BOOK REVIEW
Book Title: The Persuasive Project Manager
Author: Dr. Bill Brantley, PMP, PMI-ACP
Publisher: Bill Brantley
List Price: $14.99
Format: Soft cover, 87 pages
Publication Date: 2019
ISBN: 9781795728492
Reviewer: Betsey Katiti, PMP
Review Date: September 2023
Introduction
In his book, The Persuasive Project Manager, Dr. Bill Brantley stresses how it is vital for Project Managers to establish good communication practices that will help and increase their projects’ prospects to succeed. Good practices such as establishing regular meetings with stakeholders and the project team where the project’s status is communicated will help the Project to succeed. It is also important to formulate and communicate the project’s goals early on. Failure in this stage can negatively impact the rest of the decision-making process. Project Managers are the information hubs of their projects, it is important that they have effective and efficient ways to receive and transmit project information. They need to develop effective ways to manage communication to ensure that information flows freely and to where the information can be very helpful.
Overview of Book’s Structure
The Persuasive Project Manager stresses the importance of Good Communication in delivering successful projects. It explores different ways that will help improve communication on a Project in the following areas:
- Information transfer model. It is important for project managers to have effective and clear ways of transmitting information that reduce noise in the channel that can affect the message.
- Aristotle’s persuasion triangle of Ethos – the speakers credibility and stage presence, Pathos – the emotional part of the message, and Logos – logic that appeals to the audience’s reason and helps them to make decisions.
- Emergent communication model. Effective communication is more than information transfer. Effective Project Management communication is creating understanding between the Project Team, the Stakeholders and Corporate Sponsors.
- Communication should suit the information needs of the receiver, stakeholders and project teams. Participants co-create meaning and understanding through communication.
- Emotional vs. Cultural Intelligence. Understanding cultural differences helps project managers to better communicate with stakeholders and project teams.
- Cognitive biases, errors in thinking when we allow judgments to be influenced by personal preferences, beliefs or feelings.
- Effective communication with remote project team members and stakeholders. As more and more people work remotely, it is important the project manager communicates with remote team members effectively.
- Moving from traditional leadership of command and control to Situational leadership, Coaching leadership and Servant leadership.
Highlights
Effective project management communication occurs when the Project Manager and his/her audience co-create understanding. To be an effective communicator, the project manager must have credibility and trust (ethos). The message must have both logical arguments (logos) and emotional impact (pathos). Project Managers should be aware that the number of Communication Channels – n(n-1)/2 increase exponentially as you add team members. For example, when you have a project of 10 members the number of communication channels is 45. When you add 5 members, the number of communication channels rises to 105, which are more than double of what the channels were.
More…
To read entire Book Review, click here
How to cite this work: Katiti, B. (2023). The Persuasive Project Manager, book review, PM World Journal, Vol. XII, Issue X, October. Available online at: https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/pmwj134-Oct2023-Katiti-the-persuasive-project-manager-book-review.pdf
About the Reviewer
Betsey Katiti
Maryland, USA
Betsey Katiti, PMP works as a Business Analyst and has worked on many projects on Federal Contracts. With a background in Information Technology, a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, she enjoys bringing her technology skills to the projects she works on. Betsey is a member of the PMI Silver Spring Chapter in Maryland and acquired her PMP Certification in 2018.
Betsey Katiti can be reached at bkatiti@gmail.com.
Editor’s note: This book review was the result of a partnership between the publisher, the PM World Journal and the PMI Silver Spring Chapter. Authors and publishers provide the books to the PMWJ editor or directly to the PMI Silver Spring Chapter, where they are offered free to PMI members to review; book reviews are published in the PM World Journal and PM World Library. PMI Silver Spring Chapter members can keep the books as well as claim PDUs for PMP recertification when their reviews are published.
If you have read a good recently published book related to managing programs, projects or teams of professionals, consider authoring a book review for publication in the PM World Journal. For our standard format or for more information, contact Editor@pmworldjournal.com or visit https://pmworldlibrary.net/book-review-program/
If you are an author or publisher of a project management-related book, and would like the book reviewed through this program, please contact Editor@pmworldjournal.com.
