1. Chapter 2
The Seven C’s of
Effective Communication
by
Syed Maqsood Ahmed
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 1

2. Business Communication
 To compose effective written or oral messages,
you must apply certain communication principles.
 These principles provide guidelines for choice of
content & style of presentation, adapted to the
purpose & receiver of your message.
 Called the seven C’s
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 2

3. The seven C’s
1) Completeness
2) Conciseness
3) Consideration
4) Concreteness
5) Clarity
6) Courtesy
7) Correctness
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 3

4. Completeness
 Your business message is complete when it contains all
the facts reader needs for the reaction you desire.
 Completeness offers numerous benefits.
 First: Complete message are more likely to bring the
desired results without the expense of additional
messages.
 Second: They can do the better job of building goodwill.
 Last:
7. Provide all necessary information
8. Answer all questions asked
9. Give something extra when desirable
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 4

5. Provide all necessary information
 One way to help make your message complete is to
answer the five W questions.
 Example: To reserve a hotel banquet room.
e (Who) Sponsoring organization
i (What) Specify the accommodation needed
m(When) Date & Time
m(Where) Location
m(Why) Event
 The five question method is especially useful when
you write Request, Announcements etc.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 5

6. Customer Point of View
 5 W’s
 What To Buy ?
 How Much To Buy ?
 Where To Buy ?
 When To Buy ?
 How To Buy ?
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 6

7. Answer All Questions Asked
 Whenever you reply to an inquiry try to answer all
questions.
 A prospective customer’s reaction to an incomplete
reply is likely to be unfavorable.
 The customer may think the respond is careless is
purposely trying to conceal weak point
 If you have no information on particular question, say
so clearly
 If you have unfavorable information in answer to
certain questions, handle your reply with both tact &
honest.

Syed Maqsood Ahmed 7

8. Conciseness
 Conciseness is saying what you have to say in fewest
possible words without sacrificing the other C
qualities.
 A concise message is complete without being wordy.
 A concise message saves time & expenses for both
sender & receiver.
 Examples: From the book.
 Include only relevant material.
 Avoid unnecessary repetition.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 8

9. Consideration
 Consideration means preparing every message with
receivers in mind;
 Try to put yourself in their place & you must be aware
of their desires, emotions & probable reactions to
your request. Expels 4rm Book
 Focus on You instead of I
 This thoughtful consideration is also called “you
attitude”, or understanding of human nature.
 Show Audience Benefit in the Receiver
 To create considerate, audience-oriented messages,
focus on how message receivers will benefit, what
they will receiveSyed Maqsood Ahmed want or need to know.
& what they 9

10. Concreteness
 Communicating concretely means being specific,
definite, & vivid rather than vague & general.
 The benefits to business professionals of using
concrete facts & figures are obvious:
 Your receiver know exactly what is required or
desired.
 Using concrete language has some additional
advantages. Concrete messages are more richly
textured than general or vague messages. Expels.
 Use Specific Facts & Figures
 Put Actions in Your Verbs
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 10

11. Clarity
 Getting the meaning from your head into the head of
your reader accurately – is the purpose of clarity.
 Certainly you know it is not simple we all carry
around our own unique interpretations, ideas,
experiences associated with words.
 Choose Precise, Concrete, & Familiar Words.
 Clarity is achieved in part through precise & familiar
language. When you use precise or concrete language
you select exactly the right word to convey your
message.
 Familiar words as b/w 2 good friends,
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 11

12. Courtesy
 True courtesy involves being aware not only of the
perspective of others, but also their feelings.
 Courtesy stems from a sincere you attitude
 It is not merely to show politeness with magnetized
assertion of “please” & “thank you”., but it is
politeness that grows out of respect & concern for
others
 For this one should need to be
 Sincerely tactful, thoughtful & appreciative.
 Use expressions that shows respect.
 Choose non-discriminatory expressions
 Examples From Book.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 12

13. Correctness
 At the core of correctness is proper grammar,
punctuation, & spelling.
 However a message may be perfect grammatically &
mechanically but still insult or a lose customer.
 The term correctness as applied to business messages
also means the following 3 characteristics.
o Use the right level of language
v Check accuracy of facts, figures & words
f Maintain acceptable writing mechanics.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 13

14. Levels of Language
 There are three levels of language
 Formal
 Formal language is associated with scholarly writing
 Legal documents, top level government agreements
etc. Where formality is demanded
 Informal
 Informal writing is more characteristic of business
writing here you use words that are short, well known
& conversational.
 Substandard
 Using incorrect words, incorrect grammar, faulty
pronunciation all suggest an inability to use good
English. Examples 4rm Book.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 14

15. Thank You
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 15