The 12 Cs of communication


I don't know if there are more of these, but since it is kind of fun, I'm going to stick with 12. I used to have only 11, but I've added number 12, not to make a nice round dozen , but because this last one (˜common') is all about simplicity, basics. A basic premiss of internal communication is to strive to keep things simple. Too many people in this area try to complicate things. Guard against this. Pare down the message and keep it very, very straightforward. Watch the consultants you use and make sure that they keep it simple too. They'll want to make it really complex, because there's more work and therefore more money that way. Don't be tempted, keep it very simple indeed.

  • Clear

  • Concise

  • Consistent

  • Constant

  • Candid

  • Conspicuous

  • Credible

  • Categorised

  • Current

  • Cheerful

  • Chatty

  • Common.

Do these well and with enthusiasm and you could even be forgiven for a lack of professionalism ! By that I mean that in so many cases there isn't a professional communicator (whatever that may be!) around. There's no PR agency or person from the communications department to help. You, Mr and Ms Manager are on your own. How do you get that all-important message across; how do you convey the notion that ˜Hey, we are working in a pretty good place, let's stay a while.' If you want to appeal to those new-age life/work people we keep referring to, you can't do better than keep it simple, open and honest. That's the way to win hearts and minds. Even the shareholders like it simple.

Clear

Start from the questions ˜What do I want people to understand?'; ˜What should they take away from this communication?' Too many employee communications are too long, too complex and too, too boring. If you are not a professional (and if there aren't any available), write it in a narrative form. Think: ˜How would I say this to people, what words would I use if I was in a face-to-face conversation?'

  • Keep it clear.

Concise

For goodness sake keep it short. Most people's attention spans are tiny. If you want to get the message across, grab their attention and then get out.

  • Keep it clear, keep it short.

Consistent

Remember what you said before. Maintain a link between your last communication and the next . Above all, don't get caught out with new messages wrapped up in ˜sugar-coated' pills. It doesn't work and it insults the intelligence of people.

  • Keep it clear, keep it short, keep it the same.

Constant

Don't stop - ever. Keep the news in front of people. Keep your hopes and dreams, successes and failures right up there. People don't respond to the occasional communication; it makes for suspicion. ˜They only tell us something when they want something,' is a view I hear a lot. Smart communicators lay it on the line, all the time. Not too much, but whenever there's a good reason. And most times there is.

  • Keep it clear, keep it short, keep it the same, keep going.

Candid

Above all, be honest. If you don't tell the truth your employees - plus the rest of the world - will find you out. We live in a world where any attempt to hide information is useless. Not only are your best employees well informed and intelligent , but most of the rest are too. Don't insult people, tell them the truth in a timely fashion. Above all don't try and influence or massage the message - employees will see right through you.

  • Keep it clear, keep it short, keep it the same, keep it going, keep it honest.

Conspicuous

Make sure that what you want to tell them gets noticed and gets read. Don't try and be subtle. People get too many messages each day to want to read only yours. Your job is to get that communication in front of your employees and understood , any way you can.

  • Keep it clear, keep it short, keep it the same, keep it going, keep it honest, keep it visible.

Credible

In addition to being honest, be credible. Employees know that if it's too good to be true it probably is!

  • Keep it clear, keep it short, keep it the same, keep it going, keep it honest, keep it visible, keep it credible

Categorise it

Don't try and sell the same story to everyone - it doesn't work. Sell the same message, but don't tell the story the same way. Give the people at different levels the story in a way they want to read, that they can absorb , that means something to them, that is acceptable to them. Categorise your message to the groups that you need to explain the story to.

  • Keep it clear, keep it short, keep it the same, keep it going, keep it honest, keep it visible, keep it credible and keep it categorised.

Current

Never, ever, wait to tell the story. These days immediate action is called for. Here's a tip: if for all sorts of reasons (legal issues spring to mind) you can't tell everything, tell something. If there is a communications vacuum it always gets filled with gossip and speculation. Why? Because rumours are always more interesting than the truth.

  • Keep it clear, keep it short, keep it the same, keep it going, keep it honest, keep it visible, keep it credible, keep it categorised, keep it current.

Cheerful

Not an exciting word, cheerful, but it works for this stuff. Stay positive, keep it as light as possible, don't turn your message into some Wagnerian opus. Just keep it COOL. Don't listen to the doomsayers and the control freaks, keep it on message but with the slant firmly focused on the upside.

  • Keep it clear, keep it short, keep it the same, keep going, keep it honest, keep it visible, keep it credible, keep it categorised, keep it current, keep it COOL!

Chatty

When in doubt about how to say something, just write it down as you would speak it. I know a lot of people who use pocket recorders to great effect. Just use your own words. Many of us don't have instant access to communication professionals in our day-to-day work, so think about what would make sense to you. Think of the messages you respond to.

  • Keep it clear, keep it short, keep it the same, keep it going, keep it honest, keep it visible, keep it credible, keep it categorised, keep it current, keep it COOL and keep it chatty.

Common

Not a positive word, but by common I mean keep a common touch, don't use fancy words, don't try and appear superior . Think basic, short words and phrases, don't be pompous and don't have long paragraphs and obscure words or phrases. You'll get no brownie points for being clever.

  • Keep it clear, keep it short, keep it the same, keep it going, keep it honest, keep it visible, keep it credible, keep it categorised, keep it current, keep it COOL, keep it chatty and keep it common.

I guarantee that if you follow these basic rules of communication you'll at least get the message across. Then of course there is the other small problem. Do they really believe it? But, of course, even that isn't enough. Even if they read it, and even if they believe it, will they act upon it, will it lead to a modification in their behaviour?




The New Rules of Engagement(c) Life-Work Balance and Employee Commitment
Performance Tuning for Linux(R) Servers
ISBN: N/A
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 131

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