Why "over-communicating" isn't about saying more — it's about knowing exactly what your stakeholders need to hear, and when. What happens when a project manager goes silent? According to this episode of Project Management Happy Hour, nothing good. Left in an information vacuum, stakeholders don't assume the best — they assume the worst. That single insight sits at the center of a conversation about project leadership, stakeholder communication, and the quiet skill that separates good project managers from great ones: knowing exactly what to say, to whom, and when. If you've ever been accused of "running dark" on a project, or been told to simply "communicate more" without any idea what that actually means, this episode is for you. Kate and Kim open up about their own early missteps as project managers — Kim recalling a boss who relentlessly demanded he "over communicate" without explaining what that looked like in practice, and Kate admitting that while she never struggled to talk to her own team, she took years to learn how to communicate effectively up and out to executives and sponsors. Their honest, back-and-forth storytelling style — equal parts practical and funny — turns what could be a dry topic into a genuinely useful conversation about project delivery and leadership communication. Grab a drink and join us. Quotes from the Episode "The human brain is not nice. It takes lots of therapy and or meditation to tell yourself nice stories... if you're in an information vacuum, because our brain wants to protect us from bad things happening." — Kate Anderson "Data is meaningless without context and contrast." — Tim Creasy (as quoted by Kim) "It's not that it's meaningless. It's that it's vulnerable to misinterpretation without context and contrast." — Kate Practical Takeaways The information vacuum effect — In the absence of updates, stakeholders default to negative assumptions rather than neutral or positive ones. Communication baseline calibration — New project managers often start with a communication baseline that is far lower than stakeholders actually need. Bottom-line-up-front (BLUF) messaging — Lead with the specific action or decision needed, then follow with supporting context. Self-service reporting channels — Creating an always-available update source (chat channel, dashboard, bulletin) reduces stakeholder anxiety and unplanned interruptions. Narrative ownership in project leadership — Framing project updates as a story you control, rather than a list of data points, shapes how stakeholders perceive project health. Closing Reflection The episode's real throughline is ownership: the best project managers don't just report facts, they own the narrative of their work. As Kate puts it, data without context and contrast is vulnerable to misinterpretation — and if you don't tell the story of your project, someone else's imagination will tell it for you. 🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned PM Happy Hour Membership: pmhappyhour.com/membership PM Happy Hour Facebook Page Get the Audience Persona Worksheet at: pmhappyhour.com/resources PMHH Episode 091: The Perfect Status Report PMHH Epsiode 131: Listen to Don't Be the PM Everybody Hates with Rachel Losser Got your communication conundrum? 📧 Email us at [email protected] — you might just hear it (and the answer) on a future episode.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related