The 7C's of Effective Communication

The 7C’s of Effective
Communication
Nor Yasmin Jamaludin, ELD, CELPAD,

25 August 2008 IIU 1
Seven C’s?
1. Complete 5. Clear
2. Concise 6. Courtesy
3. Considerate 7. Correct
4. Concrete

1 C’s: Complete
 Provide all necessary information:
 Consider complete when it contains all facts the audience

needs in order to come to a certain decision.
 Need to ascertain that the message send addresses the

needs of all concerned.
 A good test is to follow the 5 W’s questions: who, what,

when, where and why

Continue…
 Answer all questions asked

 Give something extra, when desirable.
 Why???
 Complete messages will allow the receiver to decide

correctly.
 Able to built goodwill
 Avoid costly lawsuits if important information is missing
 Inconsequential message can be important if the
information is complete and effective

Example 1
 Suppose you are the president of your local

Rotary club and receive the following inquiry
from an out-of-town member:
 I’m new to 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 where the next meeting
will be held?
Answer!!!
 If you answer only 1 question, your letter would be
incomplete.
 Since your reader is a newcomer, you need to

include in your reply :
 Directions for reaching the buildings
 Parking facilities
 Day, date and time of meeting
 Program of the next meeting
 Your message will have something ‘extra’

Example 2
 Some additional examples of incomplete

questions in faxes:
 Fax 1: “Please fax me in return the departures

from Singapore to Hong Kong on the 8th.”
 Fax 2: “How come my request for an

interview letter did not receive a response?”

Answer to Fax 1!!!
 You need to come up with something extra!!!
 Indicate the followings:
 Day
 Time
 Route (where?)
 Costs
 Departure
 Arrival

Answer to Fax 2!!!
 When was the letter sent?
 Who sent it?
 To whom was it sent?
 Note: Need to sent a return letter or fax

seeking the answers above!!!!

Task 1: Complete: Incomplete letter to
a new savings depositor.
Thank you for the confidence you have shown us by

the account you recently opened.
All our facilities are at your disposal and anytime we

can be of service, please call on us. Our appreciation
is best expressed by our being of service to you.

Answer :
Task 1: Refer to Words!!!

2 C’s: Concise(stop here)
 Define?
 Conciseness is saying what you have to say

in the fewest possible words without
sacrificing the Conciseness quality.
 To be concise is a prerequisite to effective

business communication.

Continue…
 A concise message saves time and expense for
both the sender and receiver.
 Conciseness highlights emphasis; eliminating

unnecessary words, you let important ideas stand
out.
 When combined with a ‘you-view’, concise

messages are inherently more interesting to
recipients
More…Eliminate wordiness!!!
 Stick to the purpose of the message and
delete irrelevant words and rambling
sentences.
1. Use single-word substitutes instead of

phrases whenever possible without changing
meanings.
 Wordy: At this time Concise: Now

More….on wordiness!!!
 Wordy: Due to the fact that

 Concise: Because
 Wordy: Have need for

 Concise: Need
 Wordy: In due course

 Concise: Soon
2. Omit trite unnecessary expressions
Wordy: Please be advised that your

admission statement was received.
Concise: Your admission statement has been
received.
Wordy: Allow me to say how helpful your

response was.
Concise: ……………………………………...

Answer!!!!
Wordy: Allow me to say how helpful

your response was.
Concise: Your last response was helpful.

3. Replace wordy conventional
statements with concise versions.
Wordy: Please find attached the list your
requested.
Concise: The list you requested is attached.
Wordy: Such refreshing comments are few

and far between.

Answer!!!
Wordy: Such refreshing comments are

few and far between.
Concise: Such refreshing comments are

scarce.

4. Avoid overusing empty
phrases It was known by Mr. Smith that we
Wordy:
must reduce inventory.
Concise: Mr. Smith knew we must reduce

inventory.
Wordy: There are four rules that should

be observed.
Concise: …………………………………………
Answer!!!
Wordy: There are four rules that should

be observed.
Concise: Four rules should be observed.

5. Omit “which” and “that” clauses
whenever possible
Wordy: She bought desks that are of the
executive type.
Concise: She bought executive-type desks.
Wordy: The receipt that is enclosed

documents your purchase.
Concise: The enclosed receipt documents
your purchase.
6. Eliminate unnecessary prepositional
phrasesThe issue of most relevance is

Wordy:
teamwork.
Concise: The most relevant issue is
teamwork.
Wordy: In most cases the date of the policy

is indicated in the upper right corner.
Concise: The policy date is in the upper right
corner.
7. Limit use of passive voice
Wordy: The total balance due will be found on

page 2 of this report.
Concise: The balance due is on page 2 of this
report.
Wordy: The reports are to be submitted by

employees prior to 5:00, at which time
they will be received by Mr. Jones.
Concise: Please submit your reports to Mr. Jones
by 5:00
More on wordiness: Include only
relevant material.
 The effective, concise message should

omit not only unnecessarily wordy
expressions but also irrelevant statements.
 Include only relevant facts.

Some suggestions
1. Stick to the purpose of the message.
2. Delete irrelevant words and rambling
sentences.
3. Omit information obvious to the receiver; do
not repeat.
4. Avoid long introductions, unnecessary
explanations, excessive adjectives and
prepositions, pompous words, gushy
politeness.
5. Get to the important point tactfully and
concisely.
Task 2
1. We hereby wish to let you know that our

company is pleased with the confidence you
have reposed in us.
2. At this time I am writing to you to enclose an

interview card, which has been post-paid,
for the purpose of arranging a convenient
time when we might get together for a
personal interview.
Answer Task 2
1. We appreciate your confidence.
2. Please return the enclosed interview card

to set up a convenient time for an
interview.

Avoid Unnecessary Repetition
 Unnecessary repetition leads to dullness.
 Sometimes repetition is necessary for

emphasis.
 However, when said two or three times

without reason, the message becomes wordy
and boring

Ways to eliminate repetition
1. Use a shorter name after you have mentioned
the long one once.
2. For example, instead of the “North Central

Company,” use “North Central”
3. Use pronouns or initials rather than repeat

long names.
4. For example, instead of citing “American

Association of Technical Analysis” again and
again, use ‘it’ or ‘they’ or ‘AATA’
More ….
5. When using well-known initials or acronyms,

give the full reference first with the initials in
parentheses: The north American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is being debated
in Congress.
6. Cut out all needless repetition of phrases
and sentences.
7. Sometimes it is possible to combine two or
even more sentences by using subordinate
clause or phrases.
Task 3
Will you ship us sometime, anytime

during the month of October would be fine or
even November if you are rushed (November
would suit us just as well, in fact a little bit
better) 300 of the regular 3 by 15 inch blue
felt arm-bands with white sewn letters in the
center.
Answer Task 3
Will you ship us 300 of the

regular 3 by 15 inches blue felt
arm-bands with white sewn letters
in the centre in November.

3 C’s: Considerate
 To be considerate is to put yourself in their
place:
 You do not lose your temper
 You do not accuse
 You do not charge them without facts
 Adopt the ‘you-attitude”
 You adapt your language and message

content to your receiver’s needs.
More….
 3 specific ways to indicate consideration are:
 Focus on ‘you’ instead of ‘I’ and ‘we’
 Show audience benefit or interest to the receiver.
 Emphasize positive, pleasant facts

Examples!!!
 We-Attitude : I am delighted to
announce that we will be
extending our hours to
make shopping more
convenient.
 You-Attitude : You will be able to shop

evenings with the
extended hours.
Examples!!!
 Insensitive: You failed to enclose your
cheque in the envelope.
 Considerate 1: The cheque was not

enclosed. (passive voice)
 Considerate 2: The envelope we

received did not have a
cheque in it. (depersonalized)

Task 4
1. We’re sure you must be frustrated by the

length of time it has taken to ship your order
for Polish gargoyles. (We-Attitude)
2. Your contract tells you plainly that…

(Insensitive).
3. You are completely off base in your

proposal. (Insensitive)

Answer Task 4
1. The Polish gargoyles you ordered will reach you within a week.
(You-Attitude)
2. I’m always happy to discuss the contract terms with new

employees. (Considerate: receiver as part of group)
3. We have differing interpretations of the utility of the proposal.

(Considerate 1: sender-oriented with acceptance of
responsibility)
4. The proposed plan has three aspects that need clarification.

(Considerate 2: depersonalized)

4 C’s: Concrete
 To communicate concretely means being specific, definite and
vivid.
 Use denotative (direct, explicit) rather than connotative words

( ideas or notions suggested by or associated with a word or
phrase)
 For example, ‘Female’ may appear in the personnel file as part of

a job description.
 However, different connotations may occur when using terms

such as ‘wife’, ‘mother’, ‘spinster’, ‘widow,’ ‘maiden’ or ‘matron’.
 In which each of these terms refer to a female but with a wide

ranging associations.
More….
 Receivers will be more likely to react favorably if the
message written is beneficial, meaningful and
understandable.
 Be careful when using the word ‘you’ as sometimes

it does not reflect the ‘you-attitude’
 For example, ‘You will be glad to know that we now

have a walk-up window open 7-9 am and 3-8 pm
every weekday’.
 Some readers might say “So what?”

More….
 Would be more meaningful and beneficial if

the sentence is written as follows:
 ‘You can now take care of your banking

needs at our new Walk-Up Window. It is
open with a capable teller to serve you from
7-9 am and 3-8 pm. Monday through Friday.’

More….Emphasize Positive, Pleasant
Facts.
 Avoid using negative and unpleasant words
 For example: Negative – Unpleasant:
 It is impossible to open an account for you today.
 We don’t refund if the returned item is soiled and
unsalable.
 Positive-Pleasant: ‘As soon as your signature
card reaches us, we will gladly open an account
for you.’
 ‘We refund when the returned item is clean and
resalable.’

More….Examples on positive words
and negative words
 Positive words:  Negative words:
 Benefit  Blame
 Happy  Complaint
 Generous  Failed
 Pleasure  Fault
 Thoughtful  Negligence
 Cordial  Regret
 Help  Trouble
 Loyal  Unfair
 thanks
More….Use the Active Voice
 The subject performs the action described by the
verb.
 In the active voice the verb is put up front.
 For example: ‘The financial officer reported to the

Board.’
 In the passive voice it becomes: ‘The report by the

financial officer was heard by the Board.’

More…Why not Passive voice?
 3 reasons:
 The subject does not do the acting in a
sentence.
 The verb consists of two or more words, one
of which is in some form of ‘to be’ (is, is
being, am, are, was, were, will be, has, have
been, had been or will have been)
 The word ‘by’ is expressed or implied ( by
whom or what)
Example
 Passive (Subject  Active (Subject
Receives the Performs the
action) action)
 The tests were  Professors

administered by administered the
the professors. tests.

Benefits of active verbs
 Specific. “The dean decided” is more explicit than “A decision
has been made.”
 Personal. “You will note” is both personal and specific. “It will be
noted” is impersonal.
 Concise. The passive requires more words and thus slows both
writing and reading. Compare “Figures show” with “It is shown
by figures”.
 Emphatic. Passive verbs dull action. Compare “The students

held a contest” with “A contest was held by students”

Exception!!!
 When you want to avoid personal, blunt
accusations or comments.
 “The October cheque was not included” is

more tactful than
 “You failed to include…” “Attendance at the

meeting is required” is less harsh than “You
must attend…..”

Task 5
1. When you travel on company expenses,

you will not receive approval for first-class
fare. (Negative – Unpleasant).
2. Grades of students will be sent to you by

the school. (Passive: Subject receives
the action).

Answer Task 5
1. When you travel on company expenses,

your approved fare is for tourist class.
(Positive – Pleasant).
2. The school will send students their grades.

(Active: subject performs the action)


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The 7C’s of Effective

Nor Yasmin Jamaludin, ELD, CELPAD,

Nor Yasmin Jamaludin, ELD, CELPAD,

 Consider complete when it contains all facts the audience

 Need to ascertain that the message send addresses the

 A good test is to follow the 5 W’s questions: who, what,

Nor Yasmin Jamaludin, ELD, CELPAD,

 Answer all questions asked

 Complete messages will allow the receiver to decide

Nor Yasmin Jamaludin, ELD, CELPAD,

 Suppose you are the president of your local

 I’m new to the city and would like to

 Since your reader is a newcomer, you need to

 Your message will have something ‘extra’

Nor Yasmin Jamaludin, ELD, CELPAD,

 Some additional examples of incomplete

 Fax 1: “Please fax me in return the departures

 Fax 2: “How come my request for an

Nor Yasmin Jamaludin, ELD, CELPAD,

 Indicate the followings:

Nor Yasmin Jamaludin, ELD, CELPAD,

 When was the letter sent?

 Who sent it?

 To whom was it sent?

 Note: Need to sent a return letter or fax

Nor Yasmin Jamaludin, ELD, CELPAD,

Thank you for the confidence you have shown us by

All our facilities are at your disposal and anytime we

Nor Yasmin Jamaludin, ELD, CELPAD,

Task 1: Refer to Words!!!

Nor Yasmin Jamaludin, ELD, CELPAD,

 Conciseness is saying what you have to say

 To be concise is a prerequisite to effective

Nor Yasmin Jamaludin, ELD, CELPAD,

 Conciseness highlights emphasis; eliminating

 When combined with a ‘you-view’, concise

1. Use single-word substitutes instead of

 Wordy: At this time Concise: Now

Nor Yasmin Jamaludin, ELD, CELPAD,

 Wordy: Due to the fact that

 Wordy: Have need for

 Wordy: In due course

Wordy: Please be advised that your

Wordy: Allow me to say how helpful your

Nor Yasmin Jamaludin, ELD, CELPAD,

Wordy: Allow me to say how helpful

Concise: Your last response was helpful.

Nor Yasmin Jamaludin, ELD, CELPAD,

Wordy: Such refreshing comments are few

Nor Yasmin Jamaludin, ELD, CELPAD,

Wordy: Such refreshing comments are

Concise: Such refreshing comments are

Nor Yasmin Jamaludin, ELD, CELPAD,

Concise: Mr. Smith knew we must reduce

Wordy: There are four rules that should

Wordy: There are four rules that should

Concise: Four rules should be observed.

Nor Yasmin Jamaludin, ELD, CELPAD,

Wordy: The receipt that is enclosed

phrasesThe issue of most relevance is

Wordy: In most cases the date of the policy

Wordy: The total balance due will be found on

Wordy: The reports are to be submitted by