7Cs of Communication

This Week’s Topic

The 7 C’s of Effective Communication
1. Completeness
2. Conciseness
3. Consideration
4. Concreteness
5. Clarity
6. Courtesy
7. Correctness
 Summary of the Seven C’s
1. Completeness
A. Provide all necessary information
B. Answer all Questions asked
C. Give something extra, when desirable
2. Conciseness
A. Eliminate wordy expressions
B. Include only relevant material
C. Avoid unnecessary repetition
3. Consideration
A. Focus on “You” instead of “I” or “We”
B. Show audience benefit or interest in receiver
C. Emphasize positive, pleasant facts
4. Concreteness
A. Use specific facts and figures
B. Put action in your verbs
C. Choose vivid, image-building words
 Summary of the Seven C’s
5.Clarity
A. Choose precise, concrete and familiar words
B. Construct effective sentences and paragraphs
6. Courtesy
A. Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful, and appreciative
B. Use expressions that show respect
C. Choose nondiscriminatory expressions
7. Correctness
A. Use the right level of language
B. Check accuracy of figures, facts and words
C. Maintain acceptable writing mechanics
 The Seven C’s
• The seven C’s act as principles that govern the choice
of content and style of an effective oral or written
presentation.
• Help adapt your presentation to the purpose it is made
for, and mold it according to the audience.
• Reduce the possibility of misunderstanding
• Increase chances of positive reception of the message
• Adaptable to all forms of communication, from
utterances and sentences to complete documents.
• Might look to overlap
 1. Completeness
• Completeness is putting all facts the reader or listener needs, for a
reaction you desire
• Needs viewing the message from the viewpoint of the receiver: if I
cannot understand the message the reader cannot understand it
either
• Helps bring about a desired response without having to send more
messages.
• Increases goodwill since completeness shows concern for others
• Missing information can lead to costly lawsuits
• Guidelines for completeness:
– Provide all necessary information
– Answer all questions asked
– Give something extra, when desirable
 Guidelines for Completeness
• Provide all necessary information
The best way to make your message complete is to answer the five W’s—
who, what, when, what, where & why—and when necessary how.
The five W’s method is especially useful when you write request,
announcements or informative messages.
E.g.. Requesting a merchandise or reserving a hotel banquette room
• Answer all questions asked
Answer both the stated and implied questions. Omissions cast suspicions. If
you cannot answer an inquiry pass a reply form to the inquirer to get the
needed details.
• Give Something Extra, When Desirable
We may have to do more than merely answering questions in an inquiry.
E.g. The president of a local Rotary Club receives an inquiry from a newcomer
to the city.
The Story of Mahmoud and Ayaz
 2. Conciseness
We hereby wish to let you know that our company is
pleased with the confidence you have reposed in us.
We appreciate your confidence.
Conciseness is saying what you have to say in the fewest
possible words without sacrificing completeness.
Conciseness is important because
• It saves time and money
• It creates impression of emphasis by letting important
ideas stand out
• It is interesting
• Shows respect for the listener/reader
 Guidelines for Conciseness
• Eliminate wordy expressions
Use single words instead of phrases such as now rather than ‘at this time’.
Omit unnecessary expressions, empty phrases, that-which clauses, prepositional
phrases etc.
The issue of most relevance is teamwork.
The most relevant issue is teamwork.
• Include only relevant material
Stick to the purpose or the message and delete all irrelevant words and rambling
sentences. Omit obvious facts and long introductions.
We hereby wish to let you know that our company is pleased with the confidence you
have reposed in us.
We appreciate your confidence.
• Avoid unnecessary repetition
When the same thing is mentioned two or three times the message becomes boring
and wordy. Use shorter form of a long name as North Central for North Central
Company. Make acronyms for long names or use it or they. Join sentences.
 3- Consideration ‫مروت ۔ پاس ۔ لحاظ‬
• You failed to enclose your check in the envelope.
• The check was not enclosed.
Consideration includes respect for the persons addressed, knowledge
of their needs, and tactful avoidance of negative emphasis.
Three specific ways to show consideration are:
1. Focus on you instead of I and we.
• This can be achieved by downplaying your own feelings and
emphasizing what others need.
I am delighted to announce that we will be extending our hours to
make shopping more convenient.
You will be able to shop evenings with the extended hours.
• Avoiding you is tactful sometimes:
Your contract tells you plainly that….
I am always happy to discuss the contract terms with new employees.
 Consideration cont.
2. Show audience benefit or interest in the receiver
Whenever possible or true, show how your receivers will
benefit from whatever the message asks or announces.
The benefit should be real enough for the receiver to
care.
3. Emphasize positive, pleasant facts
Highlight positive and doable aspects and avoid negative
points.
It is impossible to open an account for you today.
As soon as your signature card reaches us, we will gladly
open an account.
 4- Concreteness
• Concreteness in communication means being specific,
definite and vivid rather than vague and general.
• Involves the use of denotative rather than connotative
words.
• Facts and figures, active verbs and words that have
sensory appeal make the message clearer and lead to
responses we desire.
Guidelines:
• Use specific facts and figures
• Put action in your verbs
• Choose vivid, image-building words
 Concreteness
1. Use specific facts and Figures whenever possible in place of general descriptions
Student GMAT scores are higher.
In 1996 the GMAT scores averaged 600; by 1997 they had risen to 610.
 Avoid concrete description tactfully when it is undiplomatic to pressurize
someone with facts and figures.
2. Concreteness is also achieved through putting action in verbs, i.e. using active
voice.
Students held the meeting in the office.
Students met in the office.
3. Choosing vivid, image-building words is to use lively language more appealing to
the senses. However, it should be used sparingly.
This is a long letter.
This letter is three times as long as you said it would be.
Her work in group was exemplary.
She could be called “the spark plug of the group.”
 5- Clarity
‫صفائی ۔ وضاحت ۔ شستگی‬
Clarity is basically transferring meaning from your
head into the head of the listener/reader.
1. Choose precise, concrete and familiar words to
sound clear. Avoid difficult and unfamiliar
constructions.
After our perusal of pertinent data, the conclusion
is that a lucrative market exists for the subject
property.
The data we studied show that your property is
profitable and in high demand.
 Clarity
2. Construct effective sentences & paragraphs
• An effective sentence has one main idea. (Unity)
• Its length should be between 17-20 words. (Length)
• Sentences of varying lengths should be an ideal.
• Modifiers should be correctly placed in a sentence. (Coherence)
Being an excellent lawyer, I am sure you can help us.
Being an excellent lawyer, you can surely help us.
• Emphasis is highlighted by putting the main idea in the main clause.
The airplane finally approached the speed of sound, and it became very
difficult to control.
As it finally approached the speed of sound, the airplane became very
difficult to control.
• Indentation, italics, colored capitals, headings etc. are other familiar
ways of foregrounding emphasis.
 6- Courtesy
‫ شائستگی‬، ‫ تواضع‬، ‫خوش اخالقی‬
• Caring for others’ feelings is courtesy.
• It is more than merely saying thanks or please.
• Emails within an organization may be short, but those sent to people outside the
organization must be more detailed as well as more courteous.
1. Be sincerely tactful
I rewrote that letter three times; the point was clear.
I’m sorry the point was not clear; here is another version.
2. Thoughtfulness and Appreciation
• Sending messages of deserved congratulations and appreciation builds good will enormously.
• Avoid expressions like ‘contrary to your inference’, ‘you claim that’, ‘you failed to’, (p.54)
• Avoid questionable humor.
3. Choose nondiscriminatory expressions.
Avoid sexist terms, singular pronouns and names without titles, Mr. Ms. Etc.
Manpower- workers, employees
Anyone who comes to class late will get his grades reduced.
Students who come late to class will have their grades reduced.
 7- Correctness
‫درستگی ۔ غلطیوں سے پاک ہونا‬
Correctness means grammatical accuracy, but it also includes right
level of language, accurate data and facts, and acceptable writing
mechanics.
1. Use of right level of language.
It involves differentiating among formal, informal and sub-standard
language. Business writing is usually conversational and informal.
Ain’t-isn’t or aren’t
Can’t hardly-can hardly
2. Check accuracy of figures, Facts & Words.
Double check the data, and avoid making guesses at laws.
Check words that may get confused. (affect-effect)
3. Maintain acceptable writing mechanics.
Capitalization and punctuation should be correct and appropriate.