With a multitude of changes unfolding as 2017 moves forward, we are increasingly seeing what kind of turmoil can transpire if communications are not perfectly clear.
Ask yourself “How clear are the messages I am conveying to my clients, my associates, and my potential clients?”
Are your communications immediately understandable — or is your core message lost in a sea of techno-babble that few can understand?
Are your messages consistent? Are you saying the same thing, in the same way, every time you communicate your message?
Do your communications talk to your audiences…or at them?
Communications go well beyond what you may think
In business, communications start with the usual letters, memos and emails. But it also includes informative brochures, marketing and advertising materials, publicity and public relations information, websites, logos, and anything that represents or defines your product or service.
And that’s just a part of the communications process.
Business communication also includes tone and language and nonverbal behaviors. Timing, and the context that surrounds your message, can influence whether or not your audience will even see your message, let alone understand it. How you convey your message affects clarity.
Combine the complexities of communicating simply with the number of ways messages can launched — from Twitter to texting – and the importance of communicating clearly becomes even more magnified.
The seven C’s: an old idea that remains surprisingly up-to-date
At Wellons Communications, we adhere to the seven C’s, a notion originated by respected University of Wisconsin public relations academics Scott Cutlip and Allen Center in 1952. The seven C’s include:
- Correct: From spelling and grammar to information, is it totally accurate?
- Clear: Do you present one thought at a time?
- Concrete: Do you say precisely what you mean?
- Concise: Do you get to the point quickly?
- Complete: Do you provide a means so your audience can reach you?
- Consideration: Can everyone understand your messages?
- Courteous: What is the tonality of your message?
Reminder: Communications are the bedrock of marketing
At Wellons Communications, we offer only one service: effective communications aimed at helping you sell products and services.
Yes, we dutifully subscribe to all the other esoteric qualities of public relations like brand reputation management, social and corporate responsibility, and organizational leadership.
But overarching those hard-to-measure intangibles is the need to generate sales. That’s where we aim 99 percent of our efforts.
We are either trying to increase sales or remove any barriers from making sales.
And that’s about as clear a message as we can impart.
If you want to learn more about how we can help you communicate – with an eye on positively impacting your marketing program, call me at 407-339-0879 or email me at will@wellonscommunications.com.
