Effective communication occurs when information is transmitted between individuals and organizations with the purpose of informing, persuading, and building goodwill.
An effective communication should be clear, complete, correct, save time, and achieve the intended purpose. Here are some of the essential elements of effective communication:
1) Should have clarity of purpose
2) Be well informed
3) Analyze the audience
4) Avoid jargons
5) Communicate confidently
6) Be consistent
7) Should be simple
8) Should be straightforward
9) Address your target
10) Good listening
The 7 C’s of Effective Communication
1) Clear/clarity: getting the message across that the receiver can understand what you are saying
2) Concise/conciseness: must be brief – pass the intended message in the fewest words possible
3) Concreteness: communicate concretely – being specific, definite, and vivid; not being too general and vague. E.g. saying Kenya is growing economically is not concrete. More concrete statement is: “Kenya has grown by 10% in the past 2 years.”
4) Correct: The message should be correct – right language, accurate facts and figures, and right choice of words.
5) Considerate: should be considerate, not hurting others’ feelings. Good attitude and empathy is required for effective communication.
6) Complete: Complete and adequate is important; incomplete message keeps the audience guessing and leads to misunderstanding and delays.
7) Courteous: being sincere, thoughtful, and appreciative; avoid irritating messages and signs.
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