How to Avoid Communication Pitfalls The Spider and the Fly: How to Avoid Communication Pitfalls By: Jason Frank Opening story

Master Creator Master Navigator Objectives: What Drives Us? Break Free From the Norm Break the Communication Barriers Practice Makes Perfect Master Creator = Engineer – always focusing on fixing and creating. Spinning the web. Master Navigators = Managers – always focusing on communicating the results, moving the project going Master Navigator

What Drives Us? Spiders Flies Food Creativity Detailed Oriented Free Thinkers Avoids Constraints Hides Their Work Wants to Wow You Competition Flies Food Customer Expectations Process Oriented Deadlines Schedules Efficiency Speed & Illusiveness Competition We all have to eat, but we don’t like the same foods. Engineers are creative and want every gadget to work with perfection. Manager’s don’t need to know the details they just want to make sure it works, and the customer is pleased. Give the SE enough time and they will rebuild the world, but it may never get complete in time for us all to enjoy it. Managers have to provide results and demonstrate progress, push the project along and hold people accountable.

Break Fee From the Norm! Know Your Enemies! We are not enemies, we are team mates. The real enemy is the work that needs to get done and the deadlines that need to be meet. The work is our enemy, not each other. Poor communication is our enemy. Pride and a know it all attitude is our enemy. Know Your Enemies!

Break the Communication Barriers Focus on resolutions not explanation Expose the issues quickly Don’t hide the issues Stop Working & Listen Think like an manager Spider The Communication Link Put your self in the others shoos Stop & Listen Seek To Understand Be Honest Focus Fly Think like an engineer Stop Talking & Ask More Questions Allow others to explain Release the information Focus on solutions not blame Communication is key to resolving most issues. It is the master communicator that gets results.

Practice Makes Perfect We are what we repeatedly do; excellence then is not an act, but a habit. (Aristotle) Team Work Empathy Keep Informed Keep Promises Tell the Story Empathy = put your self in others shoos Tell the Story = Tell the correct story in a way that the other person can understand Do what you say = do the work that you commit to do Keep promises = when you commit to do something do it right aware. Don’t get distracted by 1000 emails. Build Trust…. Do the Work Paint the Right Picture Build Trust