Having effective communication is making sure that the recipient receives the message . Clear and effective communication in companies increases productivity: emails, conference calls, reports, debates … And so a long list.
To improve the communication of the company, there are the Seven Cs, a theory that was proposed by Scott Cutlip and Allen Center , two important researchers from the United States, establishing fundamental elements for a message to be delivered successfully.
According to the seven Cs, communication must be:
- Clear.
- Concise.
- Concrete.
- Correct.
- Coherent.
- Complete.
- Cuts.
Therefore, in this entry each of the seven Cs is reviewed and a series of useful examples are detailed. within companies.
Effective communication: the seven Cs of Scott Cuttlip and Allen Center
The seven Cs are detailed below :
- Clara
When writing or talking to someone, you must be clear about your goal or message. What is the purpose of communicating with this person? If you’re not sure, the audience won’t be either.
To be clear, you should try to minimize the number of ideas in each sentence. To do this, you must ensure that it is easy for your reader to understand its meaning. People shouldn’t have to “read between the lines” and make assumptions for themselves to understand what you’re trying to say.
Here is a bad example:
“Hello Mario,
I wanted to write you a quick note about Daniel, who works in your department. It is an important topic, and I would like to talk more about it when you have time. ”
What is this email about? Not known. First of all, if there are several Daniel men in Mario’s department, he will not know who is being talked about.
Subsequently, what is Daniel doing? It is also not possible to know. Mario will have to write the email again to have more information.
Lastly, what is the purpose of this email? Do you just want to have a talk about Daniel or is there a more specific goal here? There is no sense of purpose for this message, so it is a bit confusing.
Next, the good email is set:
“Hello Mario,
I want to write you a quick note about Daniel García, who works in your department. In recent weeks, he has helped the department achieving good results.
We have a complicated project because it will be executed in a short period of time, and your knowledge and skills will be excellent. We need to rate you up. Could you help me with that?
I would appreciate talking to you about this. When is it better to call you to discuss this?
A greeting.”
This second message is much clearer because the reader has the information they need to take action .
- Concise
When you are concise in communication , it is easier to stick to what you want to say. The audience does not want to read six sentences when the message could be summarized in three.
For example:
– Are there any adjectives or “filler words” that can be removed? Often there are no words like “for example”, “definitely”, “literally”, “basically” or “I mean”.
– Is there any unnecessary prayer?
– Are ideas repeated?
- Concrete
When the message is concrete, the public has a clear idea of what is being said . There are details (but not too many) and different vivid facts, there is a direct approach. The message is solid.
A bad example would be the following (it is an advertising copy):
“The Lunchbox assistant will save you time every day.”
A statement like this probably won’t sell many of these products. There is no passion, no vivid details, nothing that excites, and nothing that tells people in the audience why you should buy the product. This message is not concrete enough to make a difference.
The good example:
“How much time do you spend every day preparing your children’s lunches? Don’t waste any more time! It just has an assistant like Lunchbox: they have their fridge every day to give your children a healthy lunch and have more time to spend with them! ”
This advertising claim is better because there are vivid experiences. The audience can imagine spending time with their children: which parent wants the opposite? Indicating that the product is stored in the refrigerator also explains that it is practical. The message has come alive through these details.
- correct
When the communication is correct, the public will be able to understand it. And correct communication is also error-free communication, even without the help of a spell checker. It must ensure that the message is correct by asking the following questions:
- Do the technical terms you use fit the level of education or knowledge of your audience?
- Has the writing been revised to avoid possible grammatical errors?
- Are all names and titles spelled correctly?
Here is a bad example:
“Hello Daniel,
Thank you so much for being with me today at lunch! I enjoyed our conservation, and I am looking forward to moving forward on our project. I am sure that the deadline of the two will not be a problem.
Thanks again, and I’ll talk to you soon! ”
If you read this example quickly, you may not have encountered an error. But in a closer and closer reading you can find one.
Their first mistake is that the writer accidentally wrote “preservation” instead of “conversation.” This common mistake can occur when you are typing too fast.
Again, spell checkers won’t catch word errors like this. Therefore, it is always important to review the text .
- Coherent
When communication is consistent, it is logical. All dots are connected and relevant to the main theme and tone and text are consistent .
Here is a bad example:
“Sofia,
I wanted to write you a quick note about the report you completed last week. I gave it to Carolina to check it out, and she wanted to make sure you knew we have a department meeting this Friday. ”
As you can see, this email doesn’t communicate your point very well. Where is the comment on the report? She started to mention it, but then changed the subject to the meeting on Friday.
The good example would be the following:
“Hello Sofia
I wanted to write you a quick note about the report you completed last week. I gave it to Carolina to check, and she let me know that there are some changes that you will need to make. She will email you her detailed comments in the afternoon. ”
In this case, the Friday meeting is not mentioned. This is because the meeting reminder must be a completely separate email . This way, you can remove the comment email from the report after making the changes, but save the one who talks about the meeting as your reminder to attend. Each email has only one main subject.
- Complete
In a complete message, the public has everything they need to be informed and, if appropriate, take action.
- Does the message include a “call to action”so that the audience clearly knows what you want it to do?
- Has all relevant information been included: contact names, dates, times, and locations?
Here is the bad example:
“Hi all,
I just want to send you a reminder about the meeting we will have tomorrow!
Until then”
This message is not complete for obvious reasons. What meeting? When is? Where? The team has been left without the necessary information.
Good example:
“Hi all,
I just wanted to remind you of tomorrow’s meeting on new teleworking policies. The meeting will be at 10:00 am in the second floor conference room. Please let me know if you cannot attend. ”
- Courteous
The polite communication is friendly, open and honest . There are no hidden insults or aggressive tones. Keep your reader’s point of view in mind and empathize with their needs.
Bad example below:
Jennifer
I wanted to tell you that I disagree on how your team always monopolizes the discussion at our weekly meetings. I have a lot of projects and I really need time to analyze the progress of my team. So far, thanks to your department, I haven’t been able to do that. Can you make sure you take time out for me and my team next week? ”
This message is not polite . It should not start fights in the office. And this email does nothing but create bad feelings, which can reduce productivity and morale. A little courtesy, even in difficult situations, is advisable.
The good example would be the following:
“Hi Jennifer:
I wanted to write you a quick note to ask you for a favor. During weekly meetings, your team does an excellent job highlighting their progress. But you have a part of the time I need for my team to highlight yours. I really appreciate if you could give my team a little more time each week to fully cover their progress reports.
Thank you very much and please let me know if there is anything I can do for you. ”
The difference is abysmal: email is courteous and friendly , and has little chance of spreading bad feelings in the office.
Meeting these seven Cs in the office will make an organization achieve effective communication . Undertaking good communication is possible!
