Principles of Communication

7 Principles of Communications
Engage your audiences
Reference: Herta Murphy, Herber Hildebrandt and Jane Thomas, Effective Business Communications McGraw Hill.
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Seven Communication Principles
To compose effective message you need to apply certain specific communication principles.
They tie closely with the basic concepts of the communication process and are important for
both written and oral communications called the
“Seven C”.
Conciseness
Courtesy
Courtesy
Completeness Courtesy
Clarity
Concreteness
Correctness
Consideration
Completeness
Your business message is "complete" when it contains all facts the reader or
listener needs to react to your desire outcome.
Remember that communicators differ in their mental filters;

they are influenced by their backgrounds, viewpoints, needs, attitudes, status,
and emotions.
Completeness is necessary for several reasons:

– 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, they can help avert costly lawsuits that may result if important
information is missing.
As you strive for completeness, keep the following guidelines in mind:

• Answer all questions asked.
• Give something extra, when desirable.
• Check for the five W's and any other essentials.
Note: Who, What, Where, When, Why, How,
Completeness: Think Who, What, Where, When, How
• Who you want to communicate with (Superior, Subordinates, Customers, etc)?

Know your target audiences and set your tone right and say the right things
(Don’t say the unnecessary things).
• What you want him/her to do and what you want to achieve? Focus on the
objective and key points and make sure what you want to achieve is clear
without guessing.
• Where to put your ideas and instructions (The Flow)?

Good flow allows reader to progressively understand your ideas at ease and will
act upon your message quickly.
• When should you deliver the information? Deliver at the right time, not at the
wrong time, will have better results.
• How to achieve your objective? If you have to ask your reader to perform
certain tasks, then state clearly the steps to achieve that. If your instructions, is
not clear, you will not get your things done or the way you want in the shortest
time.
Communications is key to productivity. Are you productive? Are you able to get
things done quickly without to and fro?
Conciseness
A concise message saves time and expense for both sender and receiver.
Conciseness is saying what you have to say in the fewest possible words
without sacrificing the other C qualities.
Conciseness contributes to emphasis. By eliminating unnecessary words,

you help make important ideas stand out.
To achieve conciseness, try to observe the following suggestions:
• Eliminate wordy expressions.

• Include only relevant statements.
• Avoid unnecessary repetition.
Add on: Check the flow of your information.

Consideration
Consideration means that you prepare every message with the recipient in mind
and try to put yourself in his or her place.
Try to visualize your readers (or listeners)—with 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” -

empathy, the human touch, and understanding of human nature.
(It does not mean, however, that you should overlook the needs of your organization)
In a broad but true sense, consideration underlies the other six C's of good business
communication. You adapt your language and message content to your receiver's
needs when you make your message complete, concise, concrete, clear,
courteous, and correct.
However, in four specific ways you can indicate you considerate:

• Focus on "you" instead of "I" and "we."
• Show reader benefit or interest in reader perspective.
• Emphasize positive, pleasant facts.
• Apply integrity and ethic.
Concreteness
Communicating concretely means being specific, definite, and vivid

rather than vague and general.
The following guidelines should help you compose concrete, convincing

messages:
• Use specific facts and figures.

• Put action in your verbs.
• Choose vivid, image-building words
Note: if you want to put vague and general messages, it’s better to omit it
altogether! Wasting your reader’s time is the last thing you want in
communication.
Clarity
Clarity means getting your message across so the receiver will understand
what you are trying to convey.
You want that person to interpret your words with the same meaning you
have in mind.
Accomplishing that goal is difficult because, as you know, individual

experiences are never identical, and words have different meanings to
different persons.
Here are some specific ways to help make your messages clear:
1. Choose short, familiar, conversational words.

2. Construct effective sentences and paragraphs.
3. Achieve appropriate readability (and listen-ability).
4. Include examples, illustrations, and other visual aids, when
required.
Correctness
The correctness principle comprises more than proper grammar,

punctuation, and spelling.
The term correctness, as applied to a business message,

means the writer should:
• Use the right level of language (When to be formal, tone, etc.)

• Include only accurate facts, words, and figures
• Maintain acceptable writing mechanics
• Choose nondiscriminatory expressions
• Apply all other pertinent C qualities
Courtesy
Courteous messages help to strengthen present business friendships, as

well as make new friends.
Courtesy stems from sincere you-attitude. It is not merely politeness

with mechanical insertions of "please" and "thank-you"
To be courteous, considerate communicators should follow

these suggestions regarding tone of the communications.
• Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful, and appreciative.

• Omit expressions that irritate or hurt.
• Grant and apologize pleasantly.

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7 Principles of Communications

Engage your audiences

Remember that communicators differ in their mental filters;

Completeness is necessary for several reasons:

As you strive for completeness, keep the following guidelines in mind:

• Who you want to communicate with (Superior, Subordinates, Customers, etc)?

• Where to put your ideas and instructions (The Flow)?

Conciseness contributes to emphasis. By eliminating unnecessary words,

To achieve conciseness, try to observe the following suggestions:

• Eliminate wordy expressions.

Add on: Check the flow of your information.

Try to visualize your readers (or listeners)—with their desires, problems,

This thoughtful consideration is also called “you-attitude” -

However, in four specific ways you can indicate you considerate:

Communicating concretely means being specific, definite, and vivid

The following guidelines should help you compose concrete, convincing

• Use specific facts and figures.

Accomplishing that goal is difficult because, as you know, individual

1. Choose short, familiar, conversational words.

The correctness principle comprises more than proper grammar,

The term correctness, as applied to a business message,

• Use the right level of language (When to be formal, tone, etc.)

Courteous messages help to strengthen present business friendships, as

Courtesy stems from sincere you-attitude. It is not merely politeness

To be courteous, considerate communicators should follow

• Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful, and appreciative.

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