ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on relationships with key stakeholders, which must be necessarily supported by “close” forms of communications, effectiveness of which evidently requires an approach that is mostly not only interpersonal, but also direct: above directness involves mainly two aspects, i.e., both the “individuality” of communication, meaning that communication has to be in the form of one-to-one, or one-to-few, and the communication need of being not mediated. First, the unbreakable bond between Project Stakeholder Management and Project Communications Management processes, which are linked in a mutual support relation that forms, in a systems thinking approach, a reinforcing loop, is investigated. Then, the importance of interactivity of communication, which is not limited to broadcasting of unidirectional information, is outlined, and principles of effective communication are described in detail, including the aspects of communication flow, stakeholder frames of reference, noise, environment, perception via five senses, personal/organizational filters, coding/decoding processes, message formats, communication common domain, keeping communication channels open, purposefulness of communication, communication channels, oral/ paraverbal/ non-verbal/ written/ visual/ other communication, communication medium, active listening and observation, interpersonal skills, and, finally, the paradigm for effective communication.
