Running head: PROJECT PLAN 1

Team Communication Requirements

The team members have to communicate with each other during this process. If the team members fail to communicate, the project may stagnate or may not turn out as expected. Communication can be either oral or written. The process of communication has been made easier by technology. Nowadays, people can communicate through many ways. Oral communication includes face-to-face communication, video conferences and using telephones among others.

The advantage of oral communication is that there is immediate feedback. People have a chance to deliberate on different issues that have been raised (Guffey et al, 2009). They also come up with decisions more quickly. The other advantage is that a person can see and evaluate the other person’s body language. Body language includes hand gestures, facial expressions, nodding the head, body posture and other body movements. This is important because it is a form of feedback and adds clarity to the message. All the team members are different and they have a different understanding and opinion about the body language. How a person interprets certain gestures and mannerisms can be influenced by things such as culture. Team members should make every effort to ensure that the words they use are not offensive to anybody. Avoiding sexist words and other discriminatory words is a challenge that the team faces.

Written communication involves memos, letters and emails. Communication has been enhanced since the advent of social networking technology. The use of Facebook and twitter has made communication easier. The main advantage of traditional methods of written communication is that they provide a record. It should be kept brief and to the point. It should provide clarity to the team members. All the team members are busy with their assigned duties and they may not have the time to read long emails and letters. There are several barriers of communication. Individual personalities are the greatest barriers since they determine how a person understands the message. The character and perception of a person may hinder team communication. Such barriers should be identified and understood. The project manager has the role of ensuring that the project runs successfully and this will depend on the team members. If they do not agree with each other, then the project will not be completed.

Communication is important. In this team, the members opted to use oral communication because it was the most convenient for this project. The team will have to meet several times before the completion of the project so that they can establish the framework for the work to be done. The first meeting will detail the group’s mission and detail the requirements of the project. The members will also be assigned their tasks in this meeting. This will be a nice opportunity for the members to know each other better. By working together, the members will identify each other’s strengths and weaknesses. By sharing ideas and knowledge, they will help each other and this will ensure that the project is successful (Neider & Schriesheim, 2005).

Other meetings will be used to resolve issues that come as the project continues. In case other urgent requirement arises, the members will have to deliberate on this. Other methods of communication such as emails will not be used frequently. However, the members can use social networking to keep up with each other. Before the project is submitted, the members will meet to know if everything was done as scheduled. Any corrections to be made will be made before the project is presented.

References:

Guffey, E. M., Rogin, P., & Rhodes, K. (2009). Business Communication: Process and Product. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning

Neider, L. L., & Schriesheim, C. (2005). Understanding Teams. Charlotte, NC: IAP