7C's of Communication
7C's of Communication
7C's of Communication
Whether at work or during our personal lives, good communication skills are essential. They
can improve relationships, further your career, and build your social confidence. So how can
you make sure you’re communicating to the best of your abilities?
The 7 Cs can help. They can be applied to all forms of communication, whether that’s writing
an email, creating marketing content, giving a presentation, having a job interview, or
chairing a meeting. You can use the 7 Cs of communication checklist to ensure you’re a more
productive and effective communicator:
Clear
Clarity is ensuring what you’re saying is communicated clearly and with no room for
misunderstanding. We should be clear and specific in the letter. The words used should be
unambiguous and clear.
Concise
Convey your points in to the point and concise way. Use only necessary details and short
sentences. Short sentences are more likely to keep the attention of the listener, so try to use
as little words as possible to communicate your message. Concise communication is non-
repetitive, saves time, and is more understandable for the audience.
Concrete
A concrete message is precise and backed by confidence as well as the use of supporting facts
and figures. A good business letter always provides concrete (actual, specific and convincing)
information. For example, instead of saying, “I expect the order to reach me at the earliest”,
use “I expect the order to be delivered to me by the 21st of February 2019”.
Correct
Correctness of both expression and the information should be followed while writing a
business letter. Facts, Grammatical structures and spellings should be correct. Correctness
also means keeping your language free of mistakes, whether that’s grammatical, spelling, or
other inaccuracies.
Coherent
Coherent conversation makes sense and flows logically. Think carefully about the order of
your points and how you can make it come across in an easy-to-understand way. It’s also
important to be consistent with style and content when delivering multiple forms of
communications. Visualize reader’s circumstances, problems, emotions, and desires etc, and
indicate that we understand them by using our words with care.
Complete
Make sure nothing is missing. Complete communication ensures the audience has all the
information they need, and are able to easily come to the desired conclusion. Good ways to
be complete include:
• Providing a ‘call to action’ i.e. what you would like your audience to do after
receiving the message?
• Including hyperlinks in written content to ensure all information is provided
Courteous
It’s important to be polite and respectful of your audience. For example, instead of writing,
“we did not send the cheque”, use “The cheque was not enclosed”. Even if we are writing a
complaint letter, our tone must be polite.
Being friendly, considerate, and professional will make your communications much more
effective. You should also be transparent, open, and honest, and be happy to answer any
questions if applicable.