An anonymous reader writes: Whether you are sending emails, giving presentations, conducting webinars, or pitching to clients, in essence, you are communicating with others. Can you always do so effectively, though? Here is where the 7 c’s of effective communication come into play.
For your message to be effective, the audience should receive and understand the message as intended. It will not do if you explain a certain topic, and the recipient of your message interprets that topic in an entirely different way.
To ensure your message is delivered properly and effectively, you can use the 7 c’s of communication as a checklist. This blog explores the 7 C’s and how you can adhere to those to improve your communication skills:
Conciseness
Clarity
Courtesy
Consideration
Completeness
Correctness
Concreteness
Let us explore!
The Relevance of the 7 C’s of Effective Communication in the Workplace
The journey toward successful leadership starts with effective communication. Without this first step, you would be stuck with decreased productivity and poorly engaged employees.
To develop good communication skills, you need to know the 7 c’s of clear communication.
These 7 C’s are a list of principles and best practices you should follow consistently to make yourself effective as a business professional or employee.
When building employee relations or negotiating with potential clients, communicating effectively is vital to:
Solve problems
Overcome differences of any sort
Build relationships
Increase productivity
Encourage and support your colleagues or your employees
When you understand the various aspects of professional communication, you can become more efficient in your workplace.
What Are the 7 C’s of Communication?
Figuring out how to communicate effectively is an easy task for some, though it may not be so for others. Let us take a look at the 7 C’S:
1. Conciseness
First, you should try to get to the point of your message in as few words as possible, instead of beating about the bush. For all you know, your message’s recipient may be strapped for time.
Therefore, while interacting with someone, try saying exactly what you want to say, using short sentences.
For example, when writing outreach emails, you must champion conveying the crux of your message briefly.
This prevents the recipient from getting bored or annoyed since you are not taking up much of their time. Rather, their response to your message is more likely to be positive when your message is brief and well-worded.
conciseness
Follow these rules to be concise:
Use action verbs.
Remove unnecessary or excessive words or phrases.
Highlight the key points of your message.
Avoid repetitive points or sentences.
So, the more concise your message, the more memorable and effective it becomes.
2. Clarity
When you are able to transfer your thoughts and opinions into the recipient’s mind, you will know effective communication has served its purpose.
You do not want the recipient to assume or have a foggy idea of what you are saying. If they do so, they will not be able to take the action you want them to take, such as subscribing to your newsletter or downloading an eBook.
They can take the desired action only when they clearly understand your message. It can happen when you use simple and easy words to convey your message to the recipient.
For example, there must be clarity in your communication with your employees, so they understand the company’s new complex procedures. If you know what you are talking about, your audience will get your key message, too.
clarity
To improve clarity, follow these rules:
Know what you want to say and how to say it.
Explain one idea at a time to avoid confusion.
If you use short forms, describe the full forms towards the beginning of your message and keep reminding the audience from time to time.
Use active voice.
Utilise language that can be easily understood.
Do not include unnecessary information.
Keep anecdotes related to the subject matter.
When giving a presentation, try to speak clearly and not mumble.
Do not fall over your words when delivering a pitch or a presentation. Instead, speak slowly to make your audience listen to and understand your message.
Avoid using unprofessional language.
3. Courtesy
Each of us is entitled to have our own opinions on the same topic of discussion. Naturally, such opinions are bound to differ — and it is critical to understand this fact.
You should try to comprehend the audience’s mentality and feelings towards your message. In case of difference of opinion among communicating people or organisations, try to look at the matter from different perspectives.
This will help you to be polite and to respect people’s differences.
courtesy
Here are some key points to consider for sending a courteous message:
Maintain a friendly and neutral tone.
Avoid jumping to conclusions or assuming about your audience.
Make your message about the recipient, not about yourself.
Consider and understand the feelings and viewpoints of the recipients of the message.
Do not make derogatory remarks about anyone.
Once your message comes to an end, thank your audience for their time and attention.
4. Consideration
Another of the 7 c’s of effective communication is a consideration.
As I have mentioned before, it is important to consider the feelings of your audience. Plus, their background, education level, lifestyle, experiences, and mindset should also be taken into account.
The easiest way to do so is to step into the recipient’s shoes and ask yourself, “What would I want to hear or read?” Then, tailor your message based on the likeliest answers.
Hence, your message should focus on the audience’s needs and pain points, and how your solution can help them overcome their problems or fulfill their needs. Directly influencing your targeted group of people can convert them into your clients, customers, or satisfied employees.
consideration
Some points to keep in mind for maintaining consideration in your communication are:
Show that you are interested in the audience.
Empathise with their emotions, problems, and requirements.
Make the words in your message suit the audience’s needs.
Do not try to harm their emotions or self-respect.
Try producing a message that your audience will relate to, given their backgrounds, age groups, lifestyles, and so on.
5. Completeness
When delivering a message to your audience, ensure you are sending the whole message, and not just a portion of it.
Leaving out parts of a message may make it difficult for the audience to understand what your message is getting at. It is only when the message is complete that the audience can find it relevant to their needs or problems.
Completeness of a message also includes answering queries. After pitching or presenting to a potential client or your employees, try to have a quick question-and-answer session. Your audience may want to ask questions to be able to see the bigger picture.
As an effective business communicator, your job is to furnish the audience with complete information and answer their relevant queries.
This helps them get all the crucial information, thereby encouraging them to make better decisions related to taking the desired action.
completeness
6. Concreteness
Simply conveying your message with statements and questions will not keep your audience hooked. Supporting your statements with relevant facts, figures, and statistics does the trick.
Otherwise, how is your audience supposed to know for sure whether your message is authentic or not?
People can relate to your message more when they come across real-life examples or anecdotes about what you are saying.
To ensure concrete professional communication, you must be relevant and factual, rather than being generic and vague. The more concrete your message, the higher your confidence level can soar.
concreteness
7. Correctness
Are you using the correct words when conveying your message to other people or organisations? The correctness or factual accuracy of information is significant in both verbal and non-verbal communication.
You need to select the right words at the right time while ensuring the information is coming from a reliable source. Nor can you afford to have any grammatical errors in communication.
correctness
Keep in mind these rules to ensure correctness for effective communication:
Double-check all the facts, statistics, or figures used in the message to make sure those are correct and accurate.
Use correct and appropriate language in your message.
Get your written message or document reviewed and corrected by a subject matter expert.
Utilise online content writing tools that can help with spellcheck and grammar.
Summary: The 7 C’s of Business Communication
No matter which industry you belong to, you will need to communicate professionally with others to close deals or work on projects. The 7 c’s of effective communication help you enhance productivity and engagement by conveying messages that your audience easily understands.
In case you need help crafting effective emails, blog posts, articles, or social media posts, you can reach out to the Content Writing experts at MyTasker. They can assist you in getting your point across your audience, while maintaining a professional and conversational tone. Clear, concise, complete, considerate, correct, courteous, and concrete content can take your business to the next level.
