management (Lin, 2006).I recently participated in an exercise in which the exact same message was delivered by email, by voicemail (video), and in person. I was surprised in how differently I reacted to each.

While I did read the email message, it did not garner my full attention which I believe was due to the fact that out of the three delivery methods utilized, this was the most impersonal. When reading text, it is typical to hear your own voice delivering the message which does garner as much attention as hearing another’s voice.

As I listened to the voice message, I found that I paid more attention because I was hearing another person’s voice deliver the message which added a new dimension to the same message.

Of the three delivery methods, I found the most effective to be the one delivered in person (video). This was the most personal and gained my full attention. This was due to the fact that another individual was speaking directly to me which caused me to focus not only on the messenger, but the message itself.      

In order for a project to be successful, it is imperative that we establish sound communication practices for the benefit of all stakeholders involved in the assignment (Allen, & Hardin, 2008). This exercise has led me to believe that the most effective means of communication is the one delivered in person. As we are working in a global marketplace, this will not always be possible, so my next choice would be to deliver the message by video or teleconference where the target audience can see and hear the message being delivered.  

References

Allen, S., & Hardin, P. C. (2008). Developing instructional technology products using effective project management practices. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 19(2), 72–97.

Lin, H. (2006). Instructional project management: An emerging professional practice for design and training programs. Workforce Education Forum, 33(2). Retrieved from http://voc.ed.psu.edu/projects/publications/books/Fall2006/WEF_fall2006.1.html

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Learning from a Project “Post-mortem”

For my capstone project in my undergraduate degree program, my class was broken up into three teams. Our assignment was to create a webpage for the university in order to generate ecological awareness and to provide helpful information on the benefits of recycling and conserving.  The team deemed the winner would have their “Going Green” page displayed on the university website. Our instructor advised us that he would request meetings between various department chairs for input solicitation and that he would also request approval of our projects from the university president.

This was a major undertaking as we not only had to research techniques to improve campus conservation and design an eye catching web page, we also had to develop the code behind it, obtain project approval, then successfully pitch the finished project to different stakeholders in hopes of claiming victory for our team. We had just three months for completion. By developing a timeline that aided in keeping all team members accountable (Murphy, 1994), we were better able to coordinate efforts on critical portions of the project.

An unexpected and unavoidable blow to our timeline was the fact that two weeks into the project, our professor had a major heart attack and was unable to return for the rest of the semester. Although the remaining faculty did a good job of rotating our class into their existing schedules, the effect of not having one professor dedicated to our projects was debilitating.

As a result of the health issue, the initial meetings that were to take place between the stakeholders and our instructor never materialized resulting in the stakeholders never appreciating the full impact of what we were attempting to accomplish. Therefore we were unable to incorporate the collaborative and shared visions that was our original goal (Greer, 2010), essentially preventing us from feeling a true sense of achievement even though all teams delivered products that incorporated quality research, easy to follow instructions, and three professional looking webpages.

Now that I can reflect back on this project with a post-mortem perspective, I can see where we should have worked more diligently to complete the project in less time rather than taking it right to the deadline as this would have allowed us more time for evaluation and refinements (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, 2008). Also, we as students should have taken a more proactive role in assuring that the replacement instructors conducted the meetings with the stakeholders so that they would better understand the project and possibly have given it more consideration.

During this project, I had no knowledge of instructional design and had not yet been exposed to ADDIE, yet as the project followed its natural life cycle, I can clearly see how the functions of ADDIE prevailed. From organizing, prepping, developing and deploying the project, risk factors were evaluated and changes were then made (Allen, & Hardin, 2008). 

Just before the conclusion of the semester, our original professor made a call to the class and congratulated us all on a successful project and personally thanked us for our perseverance. It was very gratifying to know that not only were our efforts appreciated, but that he would make a full recovery.

References

Allen, S., & Hardin, P. C. (2008). Developing instructional technology products using effective project management practices. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 19(2), 72–97. Copyright by Springer-Verlag, New York. Used by permission via the Copyright Clearance Center.

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.

Murphy, C. (1994). Utilizing project management techniques in the design of instructional materials. Performance & Instruction, 33(3), 9–11. Copyright by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Used by permission via the Copyright Clearance Center

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.