Effective Communications

(7 Cs)
Resource Person: Zain Fatima
The seven Cs
When We talk about Effective Communication
one thing that comes in mind, what are the basic
principles of effective communication .
These principles tells us how your message can
becomes effective for your target group,
These principles also tell about style and
importance of the message.
These principles commonly known as 7 Cs of
effective communication.
 Seven Cs of Effective
Communication
1. Completeness
2. Conciseness
3. Consideration
4. Concreteness
5. Clarity
6. Courtesy
7. Correctness
 1) Completeness
Message Receiver- either listener or reader, desire
complete information to their question. e.g.
suppose you are working with multinational company who
is engaging with engineering goods , like A.C. Now let
say one of your major customer wants some technical
information regarding thermostat (because he wants to
convey the same to the end users ). In this case you have to
provide him complete information in a short span of time.
If possible, provide him some extra information which he
does not know,.
In this way you can maintain a good business relation with
him, otherwise he may switch to an other company.
 Five Ws
One way to make your message complete is to answer the
five Ws.
WHO?
WHAT?
WHEN?
WHERE?
WHY?
The five question method is useful when you write
requests, announcements, or other informative messages.
For instance, to order (request) merchandise, make clear
WHAT you want, WHEN u need it, WHERE it is to be sent.
 Conclusion of completeness
At the end we can say that, you must provide
him:-
1. All necessary information as requested by
him.
2. Answers to his all questions carefully
3. Provide some more information, which he
is not requiring , just to maintain good
relations.
2) Conciseness
Conciseness means convey the message
by using fewest words.
Conciseness is the prerequisite to
effective business communication.
As you know that all businessmen have
very short time .
Hence a concise message save the time
and expenses for both the parties.
How To achieve the conciseness ?
For achieving the conciseness you
have to consider the following.
1.Avoid wordy expression
2.Include only relevant material
3.Avoid unnecessary repetition.
Avoid Wordy Expression

E.g. Wordy:- at this time.

Instead of at this time you can just use only
a concise word:- NOW ,
Always try to use To the point Approach in
business scenario perspective.
 Include only relevant information
Always try to provide only relevant information to the
receiver of the message.
Lets say one of your customer requested
for clients of the company
in reply you should provide simply list of clients at the panel of your
company.
No need to provide detailed business information about client at all.
Observe the following suggestions to Include only relevant
information.
Stick to the purpose of message
Delete irrelevant words
Avoid long introduction, unnecessary explanation etc.
Get to the important point concisely.
Avoid un-necessary Repetition
Some times repetition is necessary for
focusing some special issue.
But when the same thing is said with out
two or three reasons, the message become
wordy and boring.
Thats why try to avoid Un-necessary
repetition.
Some ways to eliminate unnecessary words

Use shorter name after you have mentioned the

long once. e.g.
Spectrum communications Private limited use
spectrum.
Use pronouns or initials E.g.
Instead of world trade organization use WTO or
You can use IT for Information Technology.(
keeping in views that receiver knows about these
terms)
 3) Consideration
Consideration means To consider the
receivers Interest/Intention.
It is very important in effective
communication while writing a message
you should always keep in mind your target
group
consideration is very important C among
all the seven Cs.
Three specific ways to indicate consideration

i-Focus on you instead of I or We

ii-Show audience benefit or interest of the
receiver
iii-Emphasize positive, pleasant facts.
Using you help you, but over use lead a
negative reaction.
Always write a message in such a way how
audience should be benefited from it. e.g.
We attitude
I am delighted to announce that we will
extend to make shopping more.
You attitude
You will be able to shop in the evening with
the extended hours.
Readers may react positively when benefit
are shown to them.
Always try to address his/her need and want.
 Always show/write to reader
what has been done so far as his/her query
is concerned.
And always avoid that his/her need and
wants.
Always avoid that has not been done so
far.
4) Concreteness

It means that message should be specific

instead of general. Misunderstanding of
words creates problems for both parties
(sender and receiver).
when you talk to your client always use
facts and figures instead of generic or
irrelevant information.
The following guidelines should help you to
achieve the Concreteness.
i- use specific facts and figures
ii-choose image building words
e.g
General
He is very intelligent student of class and
stood first in the class.
Concrete
Alis GPA in B.Sc Electrical Engineering
2k3-f session was 3.95/4.0, he stood first in
his class.
Always write on a very solid ground. It
should definitely create good image as
well.
5) Clarity
Accurately is purpose of clarity

In effective business communication the

message should be very much clear. So that
reader can understand it easily.
You should always Choose precise words.
Always choose familiar and easy words.
Construct effective sentences and paragraphs.
In business communication always use
precise words rather longer statements.
If you have a choice between long words and
shorter one, always use shorter one.
You should try your level best to use
familiar/easy to understand words so that
your reader will quickly under stand it
Familiar Next familiar words
1-after subsequent
2-home domicile
3-for example e.g.
4-pay remuneration
5-invoice statement for payments
6) Courtesy
 Courtesy
Knowing your audience allows you to use statements of
courtesy; be aware of your message receiver.
True courtesy involves being aware not only of the
perspective of others, but also their feelings. courtesy stems
from a sincere you-attitude.
it is not merely politeness with mechanical insertions of
please and Thank you .
Although Appling socially accepted manners is a form of
courtesy .
rather, it is politeness that grow out respect and concern for
others.
Courteous communication generate a special tone in their
writing and speaking.
 How to generate a Courteous
Tone ?
The following are suggestions for generating a courteous tone:
Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful and appreciative.
Use expressions that show respect for the others
Choose nondiscriminatory expressions
Be sincerely Tactful, Thoughtful and Appreciative
Though few people are intentionally abrupt or blunt, these
negative traits are common cause of discourtesy.
avoid expression like those in the left hand column below;
rephrase them as shown in the right-hand column
Tactless, Blunt More Tactful
Stupid letter; I cant I should understand it, as
understand there is no confusing word in
this letter, could you please
explain it once again ..?
Its your fault, you did not Sometimes my wording is not
properly read my latest FAX precise; let me try again

Thoughtfulness and Appreciation

Writers who send cordial, courteous messages of deserved
congratulations and appreciation (to a person inside & outside) help to
build goodwill. The value of goodwill or public esteem for the firm may
be worth thousands of dollars.
7) Correctness
7) Correctness
At the core of correctness is proper grammar,
punctuation and spelling.
however, message must be perfect grammatically and
mechanically
. The term correctness, as applied to business
messages also mean three characteristics
o Use the right level of language
o Check the accuracy of figures, facts and words
o Maintain acceptable writing mechanics
Use the right Level of
Language
we suggest that there are three level of language
1. formal
2. informal
3. substandard.
Take a quick guess: what kind of writing is
associated with each level? What is the style of
each?
Formal and Informal Words
Formal writing is often associated with scholarly writing:
doctoral dissertations, scholarly, legal documents, top-
level government agreements and other material where
formality is demanded.
Informal writing is more characteristic of business writing.
Here you use words that are short, well-known and
conversational as in this comparison list:
More Formal less formal
Participate Join
Endeavor try
Ascertain find out
Utilize use
Interrogate question
 Substandard Language
Avoid substandard language. Using correct words,
incorrect grammar, faulty pronunciation all
suggest as inability to use good English. Some
examples follow:
Substandard More Acceptable
Aint isnt,arent
Cant hardly can hardly
Aim to proving aim to prove
Desirous to desirous of
Stoled stolen
 Facts and Figures Accuracy
Check Accuracy of Facts, Figures and words
It is impossible to convey meaning precisely, through words, from the head
of the sender to a receiver. Our goal is to be as precise as possible, which
means checking and double-checking and double-checking to ensure that
the figures, facts and words you use are correct.
A good check of your data is to have another person read and comment on
the validity of the material
Figures and facts
Verify your statistical data
Double-check your totals
Avoid guessing at laws that have an impact on you, the sender and your
Have someone else read your message if the topic involves data.
Determine whether a fact has changed over time
 Proper Use of Confusing Words !

Our Language (Any) is constantly changing. In fact,even dictionaries can

not keep up with rapid change in our language. the following words
often confusing in usage:

A, An use a before consonants and

consonants sounds or a long u
sound. Use an before vowels.

Accept, except accept is a verb and means to

receive. except is a verb or a
preposition and relates to
omitting or leaving out.

Anxious, eager Anxious implies worry, eager

conveys keen desire
End