Short Talk

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. You may wonder. Why do we need to learn about communication skills? Do we really need it in our working environment? Do employers really look out for such qualities? Well, the answer is yes. According to a 2010 survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers of the United States, communication skills are ranked FIRST among a job candidate’s “must have” skills and qualities.
Communication skills are important to everyone. They are how we convey our ideas and opinions with those around us.
Based on the job advertisements and interview that I have conducted, I have identified the 5 most important points for successful communication at the workplace. They can be classified into the five Cs. Of course, the five Cs we are talking about here are not the Cash, Credit Card, Condo, and Car that we all know of. They are being Clear, Concise, Concrete, Coherent and Courteous in our communication.
These points are applicable to most jobs in the various industries, such as Banking and Finance, Business Consulting, Hospitality etcetera.
For the first C, we have clear. When speaking or writing to someone, be clear about your agenda or message. What is your purpose in communicating with this person? If you are not clear about your purpose, your audience will not be clear either.
Secondly, we have concise. When you're concise in your communication, you stick to the point and keep it brief. Your audience does not want to listen or read six sentences when you could communicate your message in three.
For the third C, we have concrete. When your message is concrete, your audience will have a clear picture of what you're telling them. There are details and vivid facts in your message.
Next, we have coherent. When your communication is coherent, it's logical. All points are connected and relevant to the main topic.
Last but not least, we have courteous. Courteous communication is friendly, open, and honest. There should be no hidden insults or aggressive tones. You can use words such as “Please”, “kindly”, “Perhaps we could”, “Thank you. Your help is greatly appreciated”.
To end it off, we should also bear in mind and use the 5 Cs of communication as a checklist in our interaction with people around us, be it at work or at home. By doing this, you'll stay clear, concise, concrete, coherent, as well as courteous. Thank you.