7 Cs of Effective Communication
7 Cs of Communication are the principles that help writers and speakers to communicate effectively. It
becomes easier for the sender and the receiver to share and understand the shared knowledge at the
same level of understanding.
1. Completeness
The message is considered as complete when it includes all the facts and the necessary
information to achieve the desired response.
Provide all necessary information by applying 5 W’s checklist.
Who, What, When, Where and Why
Answer all the questions asked.
Give something extra when desired
Bad Example
I wanted to inform you that we will have a meeting tomorrow.
Good Example
I wanted to remind you about tomorrow's meeting regarding ONLINE TEACHING. The meeting
will be held in the conference room from 10 am to 11 am.
2. Conciseness
Conciseness means to communicate in the least possible words with sacrificing the other 7 C’s of
communication.
Eliminate flabby expressions.
As you revise, focus on eliminating flabby expressions.
Example:
In due course – Soon | Few in Number – Few
1
, As a general rule – generally | At this point in time – Presently
Limiting Long Lead-Ins. Another way to create concise sentences is to delete unnecessary
introductory words.
Example:
• I am sending you this e-mail to announce that a new manager has been hired.
• A new manager has been hired.
Dropping Unnecessary There is/are and it is/was Fillers.
In many sentences the expressions there is/are and it is/was function as unnecessary fillers.
Eliminate them by recasting the sentence.
Example:
• It was a Facebook post that revealed the news.
• A Facebook post revealed the news.
• There is an aggregator that collects and organizes blogs.
• An aggregator collects and organizes blogs.
Rejecting Redundancies.
Expressions that repeat meaning or include unnecessary words are redundant.
Example:
• Absolutely essential - essential
• Adequate enough - adequate
• Basic fundamentals - fundamentals or
Purging Empty Words.
Familiar phrases roll off the tongue easily, but many contain expendable parts. Be alert to these
empty words and phrases: case, degree, the fact that, factor, instance, nature, and quality.
Examples:
2
7 Cs of Communication are the principles that help writers and speakers to communicate effectively. It
becomes easier for the sender and the receiver to share and understand the shared knowledge at the
same level of understanding.
1. Completeness
The message is considered as complete when it includes all the facts and the necessary
information to achieve the desired response.
Provide all necessary information by applying 5 W’s checklist.
Who, What, When, Where and Why
Answer all the questions asked.
Give something extra when desired
Bad Example
I wanted to inform you that we will have a meeting tomorrow.
Good Example
I wanted to remind you about tomorrow's meeting regarding ONLINE TEACHING. The meeting
will be held in the conference room from 10 am to 11 am.
2. Conciseness
Conciseness means to communicate in the least possible words with sacrificing the other 7 C’s of
communication.
Eliminate flabby expressions.
As you revise, focus on eliminating flabby expressions.
Example:
In due course – Soon | Few in Number – Few
1
, As a general rule – generally | At this point in time – Presently
Limiting Long Lead-Ins. Another way to create concise sentences is to delete unnecessary
introductory words.
Example:
• I am sending you this e-mail to announce that a new manager has been hired.
• A new manager has been hired.
Dropping Unnecessary There is/are and it is/was Fillers.
In many sentences the expressions there is/are and it is/was function as unnecessary fillers.
Eliminate them by recasting the sentence.
Example:
• It was a Facebook post that revealed the news.
• A Facebook post revealed the news.
• There is an aggregator that collects and organizes blogs.
• An aggregator collects and organizes blogs.
Rejecting Redundancies.
Expressions that repeat meaning or include unnecessary words are redundant.
Example:
• Absolutely essential - essential
• Adequate enough - adequate
• Basic fundamentals - fundamentals or
Purging Empty Words.
Familiar phrases roll off the tongue easily, but many contain expendable parts. Be alert to these
empty words and phrases: case, degree, the fact that, factor, instance, nature, and quality.
Examples:
2
