What are the 7 C’s of Effective Communication – Examples Explained

The ability to communicate effectively with others is considered a prized quality of successful people. So in order to compose an effective oral speech or written message, you just need to understand psychology in Business, your clients, your staff, observe market to take effective decisions & let your message reach accurately to the audience. The 7 C’s of effective communication combined with principles of effective communication would help you to attain your goal, follow certain principles.

Communication skills in business are important that plays in professional life from understanding your staff to make a perfect selling approach. Different studies showed that it is an important salesman skill that helps to generate more leads.

They are called 7 C’s because each of these principles begins with the alphabet “C”.

The 7 C’s of Communication

Clarity

Clarity is the soul of a business message. It means the accurate transfer of ideas from the sender’s head to the receiver’s.  Every message should be conveyed in a clear manner. Clarity comes through clear thinking. A good message shows the idea directly and clearly.

A writer should not start the message unless he knows how (use of language) and what (central idea) he wants to say. A message written in the simple and ordinary language is always natural and appreciable.

To achieve clarity, keep in mind the following points:

• Use common and simple language.
• Construct effective sentences and short paragraphs.
• Use concrete words instead of abstract words.
• Avoid unnecessary information.

Correctness

Language experts say that writing is a difficult art. There is no shortcut to being a good writer. It is learned through consistent practice and constant struggle. The message being communicated must be correct. Correctness refers to correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Though mistakes are never intentional yet they spoil the image.

To achieve correctness, follow these guidelines:

• Check the accuracy of facts and figures.
• Check mistakes in punctuation, grammar, and capitalization.
• Check misspelled words.
• Use the right level of language.

Conciseness

The beauty of diction lies in its conciseness. Conciseness means brief and complete. Be as brief as possible. But it must not be so brief as to be discourteous.

Conciseness is a pre-requisite to effective business messages. A concise message saves time and expense for both sender and receiver.

To achieve conciseness, observe the following suggestions:

• Remove the wordy expressions.
• Include only relevant material.
• Avoid unnecessary repetition.

Courtesy

Courtesy is the most important quality of the business message. “Everyone gains where courtesy reigns” is an old but wise saying. Courtesy means politeness.  It is an attitude that shows respect for others. It helps in building goodwill.

It is not enough to use polite expressions like” thank you”, ”kindly”, “we appreciate”, “please” etc but the whole letter must have a courteous tone.

To achieve courtesy, keep in mind the following points:

• Be sincere.
• Use expressions that show respect.
• Be thoughtful and appreciative of the receiver’s point of view.
• Avoid humor.
• Avoid discriminatory language i.e., race, color, gender, creed etc.

Concreteness

Communicating concretely means being specific, meaningful and clear. Vague and general messages result in no response. It helps the receiver to understand the exact idea. Concrete use of available facts and figures adds to the authenticity of the message.

To achieve concreteness, consider the following ways:

• Use clear and image building words.
• Use specific facts and figures.
• Use active voice than passive voice.

Consideration

Consideration is to put you in the place of the receiver. It means preparing every message with the message receiver in mind. This mode of consideration is called “you attitude”. When you are truly considerate, you try to show sincere regard for his interests and benefits.  To be considerate, the following points should be kept in mind:

See your material from your reader’s point of view.

• Focus on “you” instead of” we” e.g.,
• We are delighted to inform _ _ _ _ ­­
• You will be glad to know _ _ _ _
• Be sure about the benefits of the receiver.
• Consider the needs and problems of the receiver.

Use positive and optimistic

Completeness

A business message should be complete to bring the desired result. A complete message contains all the facts required by the receiver. The receiver’s reaction to an incomplete message is often unfavorable. An incomplete message shows negligence and carelessness of the writer.

For completeness follow these guidelines:

• Remember the five W’s (what, when, where, why, who) and how.
• Provide all the necessary information.
• Answer all the questions asked.
• Include additional information, if desired.

It can be said that awareness of these 7 C’s of effective communication makes you a good communicator.