Each communication participant will be at a particular point on the commitment curve.
Awareness -> Understanding -> Buy-in -> Commitment
An assessment of their current and desired positions should be made before considering appropriate communication methods for each participant.
Some communication methods (such as a newsletter for example) are well suited for raising a level of awareness across a wide audience with relatively little effort per person. Other communication methods (such as one-to-one meetings for example) are well suited for getting buy-in or commitment, but at the cost of relatively more effort per person.
Therefore, a portfolio of communication methods should be defined, driven by:
- the current position of each communication participant on the commitment curve;
- the desired position of each communication participant on the commitment curve;
- the level of influence of each communication participant;
- the resources available to spend time on communications.
The Project Manager should evaluate the use of external and internal communication media. Communication can be via newsletters, road shows, workshops, teleconferences, videoconferences etc. based on project marketing needs. The Project Manager should take into consideration any existing communication channels, before establishing new ones, and decide whether or not they are appropriate for the project.
The communication methods selected should consider:
- how any feedback needs to be incorporated into the project plans;
- circulating meeting information (e.g. agendas, minutes, project plans, draft deliverables) prior to the meeting, especially when the team is distributed and meeting methods may involve more extensive use of teleconference and videoconference;
- conducting meetings with sufficient frequency to maintain the teamwork and cohesiveness developed during the project launch;
- making non-confidential meeting information (e.g., agenda, meeting minutes, presentation etc.) electronically available for team review;
- scheduling team meetings to discuss shared topics and deliverables and to surface and resolve issues and concerns.