This document discusses effective communication techniques for digital project managers. It begins by illustrating why communication is important, showing how it helps deliver more successful projects and avoid issues. It then demonstrates common reasons why communication breaks down, such as fears, emotions, and assumptions. The document provides tips on determining the best method of communication for each person by understanding their preferred contact method and learning style. Finally, it offers practical examples of how to effectively communicate in situations like conflict resolution, delivering bad news, giving instructions, and seeking approvals from clients.

1. DIGITAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT
// FUNDAMENTALS 01
COMMUNICATION HACKS
FOR BETTER RESULTS

2. WHYISCOMMUNICATIONIMPORTANT?
EFFECTIVECOMMUNICATION
This Will Help You Succeed By:
Illustrating the benefits of good communication in
digital project management
Demonstrating why communication breaks down and
how to avoid it
Showing how to leverage the way people prefer to
receive information to stand out from your peers and
be highly effective
Giving example cases that you can put to use

3. WHYISCOMMUNICATIONIMPORTANT?
EFFECTIVECOMMUNICATION
About The Author
With more than two decades of web development
experience, Mark Wilson has spent the last 15 years
client-side. He has worked with clients ranging from 3 to
60,000+ staff in start-ups through to some of the largest
digital agencies in Australia, nationally and internationally.
Mark has led large cross functional teams and delivered
this presentation to groups of diverse international digital
project managers.
Connect with Mark on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwilsondigitalstrategist/

4. 97% of employees
and executives surveyed
believe that the lack of
alignment within a team
directly impacts the outcome
of a task or project
Source: http://blog.clearcompany.com/7-workplace-collaboration-statistics-that-will-have-you-knocking-down-cubicles
WHYISCOMMUNICATIONIMPORTANT?

5. QUICK OVERVIEW | KEY FUNCTIONS:
To manage and deliver successful digital projects
within time, scope and budget
To take ownership of a project, not just sending
tasks; ensure items are followed up, completed and
stakeholders are satisfied with the outcome.
To maintain ongoing client relationships
WHYISCOMMUNICATIONIMPORTANT?
EFFECTIVECOMMUNICATION
What is the Digital PM’s Role?

6. Maintain good external and internal relationships
Avoid issues
Deliver more successful projects
Less unexpected surprises
When you build good rapport with clients this creates
alignment; it’s easier to deal with tough situations
if/when they occur
When you build good rapport internally this creates
alignment; teams are more likely to go the extra mile
for you when needed
Benefits of Good Communication
WHYISCOMMUNICATIONIMPORTANT?

7. Set a high standard for your projects
– Getting back to clients in an effective, timely manner
– Making sure that replies address all points
Good communication skills flow through to all aspects
of our work and personal lives
Helps us achieve our goals
Why Communicate Better?
WHYISCOMMUNICATIONIMPORTANT?

8. “The single biggest problem
with communication is the
illusion that it has
taken place”
George Bernard Shaw
EFFECTIVECOMMUNICATION

9. EFFECTIVECOMMUNICATION

10. Thoughts:
Am I going to seem stupid?
Will this create a bigger issue?
Is it better to hide it and hope nobody notices?
I don’t want to give bad news
It’s hopeless, they won’t understand anyway
I just need to give them some answer and hopefully
they will go away
I’m too busy
Why Don’t We Communicate Well?
EFFECTIVECOMMUNICATION

11. Emotions:
I’m frustrated / angry
– How dare they speak to me that way?
I’m tired of explaining this over and over
I’m scared
I’m upset
Why Don’t We Communicate Well?
EFFECTIVECOMMUNICATION

12. IT VARIES!
What is the
Best Method?
EFFECTIVECOMMUNICATION

13. What is the Best Method?
The Person’s Preferred Method of Contact
What does the client best respond to?
Email
Phone
In person meetings
SMS
Using a proxy (Reception or Personal Assistant)
EFFECTIVECOMMUNICATION

14. What are DISC Profiles?
EFFECTIVECOMMUNICATION
People tend to be more strongly aligned with one or
two DISC types (though have elements of each).

15. How are DISC Profiles Useful?
EFFECTIVECOMMUNICATION
A person’s DISC profile correlates with the way they
prefer to receive information.
I.e. ‘Big Picture’ Vs ‘Detail Focused’
LARGE: bigger picture, less detail. (D, I)
SMALL: detailed, excellent memory, flesh out plans.
(S, C)
Find out your DISC profile:
https://www.123test.com/disc-personality-test/

16. 93% of what is
communicated is
communicated and received
unconsciously.
Rapport is established in
the first 90 seconds
or less!
http://www.humanresources.com/1132/express-yourself-connect-using-4-communication-styles/
EFFECTIVECOMMUNICATION

17. How People Accept Information
EFFECTIVECOMMUNICATION
By what method does the client prefer to accept
information and learn?
VISUALLY
AUDITORY
KINESTHETIC
DIGITAL

18. How to Tell?
EFFECTIVECOMMUNICATION
Look for clues in the way they speak or write.
What type of words do they use?
Words: see, look, view, focus, appear
Phrases: beyond a shadow of a doubt, bird’s eye view
Words: hear, listen, sounds, resonate
Phrases: rings a bell, manner of speaking, lend me your ear,
hold your tongue
Words: feel, touch, grasp, concrete
Phrases: get a hold of, catch on, tap into, boils down to
Words: sense, understand, think, learn, process, decide,
consider, know, change, or motivate.
Further reading and credit:
http://www.vitalitylink.com/article-hypnotherapy-1912-visual-auditory-kinesthetic-information-representational-cues
http://www.humanresources.com/1132/express-yourself-connect-using-4-communication-styles/

19. Tips, Suggestions
& Practical Use
HOWTOPUTITTOUSE

20. Conflict Resolution
WHY?
Stop the situation from escalating and reach a
resolution for both parties
HOWTOPUTITTOUSE

21. Conflict Resolution
HOW?
Always try to be neutral and respectful
Don’t accuse
Use passive or 3rd person language where
possible and appropriate
– E.g.: Avoid overuse of 'I' and 'you' – instead use 'we', or
'company ABC‘
Reply on all points raised
– (either inline or make a table for more complex ones)
Don’t get defensive
Take a step back and disconnect when possible
– “What am I trying to achieve with this email I’m sending?”
HOWTOPUTITTOUSE

22. Conflict Resolution
TIPS
Consider adding an email rule to delay sending all
‘normal’ priority emails by 1 minute.
Even if you accidentally hit send it in the worst case,
you can still save it!
Or
Write the email you ‘want to send’ BUT save it as a
draft, get some air and come back to it a few
minutes later.
You’ll probably be glad you didn’t send it.
HOWTOPUTITTOUSE

23. Relaying ‘Bad’ News
WHY?
Leads to better client relationships and
establishes trust
Less project blow outs / cost to the agency
Not relaying the bad news can lead to bigger
problems later
HOWTOPUTITTOUSE

24. Relaying ‘Bad’ News
HOW?
Be empathic to the client and situation
Do it as early as possible
Try ‘Pat’, ‘Slap’, ‘Pat’ AKA the ‘S--t Sandwich’
Get past the issue (but don’t ignore it). Future
pace towards the end result and goal
Try to frame and flip/diffuse the situation – is the
‘issue’ really a big issue at all?
HOWTOPUTITTOUSE

25. Relaying ‘Bad’ News
TIPS
‘Pat’, ‘Slap’, ‘Pat’ AKA the ‘S--t Sandwich’:
1. Start with something positive
2. Relay the bad news
3. Finish with something positive and/or future pace to
the end goal
ALWAYS be sincere when using this approach (and
in general). A lack of sincerity is easy to detect and
mostly just make things worse.
Further reading:
http://www.wikihow.com/Communicate-Bad-News-Professionally
HOWTOPUTITTOUSE

26. The bad news is
you’re falling through the
air, nothing to hang on to,
no parachute.
The good news is
there’s no ground.”
Trungpa Rinpoche
HOWTOPUTITTOUSE

27. Giving Instructions
WHY?
Builds better relationships
Creates better outcomes
Less frustration
HOWTOPUTITTOUSE

28. Giving Instructions
HOW?
Give a reason ‘why’ to provide context
– E.g.: ‘Please change the colour of the banner text’ because
it’s too hard to read
Be clear and detailed
Give ownership to the person doing the work
If there is a deadline, communicate this
Ask for ETAs when it’s appropriate
Confirm that the person understands ‘does that
make sense?’
HOWTOPUTITTOUSE

29. Giving Instructions
TIPS
Complex instructions over digital channels:
Emails: Lay it out in a table, by line item. Use
formatting (Headings, bold, even highlight)
Include screen shots (tools such as Snagit)
Word Doc: Use comments. Insist on ‘tracked
changes’ if working on the same doc.
Or, even better – try online collaboration via tools
such as Confluence, Google Docs, Dropbox Paper
or the awesome InvisionApp for design tasks.
HOWTOPUTITTOUSE

30. Giving ETAs
WHY?
Try to avoid locking yourself in to a binding
commitment unless it’s really needed (‘estimates’
are called estimates for a reason)
Things change and it can be difficult to give
precise ETAs in web development
Under promise, over deliver. This always creates
better rapport than promising a deadline and
missing it!
HOWTOPUTITTOUSE

31. Giving ETAs
HOW?
Minimise use of definitive/absolute words
Use softeners like ‘aim for’, ‘should’, ‘could’
Use conditionals such as ‘if there are no further
changes’
Keep in mind what is really ‘urgent’
Prioritise and don’t just ‘oil the squeakiest wheel’
Always allow for some fudge / wiggle room
Communicate any changes in ETA immediately to
stakeholders
HOWTOPUTITTOUSE

32. Giving ETAs
TIPS: The Power of a Promise
Committing an ETA to a client creates a promise. If this
promise is broken, no matter how small, it can seriously
damage trust.
In short, build trust and take it seriously:
If you promise an ETA, stick to it
“I’ll call you tomorrow”
Remind of the commitment in your follow up.
“Hi John. As promised, here is a quick update by the
end of the day…”
HOWTOPUTITTOUSE

33. “I don’t believe in
deadlines. I don’t
believe in telling the
enemy when we’re
going to withdraw.”
Ken Buck
HOWTOPUTITTOUSE

34. Seeking Approvals
WHY?
Improve efficiency
Align expectations and be on the same page towards
the outcomes
Identify issues early and change course if needed
(it only becomes more difficult later)
Maintain project momentum
Reduce delays and realise faster results for clients
HOWTOPUTITTOUSE

35. Seeking Approvals
HOW?
Future pace: “as soon as we receive those assets,
we can get started building the new website”
Bring it back to the client’s goals
Identify the real issue and try to move past it
Escalate if needed – intervention, ‘third party’ it,
involve other stakeholders
Take ownership and exhaust all possible avenues
Acknowledge that a website or app will never be
‘perfect’ (but it needs to be live to start seeing results!)
HOWTOPUTITTOUSE

36. Seeking Approvals
TIPS
Yes, it’s the digital age… but try a phone call. Or -
Send a calendar invitation to meet in person
Try an SMS, Skype or some other point of contact
Find a second point of contact e.g. the client’s proxy
If the client’s proxy can’t help, escalate the objective you
are trying to achieve with other stakeholders.
Keep going up the ladder and do not stop until you
achieve your objective!
HOWTOPUTITTOUSE