In a training workshop that we delivered to one of our Dubai-based clients they asked how they could improve their communications on projects.

Knowing how to write effective letters, the type of language to use, what specifics to include, etc. is a common challenge for many project teams. So, here are my top tips for effective communications.

The advice that I am going to give here does not only apply to letter writing. It works for all forms of communication on a construction project – reports, notices, meeting minutes, etc. and claim narratives. For the sake of clarity, I will lump them all together under the heading “communications”.

Make Your Construction Communications Stand the Test of Time

We must remember that as well as communicating information, a document will become a project record. It may need to be referenced and relied on in years to come and possibly, in dispute proceedings. For this reason, note that you are not writing it to be understood by the project team with intimate knowledge of the project. You are writing it to be understood by someone with no knowledge of the subject, sometime in the future.

It’s crucial to explain all matters so that such a person will gain a complete understanding of the matter. The document should contain sufficient information for them to do so without having to refer to other documents.

Using quotations, either from other records, or the contract, as opposed to paraphrasing is a really strong way of making a point or justifying an opinion. If you do use quotations, make sure that you identify them clearly. This way, the reader knows they are not your words or that you have put a ‘spin’ on the original.

Many people do a good job of presenting the bare facts but fail to explain what the facts actually mean in terms of the subject matter. In doing so, they fail to lead the reviewer to the conclusion that is desired. NEVER let the reader draw their own conclusions. One way to help reach the correct conclusion is by including explanations, summaries and conclusions within the narrative of the document.

Simply put, we should state the facts, make sure that they can be understood. Then summarise the facts and explain to the reader their implications in terms of the matter in question, and the conclusion that must be drawn.

Don’t Try to Impress

Some people attempt to impress the reader by the use of complicated contractual language, or even legal terms. Ask yourself if this will have the desired effect on a resident engineer. Often they will have spent their professional career on site, amongst mud, steel and concrete rather than in a courtroom.

The use of impressive-sounding language will never replace a well-presented, easily understood ‘story’ that deals with and explains the facts logically. It is therefore better to use the most simple and direct language possible to provide a proper understanding of the points being made.

Be Succinct and Clear

It is essential that a long letter, report or claim should comprise a stand-alone document which provides complete understanding. However, many documents and construction communications actually contain too much information.

The inclusion of irrelevant information serves no purpose at all and will do nothing to bring about a clear understanding of the matters being discussed. In fact, the reverse is true and a reviewer could very well suffer from information overload and become confused.

A person who cannot fully understand the matter, will definitely not be confident in taking the action or reaching the understanding that you are hoping for. Narratives should therefore be as concise as possible whilst still properly illustrating and explaining the points being made. Always remember that quantity is never a substitute for quality in construction communications.

Abbreviate to Complicate?

One of my pet hates is the use of abbreviations and acronyms. I say this because I have often been obliged to read documents that appear to have been written in code. I have just one piece of advice with regard to the use of abbreviations and acronyms. Simply, DO NOT USE THEM. Possibly persons intimately involved on a project would understand that when an abbreviation such as ‘BL2’ is used, it means ‘Basement Level 2’. But would an outside party would understand the meaning?

If a reader does not understand or they become confused, then your communication skills are poor. Therefore, abbreviations and acronyms should be avoided unless they are common in the industry and would be understood by anyone unfamiliar with the project. The small amount of extra effort to type words out in full is definitely worthwhile. It will avoid both confusion and annoyance.

Ambiguities can often be created by the use of such words as ‘them’, ‘they’, ‘him/her’ and ‘it’ when referring to parties, organisations or people. Examination of legal and contractual documents reveals that parties are referred to as ‘the Claimant’, ‘the Respondent’, ‘the Employer’, etc. This ensures that there is no ambiguity or confusion as to which party the writer is referring. This may mean that a little more typing is necessary. But, the small amount of extra effort is worth it if confusion or ambiguity is to be avoided. If you don’t like contractual names such as ‘the Employer’, ‘the Contractor’, you can refer to each party by name.

Clarity is King

To make the reader’s job easier, contractual clauses referred to should be named as well as referring to them by number. For example, Sub-Cause 20.1 (Contractor’s Claims) and not just Sub-Cause 20.1. This ensures that a reader who is unfamiliar with the contract will have a better chance of understanding the communication without constantly having to refer to the contract.

Document authors often try to make their job easier by referring to other records or to parts of the document. For example, “As previously explained in Section 3, the Engineer delayed the Contractor and caused the Contractor to incur costs”. This requires the reader to refer back to Section 3 and try to find how, why and by how much the ‘Engineer delayed the Contractor and caused the Contractor to incur costs’. Making the reader refer to other parts of the narrative to understand what you are saying is not good practice. Very often a short explanation or even cutting and pasting the relevant information will achieve this with little effort,

It may be tempting to proofread a document that you have prepared yourself. This is dangerous. Often, when proofreading your own work, you read what you think you have written and not what you have actually written. A review by another person will usually pick up mistakes or items that need additional clarification which you would not have identified when proofreading your own work.

4 Key Points

In closing, one of the principles that we teach on our claims courses are the 4 Key Points. These may equally be applied to other forms of communications and are as follows:

• Key Point 1: Make the reviewer’s job as easy and as pleasant as possible.
• Key Point 2: Ensure that the submission is a stand-alone document.
• Key Point 3: Assume that the reviewer has no prior knowledge of the project.
• Key Point 4: Do not include irrelevant information or content within the claim submission.

I hope this helps you to become more effective in your construction communications. For more help with this and related topics, take a look at our E-courses.