Effective communication

• Certain communication principles for

Effective effective oral and written communication.
communication
 • These principles are called “seven C’s”.
• Completeness
• Conciseness
• Consideration
Seven C’s •
•
Concreteness
Clarity
• Courtesy
• Correctness
Completeness
• Message receivers– either listeners or readers
desire complete information to their questions.
• Senders and receivers differ in mental filter –
therefore senders should assess the messages
through the eyes of receivers.
• It will impact goodwill
1. Provide all necessary information
2. Answer all questions asked
3. Give something extra, when desirable
Provide all necessary
information
• Answering the five W’s helps make messages clear:
who, what, when, where, and why.
• You can add How question.
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 judgement in
offering additional material
if the sender message was
incomplete.
 • Conciseness is saying what you have
to say in the fewest possible words
without sacrificing the other “C"
qualities.

Conciseness • A concise message is complete

without being wordy.
1. Eliminate wordy expressions
2. Include only relevant material
3. Avoid unnecessary repetition
Eliminate wordy expressions
• Use single words in place of phrases.
Wordy Concise
At this time. Now

• Omit unnecessary expressions

Wordy Concise
Allow me to say how helpful your response was. Your last response was helpful.

• Replace wordy conventional statement with concise versions.

Wordy Concise
Such refreshing comments are few and far between. Such refreshing comments are scarce.
• Avoid overstating empty phrases
Wordy Concise
There are four rules that should be observed. Four rules should be observed.

• Omit “which” and “that” clauses whenever possible.

Wordy Concise
She bought desks that are of the executive types. She bought executive-type desks.

• Eliminate unnecessary prepositional phrases.

Wordy Concise
In most cases the date of the policy is indicated in the The policy date is in the upper right corner.
upper right corner.
• Limit use of passive voice.
Wordy Concise
The total balance due will be found on page 2 of this The balance due is on page 2 of this report.
report.

• Use your computer grammar check or let someone else check

whether you have overused certain words; dullness may result from
the same word or idea being repeated too often.
Include only
relevant material Wordy Concise
We hereby wish to let you know that We appreciate your
our company is pleased with the confidence.
confidence you have reposed in us.
• Stick to the purpose of the message
• Delete irrelevant words and lengthy
At this time, I am writing to you to Please return the enclosed
and confused sentences. enclose an interview card, which has interview card to set up a
been post-paid, for the purpose of convenient time for an
• Omit information obvious to the arranging a convenient time time interview.
receiver, unless necessary. when we might get together for a
personal interview.
• Avoid long introductions, unnecessary
explanations.
• Get to the important point tactfully
and concisely.
Avoid Unnecessary
repetition
• Repetition is necessary for emphasis only.
• Use a shorter name after you have mentioned the
long one once.
• Use pronouns or initials rather than repeat long
names.
• Cut out all needless repetition of phrases and
sentences. Sometimes it is possible to combine two
or more sentences by using subordinate clauses or
phrases.
Consideration

Preparing every message with the message receivers in the 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.

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 called ‘you attitude,’ empathy, the human touch, and
understanding of human nature.
• Three specific ways to indicate consideration,
1. Focus on “you” instead of “I” and “we.”
2. Show audience benefit or interest in the receiver.
3. Emphasize positive, pleasant facts.
Focus on “you” instead of “I” and “we.”
• Using you does help project a you-attitude. But overuse can lead to a
negative reaction.
• Emphasis a point
• 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.
• You failed to enclose your check in the envelope.
• The check was not enclosed.
Show audience benefit or
interest in the receiver.
• Readers may react positively when benefits are shown
them.
• Receivers will be more likely to react favorably and do what
you suggest if you show that benefits are worth the effort
and cost you ask them for.
 • Stressing what can be done instead of
what cannot be done and focusing on
words your recipient can consider
Emphasize positive, favorably.

pleasant facts

• The positive words to which

Negative – unpleasant
It is impossible to open an
account for you today.
We don’t refund if the
returned item is soiled and
unsalable.
Positive – pleasant
As soon as your signature
card reaches us, we will
gladly open an account for
you.
We refund when the
returned item is clean and
resalable.
people react favorably are benefit,
cordial, happy, help, generous,
loyal, pleasure, thanks, thoughtful.
• Words with negative connotations
that often arouse unfavorable
reactions include blame,
complaint, failed, fault, negligence,
regret, reject, trouble, unfair, and
many others.
Concreteness

• Misunderstandings of words have produced tragedies in both war and peace, in business and
nonbusiness situations.
• Communicating concretely means being specific, definite, and vivid rather than vague and
general.
• Denotative words (direct, explicit, often dictionary based)
• Connotative words (ideas, or notions suggested by or associated with word or phrase)
 Use specific facts and figures

Guidelines for Put action in your verbs

concreteness

Choose vivid, image-building

words
Use specific facts and figures

Vague, general, indefinite Concrete, precise

Student GMAT score are higher. In 1996 the GMAT scores average 600; by 1997
they had risen to 610.

Eastern Europe is making progress in In 1990 investments in eastern Europe were

obtaining investments. about US $30 million; today that figure had
increased by 12%

She is a brain. Her grade-point average in 1996 was 3.9 on

foure-point scale.
Put action in your verbs
• Use active verbs
Passive (subject receives the action)
The tests were administered by the professors.
Grades of students will be sent to you by the school.
• Put action in your verbs rather than in nouns and infinitive.
Action hiding in a quiet noun
The function of this office is the collection of
payments and the compilation of statements.
Professor H. will give consideration to the report.
The proposal has a requirement for
Students held the meeting in the office
Active (subject perform the action)
Professors administered the tests
The school will send students their grades.
Action in a verb
This office collects payments and compiles statements.
Professor H. will consider the report.
The proposal requires that
Students met in the office
 • Business world uses less figurative
Choose language than does the world of fiction.
• Use them with caution
vivid, image- • Sensory appeal
• Comparisons
building • Figurative language
• Her work in groups was exemplary
words • She could be called “the spark plug
of the group”
Clarity
• Getting the meaning from your head into the head
of your reader – accurately – is the purpose of
clarity.
• People have different interpretations, ideas,
experiences associated with words.
1. Choose precise, concrete and familiar words.
2. Construct effective sentences and paragraphs.
Choose precise, concrete and familiar words.

• When is doubt, use more familiar

words; audiences will understand
them better. Familiar Pretentious
• Familiar language is part of your
personal repertoire, familiar to
audience, and appropriate for the About Circa
situation.
• Familiar words as between two
good friends. After Subsequent
Home Domicile
Pay Remuneration
• Unfamiliar
• after our perusal of pertinent data, the conclusion is that a lucrative market
exists for the subject property.
• Familiar
• the data we studied show that your property is profitable and in high
demand.
• Use business jargon if needed for unfamiliar audience, also define
them briefly and clearly.
Construct effective
sentences and
paragraphs
• Consider length, unity, coherence and
emphasis of paragraphs.
• Short sentences are preferred (17 to
20 words). Rewrite sentence if words
are more than 40.
• One main idea and other supporting
ideas should be linked to the main
idea.
• Arrangement of words in a way that
meaning is clear to the readers.
• Writers must decide what needs
emphasis, and then choose correct
sentence structure.
Courtesy
• Knowing your audience allows you to use statements of courtesy; be
aware of message receiver.
• Understanding other’s perspectives and feelings.
• Courteous communicator generate a special tone in their writing and
speaking.
• Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful and appreciative.
• Use expressions that show respect.
• Choose nondiscriminatory expressions.
Correctness

• Proper grammar, punctuation, and

spelling.

• Use the right level of language.

• Check accuracy of figures, facts, and
words.
• Maintain acceptable writing
mechanics.
Use the right level
of language.
• Formal, informal and substandard.
• Formal writing is often associated with scholarly
writing.
• Informal is more characteristic of business writing.
More formal less formal
Participate join
Procure get
Endeavor try
Ascertain find out
Deem think (believe)
• Substandard language: using incorrect words, incorrect
grammar, faulty pronunciation.

Substandard more acceptable

Ain’t isn’t, aren’t Aim at proving
aim to prove
Stoled stolen
Check accuracy of figures,
facts, and words.
• A good check of your data is to have another person read
and comment on the validity of the material.
• Verify your statistical data
• Double check your totals
• Avoid guessing
• Have someone else read your message
• Determine whether a ”fact” has changed over time.
Group activity
• Task: make seven random groups and each group will be
assigned a “C” from the 7 Cs of effective communication.
• Activity: each group will search, read and discuss the
assigned Cs in their group and that group will present it
Infront of the class.
• Other group will give marks to the presentation on a sheet,
based on transfer of knowledge and understanding.
Additional reading materials
• https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/effective-writing-138159
89/#:~:text=Effective%20writing%20is%20readable%20%E2%80%94%
20that,write%20in%20a%20straightforward%20way
.
• Politics and the English Language. By George Orwell. Available on
the Orwell Foundation’s website
• https://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit/
• http://www.ijtrd.com/papers/IJTRD15955.pdf