What are 7cs of communication?
The 7cs of communication is a list of seven principles that one must follow when communicating verbally or nonverbally to ensure that the message is effectively sent to the receiver.
The 7cs of effective communication are:
- Clear
- Correct
- Complete
- Concrete
- Concise
- Coherent
- Courteous
Explain of 7 c’s of communication with Examples
1. Clear:
For the receiver to understand what you are trying to convey in your message, it must be clear. If not, time and energy will be wasted on the recipient getting back and forth to you for clarification or more information. The best way to ensure that your message is clear is to stick to the point/purpose and provide detailed information. Refrain from adding unnecessary information in one go as it will only confuse the receiver.
Example: Let’s say you want to call a team meeting in the afternoon.
If you send a message saying “Team meeting to decide what our social media calendar needs to track in the coming month while reviewing this month’s post performances and formulating ideas for new materials in the afternoon at the conference room,” it would be a bit confusing for the receiver as many agendas are piled up in one go. Moreover, if the exact timing and location of the meeting is not mentioned, the message remains unclear and incomplete.You can simply go with, “There will be a team meeting to discuss the next month’s social media calendar in the conference room (mention room number if you have more than one) at 1:00 PM.”
2. Correct:
In written communication, from grammar to spelling, the message needs to be correct for the receiver to understand it fully. Moreover, the information included, such as dates or data, needs to be accurate. Always proofread what you have drafted before sending it and avoid using shortcuts such “talk 2 u ltr.”
Example: “The project will be completed in 1 weak.”
As you can see from the spelling errors to double spacing, there are three mistakes in the sentence above. The sentence loses its meaning and it looks rather unprofessional.When we have to send too many emails or texts in a day, we tend to just hit the send button without double-checking it, and can make many mistakes even in a small sentence. Hence, proofreading is a must.
The correct example would be, “The project will be completed in 1 week.”
Also read: Types Of Group Discussion
3. Complete:
A message must have all the required information for it to be complete. An incomplete message will confuse the receiver, and the response you get would likely be for more information.
Example: Instead of saying, “I haven’t received the report I asked for.”,
4. Concrete:
For a sentence to be concrete, the sender must provide the receiver with facts or figures. This way, there will be no room for misinterpretation as the receiver will know exactly what the sender is trying to say.
Example: Let’s say a social media manager gives feedback to one of his team members. Rather than saying, “The engagement rate for XYZ is quite low. We need to try to achieve ABC’s rate.”
5. Concise:
When sending a message, the sender should stick to the point and avoid adding additional yet unnecessary information, sentences or even words. So, you should avoid repeating the same point or sentence and using too many filler words such as “I mean” or “You see” or “For instance”
Example: “I think we should talk about the office Holi celebration, I mean the one which we always do every year. I think we should all participate in the preparation as I believe it will be good for team building. Basically, we could ask each member their ideas on how we should celebrate. For instance, we could ask them if they’d want to play with rangoli or water balloons.”
The sentence above makes the sender seem uncertain and unconfident. Moreover, the word fillers make the message much longer than it should be.A better way to convey the above message would be, “We need to discuss the annual office Holi celebration. Let’s call a team meeting tomorrow at 2:00 pm so that the entire team can participate as well.”
6. Coherent:
A message should be logical and consistent. The points mentioned should be related to the subject matter. Even the tone used should remain the same.
Example: Let’s say you are replying to an email about XYZ report.
Dear Siya, I’ve gone through the XYZ report and forwarded it to Eshanya for final review. She will be giving you the feedback once she is done.
Also, Eshanya would like to know if you will be able to join us for the team meeting tomorrow. I need to finalise the budget for the Aurora Project.
Also, I have attached the JK report you asked for here.
Regards
Mike.
If you take a look at the email response example above, you will see that Miles has added three different topics in one email.
The right response would be:
Dear Siya, I’ve gone through the XYZ report and forwarded it to Eshanya for final review. She will be giving you the feedback once she is done.
Regards
Mike.
You must avoid this by focusing only on the subject matter. If need be, compose different emails with proper subject lines.
Also read: Self Management Skills
7. Courteous:
When communicating, the message needs to come across as sincere and thoughtful. So, depending on the relationship you have with the person you communicate with, ensure that you use the right tone and avoid using vulgar language or worse. The manner and language you use dictate how the conversation will proceed:
Download 7 C’s of Communication: PDF
5 Tips to Improve Your 7cs of Effective Communication
If you feel your message is often not compelling and that you need to work on your communication skills, here are our tips on how to improve your 7cs of communication
1. Know Your Audience
You need to connect with the person you are conversing with to have a successful conversation. You need to know with whom you can be formal or informal. This way, you will know how to set the right tone for effective communication.
2. Mind Your Body Language
If you talk to someone face-to-face, you need to mind your body language. Maintain eye contact when you or they are speaking. If you are at a workplace, sit or stand straight but not too straight to the point that you are uncomfortable.
3. Active Listening
While they are speaking, listen to them rather than formulating your response in your head. People want to know that what they say is heard and valued. Pay attention to them and what they are saying. This will help you in enhancing your active listening skills.
4. Be Confident
If you are a shy person or someone who fears public speaking, you can boost your confidence by joining an improv class or any other class that involves activities where you would have to communicate with other people.
5. Follow The Seven C’s Of Communication
Following the 7cs of communication, which is clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete, and courteous, will make your communication more effective and successfully delivered to the receiver.
We hope this article helps you improve your 7cs of communication skills and get your messages sent successfully.
We will leave you here with our best wishes.
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