全文总计3835字，需阅读8分钟，以下为今天的项目管理外语学习篇：
Communications are important in every aspect of your life. In a relationship? Yes. Raising children? Yep. Work. Oh yeah!
沟通，在生活的方方面面都非常重要。谈恋爱呢？当然！抚养孩子呢？当然！工作，必须也很重要！
None of your associations, personal or professional, are immune to communications.
不论团体，还是个人，或者职业，都不可避免地受到沟通的影响。
It’s how we express ourselves, our wants and desires. Words are a somewhat blunt instrument to do so, but they’re the most effective tool we’ve got.
沟通，是我们如何去表达自己、需求与愿望。对此，文字是一种生硬的工具，但却是我们所拥有的最有效的工具。
So, how do we use them better?
那么，我们如何更好地使用文字呢？
If you can increase how well you articulate your ideas and directions, think about how that will impact the progress and potential success of your project?
如果你能增强清楚地表达出你的想法和方向的话，请想一想，这会对项目的进展和潜在的成功产生什么样影响呢？
It’s the oil that’ll get those gears spinning.
油能使齿轮旋转起来！
What are effective communication strategies we can use at work to increase productivity? Well, glad you asked!
那么，我们可以使用什么样有效的沟通策略，在工作中提高生产效率呢？很高兴你问出这个问题！
Here are a dozen ideas that can jumpstart your communications and in so doing make you’re a more productive and effective project leader.
这里有十多个想法，可以对沟通起到推波助澜的作用，这样做会使你成为更有成果与更有效率的项目领导。
01
Have More Open Meetings
召开更多公开的会议
What? Have we lost you before we even got started? Meetings! Ugh, the bane of work. You’ve obviously sat through many mind-numbing ones and maybe even lead a few.
什么？我们还没开始，就要失去吗？会议！呃，那是工作的噩梦。很明显，你已经经历了许多令人麻木的事情，甚至可能会主导过一些。
Be honest. It’s okay. Meetings get a bad rap. They’re just a tool, and a tool can be handled effectively or dangerously.
说实话，没有关系！会议受到负面的评价。你要知道，会议只是一个可以被有效或冒险处理的工具而已。
A good meeting has an agenda and only involves those who need to know what is being discussed.
一个好的会议，会有一个议程，只涉及到那些需要了解正在讨论什么的人。
But that’s not the type of meeting we’re calling for here.
但这不是我们需要的会议类型。
This is a meeting where everyone gets a chance to speak their minds and listen to what others have to say, without comment.
在这个会议上，每个人都有机会说出自己的想法，倾听别人所说的，但不发表评论。
This is a great way to gauge the temperature of your team, have them hear what you’re saying and actively listen to what they say.
这是评估团队氛围的好方法，让他们听到你所说的话，并积极听取他们的说法。
02
Emails Have a Use, Too
邮件当然也有用途
Really. They do. Hear us out. Like meetings, emails, once the vanguard of the electronic revolution, now seem like an old man shouting on a soapbox, ignored in the park.
邮件，当然是有用途的！就如会议一般，电子邮件-曾经的电子革命先锋，现在看起来更像一个老者在小讲台上呐喊，在公园里被忽略。
It’s true, people take advantage of emails and use them when other channels would prove a better means of communication.
这是真的，在其他渠道可能会被证明是更好的沟通工具时，人们利用电子邮件的优势，并加以使用。
However, when you want to pass on some official news, such as a meeting time and place or policy issue, there are few better vehicles to deliver it than email.
然而，当你想传递一些正式的消息，如会议时间、地点或政策问题时，很少有比电子邮件更好的沟通工具了。
You can target just the people you want, share the pertinent information and, if it is a meeting, they can simply click and add the schedule to their calendar. That’s effective communications.
你可以仅仅针对你想要去面对的人，去分享相关的信息，而如果是会议，他们可以简单地点击，并将日程安排添加到他们的日程表中。这才是有效的沟通！
03
Sometimes You Must Talk One-on-One
有时，必须进行一对一对话
Communication strategies aren’t one-size-fits-all. You communication takes leadership, and to be effective, your communications should be adaptive.
沟通策略，并不是放之四海而皆准。沟通需要领导力，要有效，沟通应该是自适应的。
There comes a time when you might have to disseminated sensitive information to one person or perhaps you need to speak about a private matter that is of no concern to others on your team or in the office.
有时间，你可能不得不向某个人传播敏感信息，或者你可能需要谈论一件私事，而这件事对于你所在的团队或办公室来讲是没问题的。
That’s when the classic one-on-one communication comes in. It’s also a great way to communicate because you can look someone in the eye, read their body language and respond to cues that aren’t communicated verbally, which is important if you’re discussing something that might be uncomfortable.
这就是经典的一对一沟通方式。这也是一个很好的沟通方式，因为，你可以看着某个人的眼睛，阅读他们的肢体语言，并回应那些没有进行口头传达的信息，而如果你是在讨论一些可能不舒服的事情，这一点将非常重要。
04
Training as a Communication Tool
将培训作为一个沟通工具
You might not think of training as the right vehicle to share information, but what else is it?
你可能并不认为培训是分享信息的合适的工具，那么，还有哪些呢？
Teaching someone something is communicating ideas and making sure they get them. In fact, how more effective can you get?
教某人某事，是沟通思想，并确保对方获得。实际上，你能得到更有效的沟通吗？
Sometimes, consider disseminating key communications as a “training” event, rather than an info meeting.
有时，可以考虑把关键的沟通传播为“培训”活动，而不是信息会议。
People put on different hats, so to speak, when they’re in learning mode. They’re more likely to retain the info, too.
可以说，当人们处于学习模式时，他们会去戴上不同的帽子。他们更有可能去保留这些信息。
While it doesn’t work for everything you need to convey, it’s a great tool for certain things, especially of a technical or procedural matter.
虽然培训并不适用于你需要传达的一切，但对于某些事情来讲，尤其是技术性或程序性的事情，培训确实是一个非常好的工具。
05
Present Information Visually
陈述信息可视化
Not everyone learns the same way. Some are good readers, others need to use their hands and do something to learn, and then there are those who are more visually oriented.
不是每个人都会用同样的方法学习。有些人是好的很好的阅读者，而其他人需要用自己动手做一些事情来学习，然后，还有那些更注重视觉的人。
Presentations can help some people better wrap their head around what it is you’re trying to say.
报告，可以帮助一些人更好地理解你想说的话。
The use of colorful graphs and charts distill often complicated ideas into easy-to-understand images.
请使用丰富多彩的图表和图表，将复杂的想法提炼成为容易理解的画面。
06
Don’t Neglect Your Personal Presentation
请不要忽略自己的报告
You’ve heard the term: it’s the singer, not the song? Well, for you it’s both. You must articulate your ideas clearly, but as the one communicating, you must display confidence.
你听过这个词：是歌手，而不是歌？嗯，对你来说都是。你必须清楚地表达你的想法，但作为沟通的一方，你必须展示出信心。
You shouldn’t be standoffish, but your place is one of authority and demands a level of seriousness, so that what you said will be understood as important.
你不应该冷漠，但你所处的位置是一种权力，需要一定的认真度，所以，你所说的被他人理解非常重要。
This doesn’t mean putting on airs. In fact, the best method to get your ideas across once people take you seriously, is to speak simply and honestly.
这并不意味着装腔作势。事实上，一旦人们认真对待你，理解的最好方法就是真挚而诚恳地说话。
Avoid jargon and dressing up your language with a bunch of superlatives.
请避免行话，以及使用形容词去修饰语言。
They’re not needed and will only get in the way of the message you want to deliver. Everything from the words you choose to the body language you use is going to have an impact.
其实，根本不需要，那样去做只会阻碍你想要去传达的信息。从选择的词语，到使用的肢体语言，一切都会产生影响。
07
Don’t Be Repetitive
请不要啰嗦
Don’t repeat yourself, don’t repeat yourself, don’t repeat yourself! When did you stop reading that previous sentence? Probably somewhere in the middle.
千万不要啰嗦，千万不要啰嗦，千万不要啰嗦！你什么时候停止说那句话？可能在中间的某个地方。
You got it, and the more you get it, the less you’re likely to listen.
你说对了，你说的越多，听的就越少。
While some repetition can help embed the idea into a person’s head, a little goes a long way.
不过，一些重复可以帮助把这个想法带到某人的脑中，会大有裨益。
After a while, it sounds less like your communicating with them as much as condescendingly lecturing.
过一会儿，这听起来不太像你与他们沟通，更像是婉转的说教。
It shows a lack of confidence in your team and will result in low morale and attrition.
这会显示你对团队缺乏信心，这会导致士气低落与人员流失。
08
Have a Sense of Humor
有点幽默感
All this serious communications between teams and managers can be a downer if it’s not tempered with a humorous perspective.
如果没有幽默调节的话，团队和经理之间所有重要的交流都会让人沮丧。
A well-placed joke can lighten the mood. Once you have the crowd laughing, then they’re in your pocket. They’ll follow you anywhere.
一个适当的笑话，可以让心情放松。一旦你让听众笑了，他们就由你掌控了。他们会在任何一点上都跟随你。
It relaxes the situation without undermining the importance of what you’re trying to pass on. Lightening the mood is a crucial skill when you’re in a tense or stressful environment, but don’t overdo it!
幽默能缓和局势，却不会破坏你想传递的事情的重要性。当你处于紧张或有压力的环境中时，减轻情绪是一项很重要的技能，但不要过分！
09
Ask for Feedback
寻求反馈
Communications is a two-way street. You don’t merely give orders and expected them to be followed.
沟通是双向的。你不是简单的发号命令，而且希望它们能被落实。
That’s not communications, it’s a command. Sometimes a command might be in order, but not when you’re working with a skilled group who you want to do their job autonomously.
那不是沟通，而是命令！有时，命令可能是合适的，但当你和一个想去自主完成工作的经验丰富的团队进行合作时，却不是这样。
For them, you want to communicate, and that means listening to what they have to say.
对他们来说，你想沟通，这意味着你需要去倾听他们所说的是什么。
Feedback is great for any number of reasons. It helps to clarify what you’re saying.
不管出于什么原因，反馈都是有益的。反馈，有助于澄清你在说什么。
Sometimes you think you’re being clear, but you might know the subject well and skip over things that are critical to another’s understanding.
有时，你认为自己说的已经很清楚，但你可能很了解主题，却跳过对于别人来讲非常重要的东西。
Feedback will fill in those gaps. There’s also the fact that you’ve assembled a skilled team and they might have a perspective or suggestion which is going to improve your idea. Feedback is a win-win.
反馈，将填补这些空白。还有一个事实：你已经组建了一支经验丰富的团队，他们可能有某个观点或建议来改进你的想法。反馈是双赢的！
10
Keep a Schedule
按计划行事
A great way to have a receptive audience is to make them aware of when you’re going to communicate with them.
让你的听众接受的一个好方法是：让他们知道你什么时候和他们交流。
Whether that’s meetings, emails or phone calls, if you respect others’ time and schedule these anchor communication events with specific dates and times, then your audience is going to take time to free up their schedule and give you their undivided time.
无论是会议，电子邮件，还是电话，如果你尊重别人的时间，并安排这些特定日期和时间的沟通活动，听众需要时间来解放他们的计划，并给他们专心致志的时间。
11
Know Your Coworkers
了解你的同事
This might seem obvious, but the better you know the people you work with, the better your communications with them will be. It’s not a superficial understanding.
这似乎是很明显的，但是你越了解和你一起工作的人，你和他们之间的沟通就越更好。这不是肤浅的理解！
That you’ll get just from being in the same space with someone day in and day out. What you want to do is really get to know someone, what they like, what motivates them, who they are.
你会因为每天和某人处于同一空间而了解对方。你想做的是真正了解一个人，他们喜欢什么，是什么激励着他们，他们是谁。
Then, when you must communicate with them, it’ll be like talking to a friend, not a stranger, and your message will be that much better heard.
然后，当你必须和他们交流时，就像和朋友交谈，而不是和陌生人沟通，你的信息会得到更好的聆听。
12
Appreciate Your Audience
要感谢你的听众
You’re not a cruel taskmaster. You have a heart. Sure, you might get swept up in the current of the work, but never ignore the people that are driving the progress of the project forward.
你不是一个残酷的监工。你发发善心吧！当然，你可能会被卷入当前的工作中，但千万不要忽视那些推动项目产生进度的人。
You need to do more than just acknowledge them, you need be appreciative of their involvement.
你需要做的不仅仅是去认可他们，你也需要感谢他们的参与。
From a simple thank you to something more, like a party or a gift, your gesture will be rewarded with a more attentive audience when you need to communicate with them.
就像一个聚会或礼物，从一个简单的感谢到更多的东西，而当你需要与他们进行沟通时，你的行为会让你得到一个更加聚精会神的听众。
