The 7 Cs of Communication

Summary

The video script introduces the 7 Cs of Communication as a framework for effective workplace communication. It emphasizes the importance of clarity, conciseness, concreteness, correctness, coherence, completeness, and courtesy in delivering messages. By following these principles, professionals can enhance their productivity and ensure their messages are well-received, with a focus on minimizing misunderstandings and maintaining a professional tone.

Takeaways

• 😀 Clarity is crucial; know the purpose of your message to avoid misunderstandings.
• 📝 Be concise; keep messages brief, avoiding repetition and unnecessary words.
• 🔍 Be concrete; use clear details to give your audience a precise understanding.
• 🔍 Correctness matters; double-check for errors to maintain a professional image.
• 🔗 Coherence ensures logical flow and relevance to the main topic, aiding consistency.
• 📚 Completeness is key; provide all necessary information for informed decisions or actions.
• 🗣️ Courtesy is essential; maintain a friendly and empathetic tone, avoiding negativity.
• 📈 Focus on key messages to ensure they stand out and are easily understood.
• 📉 Minimize the number of ideas per sentence to prevent confusion and enhance clarity.
• 📋 Include 'standout' facts to reinforce the key points of your communication.
• 📅 When reminding about meetings, specify the location, time, and purpose to ensure clarity.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the Mind Tools' video learning series?

The main focus is to improve communication skills in the workplace by using the 7 Cs of Communication to deliver engaging and effective messages.

What does the first 'C' of the 7 Cs stand for and why is it important?

The first 'C' stands for 'Clear'. It's important because it ensures the purpose of the message is understood, preventing misunderstandings.

How can one make their key messages stand out according to the video?

By minimizing the number of ideas in each sentence, ideally focusing on one main point, to avoid 'reading between the lines' and potential misunderstandings.

What does 'Concise' mean in the context of the 7 Cs of Communication?

'Concise' means keeping the message brief, avoiding repetition, and removing unnecessary words to maintain clarity and brevity.

Why is it advised to avoid 'filler words' like 'kind of' or 'basically' in communication?

These words can dilute the message's impact and clarity, making it less effective.

How can one ensure their message is 'Concrete'?

By providing detailed, 'standout' facts that give the audience a clear picture of what is being communicated without overwhelming them with too much information.

What is the role of 'Correctness' in the 7 Cs of Communication?

'Correctness' involves double-checking for mistakes to ensure the message appears professional and polished.

How does 'Coherence' contribute to effective communication?

'Coherence' ensures that all points are logically connected and relevant to the main topic, maintaining a consistent tone and flow.

What does the 'Complete' aspect of the 7 Cs entail?

It means supplying the audience with all necessary information to make informed decisions or take action.

Can you give an example of how to apply the 'Complete' aspect in a reminder about a meeting?

Include specific details such as the location, time, purpose of the meeting, and request a response to confirm attendance.

What is the significance of being 'Courteous' in communication?

'Courteous' communication involves a friendly, open, and honest tone, showing empathy and understanding of the audience's needs.

How can one apply the 7 Cs of Communication to improve their emails?

By ensuring the email is clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete, and courteous, making it engaging and easy for the recipient to understand and respond to.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ Effective Communication with the 7 Cs

This paragraph introduces the 7 Cs of Communication as a tool for boosting productivity through clear and effective communication in the workplace. It emphasizes the importance of clarity, conciseness, and concreteness in delivering messages that stand out and avoid misunderstandings. The paragraph also touches on the need for correctness, coherence, completeness, and courtesy in communication to ensure professionalism and audience engagement.

📝 Crafting Clear and Concise Messages

The second part of the script focuses on the first three Cs: clarity, conciseness, and concreteness. It advises communicators to have a clear purpose, minimize ideas per sentence, and avoid ambiguity. The importance of brevity is stressed by avoiding repetition and unnecessary words. Concrete messages are recommended to provide the audience with a clear picture, with an emphasis on standout facts and a sharp focus on key messages.

🔍 Ensuring Accuracy and Coherence

This section discusses the fourth and fifth Cs, correctness and coherence. It advises double-checking for mistakes to maintain a professional image and to ensure that all points are logically connected and relevant to the main topic. This helps in maintaining a consistent tone and flow in the message.

📚 Providing Complete Information

The sixth C, completeness, is the focus here. It urges communicators to supply all necessary information for the audience to make informed decisions or take action. An example is given of a meeting reminder that should include specific details such as location, time, and purpose, and also requests a response.

🤝 Practicing Courtesy in Communication

The final C, courtesy, concludes the script. It highlights the importance of a friendly, open, and honest tone in communication, avoiding any form of hidden insults or passive-aggressive language. The audience's viewpoint should be kept in mind, and empathy and understanding of their needs should be demonstrated.

Keywords

💡Communication

Communication is the act of conveying information, ideas, or feelings through speech, writing, or behavior. In the context of the video, it is the central theme as it discusses the importance of effective communication in the workplace. The script emphasizes that clear and effective communication can boost productivity and provides the 7 Cs as a framework for achieving this.

💡7 Cs of Communication

The 7 Cs of Communication is a checklist presented in the video to ensure that messages are engaging and effective. It serves as a guideline for clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete, and courteous communication. The script uses this concept to structure the advice on how to communicate better in a professional setting.

💡Clear

Clear refers to the quality of being easily understood or free from ambiguity. In the video, it is the first C and emphasizes the importance of having a clear purpose for the message and making key points stand out. The script advises minimizing the number of ideas in each sentence to achieve clarity.

💡Concise

Conciseness is the quality of being brief and to the point without omitting essential information. The script encourages avoiding repetition and unnecessary words to maintain concise communication, which helps in keeping the audience engaged and avoiding confusion.

💡Concrete

Concrete in communication means being specific and providing details that give the audience a clear picture. The video script advises including standout facts and maintaining focus on the key message, which helps in making the communication more understandable and memorable.

💡Correct

Correctness in communication involves being free from errors and inaccuracies. The script stresses the importance of double-checking for mistakes to ensure that communications appear professional and polished, which builds credibility with the audience.

💡Coherent

Coherence refers to the quality of being logical and consistent in the presentation of ideas. The video script explains that coherence is achieved by connecting all points and making them relevant to the main topic, which helps in maintaining a consistent tone and flow in the message.

💡Complete

Completeness in communication means providing all the necessary information for the audience to make informed decisions or take action. The script gives the example of a meeting reminder, where details like location, time, and purpose should be included to ensure completeness.

💡Courteous

Courteous communication involves being polite, respectful, and considerate. The video script highlights the importance of a friendly tone and avoiding negative undertones, while also considering the audience's perspective and showing empathy towards their needs.

💡Productivity

Productivity refers to the efficiency of an individual or system in converting inputs into outputs. In the script, it is mentioned that clear and effective communication is one of the best ways to boost productivity, as it reduces misunderstandings and improves the efficiency of work processes.

💡Misunderstandings

Misunderstandings occur when the intended meaning of a message is not correctly interpreted by the recipient. The video script warns against the potential for misunderstandings when people are expected to 'read between the lines,' emphasizing the need for clear and direct communication to avoid them.

Highlights

Boost productivity by communicating in the clearest, most effective way possible.

The 7 Cs of Communication is a seven-point checklist for delivering engaging and effective messages.

Be clear in communication by understanding the purpose of your message.

Minimize the number of ideas in each sentence for clarity.

Avoid 'reading between the lines' to prevent misunderstandings.

Conciseness in communication involves brevity and avoiding repetition.

Eliminate unnecessary adjectives and 'filler words' for conciseness.

Concrete messages provide a clear picture to the audience with relevant details.

Include 'standout' facts to focus on the key message.

Correctness in communication means double-checking for mistakes.

Coherence connects all points logically and relevantly to the key topic.

Maintain a consistent tone and flow for a coherent message.

Completeness in communication requires supplying all necessary information.

Provide specific details for actions like meeting reminders.

Encourage responses to ensure complete communication.

Courtesy in communication is about being friendly, open, and honest.

Avoid hidden insults or a passive-aggressive tone for courtesy.

Keep the audience's viewpoint in mind and show empathy.

Read the accompanying article for further examples of applying the 7 Cs.

Transcripts

Welcome to Mind Tools' video learning series.

Whether it's writing an email, sending a report, chairing a meeting, or giving a presentation,

most of your working day will likely be spent communicating.

So, one of the best ways to boost your productivity

is to communicate in the clearest, most effective way possible.

A great tool for this is the 7 Cs of Communication –

a seven point checklist for delivering engaging and effective messages.

The first of the 7 Cs is to be clear.

Ask yourself, "What's the purpose of your message?"

If you're not sure, the person you're communicating with won't be either.

Make your key messages stand out.

Do this by minimizing the number of ideas you talk about in each sentence.

One is ideal.

You don't want people to have to "read between the lines,"

as this could lead to misunderstandings.

Second, be concise.

Keep it brief, avoid repetition, and delete unnecessary adjectives and "filler words,"

like "kind of" or "basically."

Third, when your message is concrete, your audience will have a clear picture of what you're telling them.

Detail is important, but not too much.

Try to include some "standout" facts, and make sure you have a laser-sharp focus on your key message.

Next, be correct.

Double-check for mistakes.

When your communications are error-free, they'll look professional and polished.

When something's coherent, it's logical.

It means that you've connected all of your points and made them relevant to the key topic.

This will also help to keep the tone and flow of your message consistent.

The sixth point on the checklist is complete.

Supply your audience with all the information that it will need to make an informed decision or take action.

If, for instance, you're sending a reminder about a meeting, be specific.

Include details of the location, time and purpose.

And, ask people to respond!

Lastly, be courteous.

This means having a friendly, open and honest tone, and avoiding hidden insults or a passive-aggressive tone.

Always keep your audience's viewpoint in mind,

and show that you empathize and understand its needs.

For further examples of how you can apply the 7 Cs to your communications,

read the article that accompanies this video.