The seven C`s of Effective

Communication

Completeness
The message should be complete to bring desirable results. It should include everything
the reader needs for the reaction you desire. You must know what information our reader
wants or needs. You should be able to know the reader’s background viewpoint needs
attitudes and emotions.

1. Provide all necessary information.

2. Answer all questions asked.
3. Give something extra. When desirable.

1. Provide all necessary information:

When you initiate a message, check to make sure you have provided all the information
the readers needs for thorough accurate understanding .one way to help make your
message is to answer the five W question- WHO, What, When, Where, Why and other
essentials such as How. For instance to order Merchandise make clear what you want
when you need it to whom and where it is to be sent and hoe payment will be made.

2. Answer all questions asked:

Look for the questions some may even appear buried within a paragraph. Locate then and
then answer precisely, in one example a software distributor. When replying a dealer's
letter, answered only four of seven questions. Because the original questions were
unnumbered and some what buried in five long paragraph, the respondent overlooked
three of them,

3. Give some extra, when desirable:

Use your good judgment in offering additional material if the sender message was
incomplete. For example suppose your president of the local rotary club receive the
following inquiry from an out of town member.
I am at new at the city and would like to consider joining your club. As I will be visiting
your club within the month, will you please tell me the next meeting will be held? If you
answer only this question, your letter would be incomplete. you should include in your
reply a welcome plus such needed details as direction for reaching the building, parking
facilities, date and time of meeting and perhaps also the program for the next meeting.

Conciseness
Business executives are dead-busy. They don’t have time to go through unnecessarily
lengthy messages. The writer is also a loser if he writes wordy messages because
it involves more time and money to type and read. Conciseness makes the
message more understandable and comprehensible

1. Eliminate wordy Expressions.

2. Include only relevant material.
3. Avoided unnecessary Repetition.

1. Eliminate wordy Expressions

1: use single word substitutes instead of phrase whenever possible without changing
meaning.

Wordy: at this time.

Concise: now

2: Omit trite unnecessary expression

3: replace wordy conventional statements with concise versions.

4: Avoid overusing empty phrases.

5: Omit which and that clause whenever possible.

6: Eliminate unnecessary propositional phrase.

2. Include only relevant material.

1: Stick to the purpose of the message.

2: Delete irrelevant words and rambling sentences.

3: Get to important point tactfully and concisely.

 Consideration

Consideration refers to you attitude sympathy the human touch and understanding of
human nature. Consideration means the message with the receiver in mind. You
should try to visualize your readers their desires problems emotions
circumstances and possible reaction to your request.

1. Focus on you instead I & We

Show reader benefit or interest in reader

Emphasize
1. Focus on you instead I and We:
Focus your attention "you" instead of "I" and "We"

2. Show reader benefit or interest in reader:

Show how your receiver will benefit from the message. Benefits must meet receivers
needs, address their concerns or offer them rewards. They must be perceived as
benefit by the receivers.

3. Emphasize:
Third way to show consideration for your receivers is to accent the positive. This
means stressing what can be done instead of what can not be done.

For example:

• Negative unpleasant:

We do not refund if the returned item is soiled and unsalable.

• Positive pleasant:

We refund when the returned item is clean and resalable.

 Concreteness

The business writing should be specific definite unambiguous and vivid rather than
vague and general. The following guidelines lead to concreteness.

1. Use specific facts and figures

2. Put action in your verb

3. Choose vivid image building words

1. Use specific facts and figures:

It is desirable to be precise and concrete in both written and oral business
communication.whenever possible, use an exact, precise statement or a figure in place
of general word what to make your message more concrete.

Wague, general, indefinite:

Eastern Europe is making progress in obtaining investments.

Concrete, Precise:

In 1999, investment in Eastern Europe were about $ 30 million ; today that figure has
increased by 12 percent.

2. Put action in your verb:

Verbs can activate other words and help make your sentences alive and more
vigorous. For this purpose:

1. Use active rather than verbs.

2. Put action in your verbs rather than in nouns.

3. Choose vivid image building words:

 Remember business writing uses less figurative language than does the world of
fiction. Use figures of speech with caution. When used sparingly they do make an
idea more vivid.concider the following examples;

• Literal (and Dull):

Her work in group was exemplary.

• More Vivid, Figurative:

She could be called "the spark plug of the group"

Clarity
Clarity demands that the business message should be correct concise complete concrete
and with consideration

1. Choose precise, concrete and familiar words.

2. construct effective sentences and paragraphs

1. Choose precise, concrete and familiar words:

Use precise or concrete language to convince your meaning. Precise words need not be
pretentious. Familiar words, as between two good friends, For example, are often
conversational. Notice how the following statement with familiar words is expressed
clearly in the revision using familiar word.

Unfamiliar: After our perusal of pertinent data, the conclusion is that a lucrative
market exists for the subject property.

Familiar: the data we studied show that your property is profitable and in high
demand.

2. Construct effective sentences and paragraphs:

At the core of clarity is the sentence. Important characteristics to consider are:

1. Length
2. Unity
3. Coherence
4. Emphasis

Courtesy
Courtesy is more important and advantageous in business writing than it is in face to face
communication or conversation. Courteous message strengthen present relations and
make new friends. It is a goodwill building.

1. Answer your mail promptly

2. Be sincerely tactful thoughtful and appreciative
3. Use expressions that show respect

1. Be sincerely tactful thoughtful and appreciative:

Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful and appreciative. Discourtesy stem from a mistaken idea
of conciseness, sometimes from personal negative attitudes, sometimes from not knowing
the culture of a country or even group of people. The example is:

Tactful, Blunt:

Stupid latter; I can't understand any of it.

More tactful:

It is my understanding.

2. Use expressions that show respect

No readers want to receive message that offend. Both irritating expressions and
questionable humor should be avoided. Omit irritating expressions like:

1. you are probably ignorant of the fact that

2. you clam that
3. you did not tell us
4. you failed to
5. why have you ignored
6. you are neglected to

Omit Questionable Humor

Laughter to one person is disgusting for another. Each of us has a different sense of
humor. A comparison of offensive and more courteous expression is:

Hey man what is this I hear about the good news? You are pulled a fast one this past
weekend and did not tell any of us about it. Give my regards to the little lady and wish
her the best! She will need it.
 Correctness
To be correct in communication the following principles should be borne in mind.

1. Use the right level of language

2. check accuracy of figures, facts and word
3. maintain acceptable writing mechanics

1. Use the right level of language

There are three level of language formal, informal, and substandard. Formal writing is
often associated with scholarly writing, legal documents, top level GOVT
agreements. Informal writing is more characteristics of business writing.

2. Check accuracy of figures, facts and word

Check often by letting another person read your material for correct figures, facts, and
words.

3. Maintain acceptable writing mechanics

Apply the principles of accepted mechanics to your writing. Various packages are
available on computers both for grammar checks and spell checks.