The 7 Cs of Communication

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 7Cs, communication needs to be:

1. Clear

2. Concise

3. Concrete

4. Correct

5. Coherent

6. Complete

7. Courteous

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.

2. Concise

When you are 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.

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. Your message is solid.

Look at these two examples:

For Example:

a) The Lunchbox Wizard will save you time every day.

b) How much time do you spend every day packing your kids‘ lunches? No more! Just take a complete Lunchbox Wizard from your refrigerator each day to give your kids a healthy lunch AND have more time to play or read with them!

4. Correct

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

5. Coherent

When your communication is coherent, it‘s logical. All points are connected and relevant to the main topic, and the tone and flow of the text is consistent.

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?

7. Courteous/consideration

Courteous communication is friendly, open, and honest and does not illicit emotions. There are no hidden insults or passive aggressive tones. You keep your reader‘s viewpoint in mind, and you‘re empathetic to their needs. You must always put yourself in the shoes of the person you are talking to and ask yourself how you would feel if you were to be addressed the way you are addressing your receiver. Consideration in communication creates a healthy work environment.