Project Team Leadership: Building Commitment Through Superior Communication

Projects move more smoothly when teams understand the work and stay connected through change. This course focuses on the communication habits that drive strong project leadership, helping leaders build alignment and accountability across a team. Participants strengthen the interpersonal side of project leader training, including expectation setting, feedback, conflict navigation and team coordination. With stronger communication in place, project leaders are better positioned to keep people engaged and work moving forward.

Who Should Attend:

Mid- to high-level project and program managers and directors.

Overview

The demands of a project leadership role are unique. You must learn how to serve both the needs of your team members with the needs of the project—not an easy task. Project leadership requires a blend of soft skills, such as communication and motivation, along with the bottom-line capabilities of project management.

This workshop will teach you how to master the project leadership skills that can help you build team commitment and create a more predictable project environment.

How you will benefit:

• Build high-performance teams that can lead projects to successful implementation
• Keep the team on track through team consensus and conflict resolution
• Minimize communication misunderstandings
• Prevent team “break-ups” by using constructive feedback
• Achieve better results through clear, open and honest communication
• Optimize time, money and resources by putting the right people on the right projects

What you will cover:

• The ins and outs of communication skills
• Team dynamics: what’s unique about project teams
• Conflict management…successful team behaviors
• How to delegate and run effective meetings
• Communicating during project implementation and closure: conveying appreciation…what to do when crisis hits…performance reporting
• Negotiating agreements: a PM’s sources of power
• Achieving commitment and creating project successes

Course Outline:

Learning Objectives

• Build a High-Performing Team and Create Commitment to Assist Your Team in Meeting Its Deadlines
• Communicate More Clearly Within the Project Environment, Including Giving and Receiving Constructive Feedback
• Delegate More Successfully as a Project Manager
• Facilitate Effective Meetings, Including Presenting an Options Paper to Get the Team or Stakeholders to Make a Decision
• Manage Various Types of Communications Throughout the Project Life Cycle
• Resolve Conflicts to Keep Team Committed and on Track
• Negotiate More Effectively, Understanding How to Better Utilize Various Influencing Styles

Leading in Today’s Project Environment

• Understand the Need for Project Management and How Its Application Has Changed over the Years
• Analyze Project Failures at a Greater Depth of Understanding
• Define What Project Success, High Commitment, and Superior Communication Mean and How They Relate in Your World
• Identify the Key Leadership Skills Needed By a Project Manager and Assess Your Own Style

The Ins and Outs of Communication Skills

• Utilize Different Communication Techniques to Communicate with Your Project Stakeholders and Team Members in a Clear, Concise Way
• Give and Receive Constructive Feedback, Especially During Times of Anger, Disappointment, and Frustration
• Understand and Experience the Fact That the Same Words Can Mean Different Things to Different People
• Understand the Different Methods of Communicating Within a Project Team and Minimize the Barriers to Communication

Understanding Team Dynamics

• Identify the Characteristics of High-Performing, Spirited Teams
• Assess the Phase That You Are In and Your Project Team Is In, Using the Team Spirit Process of Development
• Understand Conflict, the Role It Plays in Teams, Your Conflict Style, and Methods to Deal with It
• Mediate Disputes Between Your Project Team Members to Assess Your Team and Determine Possible Actions to Improve Team Behaviors

Communication During the Project Definition and Planning Phases

• Identify Your Key Stakeholders and Interview Them to Gather Their Wants and Needs
• Communicate with the Project Team and Stakeholders During Phase 1 (Project Definition) and Phase 2 (Planning) of the Project
• Understand the Three Levels of Communication Surrounding a Project
• “Let Go of the Work” and Delegate More Successfully

Communication During Project Implementation and Closure

• Communicate and Report Status During Project Implementation to Both Team Members and Stakeholders in a Way That Minimizes the Chance of Miscommunications
• Hold Effective Team Meetings and Obtain Feedback from Team Members
• Understand “Consensus” and How and When to Use It with Project Teams
• Re-plan the Project When It Is in Crises and Present Options to Stakeholders in a Way That Optimizes the Chance That They Will Make a Decision

Negotiating Agreements

• Identify and Utilize Key Skills, Strategies, and Tactics Needed to Successfully Manage the Negotiation Process
• Understand a Project Manager’s Sources of Power and Analyze Your Ability to Influence Others
• Organize a Negotiation Using the Five Stages of the Negotiation Process

Wrap-Up: Effective Project Leadership

• Understand the Team Dynamics That Effective Project Managers Are Trying to Create in Order to Create a Highly Committed Team and More Project Successes
• Choose and Implement Some Tips in Creating Positive Team Dynamics
• Return to Work and Implement Some Ideas from This Course