SEVEN C’s OF BUSINESS WRITING

Communication Principles
• To compose effective written or oral message , we
must apply certain communication principles.
• These principles provide guidelines for choice of
content and style of presentation and called
“Seven C’s”.
• They are applicable to all forms of communication
,from mere utterances and sentences to complete
documents or presentation.
 Principles of communication
• Completeness
• Conciseness
• Consideration
• Concreteness
• Clarity
• Courtesy
• correctness
 Completeness
• A business message is complete when it contains all
facts the reader or listener needs for the reaction we
desire.
• Completeness offers numerous benefits .
• First , complete messages are more likely to bring the
desired results without the expense of additional
messages.
• Second , they can do a better job of building goodwill.
• Third , complete message can help avert costly lawsuits
that may result if important information is missing.
 Guidelines

• Provide all necessary information.

• Answer all questions asked.
• Give something extra, when desirable.
• One way to help make your message complete is to
answer the five W questions i-e
• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why
 Conciseness
• Conciseness is saying what you have to say in
the fewest possible words .
• A concise message is complete without being
wordy.
• A concise message saves time and expense for
both sender and receiver.
• Eliminate unnecessary words and let
important ideas stand out.
 Observe the following suggestions
• Eliminate wordy expressions.
• Include only relevant material.
• Avoid unnecessary repetition.
• Exercise:
• Wordy : At this time
• Concise: Now
• Wordy :Due to the fact that
• Concise: Because
 Include Only Relevant Material
• Stick to the purpose of the message.
• Delete irrelevant words and rambling
sentences.
• Example:
• Wordy: We hereby wish to let you that our
company is pleased with the confidence you
have reposed in us.
• Concise: we appreciate your confidence.
 Avoid Unnecessary Repetition

• Use a shorter name after you have mentioned

the long once .
• Example:
• Instead of the “North Central Company”, use
“North Central”.
• Use pronouns or initials rather than repeat
long names.
 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 , you do not charge them
without facts.
• Consideration implies “stepping into the shoes
of others” .
 Consideration
• Effective communication must take the audience
into consideration i-e the audience’s viewpoints ,
background, mind set, education level etc.
• You are , foremost ,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”.
 Guidelines
• Focus on “you” instead of “I” and “we”.
• Show audience benefit or interest in the receiver.
• Emphasize positive ,pleasant facts.
• Exercise: To create considerate ,audience-oriented messages,
focus on how message receivers will benefit, what they will
receive , and what they want or need to know.
• 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.
 Exercise
• Another way to show consideration for your
receivers is to accent the positive.
• This means stressing what can be done instead of
what cannot be done , and focusing on words
your recipient can consider favorably.
• Negative—Unpleasant: It is impossible to open
an account for you today.
• Positive—Pleasant :As soon as your signature
card reaches us , we will gladly open an…
 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).
• Concreteness strengthens the confidence.
 Exercise
• The term female may appear as a part of a job
description ,yet widely different connotations
may occur when using terms as wife, mother,
• Spinster ,widow ,maiden ,matron, or dowager.
 Examples
• Use specific facts ad figures.
• Put action in your verbs.
• Choose vivid ,image-building words.
• Exercise: Use an exact, precise statement or a figure in place
of a general word to make your message more concrete.
• Vague, General :Eastern Europe is making progress in
obtaining investments.
• Concrete: In 1990 investments in Eastern Europe were
about US 30 million; today that figure has increased by 12
percent.
 Clarity
• Getting the meaning from your head into the
head of your reader—accurately is the
purpose of clarity.
• Guidelines:
• Choose precise, concrete and familiar words.
• Construct effective sentences and paragraphs.
• Include examples, illustrations and visual aids.
 Guidelines
• Use precise or concrete language.
• Select exactly the right word to convey your meaning and
familiar to the audience.
• Familiar words, as between two friends, for example, are often
conversational and occasionally may be part of a speech or
written communication.
• Familiar pretentious
• About Circa(L)
• After subsequent
• Home domicile
• Pay remuneration
Construct Effective Sentences and Paragraphs

• Sentence length :17-20 words

• Paragraphs :40-70 words
• Unity: Have one main idea and any other
ideas in the sentence must be closely related
to it.
 Courtesy
• True courtesy involves being aware not only of the perspective of others
but also their feelings.
• Courtesy stems from a sincere you-attitude.
• Guidelines:
• Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful and appreciative.
• Use expressions that show respect.
• Choose nondiscriminatory expressions.
• Omit expressions that hurt, irritate or insult.
• The sender of the message should be sincerely polite , judicious reflective
and enthusiastic.
• Blunt : clearly ,you did not read my latest fax.
• More tactful: Sometimes my wording is not precise; let me try again.
 Correctness
• Correctness in communication implies that there
should be no grammatical errors in
communication.
• Its about proper grammar ,punctuation and
spelling.
• Guidelines:
• Use the right level of language.
• Check accuracy of figures ,facts and words.
• Maintain acceptable writing mechanics.
 Use the right level of language
• Formal writing is often associated with
scholarly writing :doctoral dissertations,
scholarly articles, legal documents, top-level
government agreements and other materials
where formality in style is demanded.
• Informal writing is more characteristic of
business writing, using short words, well-
known and conversational.
 Examples
• More formal less formal
• Participate join
• Procure get
• Endeavor try
• Utilize use
• Interrogate question
• Edifice building
 MEMORANDUM

• What is memorandum?
 Definition
•Memorandum is the Latin word for “something to
be remembered”
•In contrast to the letter, which is directed outside
your organization, the memorandum is within
your organization
•It is the most common form of written
communication between people or departments.
Reasons for writing Memorandum
•Memos can be written for a number of reasons:
•To inform staff about decisions/ actions/events
•Request information/action/events
•Remind staff of action needed
procedures/changes in policy
•Provide information on work related topics
 Rules

• Memos generally deal with only one subject

• The general rule is to keep it short and simple