Effective Communication for Colleges 9 th Edition Brantley
Effective Communication for Colleges 9 th Edition Brantley & Miller CHAPTER 2 The Six Cs of Effective Messages © 2002 SOUTH-WESTERN EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING
2 Learning Objectives u. Revise messages to reflect courtesy. u. Revise messages to enhance clarity. u. Apply techniques that ensure concise messages. u. Make messages concrete by providing specific information. u. Review messages for correct content, mechanics, and appearance. u. Determine if a message meets the completeness criteria of who, what, when, where, why, and how. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
Six Cs of Effective Messages 3 Courtesy Show concern for the intended receiver. Clarity Compose messages that are easy to understand. Conciseness State what needs to be said in as few words as possible. Concreteness Convey a message in precise terms. Correctness Provide accurate details in an acceptable format. Completeness Include all pertinent information. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
4 Courtesy u. Develop the you attitude. u. Use positive words. u. Select gender-free terms. u. Respond to messages promptly. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
5 Courtesy The “You” Attitude u. Project empathy. u. Replace I or we with you or your. u. Address the receiver by name. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
6 Courtesy Negative Words to Avoid u blame u complaint u criticize u damaged u doubt u failed u fear u lazy u never u not u sorry Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
7 Courtesy Gender-Free Terms Sexist Gender-Free ucongressman umanpower umothering upoliceman uspokesman urepresentative upersonnel uparenting upolice officer uspokesperson Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
8 Courtesy Prompt Response u. Send congratulations within two days of an event. u. Answer requests within five working days of receipt. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
9 Clarity u. Select appropriate words. u. Place words in an orderly sequence. u. Limit use of it and there. u. Position phrases correctly. u. Position clauses correctly. u. Keep sentences short. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
10 Clarity Frequently Confused Words u accept u except to take or receive to leave out; other than u affect u effect to influence or change a result u its belonging to it u it’s contraction for it is u lay to put or place in position u lie to recline; to be found in a particular place or position u your u you’re belonging to you contraction for you are Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
11 Clarity Orderly Word Sequence Unclear Word Order u. Attached is your copy. Clear Word Order u. Your copy is attached. u. Printed are the reports. u. The reports are printed. u. Missing is the file. u. The file is missing. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
12 Clarity Orderly Word Sequence Unclear Antecedent u Mia and Kim went to her office. Clear Antecedent u Mia and Kim went to Mia’s office. or u Mia and Kim went to Kim’s office. u The managers attend sales u The important managers attend meetings because they are sales meetings. important. or u The managers attend important sales meetings. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
13 Clarity “It” and “There” Indefinite Reference Improved Clarity u. It is difficult to choose u. Choosing between two qualified candidates is difficult. u. There are three u. The report has three sections in the report. sections. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
14 Clarity Phrases and Clauses Incorrect Positioning Correct Positioning u. I filed the invoices u. After eating lunch, I after eating lunch in filed the invoices in the central file room. u. My pen leaked on the u. My pen, which was a report, which was a gift, leaked on the gift. report. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
15 Clarity Sentence Length u State your message in as few words as possible. u The average sentence contains 16 words. u Short sentences are forceful and emphatic. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
16 Conciseness u. Eliminate unnecessary words. u. Select action verbs and efficient words. u. Use necessary modifiers. u. Write in the active voice. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
17 Conciseness Unnecessary Words Wordy 25 words When she assumed the presidency of the company, Mrs. Thomas made a decision to become familiar with the names of all of the company’s employees. Concise 12 words When Mrs. Thomas became company president, she learned all the employees’ names. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
18 Conciseness Action Verbs and Efficient Words Wordy 13 words I made a promise to take into consideration the circumstances surrounding the incident. Concise 7 words I promised to consider the circumstances involved. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
19 Concise Expressions Avoid u at that point in time u at this time u each and every u I would appreciate it if u in spite of the fact that u until such time as Use u then u now u each u please u although u until Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
20 Conciseness Necessary Modifiers Avoid u actual truth u basic fundamentals u consensus of opinion u merge together u repeat again u very unique Use u truth u fundamentals u consensus u merge u repeat u unique Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
21 Conciseness Active Voice Passive Voice u. Bonus checks were presented by the team leaders. Active Voice u. Team leaders presented bonus checks. u. The telephone was u. The new receptionist answered by the new answered the telephone. receptionist. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
22 Concreteness u. Establish contact with the reader. u. Use precise modifiers. u. Avoid opinions and generalizations. u. Provide specific details. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
23 Concreteness Establish Contact u. Mentally picture the person. u. Collect as much background information as possible. u. Consider the person’s culture, education, and occupation. u. Use concrete words that have wellunderstood meanings. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
24 Concreteness Precise Expressions Vague Modifiers ubetter ubig ufast ufew usoon uworthwhile How to Avoid u. Provide specific information. u. State the size or measurement. u. State the exact rate of speed. u. State a number. u. State an exact date or time. u. Explain the benefit. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
Concreteness 25 Opinions and Generalizations Opinions We need a photograph on the catalog cover. Courteous Request Please consider using a photograph on the catalog cover. Generalization The seminar was outstanding. Specific Information The seminar focused on time-management techniques used by successful executives. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
26 Concreteness Specific Details General Information Mr. Jenkins will meet us at 7: 30. Complete Details Mr. Jenkins will meet us in the main lobby tomorrow at 7: 30 a. m. , which will give us time to review his presentation before the board meeting at 8: 00 a. m. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
27 Correctness u. Verify spelling. u. Select correct words and phrases. u. Insert appropriate punctuation. u. Check names, places, dates, times, and amounts. u. Evaluate message appearance. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
28 Correctness Reference Tools u. Dictionary u. Thesaurus u. Word division manual u. Format guide Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
29 Correctness Correct Words and Phrases u. Homonyms are words that are spelled and pronounced alike but have different meanings. u. Homophones are words that sound alike but have different spellings and meanings. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
30 Correctness Parallel Structure Nonparallel Structure Successful summer interns have good listening skills, write concisely, and are creative when solving problems. Parallel Structure Successful summer interns are concise writers, active listeners, and creative problems solvers. Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
31 Completeness Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
32 Completeness Who? u. Who is the intended receiver? u. Is the content appropriate for the intended receiver? Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
33 Completeness What? u. What is your objective? u. Will the reader know what to do? Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
34 Completeness When? u. When should the reader respond? u. Have you included complete, accurate details? Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
35 Completeness Where? u. Where should the reader respond? u. Have you identified names, postal and electronic addresses, telephone and fax numbers? Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
36 Completeness Why? u. Why should the reader respond? u. Have you stated a benefit for the reader? Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
37 Completeness How? u. Have you encouraged a positive response? u. Does your message promote goodwill? Effective Communication for Colleges, 9 th ed. , by Brantley & Miller
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