Page 232 - Project+

The primary forms of communication exchange include verbal and written formats.

Verbal communication is easier and less complicated than written, and it’s usually
faster. The risks with verbal communication are that misunderstandings can take place
and there’s no record of what was said other than everyone’s memories. Written
communications are good for detailed instructions or complex messages that people
may need to review. The risk with written communication is that stakeholders are

inundated with emails, memos, documents, and other information, so your project
information could get lost in the sea of information overload.

Deciding whether your information should be verbal or written is an important
decision. Most formal project information, such as the project charter, scope
statement, budget, and project plan, should be written. You’ll most likely have
meetings to discuss the contents of these documents, which means the verbal format
will be used as well. It’s always good practice to think about what you’re

communicating beforehand and how it will be communicated. Planning your
communications before you speak or write is even more critical if your message is
sensitive or controversial. Things will go much easier if you send the right message to
begin with, rather than apologizing or retracting it later.

Communication Methods

As I said earlier, there are dozens of ways of communicating today. Let’s highlight each

of the methods found in the CompTIA Project+ exam.

Meetings Meetings are prevalent during projects. You will have meetings to
determine requirements, approve plans, discuss risks, report on project status, and
more. Meetings can use both verbal and written forms of communication. For example,
you could be sharing the project charter with the meeting attendees, or have printed
copies of the budget or schedule to review, or you might provide written status updates
as well as discussing the updates at the meeting.

It’s good practice to have an agenda for your meetings that highlights the topics that

will be covered, who will be presenting, and the time frame for that topic. There are a
few meeting types that may show up on the exam. Let’s look at each briefly.

Kickoff Meetings We talked about project kickoff meetings in Chapter 6. These
meetings are intended to discuss the project goals, introduce the team members and
stakeholders, introduce the project manager, and set expectations for meeting the
project timelines and budgets. You may also discuss team member roles and
responsibilities at this meeting.

Virtual vs. In-Person Meetings In-person meetings occur face-to-face. All of the
meeting attendees meet in a conference room or an office to discuss the agenda items
at the meeting.

Virtual meetings occur when people are not physically present at the meeting. This can
be accomplished using video conferencing or voice conferencing. Video conferencing

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