Chapter 3

By: Mohammad Zafeer Qasmi MA. English Assistant Professor at Kardan University, Kabul, Afghanistan

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The Seven Cs of Effective Communication

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Seven Cs Communication Principles that we must apply to compose effective written and oral messages. Completeness Conciseness Consideration Concreteness Clarity Courtesy Correctness

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Completeness
Completeness offers numerous benefits: 1. Bring the desired results without the expense of additional messages. 2. They can do a better job of building goodwill 3. Can help avert (Stop happening) costly lawsuits (complaints) that may result if important information is missing

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Continued.
The following are the guidelines for a complete message i. Provide all necessary information. (Who, what ,where, when, why) ii. iii. Answer all questions asked. Give something extra, when desirable

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Conciseness
What you have to say in the fewest possible words. A concise message is complete without being wordy. A concise message saves time and expense for both sender and receiver. Suggestions for achieving conciseness i. ii. Eliminate Wordy Expressions Include only Relevant Materials

iii. Avoid unnecessary repetition

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Continued i. Eliminate Wordy Expressions 1. Use Single-Word Substitutes instead of phrases whenever possible without changing meaning. Wordy: At this time Concise: Now 2. Omit trite (dull) ,unnecessary expressions Wordy: Please be advised that your admission statement was received Concise: Your admission statement has been received.

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Continued.. 3. Omit which and that clauses whenever possible. Wordy: She bought a car which was nice. Concise: She bought a nice car. 4. Limit use of passive voice. Wordy: The total balance due will be found on page 2 of this report. Concise: The balance due is on page 2 of this report.

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ii. Include Only Relevant Material Stick to the purpose of the message. Delete irrelevant words and rambling(aimless) sentences. Avoid long introductions, unnecessary explanations, excessive adjectives and prepositions, pompous words, gushy (excessively effusive) politeness. Get to the important point tactfully and concisely. Wordy: We hereby wish to let you know that our company is pleased with the confidence you have reposed (rely) in us. Concise: We appreciate your confidence.
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Continued. iii. Avoid Unnecessary Repetition

Use a shorter Name After you have mentioned the long one once. Instead of North Central Company North Central ii. Use pronouns or initials rather than repeat long names. Instead of American Association of Technical Analysts again and again, use it or they or AATA iii. Cut out all needless repetition of phrases and sentences.
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Consideration
Preparing the message with message receivers in mind.
 Try to put yourself in their place.   

Dont lose temper. Dont accuse Dont charge without facts.

Guidelines to indicate consideration.

 Focus on You instead of I and we.  Show Audience Benefit or Interest  Emphasize positive, pleasant facts.
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Continued i. Focus on You instead of I and we. We-attitude: I am delighted to announce that we will be extending our hours to make our shopping more convenient. You-attitude: You will be able to shop evenings with extended hours. ii. Show Audience Benefit or Interest

Show how your receivers will benefit from whatever the message announces or asks. Readers may react positively when benefits are shown to them.
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Continued iii. Emphasize Positive, Pleasant Facts

Negative --- Unpleasant We dont refund if the returned items soiled and unsalable. Positive ---- Pleasant We refund when the returned item is clean and resalable.

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Concreteness
To be specific, definite and vivid rather than vague and general. It means using denotative rather than connotative words. For example, the term female has different connotations such as wife, mother, widow, dowager, etc. The following guidelines should help compose concrete, convincing message. i. Use Specific Facts and Figures ii. Put Action in Your Verb iii. Choose Vivid, image building words.
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Continued i. Use Specific Facts and Figures Whenever possible, use an exact, precise statement or a figure in place of a general word to make your message more concrete. The following are some of the words which can lead to uncertainty, confusion. Slightly, most, small, soon, slow, several. ii. Put Action in Your Verbs when the Subjects acts there is more life, vividness. He delivered a lecture. (Active) A lecture was delivered. (passive)
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a. Use Active rather than passive verbs.

Continued b. Put Action in Verb, Not in Nouns

Action Hiding in a Quiet Noun

The function of this office is the collection of payments and the compilation of statements.
Action in the Verb

The office collects payments and compiles statements. c. Put Action in Verbs, Not in Infinitives
Action Hiding in Infinitive

The duty of secretary is to check incoming mail.

Action in the Verb

The Secretary checks the incoming mail.

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Continued iii.Choose Vivid, Image-Building Words

You can use the following devices to make your messages forceful, vivid and specific. a. Sensory Appeals (Which appeals to one or more of the five senses). For example, instead of saying It was hot in the factory you may say the sweat trickled down the arms of the line workers. b. Comparison ( Comparison can make an unclear idea clear or make it more vivid
Compare:

This is a long letter. This letter is three times as long as you said it would be.

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Continued c. Figurative language ( Art representing forms that are recognizably derived from life)
For example, break the pitcher.

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Clarity
The purpose of clarity is to get meaning from your head to the head of your reader/listener accurately. Clarity is difficult because we all carry around our own interpretations, ideas, experiences associated with words. As you strive for clarity follow the guidelines below: i. Choose Precise, Concrete and Familiar Words ii. Construct Effective Sentences and Paragraphs

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Continued...

i. Choose Precise, Concrete and Familiar Words

When you use precise or concrete language, you select exactly the right word to convey your meaning. Choose Short, familiar words, instead of long, unfamiliar words. Familiar About After Pay Invoice Unfamiliar Circa Subsequent Remuneration Statement for Payment

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Continued ii. Construct Effective Sentences and Paragraphs

Important Characteristics to Consider are: Length, unity, coherence and emphasis 1. Length: The suggested average sentence length should be about 17 to 20 words. Avoid long sentences Avoid too many short sentences. 2. Unity: In a sentence- whether simple, compound or complex- unity means that you have one main idea and many other ideas in the sentence must be closely related. For example, there is no unity in the sentence below. I drink water and she is from Kabul.

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Continued. 3. Coherence: The Words are correctly arranged so that the ideas clearly express the intended meaning. Try to place the correct modifier as close as possible to the word it is supposed to modify Look at the example below: Unclear: Being an excellent lawyer, I am sure you can help us. Clear: Being an excellent lawyer, you can surely help us. Clear: As you are an excellent lawyer, I am sure you

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Courtesy Courtesy involves being aware not only of the perspective of others ,but also their feelings. The Following are suggestions for generating a courteous tone. i. Be Sincerely Tactful, thoughtful, and appreciative. ii. Use Expressions that show respect iii. Choose Non-Discriminatory Expressions

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Continued i. Be Sincerely Tactful, Thoughtful and Appreciative Tactless, Blunt Clearly, you didnt read my latest Fax. More Tactful Sometimes my wording Is not precise; let me try again

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ii. Use Expressions that Show Respect a. Omit Irritating Expressions

The following are expressions which people find irritating. We should try to avoid such expressions.
Contrary to your inference I dont agree with you. Irresponsible You failed to b. Omit Questionable Humor

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iii.

Choose Non-Discriminatory Expressions Another requirement for courtesy is the use of nondiscriminatory language that reflects equal treatment of people regardless of gender, race, ethnic origin and physical features.

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Any one who comes Students who come late to class late will get his to class will have their grade reduced. grade reduced.  Each customer will Customers will have new have the new changes changes noted on their bills. noted on his bill.  You guys shall be Both men and women, all of concerned about the issue. you should be concerned about the issue.


i.

` `

At the core of correctness is proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. The following are the characteristic of correctness. Use the Right Level of Language There are three levels of language: Formal, informal, and substandard. Formal: Writing is often associated with scholarly writing: doctoral dissertation, scholarly articles, legal documents, top level government agreements and other materials where formality in style is demanded. Informal: Writing is more characteristics of business writing. Substandard: Using incorrect words, incorrect grammar, and faulty pronunciation.

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ii.

Check Accuracy of Figures, Facts, and Words.

Check and double to ensure that the figures, facts and words. Verify your statistical data Double check your totals Have some one else read your message Determine whether a fact has changed over time.

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You are the manager of the accounting department in a medium-sized company. One of your accountants has missed 2 weeks of work in the past 2 months, and her work is not done on a timely basis. How would you handle the situation? Would you speak to her or write a memo? Would you do both: speak and write? If you would speak and write, which would you do first and why?