The 7 Cs of Communication

Whether at work or during our personal lives, good communication skills are essential. They can
improve relationships, further your career, and build your social confidence. So how can you make
sure you’re communicating to the best of your abilities?
The 7 Cs can help. They can be applied to all forms of communication, whether that’s writing an
email, creating marketing content, giving a presentation, having a job interview, or chairing a meeting.
You can use the 7 Cs of communication checklist to ensure you’re a more productive and effective
communicator:

Clear
Clarity is ensuring what you’re saying is communicated clearly and with no room for
misunderstanding. Good advice for being clear includes:

 Use simple language and focus on core points of your message

Concise
Convey your points in a succinct and concise way. Short sentences are more likely to keep the
attention of the listener, so try to use as little words as possible to communicate your message. 
Concise communication is non-repetitive, saves time, and is more comprehensible for the audience. 

Concrete
A concrete message is precise and backed by confidence as well as the use of supporting facts and
figures. 

Correct 
You should use the most suitable language for your specific message, and the best form of
communication. Correctness also means keeping your language free of mistakes, whether that’s
grammatical, spelling, or other inaccuracies. 

Coherent 
Coherent conversation makes sense and flows logically. Think carefully about the order of your points
and how you can make it come across in an easy-to-understand way. It’s also important to be
consistent with style and content when delivering multiple forms of communications. 

Complete
Make sure nothing is missing. Complete communication ensures the audience has all the information
they need, and are able to easily come to the desired conclusion. Good ways to be complete include:

 Providing a ‘call to action’ i.e. what you would like your audience to do after receiving the
message?
 Including hyperlinks in written content to ensure all information is provided

Courteous
It’s important to be polite and respectful of your audience. Being friendly, considerate, and
professional will make your communications much more effective. You should also be transparent,
open, and honest, and be happy to answer any questions if applicable. 
So now you can see how the 7 Cs is a versatile tool that can be adapted for use in any form of
communication. If you want to further improve your communication skills and confidence at
work, why not check out our range of Marketing, Management, and Sales qualifications? With
study options to suit you and course content designed for the workplace, a professional
qualification is sure to boost your career.
The 7 Cs of Communication
7 C’s of Communication
1. Conciseness
In formal communication, we should be very careful about the briefness/conciseness of the message.
As brevity is one of the principles of formal communication. Also, it is one of the important elements
and prerequisites of effective communication.
It is always helpful for both the sender and the receiver because it saves their time. Concise
messages are helpful in getting the meaning.

2. Correctness
Correctness means the accuracy of thoughts, figures, and words. If the given information is not
correctly conveyed, the sender will lose reliability.
While communicating we should be careful about the correct use of grammar, message composition
and appropriate words. Successful communication depends on the correct use of language &
grammar.

3. Concreteness
While communicating one should be very specific. Concreteness is an important aspect of effective
communication. It is about being specific and definite rather than general.
In oral communication, one cannot draw tables and graphs to make our statement specific, but we
can use apt and precise words to convey a message. If the message is specific, that saves time and
increases the likelihood.

4. Clarity
Clarity is one of the principles of formal communication. Whatever we speak/communicate should
have clarity. The idea of the message should be very clear in the mind of the sender.
The sender must be careful about the clarity of thought and objective of communication.

5. Completeness
Effective communication depends on the completeness of the message. Incomplete messages create
ambiguity in the audience.
A complete message brings the desired results without any expense or additional information.
Therefore, each and every message which is sent by the sender should be complete.

6. Consideration
It is an act of consideration. While sending a message the sender should look from the angle of the
audience. The sender should understand the feelings and emotions of the receivers. It shows that in
communication we should consider the audience.

7. CourtesyCourtesy means polite behaviour. While communicating everybody

The 7 Cs of Communication
A Checklist for Clear Communication
MTCT

By the Mind Tools Content Team

Think of how often you communicate with people during the day. You write emails, facilitate
meetings, participate in conference calls, create reports, devise presentations, debate with your
colleagues… the list goes on.

We can spend almost our entire day communicating. So, it stands to reason that communicating
clearly and effectively can boost productivity.

This is why the 7 Cs of Communication are helpful. The 7 Cs provide a checklist for making sure
that your meetings , emails , conference calls, reports , and presentations  are well constructed and
clear – so your audience gets your message.

In this article and in the video, below, we'll look at each of the 7 Cs of Communication, and
illustrate each element with both good and bad examples.

According to the 7 Cs, communication needs to be:

1. Clear.
2. Concise.
3. Concrete.
4. Correct.
5. Coherent.
6. Complete.
7. Courteous.

From Cutlip, Scott M., Center, Allen H., Broom, Glen M., Effective Public Relations, 11th, 2013 .
Reprinted by permission of Pearson Education, Inc., New York, New York [1]
Download transcript
The 7 Cs of Communication
1. Clear
When writing or speaking to someone, be clear about your goal or message. What is your purpose in
communicating with this person? If you're not sure, then your audience won't be either.

To be clear, try to minimize the number of ideas in each sentence. Make sure that it's easy for your
reader to understand your meaning. People shouldn't have to "read between the lines" and make
assumptions on their own to understand what you're trying to say.

Bad Example

Hi John,

I wanted to write you a quick note about Daniel, who's working in your department. He's a great
asset, and I'd like to talk to you more about him when you have time.

Best,

Skip

What is this email about? Well, we're not sure. First, if there are multiple Daniels in John's
department, John won't know who Skip is talking about.

Next, what is Daniel doing, specifically, that's so great? We don't know that either. It's so vague,
that John will definitely have to write back for more information.

Last, what is the purpose of this email? Does Skip simply want to have an idle chat about Daniel or
is there some more specific goal here? There's no sense of purpose to this message, so it's a bit
confusing.

Good Example

Hi John,

I wanted to write you a quick note about Daniel Kedar, who's working in your department. In recent
weeks, he's helped the IT department through several pressing deadlines on his own time.

We've got a tough upgrade project due to run over the next three months, and his knowledge and
skills would prove invaluable. Could we please have his help with this work?
The 7 Cs of Communication
I'd appreciate speaking with you about this. When is it best to call you to discuss this further?

Best wishes,

Skip

This second message is much clearer because the reader has the information he needs to take action.

2. Concise
When you're concise in your communication, you stick to the point and keep it brief. Your audience
doesn't want to read six sentences when you could communicate your message in three. Ask
yourself:

 Are there any adjectives or "filler words" that you can delete? You can often eliminate
words like "for instance," "you see," "definitely," "kind of," "literally," "basically," or "I
mean."
 Are there any unnecessary sentences?
 Have you repeated the point several times, in different ways?

Bad Example

Hi Matt,

I wanted to touch base with you about the email marketing campaign we kind of sketched out last
Thursday. I really think that our target market is definitely going to want to see the company's
philanthropic efforts. I think that could make a big impact, and it would stay in their minds longer
than a sales pitch.

For instance, if we talk about the company's efforts to become sustainable, as well as the charity
work we're doing in local schools, then the people that we want to attract are going to remember our
message longer. The impact will just be greater.

What do you think?

Jessica

This email is too long! There's repetition, and there's plenty of "filler" taking up space.
The 7 Cs of Communication
Good Example

Watch what happens when we're concise and take out the filler words:

Hi Matt,

I wanted to quickly discuss the email marketing campaign that we analyzed last Thursday. Our
target market will want to know about the company's philanthropic efforts, especially our goals to
become sustainable and help local schools.

This would make a far greater impact, and it would stay in their minds longer than a traditional
sales pitch.

What do you think?

Jessica

3. Concrete
When your message is concrete, your audience has a clear picture of what you're telling them. There
are details (but not too many!) and vivid facts, and there's laser-like focus. Your message is solid.

Bad Example

Consider this advertising copy:

The Lunchbox Wizard will save you time every day.

A statement like this probably won't sell many of these products. There's no passion, no vivid
detail, nothing that creates emotion, and nothing that tells people in the audience why they should
care. This message isn't concrete enough to make a difference.

Good Example

How much time do you spend every day packing your kids' lunches? No more! Just take a complete
Lunchbox Wizard from your refrigerator each day to give your kids a healthy lunch  and have more
time to play or read with them!

This copy is better because there are vivid images. The audience can picture spending quality time
with their kids – and what parent could argue with that? And mentioning that the product is stored
The 7 Cs of Communication
in the refrigerator explains how the product is also practical. The message has come alive through
these details.

4. Correct
When your communication is correct, your audience will be able to understand it. And correct
communication is also error-free communication. Make sure your message is correct by asking
yourself the following questions:

 Do the technical terms you use fit your audience's level of education or knowledge?
 Have you checked your writing  for grammatical errors? (Remember, spell checkers won't
catch everything).
 Are all names and titles spelled correctly?

Bad Example

Hi Daniel,

Thanks so much for meeting me at lunch today! I enjoyed our conservation, and I'm looking
forward to moving ahead on our project. I'm sure that the two-weak deadline won't be an issue.

Thanks again, and I'll speak to you soon!

Best,

Jack Miller

If you read that example fast, then you might not have caught any errors. But on closer inspection,
you'll find two. Can you see them?

The first error is that the writer accidentally typed conservation instead of conversation. This
common error can happen when you're typing too fast. The other error is using weak instead of
week.

Again, spell checkers won't catch word errors like this, which is why it's so important to proofread
everything!

5. Coherent
The 7 Cs of Communication
When your communication is coherent, it's logical. All points are connected and relevant to the
main topic, and the tone and flow of the text is consistent.

Bad Example

Traci,

I wanted to write you a quick note about the report you finished last week. I gave it to Michelle to
proof, and she wanted to make sure you knew about the department meeting we're having this
Friday. We'll be creating an outline for the new employee handbook.

Thanks,

Michelle

As you can see, this email doesn't communicate its point very well. Where is Michelle's feedback on
Traci's report? She started to mention it, but then she changed the topic to Friday's meeting.

Good Example

Hi Traci,

I wanted to write you a quick note about the report you finished last week. I gave it to Michelle to
proof, and she let me know that there are a few changes that you'll need to make. She'll email you
her detailed comments later this afternoon.

Thanks,

Michelle

Notice that in the good example, Michelle does not mention Friday's meeting. This is because the
meeting reminder should be an entirely separate email. This way, Traci can delete the report
feedback email after she makes her changes, but save the email about the meeting as her reminder
to attend. Each email has only one main topic.

6. Complete
In a complete message, the audience has everything they need to be informed and, if applicable,
take action.
The 7 Cs of Communication
 Does your message include a "call to action," so that your audience clearly knows what you
want them to do?
 Have you included all relevant information – contact names, dates, times, locations, and so
on?

Bad Example

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to send you all a reminder about the meeting we're having tomorrow!

See you then,

Chris

This message is not complete, for obvious reasons. What meeting? When is it? Where? Chris has
left his team without the necessary information.

Good Example

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to remind you about tomorrow's meeting on the new telecommuting policies. The
meeting will be at 10 a.m. in the second-level conference room. Please let me know if you can't
attend.

See you then,

Chris

7. Courteous
Courteous communication is friendly, open and honest. There are no hidden insults or passive-
aggressive tones. You keep your reader's viewpoint in mind, and you're empathetic to their needs.

Bad Example

Jeff,
The 7 Cs of Communication
I wanted to let you know that I don't appreciate how your team always monopolizes the discussion
at our weekly meetings. I have a lot of projects, and I really need time to get my team's progress
discussed as well. So far, thanks to your department, I haven't been able to do that. Can you make
sure they make time for me and my team next week?

Thanks,

Phil

Well, that's hardly courteous! Messages like this can potentially start office-wide fights. And this
email does nothing but create bad feelings, which can lower productivity and morale. A little bit of
courtesy, even in difficult situations, can go a long way.