Anticipate questions: Take a cue from anyone prepping for a media interview and think of the hardest  questions you can. Develop and practice response to them.

Restate or ask for clarification: This gives you time to think and helps others in the audience. Even  saying, "That is a great [or though, or difficult, or whatever] question" gives you a few seconds to think, as does, as does pausing before launching into the answer. Shift: Especially if the questioner is persistent or aggressive, you want to shift away from a one-on-one  exchange. Look around the room, even while answering.

Stay on track: Don't get off the track of what you planned in your message. In fact, a q-and-a session can  reinforce the main points of your message, so it is an extra opportunity to achieve your outcome.

Above all, don't feel like a lamb up for slaughter. You control the session.

What about if no one asks any questions? Sometimes that is even more painful than tough questions. To get the  session started, consider an open-ended question such as "How are we doing so far?" or "How does this fit with  what you've already experienced?" rather than "Are there any questions?"or "Did you understand everything?" which  tend to be met with silence.

Feedback
Being able to give and receive constructive feedback is necessary for improving a communication, although giving  and receiving feedback can be difficult if not handled correctly. You need to provide feedback on the performance  and not the person. You don't want to be too harsh, but you also don't want to be so easy that you are not helping  the presenter to improve.

If asked to provide feedback

• Ask the presenter to go first. How does the presenter think he or she did? Did the performance reflect the intent? What went well? What should be changed.
• Then tell the presenter what you liked and found most effective. What could have been done better? What is your number one recommendation?
• As the presenter to comment again. What will he or she do for the next iteration?

Similarly, when on the receiving end of feedback, remember that it is a way for you to improve the impact of your  message.   

To deliver a high-impact message, the sender should define the purpose, analyze the audience, organize the content, select the optimal medium and structure the content for that medium.

In both written and verbal communication, the first impression counts. A few example:

• Emails should be broken into short "chunks"
• Dress for the situation and, of course, be neat and well groomed.
• Offices and other physical spaces send out messages: messy spaces, uncomfortable and impersonal reception areas, conference rooms with uncomfortable chairs and so on.
• Auditory "first impression" can include how one uses one' voice, music selections (which can set the mood in some situations if chosen correctly.
• When giving presentations: -Walk confidently to the podium or the front of the room.  -Look around at the entire audience, whether it is one person or one hundred. -If being introduced by someone else, make sure that the introducer has updated, relevant information about you and, if needed, the correct pronunciation of your name. The bio information should relate to the topic at hand to boost your credibility with the audience. Off-topic information is fine as long as it helps, your image and does not detract from it. The audience will witness how you interact with the introducer. Shake hands and look him or her in the eye before turning your attention to the audience in front of you. Everyone gets stage fright, and the adrenalin can actually help in your presentation. The best techniques to manage stage fright are to practice out load beforehand and to have a strong opening (another benefit of a good TREOA) to get you through the first two minutes.

Nonverbal and Paraverbal Communication

Nonverbal and paraverbal communication strongly affect how messages are received. When verbal and nonverbal or paraverbal messages are at odds with each other (for example, you say you not angry, but your teeth are clenched and your voice is strained), the nonverbal and paraverbal dominate.

The Audience

Even with extensive preparation, the audience's reaction can never be anticipated completely. The audience response may be a direct reaction to the message, or it could be the result of a number of filters. Some possible reactions and responses can be found follow:

If the audience looks...            You may need to...
Hostile                                       Seek out someone in the audience who looks supportive and "check in" with him. Transition to related topic that you know the audience supports, then go back to  the main points of your presentation

Confused                                  Ask if any particular points need clarification. Go slower, or break dicussion into smaller parts.

Bored                                         Ask questions or initiate discussion. Use a story or personal anecdote

Skeptical                                   Stress your supporting evidence

    Break Promises
        don’t keep commitments
        drop the ball
        don't follow through
        betray confidences or secrets

    Serve Own Interests       

        Force decisions or plan that favor oneself at others' expense
        Act more concerned about own welfare than anything else
        Make excuses
        Take credit for others' work
        Deflect blame, "point fingers"
   
    Act Inconsistently
        Say one thing but do another
        Send mixed messages so others don't know where one stands
        Show favoritism
        Provide support one day and not another
        Do temperamentally uneven and unpredictable

    Avoid Issues
        Don’t deal with poor performance at the expense of others
        Go around people instead of approaching them directly
        Sugarcoat; present information in an artificially positive light
        Do evasive and less than candid
        Sidestep difficult decisions

    Make Assumptions
        Jump to conclusions without checking facts
        Don't give people a fair chance to prove themselves
        Expect the worst from others
        Act on own point of view without considering other's viewpoint
        Don't challenge preconceived notions

    Doubt Others
        Micromanage
        Look over everyone’s' shoulder
        Constantly doubt-check the work of others
        Don’t delegate authority along with responsibility
        Imprint own stamp on others' ideas

To determine the purpose of high-impact communication, answer three questions (O/M/T):

-Outcome: what outcome do I want to achieve?
-Measurement: How will I measure whether it is achieved?
-Time frame: When do I need  to be delivered?

if the purpose for is to inform, then the entire O/M/T may not be relevant. If the purpose is to direct, the  sender should have authority over the audience receiving the directive. However, the message must still be well  expressed, clear, and respectful in order to achieve the O/M/T. If the purpose is to persuade, the anticipated 
outcome is to  change attitudes to effect an action.

Audience:
Sender should know their audience - not only names and position titles, but also more complete information that  affects how the audience receives the message. Knowing receiver's communication style, culture, way of doing  business, and other characteristics helps senders plan how to communicate to achieve their purpose.

An audience analysis, whether it is a large group, small group, or just one individual, helps senders determine  who the audience is, the receiver's current level of knowledge about the topic, and the knowledge they need to "buy into" the message.

Content:
Purpose + audience = content

After planning purpose and analyzing the audience, the sender will have a sense of what to include (or not  include) in the message. Receivers need to be engaged in a topic before they are willing to dig in and take action  on it. Appealing to their communication style and distilling the information most useful and interesting to them 
is critical when the sender only has a minute (at most) to get their attention.

Two areas to emphasize in developing content are overcoming (or forestalling) objections and dispelling  misconceptions. It is better to anticipate the objections of the audience and find ways to satisfy these concerns.  Misconceptions are the beliefs that people already hold about a topic or something related to it, because of past  experience, something heard from a trusted friend, the media, or other source. To dispel misconceptions, listen to what the concern is, seek common ground, and be able to provide solid evidence. Misconception cannot be turned 
around immediately.

Medium:
Each medium (email, reports, posters, articles, formal presentation, phone calls, face-to-face) has pros and cons.

The easiest medium is email and most difficult one is one-on-one meeting, when negative or bad news has to be delivered. But, high-impact communication may be called upon to use all these mediums - maybe even with the same message- and must be prepared to take on whatever challenge the situation requires.

The goal of high-impact communication is to build trust and create empathy between the sender and receiver in order to reach shared meaning and a desired outcome.

Filter of Memory is impacted by the events, experiences, and emotions that one has acquired over many years.  The memory filter can be improved by learning and mastering "emotional intelligence", which consists of five components: Self-Awareness: understanding or your own values and goals; Self-Regulation: being able to manage one's moods; Motivation: being driven to achieve beyond expectations; Empathy: being sensitive to others; Social Skills: the culmination of these other components; skills with which a person can recover from an emotionally negative situation.

Context is based on the culture and environment in which the communication is carried out. The contextual filters that affect communication include culture, gender, perspective areas, and physical factors.The culture can impact communication, for example; individual over group, hierarchical vs egalitarian, or completion vs achieving harmony.  For gender, Men and women often choose different words when they communicate, eg. tentative vs boastful. The challenge for perspective is to ensure both sender and receiver are working from same  perspective, eg., strategically vs personal. The physical factor can range from noisy room to the hour of the day.

Content's impact is based on the actual message, words used, and perceptions. The filter of content is about message itself, words choices, and perceptions of those words. For example, polite, deferential language can send a different message than commands or profanity.

Filter of Communication Styles; Generally people have four different communicate styles, Direct, Systematic, Spirited, and Considerate. The styles are either high or low in their assertiveness and their expressiveness.

Assertiveness is the effort that a person makes to influence the thoughts or actions of others. Direct and  Spirited people tend to rate high in assertiveness, while considerate and systematic people tend to rate low. Expressiveness is the effort that a person makes to control his or her emotions when relating to other people.  Spirited and considerate people tend to  rate high, while systematic and direct people tend to rate low in this area.

Each communication style has strengths and area that can impede one's communication with others. When communicating with a group of people with different styles, or when meeting people for the first time and there's no way to determine the person's style, the sender should construct the message to appeal to all the styles.

Form of Communication: communication can be done in three forms; Verbal (the words used), Para-verbal (tone of voice, inflection), and nonverbal (body language, personal space). Culture, gender, and communication styles all affect how people use these forms of communications, but studies have shown that people tend to respond most to the nonverbal communication they receive.

 

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Parker, Glenn M. " Cross-Functional Teams" San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1994

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Schmidt, Warren H. and Barbara "BJ" Hateley. "Penquin Index: Assessing Management Proactices and Diversity Acceptance in Your Organization", Tuxedo, N.Y.: Xicom, Incorporated, 1995

1. Who are the project stakeholders?
2. Describe the project organization and reporting relationship
3. What are the design goals and are they clearly measurable?
4. What are the project milestones?
5. What are the top three risks to the project and how are these risks being mitigated?
6. What are your planning assumptions?
7. Is the Quality Management Plane complete?
8. Do preliminary specifications exist that are agreed upon among the project stakeholders?
9. Is there a Configuration Management Plan to control changes?
10. What is the Communication Plan for the project?