Sail the & C's

 

Reading chapter 2 of the book “Sail the 7 & C’s,” I became alert to the fact that communicators have an impact on public conversation. The ability to do marketing, journalism, and even personal branding hinges on the ability to publicize a message in a manner that is clear. The most interesting part of this chapter was focusing on trust and credibility. With misinformation so common in today’s world, communicators need to be careful and strive for accuracy, transparency, and honesty. For me, the key point was the idea of audience awareness. The chapter explained how different platforms require different approaches to communication. A concrete example is Twitter, where one only has 140 characters to communicate, and long-form blogging, which is the exact opposite. This made me think about myself and how I modify the messages that I wish to pass across. Lastly, I want to point out that of all the discussions I read, ethical communication caught my attention the most. As a future journalist, it is something that I have to deal with. My words are powerful, and I need to treat them responsibly. In a bid to retain public confidence, ethical principles such as fairness, accuracy, and accountability have to be maintained. Speaking or writing well and communicating does, in fact, require responsibility. That’s the main lesson I learned in this chapter.