The 7 C's are an easy-to-remember list of words that serve as a basic guideline in effective verbal communication. They are : clear, concise, complete, correct, courteous, coherent, and constructive.
Clear means avoiding jumbled words and phrases, and speaking in a tone loud enough to be heard by the intended audience -- not meek and mumbling. Concise means keeping the message short. Complete refers to the common error of omission. If you leave out pertinent information, you are not communicating effectively.
Correct is simply using factual, accurate information. Courteous refers to polite and appropriate phrases in communication, such as "hello" and "thank you." Coherence can be thought of as the logic of the message, crafted without superfluous information and in an easy-to-understand manner. Constructive simply means that an effective verbal communicator delivers criticism in a helpful, not negative, manner.
Faster speakers command more authority from an audience than slower speakers, according to the Web site EruptingMind Education. Along with the speed factor, those who speak clearly and allow for two-way dialogue are the most interesting and effective verbal communicators. A good, fast speaker also includes pauses that create anticipation and suspense, and keep the audience involved. Speaking at the same speed consistently will lead to a decrease in what is heard and retained.
According to the New York Local Technical Assistance Program, effective verbal communicators encourage active listening and open dialogue by asking questions. Open-ended questions are best-suited for scenarios where dialogue and learning are the goals, while close-ended questions are effective when critical information is needed quickly. One-point questioning, such as asking "what is the one thing...," identifies the most relevant information without limiting the answer to yes or no; it is a verbal communication tool that allows for precision and gives leeway for longer responses.
There are various ways verbal communication skills are taught and learned, according to the textbook "Communication Skills Training for Health Professionals." You can learn directly from a "master" of verbal communication in professional academic environments such as medical school, according to the textbook. There is also a thinking-based training method where conceptual information is given by a teacher but the student does not directly apply it during training. A third approach is feeling-based, and uses real or simulated social situations. Though less structured, it forces the learner to use communication skills while simultaneously evaluating and learning from peers. This approach is considered to be potentially more damaging to less experienced and more introverted speakers, however.