THE

COMMUNICATIO
N TOOL KIT

THE 7 C’s
 COMPLETENESS

• MUST ANSWER ALL 5 W’s AND THE HOW

• MUST ANSWER ALL QUERIES – STATED &
IMPLIED
• ADDITIONAL INFO. IF NEEDED
 CONCISENESS

FEWEST POSSIBLE WORDS

1. ELIMINATE WORDY EXPRESSIONS.

- Due to the fact that = ????
2. Avoid passive voice
3. ABBREVIATIONS
4. EXCESSIVE ADJECTIVES – NO NO
5. NEEDLESS REPETITION
 Examples:
Wordy: We use bags which are made of
polythene.

Concise: We use polythene bags

Wordy: The reports are to be submitted by

employees prior to 5:00, at which time
they will be received by Mr. Jaffer.

Concise: Please submit your reports to Mr.

Jaffer by 5:00.
 Examples:
Wordy: We hereby wish to let you know
that our company is pleased with
the confidence you have reposed
in us.

Concise: We appreciate your confidence.

Wordy: In due course of time.

Concise: Soon
 CONSIDERATION

Consideration means preparing every

message while keeping the receiver(s) in
mind.
Guidelines:

 Focus on “you” instead of “I” and “We”.

 Show receiver-benefit wherever possible.
 Emphasize the positive and de-emphasize

the negative
 Examples:
We-Attitude:
I am delighted to announce that we
will be extending our hours to
make shopping more convenient.
You-Attitude:
You will be able to shop evenings
with the extended hours.
We Attitude
 We offer a wide range of colors & designs in

curtains & carpets

You Attitude
 You can have a wide range of colors &

designs in curtains & carpets

Emphasizing the negative
 We do not offer discounts on purchase of less

than PKR 5,000.

Emphasizing the positive

 We offer discounts on purchases of PKR

5,000 and above.

Emphasizing the negative
 A penalty of PKR 100/day shall be levied on

late payments

Showing Receiver-benefit
 Pay on time and avoid a penalty of PKR

100/day.
CONCRETENESS
Communicating concretely means being
specific, definite, and vivid rather than
vague and general.

Guidelines:
 Use specific facts and figures.
 Put action in your verbs.
 Choose vivid, image-building words.
Examples:
Vague, General, Indefinite:
Student GMAT scores were higher in 2007 as
compared to 2006.

Concrete, Precise:
In 2006 the GMAT scores averaged 600; by
2007 they had risen to 610.
Examples:
Vague, General, Indefinite:
Eastern Europe is making progress in
obtaining investments.

Concrete, Precise:
In 1990 investments in Eastern Europe were
about US $30 million; today that figure has
increased by 12%.
Examples:
Vague, General, Indefinite:
She’s a very good student.

Concrete, Precise:
Her grade-point average in 2006 was 3.9 on a
four-point scale.
Putting action in nouns
 The audit team performed a thorough

inspection of all files.

Putting action in verbs

 The audit team inspected all files thoroughly.
Drab & dull
 We are offering discounts on clothes and

shoes for children and kitchen appliances.

Vivid
 Exciting offer for kiddies and mothers: Come

& experience the amazing discounts on

children’s clothes, shoes and kitchen
appliances.
 CLARITY
Getting the meaning of the message across
to the reader accurately is the purpose
of clarity.
 CLARITY

Guidelines:
• Choose precise, concrete and familiar words.
• Insert no more than one main idea into a
sentence.
• Construct effective paragraphs.
 CLARITY
Examples:

Unclear: Being an excellent lawyer, I am

sure you can help us.
Clear: Being an excellent lawyer, you can
surely help us.
OR
Clear: As you are an excellent lawyer, I am sure you
can help us.
 CLARITY
Examples:

Unclear: His report was about managers,

broken down by age and gender.
Clear: His report focused on age and
gender of managers.
Clear: His report about managers focused on age
and gender.
 USE COMMON LANGUAGE

“ I WOULD NEVER WRITE ‘METROPOLIS’ WHEN I GET PAID THE SAME

FOR WRITING ‘CITY.’”
(SWIFT)
 CORRECTNESS

• ACCURACY OF FIGURES, FACTS & WORDS

• CORRECT GRAMMAR, SPELLING,PUNCTUATION

 CORRECTNESS
At the core of correctness is proper grammar,
punctuation, and spelling.

Guidelines:
• Edit
• Proof-read
• Re-write
COURTSEY
 True courtesy involves being aware not
only of the perspective of others, but also
their feelings .

Guidelines:
 Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful and
appreciative.
 Use expressions that show respect.
 Choose nondiscriminatory expressions.
 Examples:
Tactless, blunt:
You should have logged off before shutting
down the system.
More tactful:
It’s better to log off before shutting down the
system.
OR
Next time, please remember to log off before
shutting down the system.
 Examples:
Tactless, blunt:
Clearly, you did not read my latest fax.

More tactful:
Maybe I did not make myself clear in my last
fax, let me try again.
 ENERGY &
CONVICTION

• IF YOU HAVE IT, IT WILL SHOW!

 ASSIGNMENT

• YOU ARE THE PRESIDENT OF THE ‘STUDENT ACTIVITIES

COUNCIL.’
• ON ONE HAND YOU ARE UNDER PRESSURE TO
ORGANIZE A SINGING COMPETITION AT THE CAMPUS,
AND ON THE OTHER THE BUDGET IS NOT ENOUGH.
• YOU DECIDE TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THE ACTIVITY BY
SPONSORSHIP
 THE JOB
• WRITE A LETTER TO THE PROSPECTIVE
SPONSOR ASKING THEM TO DONATE AN
AMOUNT OF Rs. 50, 000/-

USE THE 7 C’s OF COMMUNICATION