1 Tip on How to Use Words for a Safe Environment for Your Project

The purpose of this blog post is to talk about how the right words can build buy-in, trust and literally save your project.  Communications is under the LEAD part and under People in the Project Management MPM model.

Communications is under the LEAD part and under People

Create an Idea Safe Environment

A project’s success depends on the team, especially on their good ideas and collaboration, so it’s essential to foster an environment where they feel safe giving feedback or asking questions. 

The right language creates buy-in

Being careful around the words used seems like a small thing, but the right language helps create buy-in, engagement, and trust. 

Words create buy-in, engagement, and trust

The right phrasing and words make the difference between a team inspired to pour their energy, time, and creativity into a project and one that only wants to put forth the minimum effort and feels unmotivated or detached.

Talk in relation to the task not the person

One thing I have found is to be aware of is the difference between talking in relation to a person vs in relation to a task. 

For example, if you want an update on the status of some deliverables, there are two ways you can say it: 

• The first might go like this, “Hi, X. You’ve completed tasks 1, 2, and 3, but you still need to do 4 and 5. When do you think you’ll be able to get them done?” 
• The alternative is to phrase your question this way: “Hi, X. Steps 1, 2, and 3 are done, and 4 and 5 are left. What would be a realistic timeframe for 4 and 5 to be completed?”

Some business writers and leaders argue that removing the individual from the equation, like in the second example, takes away the sense of accountability. 

I would argue, however, that every aspect of a project emphasizes the team’s hierarchy: reporting, scheduling, delegation, etc. 

Team members on a project know what they are accountable for, especially if you’ve done a good job with communicating the approach and deliverable responsibilities and working with the team to develop the tasks.  As well, if you are using an appropriate schedule structure with the team, their name is next to their tasks. 

Focus on what is due, not the person

Orienting the discussion around their responsibility for the timeline and their to-do list by singling them out seems to only result in putting them on the defensive, and then they shut down.

If you focus instead on the item due, and take the team member out of the narrative, then you open up the situation for them to see outside their own perspective and creatively look for available alternatives. 

Focus on the item due and take the team member out of the narrative

If you as the leader in re-phrasing the problem, takes the individual out of the words used, the team senses you are not looking to blame but looking to solve and this opens up a window to creative brainstorming for ideas to resolve the problem. 

Your team is able to engage most effectively in collaborative problem-solving if they’re more goal-oriented, instead of getting stuck thinking about their own pieces of the project and why they are or are not done their part. 

Summary

Communicating with team members about the status of their tasks and any problems they are facing is an essential part of wearing the project manager hat, but if you emphasize their accountability when you talk to them, you might put them on the defensive, and create a negative team environment.

They know they’re accountable, so instead emphasize the nature of the task and the deliverable it is for and engage the team to problem-solve together for the best solution to help out the team member.

Use the right phrases and words to lead your team in a forward-facing approach that helps solve problems and keep your project moving in its progress toward completion.

This builds buy-in, engagement, and trust, which inspires them to pour their energy, time, and creativity into the project.

Action Steps / Apply This Knowledge

1. Take 5 to 10 minutes one morning. Go to your project plan and choose a task or set of tasks that has slipped once or twice over the last few weeks.

Practice writing an email to the team member involved, but take any mentions of “you” out, so that you’re focusing on the deliverables instead of the person. 

You don’t have to send it, but if you can do this once or twice, you’ll give yourself a practice script that you can follow in team meetings.

2. In the next project team meeting, be alert for when anyone is discussing a particular challenge with the person who is responsible and see if the one who is questioning uses words like “you” or “you are” and gauge the reaction of the person responsible – especially in terms of the ideas they come back with. 

Are their responses creative or defensive and how does that tie back to the phrasing of the question?

Learn More

In an upcoming workshop, for which you can subscribe to be notified when it’s available, we cover project management examples in detail.  

Also, in the workshop, we go into greater depth on many of the project management items in the Project Management MPM model.  As well you can ask questions about any of your current projects during the Q&A. 

LEAD – Watch Your Words 

© Simple PM Strategies 2021