1、The 7 Cs of CommunicationA Checklist for Clear CommunicationThink of how often you communicate with people during your day. You write emails, facilitate meetings, participate in conference calls, create reports, devise presentations, debate with your colleagues the list goes on. We can spend almost
2、our entire day communicating. So, how can we provide a huge boost to our productivity? We can make sure that we communicate in the clearest, most effective way possible.This is why the 7 Cs of Communication are helpful. The 7 Cs provide a checklist for making sure that your meetings, emails, confere
3、nce calls, reports, and presentations are well constructed and clear so your audience gets your message.According to the 7 Cs, communication needs to be: Clear.Concise.Concrete.Correct.Coherent.Complete.Courteous.In this article, we look at each of the 7 Cs of Communication, and well illustrate each
4、 element with both good and bad examples.1. ClearWhen writing or speaking to someone, be clear about your goal or message. What is your purpose in communicating with this person? If youre not sure, then your audience wont be sure either.To be clear, try to minimize the number of ideas in each senten
5、ce. Make sure that its easy for your reader to understand your meaning. People shouldnt have to read between the lines and make assumptions on their own to understand what youre trying to say.Bad ExampleHi John,I wanted to write you a quick note about Daniel, whos working in your department. Hes a g
6、reat asset, and Id like to talk to you more about him when you have time. Best,SkipWhat is this email about? Well, were not sure. First, if there are multiple Daniels in Johns department, John wont know who Skip is talking about. Next, what is Daniel doing, specifically, thats so great? We dont know
7、 that either. Its so vague that John will definitely have to write back for more information.Last, what is the purpose of this email? Does Skip simply want to have an idle chat about Daniel, or is there some more specific goal here? Theres no sense of purpose to this message, so its a bit confusing.
8、Good ExampleLets see how we could change this email to make it clear.Hi John,I wanted to write you a quick note about Daniel Kedar, whos working in your department. In recent weeks, hes helped the IT department through several pressing deadlines on his own time. Weve got a tough upgrade project due
9、to run over the next three months, and his knowledge and skills would prove invaluable. Could we please have his help with this work?Id appreciate speaking with you about this. When is it best to call you to discuss this further?Best wishes, SkipThis second message is much clearer, because the reade
10、r has the information he needs to take action.2. ConciseWhen youre concise in your communication, you stick to the point and keep it brief. Your audience doesnt want to read six sentences when you could communicate your message in three.Are there any adjectives or filler words that you can delete? Y
11、ou can often eliminate words like for instance, you see, definitely, kind of, literally, basically, or I mean.Are there any unnecessary sentences? Have you repeated the point several times, in different ways?Bad ExampleHi Matt, I wanted to touch base with you about the email marketing campaign we ki
12、nd of sketched out last Thursday. I really think that our target market is definitely going to want to see the companys philanthropic efforts. I think that could make a big impact, and it would stay in their minds longer than a sales pitch.For instance, if we talk about the companys efforts to becom
13、e sustainable, as well as the charity work were doing in local schools, then the people that we want to attract are going to remember our message longer. The impact will just be greater.What do you think?JessicaThis email is too long! Theres repetition, and theres plenty of filler taking up space. G
14、ood ExampleWatch what happens when were concise and take out the filler words:Hi Matt,I wanted to quickly discuss the email marketing campaign that we analyzed last Thursday. Our target market will want to know about the companys philanthropic efforts, especially our goals to become sustainable and
15、help local schools.This would make a far greater impact, and it would stay in their minds longer than a traditional sales pitch.What do you think?Jessica3. ConcreteWhen your message is concrete, then your audience has a clear picture of what youre telling them. There are details (but not too many!)
16、and vivid facts, and theres laser like focus. Your message is solid.Bad ExampleConsider this advertising copy:The Lunchbox Wizard will save you time every day.A statement like this probably wont sell many of these products. Theres no passion, no vivid detail, nothing that creates emotion, and nothin
17、g that tells people in the audience why they should care. This message isnt concrete enough to make a difference. Good ExampleHow much time do you spend every day packing your kids lunches? No more! Just take a complete Lunchbox Wizard from your refrigerator each day to give your kids a healthy lunc
18、h AND have more time to play or read with them!This copy is better because there are vivid images. The audience can picture spending quality time with their kids and what parent could argue with that? And mentioning that the product is stored in the refrigerator explains how the idea is practical. T
19、he message has come alive through these details. 4. CorrectWhen your communication is correct, it fits your audience. And correct communication is also error-free communication.Do the technical terms you use fit your audiences level of education or knowledge?Have you checked your writing for grammat
20、ical errors? Remember, spell checkers wont catch everything.Are all names and titles spelled correctly?Bad ExampleHi Daniel,Thanks so much for meeting me at lunch today! I enjoyed our conservation, and Im looking forward to moving ahead on our project. Im sure that the two-weak deadline wont be an i
21、ssue.Thanks again, and Ill speak to you soon!Best,Jack MillerIf you read that example fast, then you might not have caught any errors. But on closer inspection, youll find two. Can you see them?The first error is that the writer accidentally typed conservation instead of conversation. This common er
22、ror can happen when youre typing too fast. The other error is using weak instead of week. Again, spell checkers wont catch word errors like this, which is why its so important to proofread everything!5. CoherentWhen your communication is coherent, its logical. All points are connected and relevant t
23、o the main topic, and the tone and flow of the text is consistent.Bad ExampleTraci,I wanted to write you a quick note about the report you finished last week. I gave it to Michelle to proof, and she wanted to make sure you knew about the department meeting were having this Friday. Well be creating a
24、n outline for the new employee handbook.Thanks,MichelleAs you can see, this email doesnt communicate its point very well. Where is Michelles feedback on Tracis report? She started to mention it, but then she changed the topic to Fridays meeting.Good ExampleHi Traci,I wanted to write you a quick note
25、 about the report you finished last week. I gave it to Michelle to proof, and she let me know that there are a few changes that youll need to make. Shell email you her detailed comments later this afternoon.Thanks, MichelleNotice that in the good example, Michelle does not mention Fridays meeting. T
26、his is because the meeting reminder should be an entirely separate email. This way, Traci can delete the report feedback email after she makes her changes, but save the email about the meeting as her reminder to attend. Each email has only one main topic.6. CompleteIn a complete message, the audienc
27、e has everything they need to be informed and, if applicable, take action.Does your message include a call to action, so that your audience clearly knows what you want them to do?Have you included all relevant information contact names, dates, times, locations, and so on?Bad ExampleHi everyone,I jus
28、t wanted to send you all a reminder about the meeting were having tomorrow! See you then,ChrisThis message is not complete, for obvious reasons. What meeting? When is it? Where? Chris has left his team without the necessary information.Good ExampleHi everyone,I just wanted to remind you about tomorr
29、ows meeting on the new telecommuting policies. The meeting will be at 10:00 a.m. in the second-level conference room. Please let me know if you cant attend.See you then,Chris7. Courteous Courteous communication is friendly, open, and honest. There are no hidden insults or passive-aggressive tones. Y
30、ou keep your readers viewpoint in mind, and youre empathetic to their needs.Bad ExampleJeff,I wanted to let you know that I dont appreciate how your team always monopolizes the discussion at our weekly meetings. I have a lot of projects, and I really need time to get my teams progress discussed as w
31、ell. So far, thanks to your department, I havent been able to do that. Can you make sure they make time for me and my team next week?Thanks,PhilWell, thats hardly courteous! Messages like this can potentially start officewide fights. And this email does nothing but create bad feelings, and lower pro
32、ductivity and morale. A little bit of courtesy, even in difficult situations, can go a long way.Good ExampleHi Jeff,I wanted to write you a quick note to ask a favor. During our weekly meetings, your team does an excellent job of highlighting their progress. But this uses some of the time available
33、for my team to highlight theirs. Id really appreciate it if you could give my team a little extra time each week to fully cover their progress reports. Thanks so much, and please let me know if theres anything I can do for you!Best, PhilWhat a difference! This email is courteous and friendly, and it has little chance of spreading bad feelings around the office.
