‘THE SEVEN C’s OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATON’

For transmitting effective communication written or oral messages, certain principles

must be followed. These principles advocated by Francis J. Bergin. Bergin provides
guidelines for choice of content and style of presentation adapted to the purpose the
receiver of the message. They are also called as “Seven Cs” of communication. They
are:

 Completeness
 Conciseness
 Clarity
 Correctness
 Concreteness
 Consideration
 Courtesy

THE SEVEN C’s OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION A road map

(i) Completeness

(a) Provide All Necessary Information

(b) Answer All Questions Asked

(c) Give Something Extra, When Desirable

(ii) Conciseness

(a) Eliminate Wordy Expressions

(b) Include Only Relevant Material

(c) Avoid unnecessary Repetition

(iii) Consideration

(a) Focus on “You” instead of “I” or “We”

(b) Show Audience Benefit or Interest in the Receiver

(c) Emphasize Positive and Pleasant Facts

(iv) Concreteness

(a) Use specific Facts and Figures

(b) Put Action in your Verbs

(c) Choose Vivid, Image-Building words.

(v) Clarity

(a) Choose Precise, Concrete and Familiar Words.

(b) Construct Effective Sentences and Paragraphs

(vi) Courtesy

(a) Be Sincerely Tactful, Thoughtful and Appreciative

(b) Use Expressions that show Respect

(c) Choose Non-discriminatory Expressions

(vii) Correctness

(a) Use the right Level of Language

(b) Check Accuracy of Facts, Figures and Words

(c) Maintain Acceptable Writing Mechanics.

1.COMPLETENESS

Definition: Complete

“Having all the necessary or appropriate parts”

Source: Oxford dictionaries

Your business message is complete when it contains all facts the reader or listener
needs for the reaction you desire. Remember that communicators (senders and
receivers) – differ in their mental filters; they are influenced by their backgrounds,
viewpoints, needs, experiences, attitudes, status and emotions. Owing to these
difference communication senders needs to assess their messages through the eyes of
receivers to ensure they have included all relevant information.
Every communication must be complete and adequate. Incomplete messages keep the
receiver guessing, creates misunderstanding and delay actions. Every person should,
therefore, be provided with all the required facts and figures. For example, when the
factory supervisor instructs workers to produce, he must specify the exact size, shape,
quality and cost of the product. Any assumptions behind the message should also be
clarified. While answering a letter, all the questions raised in the letter must be replied.

To help ensure the message is complete you could use the 5 W’s checklist:

 Who?

 What?

 When?

 Where?

 Why?

A complete message offers the following benefits:

 Complete messages are more likely to bring the desired results without the
expense of additional messages.
 They can do a better job of building goodwill. Messages that contain information
the receiver needs show concern for others.
 Complete messages can help avert costly lawsuit that may result if information is
missing.
 Costs are minimized as a complete communication reduces (if not eliminates) the
need for subsequent communication which could otherwise be required to
communicate missing information. In extreme circumstances it may also help
avert costly lawsuits.
  A complete message is more likely to persuade the recipient.
  The more complete the communication the more capable it is of assisting
better decision-making.

It is advised that while answering a letter one should make sure that all the questions
are answered.

The message is not complete, if it fails to answer questions like :

 What is the meeting about?

 When is it? and Where?

Illustration: Completeness
Below is a copy of an e-mail that Hajira sent to Laila:
“Send a copy of the report when convenient. Hajira”
Consider the following missing information:
 What form should the report take – hard- or soft-copy?
 Exactly when should it be sent – is there an actual deadline or would it be ok to send
it in a month’s time?
 Who should the report be sent to – does Hajira mean for themselves, should this be
going to the bank or maybe a customer?
 Where (physical address or e-email) should it be sent to?
 The ‘why’ question has not been answered which means that Laila has no context for
sending the report. Depending on the ‘why’ she may need to attach supplementary
information or explanation when sending the report.

A more appropriate message might have been:

“Hi Laila,
Please could you email a soft-copy pdf of last month’s sales report to Sobia (cc’d in this
message). Thanks.
Sobia needs the report by the end of tomorrow so she can prepare an updated cash-
flow forecast for her meeting with the bank next Monday.
Kind regards

Hajira”

2. CONCISENESS
Definition: Concise

“Giving a lot of information clearly and in a few words; brief but comprehensive”.

Source: Oxford dictionaries

Conciseness is saying what you have to say in the fewest possible words without
sacrificing the other C qualities.

A concise message is complete without being wordy. Conciseness is desired because

of the following benefits:

 A concise message saves time and expense for both sender and receiver.
 Conciseness contributes to emphasis; by eliminating unnecessary words, you let
important ideas stand out.
 When combined with a “YOU-VIEW”, concise message are inherently more
interesting to recipients as they avoid unnecessary information.
 They show respect for recipients by not cluttering their professional lives with
unnecessary information.
  Constructing concise messages saves time (and therefore money) for both the
sender and receiver.
 Concise messages are more appealing and understandable to the audience.

For achieving conciseness:

 Limit the use of the passive voice. For example, instead of saying:

“An analysis of last quarter sales can be found in appendix B of this report”

Say:
“You will find the analysis of last quarter sales in appendix B or this report”.
 Avoid wordy expressions
 Practice brevity
 Do not repeat the words or ideas unnecessarily

 Only include relevant information

 Stick to the point
 Delete irrelevant statements
 Avoid long introduction and unnecessary explanations
 Put the action in the verb – for example:

Action Action in the verb

We make use of new We use new
procedure. procedures
It is our hope that the We hope that the
company would company would
achieve its targets. achieve its targets.
X is an indication that X indicates that Y was
Y was a successful a successful initiative.
initiative.
X Provides a X justifies Y
justification for Y.
MORE Examples

concise words used as

an alternative to a
‘wordy’ expression.

Phrases Concise alternative

In due course Soon
Few in number Few
In spite of the fact that Although
Meet together Meet
Due to the fact that Because
At this time Now
On a weekly basis Weekly
Until such time as Until
Few and far between Rare

Illustration: Conciseness
Below is an extract from a report that Rashid sent to management:
“We chose to implement option A having established improved results on
profitability. Our results provide evidence that pre-tax profit increases by 8%.
The analysis in Appendix A goes into more detail about profit by product line
and provides support for the decision”.

This could have been written more concisely as:

“We implemented option A having established improved profitability. Our
results suggest that pre-tax profit increases by 8%. Appendix A details profit by
product line and supports the decision”.

3. CLARITY
Definition: Clarity

“The quality of being clear”

Source: Oxford dictionaries

Getting the meaning from your head into the head of your reader – accurately- is the
purpose of clarity. Of course you know this is not simple. We all carry around our own
unique interpretations, ideas, experiences associated with words.

 Choose simple, exact, concrete, familiar and appropriate words:

 State your purpose clearly.

 Construct effective sentences and paragraphs:

 Length – indicatively sentences maximum 15-20 words

 Coherence – consistency, unity

 Emphasis – be clear on the single message you are focusing on

 Clear messages make interpretation and understanding easier.

 Clear messages stimulate the recipient into action.

o Select words that have a high sense of appropriateness for the reader.
o Opt for the familiar word the one that is not pretentious.
o Insert no more than one main idea into a sentence.
o Arrange words so that the main idea occurs early in a sentence.
o Use English rather than foreign equivalents.
o Also, use familiar words instead of Latin Terms.
o

Do use Do NOT use

After Subsequent

For example e.g.

Pay Remuneration
About Circa (Latin)
Home Domicile
Invoice Statement of payment
So on etc.

Illustration: Clarity – the placement of subordinate clauses

Compare the following statements:
“Cybercrime, because of the widespread use of computers to store and
process personal information, is increasing rapidly”, and
“Cybercrime is increasing rapidly because of the widespread use of computers
to store and process personal information”.
The second statement is clearer because the key message was not interrupted
by a subordinate clause. Therefore:
Do not interrupt the main clause with a subordinate clause if the
interruption will cause confusion.

4. CORRECTNESS
At the core of correctness is proper grammar, punctuations and spelling. Documents
are our little ambassadors, they must be error free as they also reveal the inner stories
of our companies. For example if a manager dictated a message of 10,000 envelops
and typist added one zero more becomes 10,0000.

Correctness also implies that the message is exact and well-timed.

 Use appropriate and correct language

 Remember that Business communication is much more informal and uses simpler
words than legal contracts, Government statements and academic papers.

 Avoid using substandard language – for example use “is not” instead of “isn’t”,
“should not” instead of “shouldn’t” and “will not” instead of “won’t”.

 Check the precision and accuracy of figures, facts and language

 Verify numerical data.

 Double-check totals.

 Ask an independent person to proof-read the message.

 If the communication is correct it boosts the confidence level of the recipient.

 Correct messages are more impactful on the recipient.

Illustration: Correctness

The following management commentary about last month’s sales contains a number of
errors that need correcting:

“Most outlet’s grow accept Faisalabed witch see dropping of 10%.”

Corrections needed include:

 ‘outlets’ not ‘outlet’s’ – remove the apostrophe

 ‘grew' not ‘grow’ – past tense

 ‘except’ instead of ‘accept’ (meaning to receive, consent or agree)

 Faisalabad not Faisalabed – spelling mistake

 ‘which’ instead of ‘witch’ (a practitioner of witchcraft!)

 ‘declined’ instead of ‘see dropping of’ – simplify

The corrected commentary now reads:

“Most outlets grew except Faisalabad which declined 10%”.

5. CONSIDERATION
Definition: Considerate

“to be Careful; not to inconvenience; not to harm others”.

Source: Oxford dictionaries

Consideration means preparing every message with the message receivers in mind; try
to put yourself in their place.

If you are considerate, you do not lose your temper, you do not accuse, you do not
charge them without facts.You are most aware of their desires, problems,
circumstances, emotions, and probable reactions to your request. Then handle the
matter from their point of view. This thoughtful consideration is also called “you-attitude”,
empathy, the human touch and understanding of human nature.

In a broad but true sense, consideration inspires the other six C’s of good business
communication. You adapt your language and message content to your receiver’s
needs when you make your message complete

. Three specified ways to indicate consideration are:

 Focus on “you” instead of “I” and “WE”.

 Show audience benefit or interest in the message.

 Emphasize positive and pleasant facts.

 Show empathy. Ask how you would feel if you were to receive this message.You
should try to think of things from your recipient’s perspective.

For example:

 What do they really need? A customer may already accept that the price is fair but
want further reassurance on the safety features of the product. In this instance a
communication promoting how cheap the product is, will have significantly less positive
impact compared to a communication outlining the safety features and guarantees.
 What emotions might they currently be feeling? Someone feeling angry and betrayed
(e.g. someone who has recently encountered a loss or a fraud) is likely to need extra
reassurance regarding trust and integrity compared to someone who is happy and at
peace (e.g. someone who just got married or won the lottery).

 What emotions might your message generate?

 Consider current or potential problems being faced by the recipient

 Self-respect of the recipient is vital…. any loss of respect, insult or humiliation could
instantly isolate the receiver.

 Flattery and charm can be used…but very carefully: use sparingly and not to
exaggerate… this may lose your credibility.

The ‘you’ approach

Business messages should focus on how the recipient will benefit, for example what
they will receive or what they will learn. This is commonly referred to as the ‘you’
approach.

Considerate communication adopting the ‘you’ approach will demonstrate the following
characteristics:

 Focuses on ‘you’ instead of ‘I’ or ‘we’

 Make sure you understand people’s needs.

 However, try to avoid YOU in sensitive cases – express a direct negative in passive
voice (see example below).

 Empathize with the audience and show interest in them. This will stimulate a positive
reaction from the audience.

 Refer to the benefits that are specific to the audience.

 Refer to something specific about their situation that shows you are communicating
with them specifically and are thinking about them.

 Emphasize what is possible rather than what is impossible –

for example instead of saying “you can’t travel business class on short-haul flights”

one could say, “you can travel business class on long-haul flights”.

 Stress positive words such as thanks, warm, healthy, committed and help.
Example: Creating a YOU attitude

‘We-attitude’

 I am delighted to announce that we will be maintaining prices at existing levels.

‘You-attitude’

 You will be able to benefit from the same prices as you paid last year.

‘We-attitude’

 I am delighted to announce that we will be extending our opening hours.

‘You-attitude’

 You will be able to shop in the evenings and throughout the weekend due to
extended opening hours.

Another view

Example: Avoiding YOU in sensitive cases

Instead of saying:

 “You have not sent the report”.

you could say

 “The report was not received”.

Instead of saying:

 “You cannot return the items if they are soiled or not in a saleable condition”.

you could say

 “Items may be returned if they are clean and in a saleable condition”.

Another example:

Illustration: Consideration

We-attitude to You-attitude
Below is an extract from an e-mail that Qasim sent to a client:

“I would like to express my thanks for your order dated 16th April. We have now
executed the order and I would like to draw your attention to our despatch
documents that I have attached to this email. The documents include our invoice,
our packing note and our driver delivery note”.

Now read the improved version:

“Thank you for your order dated 16th April. The goods you ordered have now been
dispatched. Please find attached the relevant dispatch documents including invoice,
packing note and driver delivery note”.

More about consideration

Use Euphemism for consideration:

The use of harsh words may hurt feelings. The words or phrases that may be
considered unkind or unpleasant to hear are replaced with mild or pleasant words or
phrases. The use of such pleasant expressions in place of harsh, offensive or direct
words is termed as Euphemism.

Examples:

1. Between jobs for unemployed.

2. Downsizing or workforce reduction for firing employees.
3. Ethnic Cleansing for genocide.
4. Big-boned for heavy or overweight.
5. Passed away for die.
6. On the streets for homeless

6. CONCRETENESS
Definition: Concrete

“Specific; Definite”

Source: Oxford dictionaries

Communicating concretely means being specific definite and vivid rather than vague
and general.

Concrete business communication is particular, clear, vivid, explicit and specific. It

means: avoid General, vague and obscure messages because you will receive either
no response or equally vague and general responses from the receiver.

Concreteness of messages is an essential requirement of effective communication,

particularly in oral communication, we can’t draw tables, diagrams, or graphs to make
our statement vivid, but we can use precise words to convey the correct messages and
support it by relevant facts and figures. If the message is specific, there would be
increased likelihood that the message is interpreted by the receiver as intended by
sender. For sending concrete messages, the following guidelines should be followed:

 Use concrete expressions.

 Use specific facts and figures.
 Put action in your verbs.
 Choose vivid, image-building words.

Facts lend credibility to our communication.

Concrete expressions create visual images that are easy to register. So instead of
vague, generalized statements, definite facts should be given.

The statements with no passion, no vivid detail, having nothing that creates emotion
and nothing that tells people in the audience why they should care does not work well.

Example: It was very hot in the factory. (not very effective)

If we say: I saw that sweat was trickling down the arms of workers. (more effective)

We can use FIGURES OF SPEECH (figurative language ) to make our messages

concrete. It is the use of symbols, similes or metaphors that serve as image building
words.

Examples:

 workers working like machines. simile

 His brain is a computer. metaphor

Example: use precise wording

Instead of saying:  “Sales have increased slightly”.

you could say:

 “Sales have increased by 6% from $50m to $53m in the first six months of the year”.

Note that when precise facts and figures are not available you should state that is the
case rather than simply ignoring them altogether.

 Avoid vague words as given below:

 Small  A few  Several

 Slightly  Soon  Almost

Benefits of concrete messages:

 Concrete messages can not to be misinterpreted as they are so specific and clear.

 Concreteness strengthens the confidence of both the sender and receiver.

 Concrete messages convey professionalism and help towards building the reputation
of the sender and the organisation they represent.

 Using vivid and image-building words can help make the message more compelling
and impactful.

Illustration: Concreteness – using vivid, image-building words

 Instead of saying “Profit has increased greatly” you could say “Profit has tripled which
beats your forecast by 120%”.

 Instead of saying “The factory was idle whilst the generator was fixed” you could say
“Two weeks of productivity equating to $300k gross profit was lost due to the generator
break-down”.

More about concreteness

Often it means using denotative (direct and explicit) rather than connotative words
(suggested).

Denotation: the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas
that the word suggests.
Connotation: an idea or feeling which a word invokes for a person in addition to its literal
or primary meaning. OR

Connotation is the emotional and imaginative association surrounding a word.

Denotation is the strict dictionary meaning of a word.

Words have positive and negative connotations

Words Stress always taken as negative connotation.

Word Happy always taken as positive connotation.

REMEMBER

We often times do not need very concrete expression when:

1. When your wish to be diplomatic and do not point out mistakes in particular

Example: “You have missed three invitations to my office” (it is harsh)

We may be more tactful if we say

“I’ve sent you several reminders to see me in my office; I am sure you were busy.”

2. When exact figures are unimportant, as “more than half the committee was present.”

7.COURTESY
Definition: Courtesy

“the showing of politeness in one’s attitude and behavior towards others”

Source: Oxford dictionaries

Courtesy is the respect that we show to others and in business communication also it
means the same thing. You should show respect to your reader by having courteous
communication. The individual while sending the message should be polite, sincere,
enthusiastic, and reflective (thoughtful).
Courtesy in business messages implies that the message should reflect the theme of
your message as well as respecting the receiver and being considerate to their
personality.

Courteous messages will demonstrate the following:

 Be sincere and tactful, thoughtful and appreciative.

 Use expressions and terminology that show respect.

 Avoid irritating expressions and clichés

 Avoid using questionable humour.

 Use non-discriminatory expressions and ensure the message is unbiased.

 Use language that will not offend particular groups of people. For example be careful
not to prejudice against culture, religion, genders, ethnic origin, age and physical
features.

 Courteous messages take into consideration both viewpoints as well as feelings of

the receiver.

 Courteous messages are positive and focused on the audience.

 Avoid communicating an assertion that the sender is right and the receiver is wrong –

Illustration: Instead of saying:

 “I can’t understand any of this confusing table”. You should say:

 “It is my understanding that the tables should include only specific data.”

Instead of saying:

 “You did not understand my message!” You should say:

 “Sorry that the point I was making was not clear. Let me explain it a different way…”
Courtesy stems from a sincere you-attitude. It is not merely politeness with mechanical
insertions of “please” and “thank you”, although applying socially accepted manners is a
form of courtesy. Rather it is politeness that grows out of respect and concern for
others.

In business discussions, you should say things with force and assertiveness without
being rude.

The following guidelines should be observed to ensure courtesy:

 Thank generously for a favour. When someone does a favour to us,

acknowledge it promptly and thank the person.
 Apologize for an omission. If you had committed a mistake, express regret
promptly and sincerely.
 Avoid irritating expressions. Words and expressions having negative connotation
should not be used in the message.
 Use of non-discriminatory expressions that reflect equal treatment of people
regardless of gender, race, ethics, origin and physical features.