Say what you mean, mean what you say by Brendan Conboy

No matter what you are writing, we will all want our readers to understand what we are saying.  Though we will all have different writing styles and a novelist doesn’t want to reveal the whole plot in chapter one, whilst a poet may employ the use of more metaphors and similes.  That’s all fine, whatever we write, it is our art form and can use a variety of creative writing techniques.

However, when it comes to marketing the work that has cost us blood, sweat and tears, we need to communicate at a different level.

Recently, whilst recovering from even more surgery, my wife was looking after me.  I made the comment, “I could do with a cup of tea.”  She replied, “Why don’t you just say, ‘can you make me a cup of tea please?’”  She was right, my comment was rather ambiguous and wasn’t necessarily going to result in receiving a cup of tea.

So, how do we communicate to better improve our marketing and outward messages?  Let’s take a brief look at the 9 C’s of communication.

1.               1. Clear

When writing or speaking to someone:

•        Be clear about your goal or message.

•        What is your purpose in communicating?

•        If you're not sure, then your audience won't be either.

•        Minimize the number of ideas in each sentence.

 

2. Concise

•        Stick to the point and keep it brief.

•        Less is more - three sentences better than six.

•        Are there any adjectives or "filler words" that you can delete?  You can often eliminate words like "for instance," "you see," "definitely," "kind of," "literally," "basically," or "I mean."

•        Are there any unnecessary sentences?

•        Have you repeated the point several times, in different ways?

 

3. Concrete

When your message is concrete, your audience has a clear picture of what you're telling them. There are details (but not too many!) and vivid facts, and there's laser-like focus. Your message is solid.

 

4. Correct

•        When communication is correct, your audience understands it. 

•        Correct communication is also error-free communication. 

•        Do the technical terms you use fit your audience's level of education or knowledge?

•        Have you checked for grammatical errors? (Spell checkers won't catch everything).

•        Are all names and titles spelt correctly?

 

5. Coherent

•        Is it logical? 

•        All points are connected and relevant to the main topic.

•        Tone and flow of the text are consistent.

 

6. Complete

•        Audience has everything they need to be informed and, if applicable, take action.

•        Does your message include a "call to action," so that your audience clearly knows what you want them to do?

•        Have you included all relevant information – contact names, dates, times, locations, and so on?

 

7. Courteous

•        Friendly, open and honest.

•        No hidden insults or passive-aggressive tones.

•        Keeps the reader's viewpoint in mind, and you're empathetic to their needs.

 

8. Credible – Does your message improve or highlight your credibility?  This is especially important when communicating with an audience that doesn't know much about you.

The better we communicate, the more credibility we'll have.

 

9. Creative – Does your message communicate your main points creatively?  Creative communication can help to keep your audience engaged.

•        Linking sentences

•        Circular message

•        Encourage the reader’s imagination

 

So, how many of these do you do well?  Where do you need to improve?

Brendan Conboy aka Half Man Half Poet is the author of 10 published books including his fascinating autobiography, The Golden Thread.  In 1986, Brendan invited Jesus into his life and God blessed him with the gift of rhyming words.  He used that gift as a Christian Rap artist for 25 years and has written 4 poetry books including the entire Book of Psalms in Rhyme.  He has 3 published novels - Issues, Invasion of the Mimics and Legacy of the Mimics.  He is the creator of Book Blest Christian book festival.  Brendan is available for speaking events, poetry performances and workshops.  Visit Brendan's website HERE.