CFLM / FLM Exam cheat sheet

Communication and Stakeholder Engagement

• Communication process components: sender, encoding, message, channel, noise, receiver, decoding, and feedback; noise can distort any stage.

• Richness of channels ranks roughly face-to-face highest, then video, phone, and written text; richer channels suit ambiguous messages, leaner channels routine ones.

• Active listening requires paraphrasing, reflecting, and clarifying to confirm understanding rather than merely hearing words.

• Stakeholder analysis maps power (ability to influence) against interest (concern about the outcome); high-power, high-interest stakeholders need close management.

• Stakeholder salience (Mitchell) depends on power, legitimacy, and urgency; possessing all three defines a definitive stakeholder.

• The communication plan specifies audience, message, channel, frequency, owner, and feedback mechanism for each stakeholder group.

• Grapevine communication is informal and fast; it cannot be eliminated but can be countered with timely, accurate formal information.

• Cross-cultural communication risks include differing high-context and low-context norms; high-context cultures rely on implicit cues, low-context on explicit statements.

• Feedback should be specific, behavioral, and timely; general or delayed feedback is less actionable.