Communication in Commerce Week 3 Prof.

Riaz ud Din
Principles of Business Communication or the Seven C’s of Business
Communication
In order to compose effective messages, we must apply certain communication principles.
These principles are called the seven C’s. They are completeness, conciseness, consideration,
concreteness, clarity, courtesy, and correctness.

1. Completeness
A business message is complete when it contains all the information the reader
or listener needs for the desired reaction. We must keep in mind the receiver’s background,
viewpoints, needs, experiences, and status. Thus, the senders need to assess their messages through
the eyes of receivers to be sure they have included all relevant information.
Completeness offers many benefits. First, complete messages bring the desired results. Second,
they can build goodwill. Third, they can help avert costly lawsuits. Last, communications that seem
not important can be important if the information they contain is complete and effective.
In order to make the message complete, the following guidelines should be kept in mind.
i. Provide all necessary information. Answering the five Ws questions, which are who,
what, when, where, and why, help make messages clear.
ii. Answer all questions asked. While replying an enquiry all questions should be answered
precisely.
iii. Give something extra, when desirable. We must use our good judgment in offering
additional information if the sender’s message was incomplete.

2. Conciseness
Conciseness is giving a lot of information in few words. A concise message is
complete without being wordy.
Conciseness is a prerequisite to effective business communication. A concise message saves time
and expense of both sender and receiver. Businessmen who receive a large number of letters cannot
find much time to read long letters and digest their contents. Therefore, conciseness is a very
desirable quality for business communicators.
To achieve conciseness, observe the following suggestions:
i. Eliminate wordy expressions: Use single-word substitutes instead of phrases whenever
possible without changing meanings. Omit unnecessary expressions, “that” and “which”
clauses whenever possible. Also, limit use of passive voice.
ii. Include only relevant material: Avoid long introductions, unnecessary explanation and
long words. Stick to the purpose of the message. Get to the important point directly.
iii. Avoid unnecessary repetition.

3. Consideration
Consideration means preparing every message with the message receivers in
mind. A letter writer must act on the “you attitude”. The “you attitude” means writing from the
point of view of the reader, rather than your own point of view. It means talking about him and the
advantages he will get by buying your goods and services. We should adapt our language and
message content to our receiver’s needs when we make our message complete. Three specific ways
to indicate consideration are:
i. Focus on “you” instead of “I” and “we”.
ii. Show benefits or interest in the receiver.
iii. Emphasize positive, pleasant facts.
 Communication in Commerce Week 3 Prof. Riaz ud Din

4. Concreteness
Concreteness means being specific, definite, and vivid rather than vague and
general. It means using denotative rather than connotative words. The benefits to business
professionals of using concrete facts and figures are obvious, that is, your receivers know exactly what
is required. Using concrete language has some additional advantages. When you supply specifics for
the reader or listener, you increase the likelihood that your message will be interpreted the way you
intended. Moreover, concrete messages tend to be more vivid, dynamic, and interesting. The following
guidelines should help you compose concrete messages:
i. Use specific facts and figures.
ii. Put action in your verbs.
iii. Choose vivid, image-building words.

5. Clarity
The purpose of clarity is getting the meaning from your mind into the mind of your reader
accurately. This is not easy. We all have our own unique interpretations, ideas, experiences associated
with words. The following guidelines will be helpful for clear messages:
i. Choose precise, concrete and familiar words.
ii. Construct effective sentences and paragraphs.
iii. Insert no more than one main idea into a sentence.
iv. Arrange words so that the main idea occurs early in a sentence.

6. Courtesy
Courtesy involves being aware not only of the perspective of others, but also their feelings.
It is a mental attitude, a point of view. It shows deference to those who treat us with respect. Courtesy
in letter-writing consists in using such words and phrases that indicate a polite attitude towards the
other person. It also means the avoidance of such words and phrases that may offend the reader.
Expressions like “thank you” and “please” are always appreciated but they should not be used
mechanically. The whole letter or message must have a courteous tone.
In addition to following the guidelines of “Consideration”, the given suggestions for generating a
courteous tone may prove helpful.
i. Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful, and appreciative.
ii. Use expressions that show respect.
iii. Choose nondiscriminatory expressions.

7. Correctness
At the core of correctness are proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling. There must
be no mistake in a message. Correctness is as much necessary for a message as manners are required
for a gentleman. The term correctness, as applied to business messages, also means the following three
characteristics:
i. Use the right level of language.
ii. Check accuracy of figures, facts, and words.
iii. Maintain acceptable writing mechanics.