ESSENTIALS/PRINCIPLES
OF EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION
7C OF EFFECTIVE COMMUINCATION
Communication is effective only when
both the sender and the receiver are
focused on the act of communication.
While the sender must sharpen and
improve skills of speaking and writing,
the receiver must improve skills of
listening and reading. The qualities of
communication which the sender must
achieve are called the C's of
Communication because most of them
begin with the letter C.
7Cs of Good
Communication
1. Correctness
A letter must be correct in every respect
(i) In spelling, grammar, pronunciation, and use of
language. Incorrect language spoils the message,
distracts the receiver's attention, and creates a poor
impression of the sender; it may also convey a wrong
meaning. All spellings must be checked; spelling of names
must be checked with extra care. Most people are
offended if their name is wrongly spelt or pronounced.
There must be consistency in the use of numbers, units of
measure, technical terms, abbreviations, hyphens,
grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
American and English spelling vary. Hyphenation and
punctuation and capitalization do not have absolutely
fixed rules. Whatever you decide on, be consistent
throughout the document.
(ii) In appearance and form of layout. Poor and untidy
appearance, with typing mistakes corrected in ink, uneven
spacing or carelessness in the layout, creates a poor
impression of the company's efficiency in handling its work.
Appearance depends on placing the parts of layout correctly on
the letterhead, even spacing between letters, words, lines and
parts of layout, and having proper margins on all sides.
Similarly, shabby appearance of the speaker and lack of
attention to body language creates a bad impression.
(iii) In the information conveyed correct and accurate.
Communicating wrong or incomplete information is the most
harmful thing; it leads to waste of time in making corrections
and will lead to loss of goodwill and loss of business. All dates
and days, time, numbers and facts must be in agreement.
Nothing is more confusing than mismatched information
(iv) In tone, formality and style must be
appropriate to the occasion, the content
and the relationship between the sender
and the receiver. An overdone apology
sounds childish or undignified; a
grudging or patronising agreement to
grant a request sounds unpleasant
2. Clarity
The message must be clear at the first
reading so it that takes very little time to
follow and understand. Clearly written or
spoken messages avoid
misunderstanding and save time. Write
and speak to express, not to impress.
Clarity depends upon five factors:
(i) Simple, common everyday words which everyone can
understand. Never send the reader to the dictionary.
Technical terms should be avoided unless absolutely
needed and if you are communicating within the profession.
(ii) Short and simple sentences. Long sentences confuse
the reader, and often confuse the writer also. Phrases and
clauses should not be added on to a sentence. Each bit of
important information should be given in a separate
sentence.
(iii) Proper punctuation and pauses. It helps to provide
pauses and stops and to break up groups of words into
sensible units. Besides the full stop, there are other, shorter
pauses like the semi-colon and the comma which help to
break up a sentence into readable units.
3. Coherence
Coherence is logical sequence of ideas.
Making a clear plan for a presentation or
a letter ensures that the ideas are in
logical order; coherence, that is, logical
connection of ideas makes any
composition easy to understand.
Consistency in numbering also helps in
achieving coherence
Consistency should be in the use of
numbers, units of measure, technical
terms, abbreviations, grammar, spelling,
punctuation and capitalization and
dates. British or American spellings vary.
Hyphenation, punctuation and
capitalization do not have absolutely
fixed rules. Whatever you decide on, be
consistent throughout the document
4. Concreteness
Giving definite and concrete details with figures
and names. Vague phrases like "in due course" or
"at your earliest convenience" are not so useful as
definite time phrases like in two weeks or within
three weeks, soon, good, any time. Use words and
expressions which communicate exact and definite
information. It is better to use concrete words with
a definite meaning, or to give concrete examples
and description. Words like good, bad, far, near,
make sense only when you indicate the level of
efficiency or quality and say at what speed.
5. Conciseness
Conciseness means expressing much in a few words; in business
communication it means keeping to the point, using as few words as
possible without sacrificing clarity or courtesy. It does not
necessarily mean being brief; it means making every word count.
Conciseness can be achieved by:
(i) Leaving out unnecessary modifiers; for example, "new innovation;"
(can there be an old innovation?) or ''very unique" (unique means
only "one of its kind"). Other examples are: "advance plans", "actual
experience", "cylindrical in shape", "three cubic meters in volume."
(ii) Reducing unimportant ideas to phrases or single words like,
in the form of - as
in many cases - often
exhibits the ability to - can
in the event of - if
(iii) Making sure that only the necessary
and relevant details are included. Using
more words than necessary confuses the
idea.
Conciseness and clarity are closely
related; giving clear and definite details
often reduces the length of a sentence.
Readers are thankful for precise and
clear messages. Irrelevant ideas and
going out of point confuses the listener
6. Courtesy
Courtesy is consideration for other people's feelings. It
is seen in an individual's behaviour with others. A well-
mannered and courteous person shows consideration
and thought for others. In a letter, the style, the
manner and the choice of words reflect the courtesy of
the writer. Some simple rules for courtesy are:
(i) Use the courtesy words please, thank you, excuse
me and sorry as the situation requires.
(ii) Express appropriate feeling according to the
situation. For example, sympathy when someone
suffers, good wishes when someone begins something
new, and congratulation when someone achieves
something.
(iii) Make the other person feel comfortable. This is an
important factor of courtesy. Care and consideration
for the reader is reflected in the letter. The opening
sentence itself shows the courtesy of the writer:
• We appreciate your promptness in sending the
goods.
• Thank you for sending your quotation so promptly.
• We are sorry to learn that you were inconvenienced.
Requests must also be made courteously:
• We would appreciate it very much if you could send
your cheque within three days of receiving our bill.
• Will you please look into the matter at once?
(iv) Be attentive and prompt in responding. Every message,
written or oral should be answered within twenty-four hours.
If it is a letter of complaint, the response should be
immediate; a courteous company makes a phone call or
sends a fax message immediately on receiving a complaint
or hearing about a problem. Everyone appreciates prompt
attention.
(v) Let the tone, the choice of words and the style of the
message reflect your consideration for the feelings and
needs of the receiver. This is particularly important if the
message to be 'conveyed is likely to be unpleasant for the
reader. A courteous letter has the best chance of getting a
favourable response. Seeing the situation as the reader sees
it, and taking care of his/ her needs, is courtesy. You must
have an awareness of how the words sound to the receiver.
7. Completeness
The message communicated should be
complete with all necessary details and
information given to enable proper
understanding and response by the
receiver.
