Click Icons to Visit Sponsor Web Sites
Vol. XI Issue IV - April 2009
![]()
Project Management eJournal
VIEWPOINTS:
What happened to Business Communications in Project Management?
By Rebecca A. Winston, JD
After commencing a new position and observing the communication style of most of the project managers and program managers under my guidance, I became curious about what has happened to our business communications style protocols. It would appear that we have been not only a society of the casual dress, but the casual business address. Unfortunately, this approach has led to numerous other ills in our business communications as I have observed.
First, what do I mean by the casual business address. What I mean is that we no longer address our letters or our memos to Mr. X, Ms. X, or Dr. X, instead we address them to Bill or Sue. I do not have a problem with having a solid relationship with one’s customer and either crossing out the formal address and placing the name if you truly know them on a personal basis or putting the name in parentheses if they prefer the informal address, but one is still engaged in a business communication.
So why is this seemingly minor point of what is viewed as archaic formality so important?
To read entire paper (click here)
![]() About the Author
Rebecca (Becky) Winston, Esq., JD, PMI Fellow, is a former Chair of the Board of Directors of the Project Management Institute (PMI®). An experienced expert on the subject of project management (PM) in the fields of research & development (R&D), energy, environmental restoration and national security, she is well known throughout the United States and globally as a leader in the PM professional world. Becky has over 25 years of experience in program and project management, primarily on programs funded by the US government. She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska’s College of Law, Juris Doctorate (1980), in Lincoln, Nebraska and has a Bachelor’s of Science (BS) degree in Education from Nebraska Wesleyan University in the USA. Active in PMI since 1993, Rebecca Winston helped pioneer PMI's Specific Interest Groups (SIGs) in the nineties, including the Project Earth and Government SIGs, and was a founder and first co-chair of the Women in Project Management SIG. She served two terms on the PMI board of directors and was elected a PMI Fellow in 2005. She is a licensed attorney and a member of the American Bar Association and the Association of Female Executives in the USA. She has extensive recent PM experience in the areas of national defense and security, and has worked closely with local, regional and national officials, including federal agencies, the US Congress and the Pentagon. Becky is currently Chair of the US Technical Advisory Group for the new ISO Standard for Project Management, currently under development. She also serves as a Global Advisor to PMForum and is a PM Ambassador™, available for international speaking engagements. She lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA.
|
PM World Today™ is a trademark of pmforum Inc.
PMWT™ is a trademark of pmforum Inc.
The information on this web site was checked for accuracy and authenticity when last updated. If there is any accidental infringement of copyright, the publisher of this site apologize for their actions, and would like to be notified. In addition, the publisher of this site cannot bear responsibility for the actions or the results of action of individuals or companies arising from use of information and advice contained within it.
PM World Today Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions.
© Copyright 2008 PM World Today


