THE SEVEN C’S OF

EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION
HABIB UR REHMAN
vWhen we talk about “Effective Communication”, the very first thing
that
vComes in our minds what makes our communication effective.
vThere are seven principals of effective communication often called The
Seven c’s of Communication
v The 7 C’s of Communication is a checklist that helps to improve the
professional communication skills and increases the chance that the
message will be understood in exactly the same way as it was intended.
vThese principles can be applied to both oral and written messages.
1. Completeness
2. Conciseness
3. Consideration
4. Concreteness
5. Clarity
6. Courtesy
7. Correctness
1. COMPLETENESS

v Message is complete when it contains all facts the reader

or listener needs for the reaction you desire
v Completeness is achieved by fulfilling three points:
1. Provide all necessary information.
2. Answer all questions asked.
3. Give something extra information when desirable.
v provide all the details which is necessary for complete and
accurate understanding.
v Details should be relevant
v We can ensure
completeness in message
by answering the five W’s.
v The five questions method
is useful when you write
requests and
announcements etc.
v Look for questions. Some may even appear buried within
paragraph. Locate them and then answer precisely.
v Do more than answer the specific questions pointed out by
customers.
v As they may not know what they need , or their question
may be inadequate.
EXAMPLE
v Suppose you are working with multinational company in
customer care department
v One of your major customer want some technical
information .
v In this case you have to provide him with complete
information in a short span of time
v In this way you can maintain good business relation with
him. Otherwise he may switch to an other company .
2. CONCISENESS
v Conciseness is saying what you have to say in fewest
possible words
v A concise message is complete without being wordy.
v Plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences
bring conciseness
v Writers often fill sentences with weak and unnecessary
words.
v When only the most effective words remain, writing will be
more concise.
v Concise message is more appealing and comprehensible
v Saves you time and money
v Concise includes three points:
v Eliminate wordy expression
Wordy: In due course Concise: Soon.
Wordy: due to the fact that Concise: because
v Include only relevant material.
v Avoid unnecessary repetition.
v Stick to the purpose of message.
v Delete irrelevant words and sentences.
v Omit information obvious to receiver.
v Avoid long introduction, unnecessary explanations,
excessive prepositions and adjectives etc.
v Get to the important point concisely and avoid outdated
expressions
3. CONSIDERATION
v Stepping into somebody’s shoes
v Consideration means preparing every message with the
message receivers in mind try to put yourself in their place
v you should aware of their desires, problems, circumstances,
emotions, background, mind set , education level etc.
v Handle the matter from their point of view
v To create considerate ,audience-oriented messages , focus
on how receivers will benefit
v what they will receive and what they want or need to know
v Focus on “You” instead of “I” and “We”
v Emphasize positive and pleasant facts
v Apply integrity and ethics
Insensitive: You failed to enclose your cheque in the envelope.
Considerate: The cheque was not enclosed.
v “You have missed three invitations to my office”
v “I’ve sent you several reminders to see me in my office”.
CONCRETENESS
v Communicating concretely means being specific, definite
and vivid rather than vague and general.
v Use denotative words (dictionary based, direct) rather than
connotative words (ideas, notions suggested by or associated
with a word”
v Increase the chances that the message will be interpreted the
way sender intended.
v Choose image building words
v Use exact and precise statement or a figure instead of a
general word to make your message more concrete.
v EXAMPLE
1. Student GMAT scores are higher.
2. In 1999 the GMAT scores averaged 600; by 1997 they had
risen to 610.
 5. CLARITY
v Getting the meaning from your head into the head of your reader
(accurately) is the purpose of clarity.
v Complete clarity of thoughts and ideas enhances the meaning of
message.
v Clarity means tells the people exactly what you want or convey.
v When you have a choice between a long word and a short one ,use the
short
v the reader or listener will quickly understand the familiar words.
v At the core of clarity is the sentence . This grammatical
statement , when clearly expressed , move thoughts within
paragraph
v Length: Try for an average length sentence(17-20 Words)
v Unity: It means that you have one main idea and any
other idea
v Coherence: Words are correctly arranged that ideas
express clearly.
v UNFAMILIAR
After our perusal of pertinent data, the conclusion is that a
lucrative market exists for the subject property.
v FAMILIAR
The data we studied show that your property is profitable and
in high demand.
 6. COURTESY
v courtesy in message implies the message should show the sender’s
expression as well as should respect the receiver.
v Courtesy implies taking into consideration both viewpoints as well as
feelings of the receiver of the message.
v The sender of the message should be sincerely polite, judicious and
reflective.
v Knowing your audience allows you to use statements of courtesy ; be
aware of your message receivers.
SUGGESTIONS FOR COURTEOUS TONE

v Use expressions that show respect.

v Choose non discriminatory expressions.
v Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful , and appreciative.
v The value of goodwill or public esteem for the firm may be
the worth of thousands(or millions) of dollars.
v The person who send message of deserved congratulations
and appreciation (to person both inside and outside the firm)
help build goodwill.
v No reader want to receive messages that offend.
v To say please or thank you to the other person also the
expressions of respect.
v Practice politeness, courtesy and kindness
v Listen graciously
v Avoid negativity
v Avoid discriminatory or biased language
7. CORRECTNESS

v At the core of correctness is proper grammar, punctuation

and spelling. however, message must be perfect
grammatically and mechanically
v . The term correctness, as applied to business messages also
mean three characteristics
v o Use the right level of language
v o Check the accuracy of figures, facts and words
v o Maintain acceptable writing mechanics
v Verify your statistical data
v Double-check your totals
v Avoid guessing at laws that have an impact on you
v Determine whether a “fact” has changed over time
v Message should be correct grammatically.
v Computers provide spell and grammar check to make
editing easy.
v Every message should be carefully written.
SUMMARY

v Knowing the seven C’s and using them, will help you
become a better communicator
v Completeness: Give all necessary information to your
message receiver . One way to remember it think about 5
W’s
v Conciseness: Include all necessary information and
avoiding unnecessary information.
v Consideration :It means putting yourself in their place
v Clarity : It means use only familiar words in your message.
Be careful about length and main idea.
v Courtesy: It means being thoughtful and appreciative and
use words that shows respect
v Correctness: Mind your grammar, punctuation marks and
spellings in written message