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University System of Maryland

Effective Communication for Program and Project Stakeholders and Teams

University System of Maryland and University of Maryland, College Park via edX

Overview

“Everyone communicates, but few connect” is a famous book and message by John C. Maxwell on leadership. The meaning behind this message is that as leaders of programs and projects, we need to be not just communicators, but effective communicators.

Obtaining your Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) or similar project management certificate is the first step. But, as you gain program management and project management experience, you realize that effective communication goes beyond what you learned in "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge" (PMBOK).

Gaining a program management certification or project management certification (such as the PMP certification) equips you with the necessary project management tools to begin your project or project management career. There is more to effective program and project communication than what is on the PMP exam.

For communication from program managers and project managers to be truly effective, there must be understanding beyond what you learned from your professional certification. The communicator and the receiver must use feedback to determine how the message was received and if the communicator created the intended level of understanding in the receiver for the communication to succeed.

In this course, you will learn about the Understanding Triad - know-what, know-how, and know-why. The Understanding Triad aids you in crafting just the right level of explanation for all your audiences. The Understanding Triad will make you a more effective program manager, traditional project manager, agile project manager, or certified scrum master.

The Project Management Institute, Inc (PMI) teaches that project management communication is the transfer of information. The project or program manager sends messages to their project teams, stakeholders, customers, and executive sponsors. If the program manager or project manager believes that communicating a clear message is enough for good communication, then the manager may be fooled into thinking their communication efforts are complete. Even if there is feedback, the feedback is usually limited to confirming that the message was received as intended. However, communication is not merely the transmission of information. The difference can be days, months, or years of wasted time and effort; or successful, early delivery.

Certified program and certified project managers earn 10 professional development units (PDU) as they learn how communication can make a difference in every interaction, and become a truly effective program or project manager. Gain the power skill of communication in this certificate program.

Syllabus

Week One - Defining Communication

Module One - The Transmission Model of Communication

Module Two - The Emergence Model of Communication

Module Three - Program and Project Management Communication - Tasks, Resources, and Schedules

Module Four - Program and Project Management Communication - Visioning and Building a Team

Week Two - Creating Messages to be Understood

Module One - The Building Blocks of a Message

Module Two - What is Understanding - Know-What

Module Three - What is Understanding - Know-How

Module Four - What is Understanding - Know-Why

Module Five - Putting It All Together With Building Blocks

Week Three - Feedback and Understanding

Module One - What is Good Feedback?

Module Two - How to Give Good Feedback

Module Three - How to Use Feedback for Testing Understanding

Module Four - Incorporating Continuous Feedback into Your Project

Module Five - Putting It All Together and Preview of the Next Module

Week Four - Audience Analysis

Module One - The Different Audiences in a Program or Project

Module Two - What Information Does Each Audience Need

Module Three - Balancing the Understanding Triad in Your Message

Module Four - Troubleshooting Understanding

Taught by

Bill Brantley

Reviews

4.6 rating, based on 82 Class Central reviews

4.5 rating at edX based on 20 ratings

Start your review of Effective Communication for Program and Project Stakeholders and Teams

  • Anonymous
    Highly recommend for anyone in Management. The course is well-structured, and excellent delivery. I did enjoy the exercises and quizzes as well. Unlike other online courses, you need to pay attention to the lectures to pass the quizzes and final exam. Added benefit of the PDUs make this worth it for PMP certified professionals.
  • Anonymous
    This was a very informative course. Even knowing some of the information prior to this course, I learned better strategies and gained more resources to improve my skills. The check were helpful to help you understand the information you received. The instructor was knowledgeable and easy to listen to. I would recommend this course to anyone looking start gaining skills in or to advance their skills in effective communication.
  • Anonymous
    As per the title, this is a very effective course. To the point, concise, with the right amount of examples and in-depth analysis, it delivers the messages with the right wording and time. I truly enjoyed it. I also appreciated the way the teacher was explaining the concepts, the pace of his speech, the words he used, the pauses he took, it felt more like a in-person class than a remote pre-registered training. Highly recommended to learn a few more tricks to communicate effectively even outside of your business environment. Kids included.
  • Anonymous
    I am new to project management and although this course was geared toward those with some experience, I learned a lot. It was still very understandable. I think this information will be helpful to make the actual project management courses more meaningful.
  • Anonymous
    This course was great! Would 100% recommend this course to anyone wanting to get a basic understanding of project management and will definitely continue using UMD to continue learning project management skills so that I can pursue a career.
  • Anonymous
    A great online LMS that includes useable frameworks, useable content/references, and a solid foundation of valuable communication principles for anyone accountable for project management within their organization.
  • Anonymous
    A great online LMS that includes useable frameworks, useable content/references, and a solid foundation of valuable communication principles for anyone accountable for project management within their organization.
  • Anonymous
    Many good takeaways from this course. The course is easy to follow and information check point quizzes kept the content engaging. I would like to see some other activities in addition to the quizzes.
  • Anonymous
    Very helpful as a new manager responsible for leading communication on different projects. Easy to follow, loads of resources, and the frequent checks for understanding are helpful.
  • Anonymous
    great course to refocus importance of communication in a team setting. Would recommend to anyone that wants to improve their teams on the job.
  • Anonymous
    This course was very timely and well done. The instructor offered realistic explanations to project/program management scenarios that a working project manager could use in the field. The supplement resources were just as good even though some links no longer worked it did not detract from the overall experience. I would highly recommend this course to any on in the project management field, regardless of level. The information is useful and is in alignment with modern project management practices.
  • Profile image for Rose F
    Rose F
    This course taught me about different theories of communication, how they have evolved over time, and how important and relevant understanding is within communication to ensure successful project management. The course is formatted to include videos as well as written material and links to supplemental articles, along with quizzes and knowledge checks to ensure retention and understanding of the material. it is self-paced, which is essential for me as a professional working full-time.
  • Anonymous
    The course was incredibly helpful. It covered a variety of topics, teaching me how to communicate effectively in project teams. The practical exercises and real-world examples made the learning experience practical and engaging. Overall, this course has greatly improved my communication skills for successful project management. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to enhance their abilities in project communication.
  • Anonymous
    This course helped me to have a better understanding in all of the work that I am currently doing. It helped me realize that communication is a great tool, but better uses for it can be done with a more strategic format. I got to use new things such as the understanding triad. I feel that i am better equipped to develop my skills thanks to a lot of the subjects that are covered here.
  • Anonymous
    Interesting and very educating class. The case studies relate to real like cases and solutions provided were practical. I acquired some new knowledge and skills and would recommend it to friends in the communications and program/project management fields.
  • Anonymous
    I enjoyed this course! It was helpful to enhance my communication skills both personally and professionally. The course materials were well-organized and presented clearly and logically, which made it easy to understand. Highly recommend.
  • Anonymous
    I enjoyed Effective Communication for Program and Project Stakeholders and Teams. This course was informative and jam-packed with communication jewels. I look forward to utilizing what I have learned from this course soon.
  • Anonymous
    I enjoyed Effective Communication for Program and Project Stakeholders and Teams. This course was informative and jam-packed with communication jewels. I look forward to utilizing what I have learned from this course soon.
  • Anonymous
    The class was helpful in explaining how to communicate with stakeholders. Learning about the Emergence Model and Understanding Triad will help me better manage project work and stakeholder expectations. Highly recommend.
  • Anonymous
    I was really enjoying the course and feel the content was useful. However, I did not feel the course was professionally executed. There were typos, which is ironic for a communications course. There were also technical issues with the videos when we got to Week 4. 2 videos didn't match the transcript and it took several weeks to get it fixed for the first one so I just read the transcript for the second one so I wouldn't have to wait for it. In addition, there was a question on the final exam that I believe had the wrong answer. So the quality at the end was not what I hoped it to be and will not be paying to get a verification certificate on any other course as it is not worth the money in my opinion.

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