7 Cs of Effective Communication
Adopted from Effective Business Communication
By
Herta A. Murphy
Five Ws
• One way to make your message complete is to answer the
five W’s.
• WHO?
• WHAT?
• WHEN?
• WHERE?
• WHY?
• The five question method is useful when you write
requests, announcements, or other informative messages.
• For instance, to order (request) merchandise, make clear
WHAT you want, WHEN u need it, WHERE it is to be sent.
Conclusion of completeness
1. All necessary information as requested by
him.
2. Answers to his all questions carefully
3. Provide some more information, which he
is not requiring , just to maintain good
relations.
Conciseness
For achieving the conciseness you
have to consider the following:
1. Avoid wordy expression
2. Include only relevant material
3. Avoid unnecessary repetition.
Avoid Wordy Expression
E.g. Wordy:- at this time.
Instead of “at this time” you can just use only
a concise word:- NOW ,
Always try to use “ To the point Approach” in
business scenario perspective.
Include only relevant information
Always try to provide only relevant information to
the receiver of the message.
Observe the following suggestions to “ Include only
relevant information.”
– Stick to the purpose of message
– Delete irrelevant words
– Avoid long introduction, unnecessary
explanation etc.
– Get to the important point concisely.
Avoid un-necessary Repetition
Some times repetition is necessary for
focusing some special issue.
But when the same thing is said with out
two or three reasons, the message become
wordy and boring.
That’s why try to avoid Un-necessary
repetition.
Consideration
i- Focus on “you” instead of “I” or “We”
ii- Show audience benefit or interest of the
receiver
iii- Emphasize positive, pleasant facts.
Using “you” help you, but over use lead a
negative reaction.
Always write a message in such a way how
audience should be benefited from it. e.g.
We attitude
I am delighted to announce that we will
extend to make shopping more.
You attitude
“You will be able to shop in the evening with
the extended hours.”
Readers may react positively when benefit
are shown to them.
Always try to address his/her need and want.
Concreteness
It means that message should be specific
instead of general. Misunderstanding of
words creates problems for both parties
(sender and receiver).
when you talk to your client always use
facts and figures instead of generic or
irrelevant information.
The following guidelines should help you to
achieve the Concreteness.
i- use specific facts and figures
ii-choose image building words
e.g
General Vs Concrete
He is very intelligent student of class and
stood first in the class.
By Getting 4/4 CGPA…
Clarity
In effective business communication the
message should be very much clear; so that
reader can understand it easily.
• You should always Choose precise words.
• Always choose familiar and easy words.
• Construct effective sentences and
paragraphs.
Familiar Next familiar words
1-after subsequent
2-home domicile
3-for example e.g.
4-pay remuneration
5-invoice statement for payments
Courtesy
The following are suggestions for
generating a courteous tone:
Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful and
appreciative.
Use expressions that show respect for
the others
Choose nondiscriminatory expressions
Tactless, Blunt More Tactful
Stupid letter; I can’t I should understand it, as
understand there is no confusing word in
this letter, could you please
explain it once again ..?
Its your fault, you did not Sometimes my wording is not
properly read my latest FAX precise; let me try again
Correctness
At the core of correctness is proper
grammar, punctuation and spelling.
o Use the right level of language
o Check the accuracy of figures, facts and
words
o Maintain acceptable writing mechanics
Use the right Level of
Language
Three levels of language:
1. formal
2. informal
3. substandard.
Formal and Informal Words
Formal writing is often associated with scholarly writing:
doctoral dissertations, scholarly, legal documents, top-
level government agreements and other material where
formality is demanded.
Informal writing is more characteristic of business writing.
Here you use words that are short, well-known and
conversational as in this comparison list:
More Formal less formal
Participate Join
Endeavor try
Ascertain find out
Utilize use
Interrogate question
Facts and Figures Accuracy
▪ Verify your statistical data
▪ Double-check your totals
▪ Avoid guessing at laws that have an
impact on you, the sender and your
▪ Have someone else read your
message if the topic involves data.
▪ Determine whether a “fact” has
changed over time
Proper Use of Confusing Words !
Our Language (Any) is constantly changing. In fact,even dictionaries can
not keep up with rapid change in our language. the following words
often confusing in usage:
A, An use a before consonants and
consonants sounds or a long ” u”
sound. Use an before vowels.
Accept, except accept is a verb and means to
receive. except is a verb or a
preposition and relates to
omitting or leaving out.
Anxious, eager Anxious implies worry, eager
conveys keen desire
