Lecture:

Principles of Communication

Instructor:
Prof. Umair Saeed

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7 C’s of Communication

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 7 Cs 0F Communication

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

Business message is complete when it contains all

facts the reader or listener needs for the reaction you
desire.
As you strive for completeness, keep the following
guidelines in mind;
Provide all necessary information
Answer all questions asked
Give something extra when desirable
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 COMPLETENESS

• Check for five Ws & one H

• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why and
• How

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 CONCISENESS

1. Eliminate wordy expressions

2. Include only relevant statements
• Be focused
• Shorten & avoid long explanations
• Aoid gushing politeness
3. Avoid unnecessary repetitions
• use short forms the second time
• use pronouns
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 Eliminate Wordy Expressions
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 7
 CONCISE
o Due to the fact that o Because
o Employed the use of o Used
o Basic fundamentals Completely o Fundamentals
eliminate
o Eliminate
o Alternative choices
o Alternatives
o Actual experience
o Experience
o Connected together
o Connected
o Final result
o Result
o Prove conclusively
o Prove
o In as few words as possible
o Concisely

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 Include Only Relevant Material
Wordy: We hereby wish to let you know that our company
is pleased with the confidence you have respond in us.

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• Concise: We appreciate your confidence.

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 Exercise
• Find single word substitutes for the phrases:

 With regard to about

 Despite the fact that although
 At the present writing now
 Is of opinion that thinks
 In the first place first
 At a rapid rate fast
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 Exercise

• Rewrite the following by omitting articles, trite (worn

out) expressions, wordy sentences and repetitions:

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 Exercise –contd.

• 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 .

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 CONSIDERATION

Consideration means 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”.

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 CONSIDERATION

• Focus on YOU instead of I & WE

• Show reader benefit & interest
• Emphasize on positive & pleasant
• Apply integrity & ethics

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Focus on “You” Instead of “I” or “We”

Using “you” does help project

a you-attitude. But overuse
can lead to a negative reaction.

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 Ex.- Write with a ‘you ‘ attitude ,
it shows consideration
• I want to send my congratulations for --(Congratulations to you….)

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

• We pay eight percent interest on -----

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 Ex -Avoid negative – unpleasant words 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.

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 Ex : Show reader benefit or interest

• 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.

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

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 CONCRETENESS

• Use specific facts and figures

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

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 Use Specific Facts and
Figures

It is desirable to be precise and concrete in both written and oral

business communication.

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 Example
Vague, General, Concrete, Precise
Indefinite

• Student GMAT • In 1996, the GMAT

scores are higher. scores averaged 600;
by 1997 they had
risen to 610.
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Put Action in Your Verbs
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

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 Example

• Passive : The memo was sent by the manager

Active:
• Passive: The scientist discovered the formula.
Active:

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 Choose Vivid, Image-Building
Words
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.
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 Ex- Rewrite the following in concrete
form as the sentences are too general and
vague
• Our product has won several prizes.

• These brakes stop a car within a short distance.

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Ex: Put action into the words by using
active instead of passive 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…

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 Ex : Use vivid image building words –
adjectives and adverbs , and use less of
abstract nouns

• The camera has a system that gives good pictures.

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 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.

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 Bad example:

• Dear James,
• I would like to talk to you about the new client’s
project which the engineering team had discussed
yesterday. I might need the help of John from your
team.
• Regards,
Kevin

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• There are innumerable things that are wrong in this
email. James might not even know who the new
client is or what the project is about. He probably
was not part of the meeting with the engineering
team. Furthermore, there might be more than one
John in James’ big team. Kevin also mentions that he
wants to talk. However, he hasn’t mentioned what
time he would like to talk, neither has he asked James
if he would be free at any of the time slots available.
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 Good example:
• Dear James,
• As you may know we have signed up XYZ as our new
client. I had a meeting with the engineering team yesterday
and had discussed the campaign requirements for this
project. John Redden from your team had done a pretty
good job last time doing the social media campaign for ABC
and so I would like him to work on the XYZ campaign too.
Would you be available sometime tomorrow to discuss this
further?

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 CLARITY
• 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

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 Construct Effective Sentences and
Paragraphs
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
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 Ex : Use simple words
• Subsequent later
• Accede agree
• Endeavour try
• Supersede replace
• Disclose show
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 COURTESY

True courtesy involves being aware not only of the

perspective of others, but also their feelings.

Courtesy stems from a sincere you-attitude.

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 COURTESY

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

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 Be Sincerely Tactful, Thoughtful,
Though few people and Appreciative
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 39

again
 Use Expressions that Show
Respect
No reader wants to receive message that offend.

Skip Irritating Expressions

You are offending
You failed to
Contrary to your inference
Inexcusable
Simply nonsense 40
 Activity

• 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.
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 More courteous

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.

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 Choose Nondiscriminatory
Expressions
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.

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 Terms: “Man” words

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

• Anyone who comes to the class late will get his

grade reduced.

• Each manager has an assigned parking place. He

should park his car……….

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 Names

• Treat each gender with respect.

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

• Mr.
• Miss
• Mrs.
• Ms

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 Ex : Show courtesy by avoiding
tactless & blunt language
• Your letter is not clear at all:

• Obviously, if you would read your policy carefully

you will be able to answer these questions yourself.

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 Ex : Use gender friendly
substitutes

• The best man for the job

• Manpower
• Salesman
• Chairman

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 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.

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 CORRECTNESS

• Use the right level of language

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

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 The right level of language, 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.

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 Use the Right Level of Language

• 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.
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 Few tips for effective verbal
messages

• Be direct • Pay attention to the

• Consider your audience receivers
• Be clear • Repeat when needed
• Watch your non-verbal • Communicate bit by bit
signals • Use varying techniques
• Auditory/Visual/Kinest
hetic

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 Summary
• What is Business writing?
• Types?
• 7 Cs of Communication
• COMPLETENESS
• CONCISENESS
• CONSIDERATION
• CLARITY
• CONCRETENESS
• COURTESY
• CORRECTNESS

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