No matter if someone is communicating in written or oral form or if someone is using the audio or visual or audio-visual mode, it is pertinent to fulfil the minimum requirements of effective communication. For this purpose, one needs to have a complete idea of the 7 C’s of communication.
7 C’s of Effective Communication
- Clarity
- Completeness
- Conciseness
- Concreteness
- Correctness
- Consideration
- Courtesy
- Quick Recap
- Wrap Up
Clarity – Clear Information
Do you guys know how important it is to choose the right words and phrases to communicate your ideas in the form of messages? It is quite difficult to express ideas accurately on the spot at the time of face-to-face conversation, presentation or any other form of interaction.
Being a communicator, the first thing you need to do is pick the right words, sentences, language and communication medium to clearly convey the message. While choosing the right set of words, one should be aware of the intellectual, emotional and perception levels of the audience to frame the message. This requires the communicator to be fully specific about the message, it’s objective and the audience.
Tips for Clarity
There are a few ways which can ensure clarity of expression. These are:
- Selecting familiar words and avoiding jargon.
- Framing impactful sentences and paragraphs considering the unity, coherence and emphasis of the message.
- Attaining readability by implementing receiver centric approach.
- Include examples and illustrations to back the message.
- Ask yourself in advance the aim of communication.
- Make sure that the message is transparent.
- Do not use fuzzy language.
Completeness – Complete information
At the time of communication, it is easy to miss or omit some segments of communication. That is why planned and structured communication are required at the time of oral presentations and discussions.
Desired results can be obtained when the message is complete in every sense as it answers the 5W’s, i.e. Who, What, When, Where, Why (and How). When the communicator provides complete and relevant information to the recipient, it automatically eliminates the need for a second round of communication to clarify any doubts.
Tips for Completeness
- Give all necessary information.
- Answer all the questions asked
- Provide extra details when required
- Take into account the 5W’s, i.e. what, where, when, why, who and how.
Conciseness – Brevity of Message
We all know that a concise message saves a lot of time. In the present scenario, every person faces a dearth of time, and the same is the case with organizations. In such a case, if the message is crisp and succinct, it will save a lot of time for the recipient to understand the message. No one wants or goes through lengthy and wordy messages. It is a very boring job indeed.
Tips for Conciseness
The communicator can use these ways to ensure the conciseness of the message:
- Shortening sentences
- Eliminating wording expressions
- Covering only relevant and material facts and information
- Use ‘be’ verbs carefully, like is, am, are, being etc.
- Avoiding any repetition.
- Practising a simple, straightforward style of communication.
Concreteness and Coherence – Solid and logical presentation
Being concrete means being specific and vivid instead of vague and general. It means using denotative and not connotative words. This means using direct and explicit words and not ideas and notions related to the word.
A solid and logical presentation is an important part of effective communication. As a communicator, you should avoid using too many ideas, because it may lead to confusion and distract the reader from the main topic or matter. When the message is concrete and coherent, it facilitates easy understanding and helps in producing the desired results.
Tips for Concreteness and Coherence
- Use clear and image-building words.
- Cover specific stats, facts and figures in communication.
- Make use of active voice and not passive voice.
- Be distinct and use sentences that cannot be misconstrued.
- Make use of vivid language.
- Check that each sentence is logically sequenced.
- Be certain that the message makes sense.
Correctness – Accuracy of Facts
We all know how dangerous a message can be if it is incorrect. It has the potential to ruin your enterprise’s image and create misunderstandings among readers. Generally, grammatical errors occur during communication. Many times, the sequence of tense goes wrong which also disrupts the essence of the message.
So, as a communicator, at the time of conveying the message, you must be sure that whatever you are writing or saying is true, correct and best of your knowledge. This is because your reader is giving their invaluable time to read or listen to your message, and they trust you on this that the message is reliable. However, the point they realize that whatever you say is wrong, you will lose all of their interest and attention.
Therefore, this will taint your credibility on one side and also tarnish your reputation on the other.
Tips for Correctness
- Use of the right level of language
- Check the accuracy of figures, facts and words
- Check often by allowing another person to read the material before communicating it to the readers.
- Make sure that the message is typo-free.
Consideration – Consideration of Message and Receiver
As we said above, while drafting the message, it is vital to keep your receiver in mind. Here, we want to say that candidness is a consideration. This means at the time of preparing the message, the receiver should be considered first. The assumption being fairness to say and to others who are engaged in the situation.
When we use the words ‘frankly speaking’ or ‘my honest opinion’ we are making an attempt to be candid and sincere. Therefore, candidness means consideration of the receiver’s interest and the need to understand the ideas in an objective and fair manner.
Tips for Consideration
- See your written matter from the point of view of the reader.
- Give emphasis on ‘you’ and not ‘we’.
- Be certain about the benefits of the receiver.
- Take into account the needs and problems of the receiver.
Courtesy – Showing Courtesy towards the receiver
Effective communication is one in which the speaker maintains decorum during meetings and group discussions. He must speak everything with enthusiasm and confidence without being rude to anyone. Courtesy calls for the use of such words which are not insulting or hurting to the listener.
During business discussions, it is pertinent that we pay attention to what the other person is speaking and not interrupt them. One must wait for their chance to speak. This is how we could show respect. However, our tone should not be aggressive.
Without mutuality of thoughts in communication, there are chances that disbelief may occur. This will result in failure of communication. the measures that a communicator can take to express courtesy include:
- Being sincerely tactful, thoughtful and appreciative
- Avoiding rude expressions
- Removing the use of jargon as much as you can
- Apologizing if required
- Giving proper feedback
- Keep the approach and tone professional.
- Check that the overall message is polite.
- Be appreciative.
- Respond immediately.
7 C’s of Effective Communication Quick Recap
| 7 C's | Quick Tip |
|---|---|
| Clarity | Use Familiar and Accurate words |
| Completeness | Provide necessary and relevant information |
| Conciseness | Avoid wordy expressions and repetition of sentences |
| Concreteness | The message must be precise and backed by confidence and should contain facts. |
| Correctness | Use the right and appropriate words |
| Candidness | Focus on You and not I or We |
| Courtesy | Be thoughtful, positive, and appreciative |
Wrap Up
With this, we can understand that these 7C’s of communication can be applied in all forms of communication, be it writing an email or developing marketing content.
