I was traveling recently with a client. Our travels took us to Ottawa, Ontario during
the second week of April. By chance, the
Ottawa Senators were opening up their Stanley Cup Playoff series with the
Montreal Canadians. The bars, restaurants, and cafés were full with supporters
dressed in red, black and white. The
downtown chore was alive and vibrant.
After dinner, my colleagues and I headed to a local pub to
continue a conversation that started over dinner. We walked into the Manx Pub, as soon as we
walked in I could sense that the establishment had the feel (and look) of a genuine
British pub.
As we were conversing over a pint, it dawned on me that
there were no tv’s, no massive monitors displaying the play-off game, no loud
music piped through the speaker system.
As I looked around the room it became evident that everyone in the pub
was steeped in engaging conversation.
Although the environment was conducive for “having a good chat”, the
degree to which people were truly engaged was incredible.
No loud people ranting and raving, no grandstanding so that
people at adjacent tables could hear what was being said. Nobody monopolizing the conversation. I simply can’t recall walking into such a
comfortable environment. It then dawned on me that not a single patron was scrolling
through their smart phones or tablets. Patrons
were listening intently as they engaged back and forth in what appeared to be
fascinating conversation. In fact, no distractions whatsoever. It’s interesting to note that the patrons
were quite diverse, a somewhat eclectic group of people could be found in the
Manx pub on this particular evening.
“Leadership Take-Aways”.
My experience and observations in
the pub reinforce that the (almost) lost art of face to face communication can
be of significant value when applied in personal as well as professional
settings. A number of years ago I stumbled upon a post that made reference to
the “7 C’s” of Communication. I take this opportunity to share the 7 C’s of
Communication.
1. Clear
When writing or speaking to
someone, be clear about your goal or message. What is your purpose in
communicating with this person? If you're not sure, then your audience won't be
sure either.
2. Concise
When you're concise in your
communication, you stick to the point and keep it brief. Your audience doesn't
want to read (or hear) six sentences when you could communicate your message in
three.
3. Concrete
When your message is concrete,
then your audience has a clear picture of what you're telling them. There are
details and vivid facts, and there's a laser-like focus.
4. Correct
When your communication is
correct, it fits your audience. Ensure
that the technical terms you use fit your audience's level of education or
knowledge.
5. Coherent
When your communication is coherent,
it's logical. All points are connected and relevant to the main topic, and the
tone and flow of the text is consistent.
6. Complete
In a complete message, the
audience has everything they need to be informed and, if applicable, take
action.
7. Courteous
Courteous communication is
friendly, open, and honest. There are no hidden insults or passive-aggressive
tones. You keep the viewpoint of your audience in mind, and you're empathetic
to their needs.
Key Points
The better we communicate, the
more credibility we'll have with our clients, our boss, and our
colleagues. Use the 7 Cs of
Communication as a checklist for all of your communication. By doing this,
you'll stay clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete, and
courteous on a consistent basis.
Although I embrace technology,
consideration should be given to walking across the office and conversing with
colleagues when it’s appropriate. All
too often people hide behind emails are often sent with countless people copied
(that don’t need to be).
