7 C’s of

Communication
1
7 Cs of Communication 2

• COMPLETENESS
• CONCISENESS
• CONSIDERATION
• CLARITY
• CONCRETENESS
• COURTESY
• CORRECTNESS
COMPLETENESS 3

Communication should include everything

that the receiver needs to hear for him/ her
to respond, react, or evaluate properly.
As you strive for completeness, keep the
following guidelines in mind:
Provide all necessary information
Answer all questions asked
Give something extra when desirable
COMPLETENESS 4

• Answer all questions that are asked

• Give something extra when desirable
• Check for five Ws & one H
• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why and
• How
Provide All Necessary Information
5
Answering the five W’s helps make messages
clear: Who, What, When, Where, and Why.

Answer All Questions Asked

Look for questions: some may even appear buried
within a paragraph. Locate them and then
answer precisely.
Give Something Extra, When Desirable
Use your good judgment in offering additional
material if the sender’s message was
incomplete.
Exercise-1 6

• You are the president of an industry association

and have received the following inquiry from an
out of town member:
“I think I would like to attend my first
meeting of the association, even though I am
not acquainted with your city. Will you
please tell me where the next meeting is
being held?”

• How would you reply to this letter keeping in

mind Completeness of the message?
CONCISENESS 7

Conciseness does not mean keeping the

message short, but making it direct or
straight to the point. Insignificant or
redundant information should be
eliminated from the communication that
will be sent to the recipient.
To achieve conciseness:
1. Eliminate wordy expressions 8
2. Include only relevant statements
• be focused
• Shorten & avoid long explanations
• avoid gushing politeness
3. Avoid unnecessary repetitions
• use short forms the second time
• use pronouns
Eliminate Wordy Expressions 9
Use single words in place of phrases. Even Winston
Churchill made extensive use of simple, one syllable
words.

Example
Wordy: At this time
Concise: Now

Wordy: Due to the fact that

Concise: Because
CONCISE 10
• Due to the fact that
• Employed the use of
• Basic fundamentals
• Completely eliminate
• Alternative choices
• Actual experience
• Connected together
• Final result
• Prove conclusively
• In as few words as possible
CONCISE 11
oDue to the fact that oBecause
oEmployed the use of oUsed
oBasic fundamentals oFundamentals
Completely eliminate oEliminate
oAlternative choices oAlternatives
oActual experience oExperience
oConnected together oConnected
oFinal result oResult
oProve conclusively oProve
oIn as few words as possible oConcisely
Include Only Relevant Material 12

Wordy:
We hereby wish to let you know that our
company is pleased with the confidence
you have respond in us.
Concise: 13

• We appreciate your confidence.

 Exercise 14

• Find single word substitutes for the phrases:

 With regard to
 Despite the fact that
 At the present writing
 Is of opinion that
 In the first place
 At a rapid rate
Exercise 15

• Rewrite the following by omitting

articles, trite (worn out) expressions,
wordy sentences and repetitions:
 Exercise 16

• At this time I am writing to you to enclose

the post paid appointment for the purpose

of arranging a convenient time when we

might get-together for a personal interview.

Exercise 17

• Will you ship us sometime, any time

during the month of October , or even
November if you are rushed , for
November will suit us just as well , in
fact a little bit better , 300 of the
regular three and a half inch blue arm
bands with white sewn letter in the
middle .
CONSIDERATION 18
To be effective, the speaker should always consider
relevant information about his/her receiver such as
mood, background, race, preference, education,
status, and needs, among others. By doing so,
he/she can easily build rapport with the audience.
You are considerate if:
• 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”.
CONSIDERATION 19

• Focus on YOU instead of I & WE

• Show reader benefit & interest
• Emphasize on positive & pleasant
• Apply integrity & ethics
Focus on “You” Instead of “I” or
20
“We”

Using “you” does help

project a you-attitude. But
overuse can lead to a
negative reaction.
Show Audience Benefit or Interest
21
in the Receiver
Reader may react positively when benefits
are shown them. Benefits must meet
recipients:
• needs
• address their concerns, or
• offer them rewards
• Most important they must be perceived as
benefits by the receivers.
 Ex.- Write with a ‘you ‘
attitude , it shows 22
consideration
• I want to send my congratulations for --
(Congratulations to you….)

• We will ship soon the goods of your order--

Ex -Avoid negative – unpleasant words
23
to show consideration

• It is impossible to open an account for

you today.

• When you travel on company expense,

you will not receive approval for first
class fare.
Ex : Show reader benefit or interest24

• Because we have not written to you in

sometime , please help us bring our
record by filling and returning the other
half of the card.
CONCRETENESS 25

• Message is concrete when it is

supported by facts, figures, and real-life
examples and situations. In this case, the
receiver is more connected to the message
conveyed.
CONCRETENESS 26

• Use specific facts and figures

• Put action into words
• Choose vivid image building words by
comparison & figurative language
• Use more adjectives and adverbs
Use Specific Facts and
27
Figures

It is desirable to be precise and concrete in

both written and oral business
communication.
Example 28
Vague, General, Concrete,
Indefinite Precise

• Student NAT
• In 1996, the NAT
scores are higher.
scores averaged
600; by 1997 they
had risen to 610.
Put Action in Your Verbs 29

Verbs can activate other words and

help make your sentences alive, more
vigorous.
 Use active rather than passive verbs.
 Put action in your verbs rather than
nouns
Choose Vivid, Image-Building
Words 30

Business writing uses less figurative

language than does the world of fiction.

Bland Image More Vivid Images

This is a long This letter is three
letter. times as long as
you said it would.
Ex- Rewrite the following in concrete
form as the sentences are too 31
general and vague

• Our product has won several prizes.

• These brakes stop a car within a short

distance.
Ex: Put action into the words by
using active instead of passive 32
voice

• Tests were made by us.

• A full report will be sent to you by the
supervisor.
• Mr. Singh will give consideration to the
report…
Ex : Use vivid image building words –
adjectives and adverbs , and use less
33
of abstract nouns

• The camera has a system that gives good

pictures.
CLARITY 34

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.
CLARITY 35

• Choose short , familiar & conversational

words
• Construct effective sentences and
paragraphs by unity of idea and
sequencing
• Achieve appropriate readability by using
formal & informal language
• Include examples, illustrations & visual
aids
Choose precise, concrete and
familiar words 36

Unfamiliar:
After our perusal of pertinent data, the
conclusion is that a lucrative market
exists for the subject property.

Familiar:
The data we studies show that your
property is profitable and in high demand.
Construct Effective Sentences and
Paragraphs 37

At the core of clarity is the sentences.

This grammatical statement, when clearly
expressed, moves thoughts within a
paragraph. Important characteristics to
consider are:
• Length
• Unity
• Coherence
• Emphasis
Ex : Use simple words 38

•Subsequent later
•Accede agree
•Endeavour try
•Supersede replace
•Disclose show
COURTESY 39

True courtesy involves being aware not

only of the perspective of others, but

also their feelings. Courtesy stems from

a sincere you-attitude.
COURTESY
40

The following are suggestions for

generating a courteous tone;
• Be sincere , tactful, thoughtful and
appreciative
• Omit expressions that hurt , irritate, or
insult
• Grant apologies graciously
 Be Sincerely Tactful,
Thoughtful, and Appreciative 41
Though few people are intentionally abrupt or blunt, these
negative traits are a common cause of discourtesy.

Tactless, Blunt More Tactful

Stupid letter; I can’t It’s my
understand any of it. understanding…

Clearly, you did not Sometimes my

read my latest fax. wording is not
precise; let me try
again
Use Expressions that Show
Respect 42
No reader wants to receive message that
offend.
Skip Irritating Expressions
You are offending
You failed to
Contrary to your inference
Inexcusable
Simply nonsense
Activity 43
• Bring courtesy in the following text:

Hey man, what’s this I hear about the

good news? You sure pulled a fast one
this past weekend-and then didn’t tell
any of us about it.

Give my regards to the little lady. And

wish her the best; she’ll need it.
More courteous 44
Warm congratulations on your wedding!

Well, you certainly took us by surprise. In

fact, just a few of us even suspected you
were taking off to get married. But even
though we did not hear about it, we wish
you the best.

Give our warm regards to your new

partner.
Choose Nondiscriminatory
Expressions 45

Another requirement for courtesy is the use

of nondiscriminatory language that
reflects equal treatment of people
regardless of gender, race, ethnic origin,
and physical features.
Sexist Terms: “Man” words 46

• Freshman
New student, Entering student
• Manpower
Workers, Employees
• Man-made
Constructed, Manufactured, Built
• Chairman
Chairperson, Chair
Singular pronouns 47

• Anyone who comes to the class late will

get his grade reduced.

• Each manager has an assigned parking

place. He should park his car……….
Names 48

• Treat each gender with respect.

Examples:
• Ted Aprill and Ruth
Ted and Ruth Aprill
• Mrs Aprill and Ted
Ms. Aprill and Mr. Aprill
Titles 49

• Mr.
• Miss
• Mrs.
• Ms
Ex : Show courtesy by avoiding
tactless & blunt language 50

• Your letter is not clear at all:

• Obviously, if you would read your

policy carefully you will be able to
answer these questions yourself.
CORRECTNESS 51

At the core of correctness is proper

grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Correctness in grammar eliminates

negative impact on the audience and
increases the credibility and effectiveness
of the message.
CORRECTNESS 52

• Use the right level of language

• Check accuracy of facts, figures and words
• Maintain acceptable writing mechanics
• Choose non discriminatory language
• Use parallel language
 The right level of language,
53
accuracy, and acceptable mechanics

• Select the right level of language for your

communication either formal or informal.
• Realize that formal language is most often
used in business communication.
• Check for correct figures, facts, and
words.
• Apply the principles of accepted
mechanics to your writing.
Use the Right Level of Language 54
• Formal and Less Formal Language
More Formal Less Formal
Participate Join
Procure Get
Endeavor Try
Check Accuracy of Figures, Facts, and
Words
A good check of data is to have another person
read and comment on the validity of the material.