Page 233 - Project+

allows the participants to see and hear each other, and depending on the software

you’re using, you may also be able to share your computer screen so others can see the
presentation, slides, spreadsheet, or whatever report you are presenting. Voice
conferencing is conducted using a telephone. It is not as effective as video conferencing
but works well if team members can’t be in the same room at the same time.

Scheduled vs. Impromptu Meetings Scheduled meetings are put onto the
calendar in advance of the meeting. Typically, invites are sent via email with an agenda
and the date, time, and location of the meeting. Impromptu meetings typically occur in

the moment and are not scheduled ahead of time. This happens on my projects quite
often. I will causally ask a team member a question that grows into asking another
person or two to join in the discussion, and the next thing you know, we are having an
impromptu meeting. Sometimes, these can be a gold mine of inspiration and a
brainstorming opportunity. You wouldn’t want all of your meetings to be impromptu,

but on those rare occasions when they happen naturally, don’t be surprised if you find
answers to problems and solve some issues that had previously eluded you and the
team.

Closure Meetings Closure meetings occur at the end of the project or at the end of a
project phase. These are important because this is where final acceptance of the project
deliverables occurs. You will obtain sign-off from the project sponsor that the project is
complete and meets expectations.

Email Email is a written form of communication. It’s useful when conveying succinct,

easily understood information quickly to many people. Be careful with email because
it’s easy for the receiver to misunderstand your tone or intention. Email is great for
meeting invites, sharing meeting agendas and minutes, and providing a quick update.
If you have complex information to convey, it’s best to put this into a written report
and present the report in person or via a video conference. It’s a good idea to send the
report ahead of the meeting so everyone has a chance to review it. But the discussion of

the contents should occur at a meeting, not in email. And one last tip: before hitting
the “reply all” option, please ask yourself twice whether everyone needs to know your
response. Most of the time only the sender needs the reply, not everyone on the
distribution list.

Fax The ability to send documents electronically started with the fax machine. These
used to be stand-alone machines that scanned each page of your document and sent it
over the telephone lines. Today, you can send a fax over the Internet or over the phone

line. In most cases, a document original that is signed and then faxed to a bank, a
government agency, or a vendor is considered a legally binding document. Contract
amendments and change orders are examples of the types of documents you might
send to a vendor. Since you have the capability to send multiple page documents,
faxing is appropriate for either simple messages or complex messages.

Instant Messaging Instant messaging allows you to communicate with another

person via a text message over the Internet. There are many software programs that

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