The 7 C’s of

Effective COMMUNICATION

Chapter # 2

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The Seven C’s
 When we talk about “ Effective Communication”
one thing that comes in our mind are the basic
principles of “effective communication”.
 These principles tell us how your message can turn
effective for your target group.
 These principles also reveal style and importance
of the message.
 These principles are commonly known as 7 C’s of
effective communication.

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 Seven C’s of Effective
Communication
1. Completeness
2. Conciseness
3. Consideration
4. Concreteness
5. Clarity
6. Courtesy
7. Correctness

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1) Completeness
 Message Receiver- either listeners or readers desire
complete information to their question e.g.
 Suppose you are working with a multinational company
who is engaging with engineering goods like A.C. Now let
say one of your major customer wants some technical
information regarding “thermostat” (because he wants to
convey the same to the end users). In this case you have to
provide him complete information in a short span of time.
 If possible, provide him some extra information which he
does not know as well.
 In this way you can maintain a good business relation with
him, or else he may switch to another company.

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 Five W’s
 One way to make your message complete is to answer the
five W’s.
 WHO?
 WHAT?
 WHEN?
 WHERE?
 WHY?
 The five question method is useful when you write
requests, announcements, or other informative messages.
 For instance, to order (request) merchandise, make clear
WHAT you want, WHEN you need it, WHERE it is to be
sent. 5
 Conclusion of Completeness
Therefore, following must be provided to
listeners/readers:-

1. All necessary information as requested by

them.
2. Carefully answering to all their questions.
3. Some more information, which they don’t
require, just to maintain good relations.

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2) Conciseness
 Conciseness means “conveying the
message by using fewest words”.
 “Conciseness is the prerequisite to
effective business communication.”
 As you know that people involved in
business have very short time .
 Hence a concise message saves the time
and expenses for both the parties.

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How To Achieve Conciseness?
For achieving conciseness you have
to consider the following:
1.Avoid wordy expression
2.Include only relevant material
3.Avoid unnecessary repetition.

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Avoid Wordy Expression
 e.g. Wordy:- at this time.
Instead of “at this time” you can just use only
a concise word:- NOW ,
Always try to use “To the point Approach” in
business scenario perspective.

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 Include Only Relevant Information
 Always try to provide only relevant information to the
receiver of the message.
 Lets say one of your customer requested
 for clients of the company
 in reply you should provide simply list of clients at the panel of your
company.
 No need to provide detailed business information about client at all.
 Observe the following suggestions to “Include only relevant
information.”
– Stick to the purpose of message
– Delete irrelevant words
– Avoid long introduction, unnecessary explanation etc.
– Get to the important point concisely.
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Avoid Un-necessary Repetition
 Some times repetition is necessary for
focusing some special issue.
 But when the same thing is said with out
two or three reasons, the message becomes
wordy and boring.
 That’s why try to avoid Un-necessary
repetition.

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Some Ways To Eliminate Unnecessary Words

 Use shorter name after you have mentioned the

long once. e.g.
 Spectrum communications Private limited use
Spectrum.
 Use pronouns or initials e.g.
Instead of world trade organization use WTO or
You can use IT for Information Technology
(keeping in view that the receiver knows about
these terms).

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 Conclusion of Conciseness
 Means communicating what you want to
convey in least possible words. It is both
time-saving as well as cost-saving. It
underlines and highlights the main
message. Concise communication
provides short and essential message in
limited words to the audience. Concise
message is more appealing and
comprehensible to the audience. 13
 3) Consideration
 Consideration means – To consider the
receiver’s Interest/Intention.
 It is very important in effective
communication while writing a message
you should always keep in mind your target
group.
Consideration is an important “C” among
all the seven C’s.

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Three Specific Ways To Indicate Consideration

i-Focus on “you” instead of “I” or “We”.

ii-Show audience benefit or interest of the
receiver.
iii-Emphasize positive, pleasant facts.
Using “you” helps you, but over use leads to a
negative reaction.

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 To create considerate, audience-oriented
messages, focus on how receivers will
benefit, what they will receive, and what
they want or need to know. e.g.
We-Attitude
“I am delighted to announce that we will be
extending our hours to make shopping more
convenient.”
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You-Attitude
“You will be able to shop evenings with the
extended hours.”

 Readers may react positively when

benefits are shown to them.
 Always try to address their needs and
wants.
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 Using “we” can be receiver oriented if ‘we’
includes the recipients of the message. But
messages that use “you” can be insensitive
in negative situations.
 EXAMPLE
 Insensitive: You failed to enclose your
cheque in the envelope.
 Considerate: The cheque was not enclosed.
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 Conclusion of Consideration
 Consideration implies “stepping into the shoes
of others”.
 Effective communication must take the
audience into consideration, i.e. the audience’s
view points, background, mind-set, education
level, etc.
 Make an attempt to envisage your audience,
their requirements, emotions as well as
problems.
 Ensure that the self- respect of the audience is
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maintained and their emotions are not at harm.
4) Concreteness
 It means that message should be specific
instead of general. Misunderstanding of
words creates problems for both parties
(sender and receiver).
 When you talk to your client always use
facts and figures instead of generic or
irrelevant information.

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The following guidelines should help you to
achieve the Concreteness.
i- use specific facts and figures
ii-choose image building words
Vague, General, Indefinite:
Student GMAT scores are higher.
Concrete, Precise:
In 1999 the GMAT scores averaged 600;
by 1997 they had risen to 610. 21
General
He is very intelligent student of class and
stood first in the class.
Concrete
Ali’s GPA in B.Sc Electrical Engineering
2k3-f session was 3.95/4.0, he stood first in
his class.
Always write on a very solid ground. It
should definitely create good image as well. 22
 Conclusion of Concreteness
 Concrete communication implies being
particular and clear rather than fuzzy and
general. Concreteness strengthens the
confidence. It is supported with specific
facts and figures. It makes use of words that
are clear and that build the reputation.
Concrete messages are not misinterpreted.

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5) Clarity
 Clarity implies emphasizing on a specific
message or goal at a time, rather than
trying to achieve too much at once. Clarity
in communication has following features:
 It makes understanding easier.
 Complete clarity of thoughts and ideas
enhances the meaning of message.
 Clear message makes use of exact,
appropriate and concrete words. 24
 In effective business communication the
message should be very much clear so that
the reader can understand it easily.
 You should always choose precise words.
 Always choose familiar and easy words.
 Construct effective sentences and
paragraphs.

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 Always use precise words rather using
longer statements and if you have a choice
between long words and shorter ones,
always use shorter ones.

 You should try your level best to use

familiar/easy to understand words so that
your reader can quickly under stand them.

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Familiar Next familiar words
1-after subsequent
2-home domicile
3-for example e.g.
4-pay remuneration
5-invoice statement for
payments

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 Conclusion of Clarity
 Clear or plain language is characterized by
explicitness, short sentences and concrete
words. By avoiding keeping to the point,
the receiver will get a clear picture of the
content of the message. Briefly-worded
information emphasizes the essence of the
message.

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 6) Courtesy

 Knowing your audience allows you to use statements of

courtesy; be aware of your message receiver.
True courtesy involves being aware not only of the
perspective of others, but also their feelings. courtesy
stems from a sincere you-attitude.
 it is not merely politeness with mechanical insertions of
“please” and “Thank you” .
 Although applying socially accepted manners is a form of
courtesy.
 Courteous communication generates a special tone in
writing and speaking.
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 How to generate a Courteous
Tone?
The following are suggestions for generating a courteous
tone:
 Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful and appreciative.
 Use expressions that show respect for the others
 Choose nondiscriminatory expressions

Be sincerely Tactful, Thoughtful and Appreciative

 Though few people are intentionally abrupt or blunt, these
negative traits are common cause of discourtesy.
 Avoid expressions like those in the left hand column
below; rephrase them as shown in the right-hand column
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Tactless, Blunt More Tactful
Stupid letter; I can’t I should understand it, as
understand there is no confusing word in
this letter, could you please
explain it once again ..?
Its your fault, you did not Sometimes my wording is
properly read my latest FAX not precise; let me try again

Thoughtfulness and Appreciation

Writers who send cordial, courteous messages of deserved
congratulations and appreciation (to a person inside & outside) help to
build goodwill. The value of goodwill or public esteem for the firm may
be worth thousands of dollars. 31
 Conclusion of Courtesy
 In addition to considering the feelings and
points of view of the target group, it is also
important to approach the audience in a
friendly and courteous manner. Use of terms
that show respect for the receiver contribute
towards effective communication.

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7) Correctness
 At the core of correctness is proper grammar,
punctuation and spelling.
 Message must be perfect grammatically and
mechanically.
 The term correctness, as applied to business
messages encompasses three characteristics:
o Use the right level of language.
o Check the accuracy of figures, facts and words.
o Maintain acceptable writing mechanics.

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Use the right Level of
Language
There are three levels of language:
1. Formal
2. Informal
3. Substandard

 Take a quick guess: what kind of writing is

associated with each level? What is the style of
each?

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Formal and Informal Words

Formal writing is often associated with scholarly writing:

doctoral dissertations, scholarly, legal documents, top-
level government agreements and other material where
formality is demanded.
Informal writing is more characteristic of business writing.
Here you use words that are short, well-known and
conversational as in this comparison list:
More Formal less formal
Participate Join
Endeavor Try
Ascertain Find out
Utilize Use
Interrogate Question
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 Substandard Language
 Avoid substandard language. Using correct
words, incorrect grammar, faulty pronunciation
all suggest as inability to use good English. Some
examples follow:
Substandard More Acceptable
Ain’t Isn’t, Aren’t
Can’t hardly Cannot hardly
Aim to proving Aim to prove
Desirous to Desirous of
Stoled Stolen

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 Facts and Figures Accuracy
Check Accuracy of Facts, Figures and Words
 It is impossible to convey meaning precisely, through words, from
the head of the sender to a receiver. Our goal is to be as precise as
possible, which means checking and double-checking and double-
checking to ensure that the figures, facts and words you use are
correct.
“A good check of your data is to have another person read and
comment on the validity of the material”
Figures and facts
 Verify your statistical data.
 Double-check your totals.
 Have someone else read your message if the topic involves data.
 Determine whether a “fact” has changed over time.

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 Proper Use of Confusing Words!
 Our Language (Any) is constantly changing. In fact, even
dictionaries can not keep up with rapid change in our language.
The following words are often confusing in usage:

A, An use ‘a’ before consonants and

consonants sounds or a long ” u”
sound. Use ‘an’ before vowels.

Accept, Except accept is a verb and means to

receive. except is a verb or a
preposition and relates to
omitting or leaving
out.

Anxious, Eager Anxious implies worry, eager

conveys keen desire 38
 Conclusion of Correctness
A correct use of language has the
preference. In written business
communication, grammatical errors must be
avoided and stylistic lapses or a wrong use
of verbs are not sufficient either in verbal
communication. A correct use of language
increases trustworthiness and the receiver
will feel that they are taken seriously.
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Thank You!!!

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