CHAPTER THREE

PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION
Principles of communication are
known as the "seven C’s,” they are

 Completeness,
 Conciseness,
 Consideration,
 Concreteness,
 Clarity,
 Courtesy
 Correctness
Cont’d
Completeness

Conciseness

consideration

clarity

concreteness

Courtesy
correctness

11/22/2023 3
7 “C’S” OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

They are important for both written and oral communications. They
provide guidelines for choice of content and style of presentation-
adapted to the purpose and receiver of your message.

For any communication in business, in order to be effective, it must

have seven qualities. These seven attributes are called seven Cs of
effective business communication.
COMPLETENESS: Brings The Desired Response

The message is “complete” when it contains all facts the

reader or listener needs for the reaction you desire.

In a complete message, the audience has everything they

need to be informed and if applicable to act.

Completeness is necessary Bring the desired results

Building goodwill (acceptance)
for several reasons: Avert costly lawsuits

Incomplete message keep the receiver guessing creates misunderstanding.

 For completeness, keep the following guidelines in mind

1. Answer all questions asked.

 (Handle your reply with both tact and honesty)
 Have you included all relevant information – contact name, dates,
times, location, and so on.
2. Give something extra, when desirable.

3.Check for the five W’s (who, what, where, when, and why) and any
other essentials.
Hi everyone
I just wanted to send you all a reminder about the meeting we’re having tomorrow.
See you then
Mr. Alex

Hi everyone
I just wanted to remind you about tomorrow's meeting on the role of foreign direct
investment in sustainable development. The meeting will be at 10:00 a.m. in the
second-level conference room. Please let me know if you can’t attend.
See you then
Mr. Alex
 CONCISENESS : Saves Time

Conciseness is saying what you have to say in the fewest possible words
without sacrificing the other C qualities. Most businesspeople are very busy,
the wordy letter is usually put aside ( CV). A concise message saves time and
expense and contributes to emphasis.

To achieve conciseness in your communication

 Eliminate wordy expressions
 Include only relevant statements
 Avoid unnecessary repetition
A. Eliminate wordy expressions
3. Omit “which” and “that” clauses whenever possible

 Wordy: She bought desks that are of the executive type.

 Concise: She bought executive–type desks.

4.Avoid overusing “It is,” “It was,” “There is,” “There was,” “There are,”
There were” at sentence beginnings.

 Wordy: There are four rules that should be observed.

 Concise: Four rules should be observed.

Whenever possible, use a verb in the present tense and active voice

• Wordy: The total balance due will be found on page 2 of this report.
• Concise: The balance due is on page 2 of this report
B . Include only Relevant Statements

To be sure you include only relevant facts. Observe the following

suggestions:
 Stick to the purpose of the message.
 Cut (avoid) irrelevant words and pointless (long) sentences
 Omit information obvious to the receiver.
 Avoid long introductions, unnecessary explanations,
excessive adjectives and prepositions, and gushy politeness (excessive
gratitude).
C. Avoid Unnecessary Repetition

 Use a shorter name after you have mentioned the long one once:

Instead of the “Arba Minch Textile Factory”, “Arba Minch

factory”,

 Use pronouns or initials rather than repeating long names:

Instead of “Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation” “EEPCO”,

 3. CONSIDERATION: Understanding Of The Human Nature

Consideration means that you prepare every message with the recipient in mind and try to
put yourself in his/her place.

 Try to visualize your readers (or listeners)- their desires, problems, circumstances,
emotions, and probable reactions to your request.
 Then, handle the matter (message, channel and context) from their point of view; this
thoughtful consideration is also called “you-attitude,”
Are your letter and message considerate?

 Do you show your readers you care about their needs in the
message you send and the way in which you send it?

 Have you looked at your letter from your reader’s point of view?

 Have you used a warm, friendly tone that tells your readers you
care about their needs?
Four specific ways you can indicate you are considerate:
 Focus on “you” instead of “I” and “we.”
 Show reader benefit or interest in the reader.
 Emphasize positive, pleasant facts.
 Apply integrity & ethics.

1. Focus on “you” instead of “I” and “we.”

 If psychologically desirable, begin with “you” or “your,” and keep your reader
in the message (tactfully) until you finish.
We: We give the best service from around
the vicinity.
You: You can get the best service from
around the vicinity.

We: We welcome you to our online

bookshop. If we can be of additional help,
please call on us.
You: You are welcome to our online
bookshop. Please call on us whenever you
need additional help.
In situations like those below, it is advisable not to use ‘YOU’.

When the reader h a s made a mistake

Poor: Your contract tells you clearly not to …
Better: I am glad to explain more fully the contract terms.

When a reader h a s an opinion different from ours.

Poor: You are entirely wrong in your attitude.
Better: The proposed plan has three aspectswhich
are extremely important and which we need to explain now.
2. Show Reader Benefit or Interest in Reader

 Whenever possible and true, show how your readers will benefit from whatever
the message asks or announces.

3. Emphasize the positive, pleasant Facts

 Stressing what can be done instead of what cannot be done.

 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 account for you.
4. Apply Integrity & Ethics

 To apply integrity – high moral standards, personal honour, truthfulness, &

sincerity.
 Ethics, indicates right and wrong behaviour.
E.g., Some companies use a different material (low quality) after they make
a contract with a particular client.

 Unfair Communication with co-workers:

E.g., Giving false information about someone to a superior.
 4. CONCRETNESS: Helps To Reinforce Confidence

Communicating concretely means being specific, definite, and vivid rather than
vague and general.
 Do you use easy-to-understand words that give your reader specific mental pictures of
your message?

The following guidelines help you compose a concrete message.

A. Use specific facts and figures

 10 million people in Ethiopia need food assistance than a person who tells you a lot of
people in Ethiopia are facing drought and mass displacement.
 B. Strong verbs can activate other words. Generally, use active rather
than passive verbs,

 General: Our company serves the majority of the market.

Concrete: Our company serves 60% of the market.

 General: NASA claims that it has the best Physicists from all over the
world.
Concrete:7 out of the 10 physicists who have won the ‘Nobel’ prize
in
the field of physics have worked in NASA at one point in their lives.
C) Choose Vivid, Image- Building
words
 Use comparisons, figurative language, and concrete instead of
abstract nouns.
 Abstract – Consideration was given to the fact that…..

 Concrete – The committee considered……..

 5. CLARITY: Make Understanding Easier

Clarity - is making your receiver understand what you are trying to convey and interpret your words
with the same meaning you have in mind.

Ways that help you make your message clear include:

A) Choose short, familiar, conversational words

B) Construct effective sentences and paragraphs

C) Include Examples, Illustrations, and other visual Aids, when desirable

D) All ambiguity should be avoided.

 6. COURTESY: Strengthen Relations and Build Goodwill.

Courtesy messages help to strengthen present business friendships, as well as

make new friends.

 It is not merely politeness with the insertion of “pleases” and “thank- you.”

To be courteous, follow the following guidelines:

A. Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful, and appreciative
 Use Tact instead of Bluntness
 Tactless /Blunt Tactful

Your letter is not clear at all: I can’t understand it. If I understood your

letter correctly it seems that it

needs some clarification.

B. Grant and apologize good-naturedly

C. Omit expressions that irritate, hurt or belittle.

Irritating Expressions Questionably Humorous
 We don’t believe  You Should Know
 We are amazed you can’t  You Are Delinquent
 Why have you ignored  You Failed That
 7. CORRECTNESS : Build Confidence

Everyone has a tendency to focus on

errors

Formal:
A. Use the right level interrogate;
of language terminate
Informal: ask; end

B. Maintain acceptable writing mechanics, including correct punctuation, capitalization,

and syllabication.
nad (and); form (from) Careless Omission: N O (NO.)
C. Choose non-discriminatory expressions
 Equal treatment of the sexes” and nonbiased toward people of different
races, ethnic origins, and physical features.
 Discriminatory:mankind; manpower; chairman
 Nondiscriminatory: human being; human power; chairperson

D. Check the accuracy of figures, facts, and words

 Report an amount of $300,000 instead of $30,000 as the total revenue in an
important company meeting.
 Between and among -between involves two people or groups, while among
involves three or more.
THANKY
OU

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