Are you an
effective communicator? If the purpose of communication is to get your message
across to others -- envision how often you communicate effectively with people
during one day. You may answer the uncounted times over the telephone, writing
emails, in meetings, participating in conference calls, creating reports,
debating with colleagues…the list goes on and on. We all communicate in countless
ways every day to residents, future customer, colleagues, suppliers and even
the corporate office. The better our
communication skills are the better we can serve and be more productive. Use
the 5 Cs of Communication to communicate in the clearest, most effective way
possible:
1. Clear
When
writing or speaking to someone, be clear about your goal or message. What is
your purpose? What do you want to say? What exactly do they need to know? Try
to minimize the number of ideas in each sentence. Make sure that it is easy for
your reader to understand your meaning. People shouldn't have to "read
between the lines" and make assumptions on their own to understand what
you are trying to say.
2. Concise
Stick to
the point and keep it brief. Your listener or reader doesn't want to hear or
read more than what they asked for, such as, reading six sentences when the
concise message could be said in three sentences. Good communicators trim back
any unnecessary adjectives or "filler words" such as, "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?
3. Complete
A complete
message contains everything the audience needs to be informed of and, if
applicable, take action.
Does your
message include a "call to action", so that your listener clearly
knows what you want them to do? Have you included all relevant information such
as contact names, dates, times, locations, and so on? This also includes
communications that are “complete” to ensure that you gain the total
information from others so you may respond, take action or fulfill the request
in its entirety such as a deadline date or correct party to respond to.
4. Caring
Understand that
people want to feel heard more than they care about whether you agree with
them. You can show that you're listening by giving someone your complete
attention and saying things like, "Tell me more about your concern."
Or "What is it about ______ that concerns you?"
Show you
care by listening by nodding and smiling to acknowledge key points and reflect
on what is being said. It is also key to not interrupt the communicator and to
ask questions only at a natural break.
5. Courteous
When you
are courteous you are friendly, open, and honest. There are no hidden insults
or passive-aggressive tones. You keep the other’s viewpoint in mind, and you're
empathetic to their needs. Also check for attitude and other nuances such as a
subtle hint of aggravation or traces of annoyance.
Amy Kosnikowski,
principal of Quintessential Marketing and Training based out of Charlotte NC,
is a national speaker, industry educator and marketing solutions expert focused
on improving performances of multifamily real estate assets. Contact Amy at
704.846.8210 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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