With some, they have to paint a picture of how it's going to feel. They also have an intuitive understanding of where people are coming from, says Johnson, and it's easy to spot. Another key aspect of communication is getting people to respond to you. And that, says Rothman, requires faith. Good communication requires good listening skills.
Project managers have to be able to hear what people are saying.
The ability to see things from another person's perspective is extremely valuable, says Bill Berghel, a project manager at FedEx Corp. in Memphis. Effective project communication also requires an ability to get beneath the surface when the whole truth may not be apparent. A project manager needs the ability to question without alienating - to listen and watch people's body language and really see what's happening. Then someone else will ask questions that show he's trying to get to the next level and truly internalize this stuff. I can see it in his eyes.