Interpersonal Management Skills – Part 5

In prior posts, we began coverage of Interpersonal Management Skills which are crucially important in project management given that it is a people-oriented profession. This article represents the last in this series…

As a reminder, the skills, in their entirety, include:

1. Clarifying and Confirming
2. Constructive Criticism
3. Managing Differences
4. Crediting
5. Discussion Skills (the topic of this post)

Discussion Skills

Use: To link all of our interpersonal skills as we interact with others; to facilitate dialogue that is both participative and productive.

The key message here is that the 4 skill areas we’ve covered are not necessarily or always used in isolation. Instead, they become a natural part of broader discussions we have with others.

That is, we’ll want to leverage each of the skills, in turn, to accomplish our objectives while at the same time ensuring each person feels valued and a key contributor to discussions.

As such, at one moment of a conversation, we may need to clarify and confirm to ensure we understand the message that was conveyed. This may result in learning that there are 2 opposing views towards addressing a situation, so we’ll want to manage differences. From there, we may credit someone for the great work they’ve done and later need to provide constructive criticism to a colleague who didn’t quite make the mark.

As a result, it can be very helpful to practice the skills individually as opportunities present themselves, and before you know it, you’ll be fluently exhibiting all of the skills without giving it a second thought.

The key is practice, practice and more practice.

By doing so, you will observe increasingly improved communications and relationships with ALL those around you. That is, these skills aren’t just applicable at work. They are just as important and impactful in our personal lives as well.

If there were ANY set of skills that I’d most highly recommend for High Performance PM’s, it would be these Interpersonal Management Skills. This, considering the fact that working well with others is considered the most valuable skill set in the business world.

In closing, if you are looking to improve PM capabilities in yourself or organization, feel free to reach out to discuss how I can help.

All the best!

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