The definition of communication
Think of how often you communicate with people throughout the day. You write emails, participate in meetings and conference calls, debate with your colleagues, the list is endless. We spend our entire life communicating in different languages the world over. Even the animal kingdom has a way of communicating. Have you ever wondered if the different barks of a dog actually mean something to another dog? Communication is the key to our entire existence; no matter which species we belong to. This is why the below 7 tips will be beneficial. Here we will look at the 7 C's of communication, which can be used to help you in your personal life and to help your small business.
According to the 7 C's, communication needs to be;
- Clear
- Concise
- Concrete
- Correct
- Coherent
- Complete
- Courteous
1. Clear
It is important when you are writing or speaking to someone, to be clear about your end goal. If you are not sure about what you would like to communicate, then your audience won't be either.
To ensure you are being clear, try to minimise the amount of ideas in each sentence. Your audience should not have to 'read between the lines' and make assumptions about what you are trying to communicate.
2. Concise
When you are concise in your communication, you stick to your point and keep it brief. (K.I.S.S - Keep It Simple Stupid). Your audience does not want to read seven sentences when you could really communicate your message in three.
- Are there any adjectives that you could delete? You could often eliminate filler words to make your message clearer.
- Are there any unnecessary sentences?
- Has the point been repeated on several occasions?
3. Concrete
When your message is concrete, then your audience has a clear picture of what you are trying to communicate to them. Instead of saying ''Shmunky virtual assistant will save you time every day'' consider the following: ''How much time do you spend on your bookkeeping and admin tasks each day? No more! Just take out a service with Shmunky Virtual Assistant and give your small business the boost it deserves and have more time to grow your business.'' Explaining the benefits of the service makes the message come alive.
4. Correct
When your communication is correct, it fit's your audience. Correct communication is error-free communication.
- Do the technical terms you are using fit your audience's level of education and knowledge?
- Are there any grammatical errors in your writing? It may be a good idea to use an app like Grammerly (https://www.grammarly.com/) makes sure everything you type is clear, effective, and mistake-free.
5. Coherent
When your communication is coherent, it's logical. All the points are connected and relevant to the main topic, and the tone and flow of the text are consistent.
Coherence is directly increased by the amount of guidance a writer provides to the reader, either through context clues or through direct use of transitional phrases to direct the reader through an argument or narrative.
Word choice and sentence and paragraph structure influence the coherence of a written or spoken pieces of writing.
6. Complete
In a complete message, your audience has all the necessities they need in order to be informed and, if applicable, take action.
- Does your message include a ''call to action'', so that your audience knows exactly what you want them to do?
- Have you included all the relevant information? Dates, times, etc?
7. Courteous
Courteous information is friendly, open and honest. There should be no hidden insults or passive aggressive tones. No reading between the lines or hidden agendas. You keep your reader's viewpoint in mind and are empathetic to their needs.
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