[[SEVEN C’S OF EEFECTIVE COMMUNICATION]] July 8, 2010

The Seven C’s of Effective Communication

By Marie Sachie Mitsui P. Turiano

1. COMPLETENESS
 Your business message is “complete” when it contains all the facts the reader or listener
needs for the reaction you desire. Remember that communicators differ in their mental
filters; they are influenced by their:
 backgrounds
 Viewpoints
 Needs
 Experiences
 Attitudes
 Status
 Emotions

 Completeness is necessary for several reasons:

To get desired results
For building goodwill
To help avert costly lawsuits

 Keep the following guidelines in mind:

 Answer all the questions asked
 If you have no information, say NO
 If you have unfavorable information, reply with tact and honesty.
 List the needed details before answering the inquiry.
 Give something extra, when desirable.
 Sometimes write more to the sender. May be they don’t know what
they want.

 Situation Analysis:

Incomplete:
Thank you for the confidence you have shown us by the account you recently opened.

Complete:
Thank you for the confidence you have shown in First Federal by the savings account
you recently opened. Our goal is to make all our services to you both pleasant and
helpful.

[Type the company name] | AB Economics III 1

Business Communication
 [[SEVEN C’S OF EEFECTIVE COMMUNICATION]] July 8, 2010

2. CONCISENESS
 Saying what you want to say in the fewest possible words without sacrificing the other
C qualities. A concise message is complete without being wordy.

 To achieve conciseness, observe the following To achieve conciseness, observe the

following suggestions;
 Eliminate Wordy Expressions

WORDY CONCISE
at this time now
date of the policy policy date
in most cases usually
in order to to
in some cases sometimes
due to the fact that because
for the reason that because
from the point of view of as

EXERCISE:

Wordy:
She bought desks that are of the executive type

Concise:
She bought executive-type desks.

Include only relevant statements.

 Stick to the purpose of the message.
 Prune irrelevant words and rambling sentences.
 Omit information obvious to the receiver.
 Avoid long introductions, unnecessary explanations.
 Get to the important point tactfully and concisely.

Wordy:
We hereby wish to let you know that we fully appreciate the confidence you
have reposed in us. [ 18 words]

Concise:
We appreciate your confidence in us.[ 6 words]

[Type the company name] | AB Economics III 2

Business Communication
 [[SEVEN C’S OF EEFECTIVE COMMUNICATION]] July 8, 2010

Avoid unnecessary repetition.

 Sometimes repetition is necessary for emphasis. But when the same
thing is said two or three times without reason, the message becomes
wordy and boring.
 Use a shorter name after you have mentioned the long one once:
“University of Central Punjab” , “ UCP” and afterwards use “it”.

EXERCISE:

Cut out all needless repetition of phrases and sentences. e.g

Wordy:
Will you ship us sometime, anytime during the month of October, or even
November if you are rushed, for November would suit us just as well, in fact a
little better, 300 of the regular 3_ by 15_inch blue felt armbands with white
sewn letters in the center. [ 49 words]

Concise:
Please ship parcel post, before the end of November, 300 regular 3- by 15- inch
blue felt armbands with white sewn letters in the center.
[ 25 words]

3. CONSIDERATION
 Preparing every message with the message receivers in mind; try to put yourself in their
place. You are considerate, you do not lose your temper, you do not accuse and you do
not charge them without facts. The thoughtful consideration is also called ´you attitude.

 To achieve conciseness, observe the following To achieve consideration, observe the

following suggestions;
 Emphasize positive, pleasant facts.
 Apply integrity and ethics.
 Apply integrity with persons outside the organization.
 Let your receiver know you are doing something for their interests.
 Focus on “you” instead of “I” and “We”.

WE ATTITUDE YOU ATTITUDE

I want to send my congratulations Congratulations to you on your…….
for……
We pay 8% interest on… You earn 8% interest on….

[Type the company name] | AB Economics III 3

Business Communication
 [[SEVEN C’S OF EEFECTIVE COMMUNICATION]] July 8, 2010

EXERCISE:

We- Attitude:
May I take this opportunity to express my thanks for the account you really
opened with our store. We are pleased to furnish a wide variety of products for
the home or individual customers.

You Attitude:
Thank you for the account you recently opened at Bekinson’s. Serving you with
your needs for clothing and home furnishings is a pleasure.

4. CONCRETENESS
  being specific, definite, and vivid rather than vague and general. Often it means using
donatives (direct, explicit, often dictionary based) rather than connotative words (ideas
or notions suggested by or associated with a word or phrase.

 To achieve conciseness, observe the following To achieve concreteness, observe the

following suggestions;
 Use specific facts and figures.
 Whenever you can, substitute an exact statement or a figure for a
general word to make your message more concrete and convincing.

GENERAL WORD CONCRETE

This computer reproduces This computer types 400
campaign letters fast. personalized 150
These brakes stop a car within a These Goodson power brakes
short distance. stop a 2

Put Action in your Verbs.

 Use Active versus Passive voice.
 Use Actions in Verbs, not in Nouns.

PASSIVE ACTIVE
Tests were made by us. We made tests.
A full report will be sent to you by The supervisor will send you a
the supervisor. full report.

Choose vivid, image-building words.

[Type the company name] | AB Economics III 4

Business Communication
 [[SEVEN C’S OF EEFECTIVE COMMUNICATION]] July 8, 2010

.
COLORLESS VIVID
The camera has a system that gives The SONY camera has a
you good pictures. UNIQUELY precise metering
system that assures you
PROPERLY exposed, true-color
pictures.

5. COURTESY
 True courtesy involves being aware not only of the perspective of others, but also their
feelings. Courtesy stems from a sincere you--attitude.

 To achieve conciseness, observe the following To achieve courtesy, observe the

following suggestions;
 Be tactful instead of blunt and show thoughtfulness and appreciative efforts.
 Omit expressions that Irritate, Hurt, Belittle.

TACTLESS
Your letter is not clear at all; I can’t
understand it.
Obviously, if you’d read your policy
carefully, you’d be able to answer
these questions yourself.
TACTFUL
If I understand your letter
correctly,……..
Sometimes policy wording is a
little hard to understand. I am
glad to clear up these questions
for you.

6. CLARITY
 Getting the meaning from your head to the head of your reader (accurately) is the
purpose of clarity. Of course you know it is not simple. We all carry around our own
unique interpretations, ideas, experiences associated with words.

 True courtesy involves being aware not only of the perspective of others, but also their
feelings. Courtesy stems from a sincere you--attitude.

 To achieve clarity, observe the following To achieve courtesy, observe the following
suggestions;
 Choose short,familiar,conversational words.
 Choose effective sentences,paragraphs and topic sentence to express main idea.
 Include examples, Illustrations and other visual aids when desirable.

[Type the company name] | AB Economics III 5

Business Communication
 [[SEVEN C’S OF EEFECTIVE COMMUNICATION]] July 8, 2010

FAMILIAR UNFAMILIAR
After our perusal of pertinent data The data we studied show that
the conclusion is that a lucrative your property is profitable and in
market exists for the subject high demand.
property.

7. CORRECTNESS
 At the core of correctness is proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling. However a
message may be perfect grammatically and mechanically but still insult or lose a
customer.
 To achieve clarity, observe the following To achieve correctness, observe the following
suggestions;
 Use right level of language ,that is, Formal Language.
 Check accuracy of figures and facts.
 Maintain acceptable writing mechanics.
 Refer Dictionary
 Use computerized speller
 Double check for any careless omissions.

FAMILIAR UNFAMILIAR
Anticipate Expect
Endeavor Try
Interrogate Ask
Utilize Use

[Type the company name] | AB Economics III 6

Business Communication