BCOM (6411) Syed Hisham Ahmed - 21583

The 7 Cs of Communication
Think of how often you communicate with people during your day. You write emails, facilitate meetings, participate in
conference calls, create reports, devise presentations, debate with your colleagues… the list goes on.

We can spend almost our entire day communicating. So, how can we provide a huge boost to our productivity? We
can make sure that we communicate in the clearest, most effective way possible.

This is why the 7 Cs of Communication are helpful. The 7 Cs provide a checklist for making sure that your meetings,
emails, conference calls, reports, and presentations are well constructed and clear – so your audience gets your
message.

According to the 7 Cs, communication needs to be:

• Clear.
• Concise.
• Concrete.
• Considerate.
• Correct.
• Complete.
• Courteous.

In this article, we look at each of the 7 Cs of Communication, and we'll illustrate each element with both good and bad
examples.

1. Clear
When writing or speaking to someone, be clear about your goal or message. What is your purpose in communicating
with this person? If you're not sure, then your audience won't be sure either.

To be clear, try to minimize the number of ideas in each sentence. Make sure that it's easy for your reader to
understand your meaning. People shouldn't have to "read between the lines" and make assumptions on their own to
understand what you're trying to say.

Bad Example

Hi John,

I wanted to write you a quick note about Daniel, who's working in your department. He's a great asset, and I'd like to
talk to you more about him when you have time.

Best,

Skip
BCOM (6411) Syed Hisham Ahmed - 21583

Good Example:

Hi John,

As you might be aware, we recently added Agency365 as a new client. Yesterday I met with the digital marketing
team to go over the campaign specifications for this project. I would like Daniel Radcliff from your department to work
on this new campaign as well because he did an excellent job handling the digital media campaign for Krave mart the
last time. Would you be available tomorrow at any point to talk more about this?

Best,

Skip

2. Concise
When you're concise in your communication, you stick to the point and keep it brief. Your audience doesn't want to
read six sentences when you could communicate your message in three.

• Are there any adjectives or "filler words" that you can delete? You can often eliminate words like "for
instance," "you see," "definitely," "kind of," "literally," "basically," or "I mean."
• Are there any unnecessary sentences?
• Have you repeated the point several times, in different ways?

Bad Example

Hi Matt,

I wanted to touch base with you about the email marketing campaign we kind of sketched out last Thursday. I really
think that our target market is definitely going to want to see the company's philanthropic efforts. I think that could
make a big impact, and it would stay in their minds longer than a sales pitch.

For instance, if we talk about the company's efforts to become sustainable, as well as the charity work we're doing in
local schools, then the people that we want to attract are going to remember our message longer. The impact will just
be greater.

What do you think?

Jessica

Good Example:

Hi Matt,

I wanted to talk about the email marketing campaign we discussed last Thursday. Our target audience is curious to
learn about the company's charitable endeavors. I believe it would have a bigger effect and help people remember
our message for longer.

How do you feel about it?

Jessica
BCOM (6411) Syed Hisham Ahmed - 21583

3. Concrete
When your message is concrete, then your audience has a clear picture of what you're telling them. There are details
(but not too many!) and vivid facts, and there's laserlike focus. Your message is solid.

Bad Example

Consider this advertising copy:

The Lunchbox Wizard will save you time every day.

Good Example:

Do you spend too much time early morning preparing the meals for your children for school? Not anymore! The
Lunchbox Wizard has your back, so stop worrying! Lunch for your child that is economical, nutritious, and full. To
offer your children a healthy lunch every day, simply remove a complete Lunchbox Wizard from your fridge each day.

4. Correct
When your communication is correct, it fits your audience. And correct communication is also error-free
communication.

• Do the technical terms you use fit your audience's level of education or knowledge?
• Have you checked your writing for grammatical errors? Remember, spell checkers won't catch everything.
• Are all names and titles spelled correctly?

Bad Example

Hi Daniel,

Thanks so much for meeting me at lunch today! I enjoyed our conservation, and I'm looking forward to moving ahead
on our project. I'm sure that the two-weak deadline won't be an issue.

Thanks again, and I'll speak to you soon!

Best,

Jack Miller

Good Example:

Hi Daniel,

Thank you so much for meeting me at lunch today! I enjoyed our conversation, and I am looking forward to moving
ahead on our project. I am sure that the two-week deadline will not be an issue.

Thanks again, and I will speak to you soon!

Best,

Jack Miller
BCOM (6411) Syed Hisham Ahmed - 21583

5. Considerate
It is very important in to keep your target audience in mind when communicating. You should always consider
receiver’s interests/intentions.

Bad Example

Dear Customer,

I will be in the shop for extended hours every day.

Thanks,

Michelle

Good Example:

Dear Customer,

I will be working extra hours every day in the shop, and you are more than welcome to come by anytime. It is always
a pleasure having you over at our place. See you soon!

Thanks,

Michelle

6. Complete
In a complete message, the audience has everything they need to be informed and, if applicable, take action.

• Does your message include a "call to action", so that your audience clearly knows what you want them to
do?
• Have you included all relevant information – contact names, dates, times, locations, and so on?

Bad Example

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to send you all a reminder about the meeting we're having tomorrow!

See you then,

Chris

Good Example:

Hi everyone,

Just a friendly reminder that the meeting on the new interest rates policy is tomorrow. The meeting will start at ten
o'clock. at the conference room on level three. Please be there on time. In case you can't make it, just let me know.

See you then,

Chris

7. Courteous
Courteous communication is friendly, open, and honest. There are no hidden insults or passive-aggressive tones.
You keep your reader's viewpoint in mind, and you're empathetic to their needs.

Bad Example

Jeff,

I wanted to let you know that I don't appreciate how your team always monopolizes the discussion at our weekly
meetings. I have a lot of projects, and I really need time to get my team's progress discussed as well. So far, thanks
to your department, I haven't been able to do that. Can you make sure they make time for me and my team next
week?

Thanks,

Phil

Good Example:

Hi Jeff!

I wanted to send you a brief email to request a favor. Your staff performs an excellent job of emphasizing their
progress during our weekly meetings. But doing so takes away from the time my team has to highlight our
accomplishments. Please allow my team a little additional time each week so they may finish writing their progress
reports. Thank you so much, and if there is anything I can do to help, let me know.

Thanks,

Phil