Often in managing projects, we made assumption that people would understand the information and the context of the information that we are trying to communicate with them. We are blissfully ignorant that people might be interpreting the information wrongly based on their distinct experience and knowledge. Here is the quick remedy for overcoming such situation:
- Provide clear context of the project so that people (stakeholders) are in the same page. Executive summary would be helpful.
- Clarify the specific terminology, acronyms and preferred vocabulary
- Avoid terms that can be interpreted differently by different people.
- Always reiterate the project ‘s context which includes project assumption and intended outcomes.
- Phrase things in a simple and accurate manner
- Avoid using colloquial words in the meeting when there are people from different background and ethnicity.
- Encourage questions
- Ask some people to paraphrase or repeat your point, to gauge their understanding. This is usually done when you are the boss.