1. of effective communication
THE Cs
of effective communication

2. Seven Cs Completeness Conciseness Consideration Concreteness Clarity
Courtesy
Correctness

3. COMPLETENESS Provide all necessary information
Answer all the Ws clearly
Who, what, when, where, why
Answer all questions asked
Give something extra, when desirable.

4. CONCISENESS Eliminate wordy expressions Include only relevant material
Use single words in place of phrases
Include only relevant material
Avoid unnecessary repetition
Repetition of same word or idea creates dullness.

5. CONSIDERATION Focus on YOU instead of I and WE
Using YOU does help project YOU ATTITUDE but overuse can lead to a negative reaction
Show benefit or interest
Readers may react positively when benefits are shown to them
Emphasize positive, pleasant facts
Readers’ reaction also depends on the choice of words so use positive words.

6. CONCRETENESS Use specific facts and figures Put action in your verbs
Be precise and concrete in both written and oral business communication
Put action in your verbs
Verbs propel thoughts; they move ideas in place of slower-moving nouns
Choose vivid, image building words
Use active voice to put the verb up front.

7. CLARITY Choose precise, concrete and familiar words
When in doubt, use more familiar words; audiences will understand them better
Construct effective sentences and paragraphs
Try for an average sentence length of between 17 and 20 words
Insert no more than one main idea into a sentence.

8. COURTESY Be tactful, thoughtful and appreciative
Stupid letter; I can’t understand a word of it
It’s my understanding……
Use expressions that show respect
Avoid expressions with YOU or YOUR
Choose nondiscriminatory expressions
Give the impression that you are interested in business without discrimination.

9. CORRECTNESS Use the right level of language
Informal writing is more characteristic of business writing
Check accuracy of figures, facts and words
It acts as a comment on the validity of the material
Maintain acceptable writing mechanics.

10. EXAMPLES OF COMPLETENESS
How come my request for an interview letter did not receive a response
When was letter sent? Who sent it? To whom it was sent?
Please send me in return the departures in Singapore to Hong Kong on 8th
Give something extra like day, time etc..

11. EXAMPLES OF CONCISENESS
We hereby wish to let you know that our company is pleased with the confidence you have reposed in us
We appreciate your confidence
Allow me to say how helpful your response was
Your last response was helpful
In due course
Soon.

12. EXAMPLES OF CONSIDERATION
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.

13. EXAMPLES OF CONCRETENESS
Students’ GMAT scores are higher
In 1996 the GMAT scores averaged 600; by 1997 they had risen to 610
ACTION VERBS
The professor will give consideration to the report
The professor will consider the report
The proposal has requirement for…...
The proposal requires…….

14. EXAMPLES OF CLARITY
After our perusal of pertinent data, the conclusion is that a lucrative market exists for the subject property
The data we studied show that your property is profitable and in high demand.

15. EXAMPLES OF COURTESY Clearly, you did not read my latest fax
Sometimes my wording is not precise; let me try again
Stupid letter; I cant understand any of it
It’s my understanding.

16. EXAMPLES OF CORRECTNESS
Try to learn grammatical rules and write with accuracy.

17. THE END