7 C’s of Communication

For transmitting effective written or

oral messages, Certain principles must
be followed. These principles are
advocated by Francis J. Bergin provide
guidelines for choice of content and
style of presentation adapted to the
purpose of the receiver of the message.
They are also called the seven Cs of
communication.
They are:
1.Completeness
2.Conciseness
3.Clarity
4.Correctness
5.Consideration
 Completeness
• Every communication must be complete and
adequate
• Incomplete messages keep the receiver
guessing, create misunderstanding and delay
actions.
• Every person should, therefore, be provided
with all the required facts and figures.
• For example, when factory supervisor instructs
workers to produce, he must specify the exact
size, shape, quality and cost of the product.
Any assumptions behind the messages should
also be clarified.
While answering a letter, all the questions
raised in the letter must be replied.
To achieve completeness
1. All necessary information as
requested by sender.
2. Answers to his all questions
carefully
3. Provide some more information,
which he is not requiring , just to
maintain good relations.
Provide necessary information

Answering the 5 W questions would help

in making the message complete.
Who
What
When
Where
Why
for any other essentials, how
Answer all questions asked
Try and answer all questions asked.
Look for questions, some may even
appear buried. Locate them and answer
them precisely.
An incomplete reply can make the
receiver’s reaction unfavorable.
if the information is unfavorable, reply
in honesty and tact.
Before answering, ask for specification
from the inquirer so that you may
answer the question completely
Give something extra, when desirable

Answering more than the specific

questions.
Use your good judgment in offering
additional material.
Conciseness
In communication, you should be brief and be
able to say whatever you have to say in fewest
possible words without sacrificing the other C
qualities. Conciseness is desired because of the
following benefits:

1. A concise message saves time and expense

for both sender and receiver.
2. Conciseness contributes to emphasis; by
eliminating unnecessary words, you let
important ideas stand out.
3. It is more interesting to recipients as they
avoid unnecessary information.
How To achieve the conciseness ?

1.Avoid wordy expression- use single

word in place of phrases.
2.Include only relevant material-
delete irrelevant words
3.Avoid unnecessary repetition- it
leads to dullness.
Eliminate wordy expressions
Wordy Expressions Precise Expression
 at this time  Now
 Allow me to say how  Your last response was
helpful your response was helpful
 Please find attached the
list you requested
 The list you requested is
 There are four rules that
attached.
should be observed
 She bought desks that are
 Four rules should be
of the executive type observed
 The total balance due will  She bought executive-
be found on page 2 of this type desks
report  The balance due is on
page 2 of this report
Include ONLY relevant material

Stick to the purpose of the message

Delete irrelevant words and rambling
sentences
Omit providing information which are
obvious to the receiver(s)
Avoid long introductions and unnecessary
explanations
Get to the most important point(s) tactfully
and concisely

Avoid unnecessary repetitions

Some times repetition is necessary for

focusing some special issue.
But when the same thing is said with out
reasons, the message become wordy and
boring.
That’s why try to avoid Un-necessary
repetition
Use pronouns or initials rather than
repeat long names.
Cut out all needless repetitions of phrases
and sentences.
Consideration
Effective communication must take the
audience into consideration
• Consideration means that you prepare every
message with the recipient in mind and try to
put yourself in his or her place.
• Make an attempt to envisage your audience,
their requirements, emotions as well as
problems. Ensure that the self-respect of the
audience is maintained and their emotions are
not at harm. Modify your words in message to
suit the audience’s needs while making your
message
• Then handle the matter from their point of view
Consideration
This thoughtful consideration is also
called "you-attitude," empathy, the human
touch, and understanding of human
nature.
Emphasize on “you” approach.
Empathize with the audience and exhibit
interest in the audience. This will
stimulate a positive reaction from the
audience.
Show optimism towards your audience
 3 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
Focus on “YOU” instead of “I” and/or “WE”
focus on:
how the receivers will benefit, what they will receive, what
they want/need to know
We-attitude: “I am delighted to announce that we will be
extending your hours to make shopping more convenient.”
You-attitude: “You will be able to shop longer with the
extended hours.”

Insensitive: “You failed to enclose your check in the

envelope.”

Considerate: “Your check was not enclosed.” (using passive

voice)

Considerate: “The letter we received did not have a check in

it.” (using depersonalization)
Show audience benefit and
interest in the receiver
Show how the receivers will benefit from whatever
the message asks or announces
 benefits must:
meet recipients’ needs, address their concerns, offer
them rewards
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.
Emphasize positive and pleasant facts

Negative – Unpleasant

“It is impossible to open an account for you today.”

“We do not refund if the returned items are soiled and

unsalable.”

Positive – Pleasant

“As soon as your signature card reaches us, we will gladly

open your account.”

“We refund returned items if they are clean and resalable.”

Concreteness
• Communicating concretely means being specific,
definite, and vivid rather than vague and general.
• Concrete communication implies being particular
and clear rather than fuzzy and general.
• Concreteness strengthens the confidence.
• Concrete message has following features:

It is supported with specific facts and figures.

It makes use of words that are clear and that
build the reputation.
Concrete messages are not misinterpreted.
Concreteness
The following guidelines should help you
compose concrete, convincing messages:

• Use specific facts and figures- Use exact,

precise statement or a figure in place of a general
word to make your message more concrete.

• Put action in your verbs- Action verbs help

make your message more specific, personal and
concise.

• Choose vivid, image-building words- use

figurative language than does the world of fiction.
Use specific facts and figures
Vague, General, and Indefinite
• “Eastern Europe is making progress in
obtaining investments.
• “She’s a brain.”
Concrete, Precise, and Definite
“In 1990, investments in Eastern Europe
were about $30 million; today, that figure
rose by 12%.”
“Her grade point average in 1996 was 3.9 on a
four-point scale.”
Put action in your
words
Actions hiding in quiet nouns:
“The function of this office is the collection of
payments and the compilation of statements.”

“Professor X will give consideration to the report.”

Actions in the verb:

“This office collects payments and compiles
statements.”

“Professor X will consider the report.”

Choose vivid, image-
building words
General
• He is very intelligent student of class and stood first
in the class.
• Proposal submitted this quarter were uninteresting.
• This is a long letter.”
Concrete
Ali’s GPA in B.Sc Electrical Engineering 2k3-f
session was 3.95/4.0, he stood first in his class.
Too many simplistic sentences and too many
simplistic ideas gave the impression of the writing of
a first-year student.
This letter is three times as long as you said it would
be.”
5. 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:
• Choose short, familiar, conversational words.
• Construct effective sentences and paragraphs.
• Achieve appropriate readability (and listen ability).
• Include examples, illustrations, and other visual
aids, when desirable
• In 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
Unfamiliar: “After our perusal of pertinent
data, the conclusion is that a lucrative market
exists for the subject property.”
“I like Jim, and the Eiffel Tower is in the Paris.
Familiar: “The data we studied show that your
property is profitable and in high demand.”
“ I like Jim; his blonde hair and his blue eyes are
beautiful
6. 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's" and "thank-you'd."

To be courteous, considerate communicators

should follow these suggestions regarding tone
of the communications.
• Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful, and
appreciative.
• Omit expressions that irritate, hurt, or belittle.
• Grant and apologize good-naturedly.
 7. Correctness
The term correctness as applied to
business messages means right level of
language and accuracy of facts, figures and
words.
If the information is not correctly
conveyed, the sender will lose credibility.
Transmission of incorrect information to
superiors will vitiate decision making
process.
Transmission of incorrect information to
outsiders will spoil the public image of the
firm.
To convey correct messages, grammatical
 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 messages

also mean three characteristics

• Use the right level of language

• Check the accuracy of figures, facts and
words
• Maintain acceptable writing mechanics
• Verify your statistical data
• Double-check your totals
• Have someone else read your message if the
topic involves data.
• Determine whether a “fact” has changed
over time