Project Managers' Coffee Chat with Tim & Merv Merv Jersak & Tim Jerome

Join hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome in this episode as they consider the essential communication skills every project leader needs. Through personal anecdotes and practical tips, they highlight the complexities of effective communication within project management. From dissecting a humorous mishap in code interpretation to the significance of cultural nuances in meetings, the hosts share insights into bridging communication gaps. They also offer powerful techniques such as using pauses and cognitive dissonance to enhance engagement. Merv and Tim wrap up with advice on mastering written communication and email etiquette. This episode is packed with actionable advice for new and seasoned project managers seeking to improve their leadership and communication skills.
Main Take-Aways
Stories are powerful teachers. Today’s story lessons are about communication:
miscommunication can happen even when being precise
the power of the pause
cultural differences should be taken into account in your communications
using cognitive dissonance and ice-breakers to foster communication engagement
taking precautions with validating email recipients
Show Notes
Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Leadership Lessons from the Trenches on Project Communication
00:27 Introducing the podcast with a restatement of the importance of communication in leadership.
01:38 Merv begins with a humorous story on miscommunication despite the fact that great care had been exercised in being precise.
04:14 Tim recounts advise he had been given from a mentor on the power of the pause in communication.
07:15 Merv tells of his experiences with cultural differences in meeting etiquette – one of an affable individual who would begin with coffee and cookies versus one of a strict individual who would make being late to a meeting an uncomfortable situation.
11:21 Tim relays advise he received on the use of cognitive dissonance to engage the team in communication.
14:16 Merv explains a fun ice-breaker called “2 truths and a lie”.
15:51 Merv cautions you with an error he made in not double-checking the ‘cc’ line of an email communication.
17:15 Tim agrees and adds that one of his managers would remove all recipients from an email response before adding applicable individuals back in.
18:41 Concluding with a look-ahead to upcoming podcast themes.

Join hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome as they focus in this episode on improving overall communication effectiveness with teams, stakeholders, upper management, and peers. They share personal anecdotes, practical tips, and techniques such as varying your message delivery, improving communication skills through organizations like Toastmasters, and the importance of documentation. They also discuss the impact of cultural and linguistic differences in communication, the use of modern tools like ChatGPT to enhance messaging, and the necessity of choosing the right communication medium for the situation. Tune in to learn how to communicate clearly and effectively to drive project success.
Main Take-Aways
When you communicate as a project leader:
1)     consider innovative methods to understand how your communication os flowing through your team(s)
2)     seek out formal training and instruction to improve your oral and written communication
3)     review your communication from the perspective of your receiver
4)     be clear in how you present your communication through thoughtful structuring of your communication
5)     engage your entire team in discussions
6)     provide deadlines to your receiver for acknowledgement of formal communication
7)     select the optimal medium for your message
8)     leverage your receiver’s communication tools when working remorely
9)     consider using AI to fine-tune your communication
10)  review communication carefully before sending
Show Notes
Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Effectively Communicating Your Message
00:27 Unlocking communication skills for project leadership effectiveness.
01:14 Tim begins with a technique for understanding how communication flows through your teams by providing instructions to the teams with slightly differing terminology.
02:49 Merv acknowledges that as a young professional he needed training in presenting in front of an audience and joined an organization, Toastmasters International, to acquire the needed training. He recommends personal growth in communication methods by seeking out instruction.
04:41 Merv follows this with a tip to put yourself in your receiver’s chair to consider how your communication is being heard.
05:16 Tim responds with a method he uses to decipher a confusing communication, that of reading it from the bottom up.
06:08 Merv shares an effective email strategy of putting the main thought of the communication in the subject line and first sentence or two.
06:54 Tim agrees and states that to be clear in your communication, restate your messaging several times in your opening, body, and closing.
08:09 Tim presents a technique of providing a deadline for the receiver to formally acknowledge a written communication to which Merv responds that this technique can be included in a project communication plan.
10:43 Merv provides a tip on how you can encourage every member of your team to engage in discussions by using round-robin brainstorming.
12:05 Merv offers a tip that you can use with your team to choose the right medium for your message.
15:51 Tim encourages you to leverage the technology of your customer when working remotely to save time and effort in the learning curve.
17:52 Merv suggests that you should harness AI to fine-tune your written communications, but he also cautions that you maintain your originality.
20:00 Merv gives one final thought: review your communication carefully before sending.

Join hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome as they focus in this episode on the Five C's model for communication – Clarity, Cohesiveness, Completeness, Conciseness, and Concreteness – as offered by the Project Management Institute> Following the tenets of this model will help enhance your project delivery. Through practical examples and insightful discussions, the hosts illustrate the importance of clear and effective communication in ensuring project success. Tune in to discover strategies and techniques to improve your project leadership communication.
Main Take-Aways
The five Cs model for effective communication helps ensure your message is received as you intended:
clarity cohesiveness completeness conciseness concreteness Show Notes
Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Mastering Effective Communication in Project Management – The Five C's Explained
01:16 Exploring the five Cs model of effective communication as presented by the Project Management Institute.
02:44 Clarity: the first C unpacked – ensuring that your message is received without misinterpretation.
06:39 Cohesiveness: ensuring your message holds together as a single thought process – avoiding or mitigating situations where your message is taken off track.
09:57 Completeness: leaving no thought unfinished – focusing on a point to its conclusion.
12:23 Conciseness: the art of being brief yet impactful – less is often more.
14:49 Concreteness: the final C for effective communication – choosing precise, specific words and sentence structure.
19:50 Wrapping up and looking ahead to providing tips, tools, and techniques for greater effectiveness in our project communications.
 

In today’s podcast episode, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome dig deeper into the critical role of communication in project management. They discuss strategies, tips, and techniques for project managers to improve their communication skills, from basic methods to managing noise and ensuring all parties understand and engage with the information. This episode highlights the importance of effective communication for both team members and stakeholders, how to mentor new project managers, and the necessity of acknowledgment. They also preview a discussion on the five C's of communication, to be continued in the next episode.
Main Take-Aways
Project leaders must master the art of communication to be truly effective:
recognize the importance of communication understand the basics of communication use effective communication techniques to engage your team combat the “noise” that threatens clear communication sending and receiving require acknowledgement that your message has been received Show Notes
Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Mastering Communication – The Key to Exceptional Project Management
00:27 Introducing the need for project leaders to master the power of communication in project management, Merv and Tim provide actionable information on how to be more effective communicators.
01:57 Providing practical advice for (new or seasoned) project managers: recognize the importance of the need for effective communication, understand the basics and types of communication, and practice using tactical activities.
05:39 Engaging and motivating your team through communication: be alert to opportunities to engage individuals, assure individuals that their contributions are desired, recognize individuals for their involvement, assign communication tasks to help individuals practice and improve.
12:33 Combatting the “noise” that can enter into your communication and ensuring effective message delivery through acknowledgment from the receiving party.
21:00 Wrapping up with a look to the next episode which will discuss the 5 Cs of communication.
 

Join hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome as they delve into the critical trait of communication for IT project managers, exploring why it is essential for work execution and stakeholder engagement. They discuss the importance of planned and structured communication, sharing models and strategies for your teams. Tune in as they share insightful quotes, practical tips, and personal experiences to help project leaders enhance their communication skills for better project outcomes.
Main Take-Aways
Communication truly is the lifeline of project management, and project managers must learn to communicate well and effectively:
communication is purposeful, requiring thought and strategy a communication plan is an essential governing document for projects the sender-receiver model is applicable to how project managers need to understand communication, including handling the noise that is an inevitable part of communication communication is clear, specific, non-ambiguous; also factual, accurate, precise communication that is sent out must be acknowledged as having been received (and understood) Show Notes
Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Enhancing Project Management with Effective Communication
00:27 Summary recap of the flow of Season 4 by reminding you that the first few podcasts covered leadership for project managers as an umbrella topic, with following podcasts covering individual traits that enhance the project manager’s effectiveness. Last week’s shows covered collaboration. This week begins with communication.
01:33 Merv shares a quote that he just read the morning of this podcast: “When I talk to managers, I get the feeling they're important.  When I talk to leaders, I get the feeling I'm important.” (Alexander der Heijer)
02:17 The importance of purposefully building communication into the project to effectively get the work done and to create engagement. Communication requires thought and strategy.
04:47 The requirement to have a communication plan for every project, built into the project schedule, whether formal or informal.
09:33 A description of the sender-receiver model for communication, and its applicability to project communication.
13:03 An explanation for “noise” that enters into the communication model, and how it disrupts communication. You must be prepared to make yourself understood even with “noise” in the system.
14:27 Developing communication methods to ensure clarity, specificity, non-ambiguity in project communication.
16:49 The importance of receiving acknowledgment of our communication from the persons you are communicating to.
17:52 Communicating factually, accurately, precisely without exaggeration or embellishment. Communicating appropriately and at the correct levels.
19:49 Concluding thoughts on effective communication and on subject matter for future podcasts on the topic of communication.

Hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome share personal anecdotes and strategies on negotiation, managing conflict, effective collaboration, and leveraging documentation in project management. The discussions highlight the importance of understanding and responding to emotional cues, fostering open communication, and applying lessons from personal experiences to professional environments. The hosts emphasize the value of project journals, handling disagreements constructively, and transferring project management skills to personal life. They encourage listeners to apply these strategies to achieve success in project management roles.
Main Take-Aways
Stories are powerful teachers. Today’s story lessons:
learn from situations where collaboration was not effective prepare staff for project pressure control emotions when attempting to resolve issues collaboratively maintain documentation in case it is needed for future collaborations Show Notes
Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Leadership Lessons from the Trenches – Stories of Collaboration, Conflict, and Growth
00:43 Tim starts the discussion with a learning experience of negotiation and conflict management as he misread the intent of his director.
03:40 Merv extrapolates on the previous story by recounting a time when a senior project manager completely misread his customers’ signals and added to existing conflict.
06:12 Merv shows how he prepared his client staff, comprised of non-technical people, for the pressure cooker of a project when the technical staff came on board.
07:06 Tim recounts a conflict situation where he controlled his emotions and logically walked the stakeholder staff through documentation to show them where they were deviating from previous contractual agreement.
10:29 Merv agrees by recommending when and how contractual documentation should be referenced during collaborative discussions.
12:55 Merv tells of time when his job was unfairly placed in jeopardy, but was able to non-defensively and collaboratively help his manager come to a different conclusion.
15:53 Merv recommends taking notes and maintaining recency in documenting situations for future reference should the situation warrant it.
16:49 Tim shows from his own example how he keeps two journals – one for the project for posterity, and one for personal usage.
18:53 Merv introduces the topic of applying collaborative techniques that we use on projects in our personal lives.