The 7 Cs of Communication

Whether it’s writing emails, getting into calls, participating in meetings, engaging in conversation, creating reports, or making presentations, our days are spent for the most part communicating. How we can make sure that we communicate in the clearest, most effective way possible is thus an important skill to learn and possess. 

Fortunately, the 7 Cs of Communication, from Cutlip and Center in their book Effective Public Relations, provides a checklist that can help improve our communication skills and increase the chance that our message will be understood in the way we intended. Read on to learn abut these 7 principles of communication.

Clarity.

A message should be clear and easily understandable to the recipient. Clarity implies emphasizing a specific message or goal at a time, rather than trying to achieve too much at once. The message must be put in simple terms. Words used must have exactly the same meaning to the sender as they do to the receiver. Complex messages must be distilled into simpler terms, and the farther a message must travel, the simpler it should be.

Correct.

Correct messages have a greater impact on the receiver, at the same time the morale of the sender increases with accurate message. Correct could simply entail double-checking for mistakes. It could also be addressing people the right way and spelling their names correctly.

Concise.

Keep messages brief, avoid repetition, and delete unnecessary adjectives and "filler words," like "kind of" or “basically.” Conciseness, thus, means wordiness – communicating what you want to convey in least possible words. A short and brief message is more comprehensive and helps in retaining the receiver’s attention.

Concrete.

Detail is important, but not too much. Try to include some "standout" facts, and make sure you have a laser-sharp focus on your key message. Only the most important and necessary information should be mentioned in the message so as to substantiate whatever the sender is saying.

Coherent.

A message needs to have a logical flow. All sentences in an email or report should be connected to the previous one and stick to the main topic. Without coherence, the reader will easily lose track of what you have conveyed. This will also help to keep the tone and flow of your message consistent.

Complete.

A message must include all the relevant information as required by the intended audience. Supply your audience with all the information that it will need to make an informed decision or take action. Complete information gives answers to all the questions and helps in better decision-making by the recipient.

Courteous.

This implies that the sender must take into consideration both the feelings and viewpoints of the receiver such that the message is positive and focused. The message should not be biased and must include terms that show respect for the recipient. This means having a friendly, open, and honest tone, and avoiding hidden insults or a passive-aggressive tone.

All of us communicate every day. The better we communicate, the more credibility we’ll have with our clients, our boss, and our colleagues. Awareness – and use – of the 7 Cs of communication makes you an effective communicator.