7 C's of Communication | The Effective Communication Checklist (2024)

7 C's of communication is an effective communication checklist that includes clarity, completeness, conciseness, coherence, correctness, concreteness & courtesy

Effective communication is not merely how you communicate based on your knowledge & wisdom; the art of effective communication is how you value people’s need, interest, concern, expectation, and feeling while communicating.

We communicate at home, at work, at the sports club, and with our neighbors. We spend almost entire life communicating with others; how credible your communication skills are? Well, that depends upon how credible values you created for others based upon your deliverable.

This checklist of effective communication is applicable for presentation, public speaking, email writing, article writing, Advertisement and drafting business procedures & policies

The 7 C’s of communication is also called as the seven principles of communication; this principle is very useful for effective business communication; even politicians, public servants, and social workers have to use this principle of effective communication.

What is the 7 C's of Communication

Here is the checklist for effective communication,

Clarity

Clarity means when you are speaking or writing, you have to be clear to your message or goals. You have to write short sentence explicitly based on your purpose of communication.

To write a clear message, write short sentences, avoid parenthesis, stick to the point and be specific to the call to action sentence. Make sure that the message is easy to understand by the reader.

Example

Substandard form

Hi Alison,

Please confirm your availability for the planned outage of 1AM-3AM on 26-08-2018 and 2AM-4AM on 27-08-2018 as you have been already informed about the plan and make sure to confirm your delegation if you are not available.

Best

Jack

Standard Form

Hi Alison,

Please confirm your availability for the below mentioned two outage plans,

Plan 1: 1AM-3AM, 26-08-2018

Plan 2: 2AM-4AM, 27-08-2018

If you are not available for the plans, please confirm your delegation.

Best Wishes

Jack

Conciseness

Concise messages should have consistency in storylines, well-mentioned facts, systematic implementation, supporting information, and clarity to the point in brief.
Avoid using unnecessary sentences & adjectives, keep the message as short as possible and filter out repeated words.

Example

Substandard Form

Hi Nelson,

As per the latest order of company board meeting held on last Monday, I want to share a detail regarding our company’s decision to expand retail outlets across rural Canada. The company has ordered me to prepare a report on feasibility analysis with you and we have to submit that report within next Monday.

Please let me know when you are available to work with me for preparing the feasibility report.

Thanks

Richard

Standard Form

Hi Nelson,

As per the latest order of company board meeting held on last Monday, the board has ordered us to complete the feasibility report on expanding retail outlets across rural Canada within next Monday.

Please let me know when you are available to prepare that report.

Thanks

Richard

Correctness

Try to avoid grammatical errors, use technical terms for effective communication; spell checker often doesn’t work for detecting the grammatical errors.

You can also use Grammarly, it’s a free tool to improve your writing skill and it checks grammatical error, spelling mistakes and helps you to fix it.

Example

Substandard Form

Hi John,

Please develop affectivecommunication skill.

Thanks

Michal

Standard Form

Hi John,

Please develop effective communication skill

Thanks

Michal

Completeness

Your message should complete all the facts, figures, and supporting information so that readers can understand what you want to let them know. For example, if you are asking the reader, you specific of what you want from the reader; if you want to inform the reader, be specific of what you want to inform.

Example

Substandard Form

Hi Lara,

I have asked you to submit the report on email marketing campaign by yesterday; you have neither submitted nor informed me yet. Please submit the report within the end of the day.

Regards

Phillip

Standard Form

Hi Lara,

You missed the deadline; please submit the report on email marketing campaign by EOD.

Thanks

Phillip

Coherence

You have to be logical, consistent and follow the systematic approach while delivering a speech, writing an email or preparing a presentation.

Example

Substandard Form

Hi Melina,

You have not responded to my last email regarding your feedback on our new employee retention strategy, please provide the feedback sooner.

Thanks

Bob

Standard Form

Hi Melina,

Please provide feedback on new employee retention strategy ASAP.

Thanks

Bob

Concreteness

Concreteness means you are providing your reader or listener a clear, solid and direct message. You should be specific and short as much as possible.

Example

Substandard Form

Hi Johnny,

You are requested to report on coming Saturday for your joining at our company. Please complete the joining formalities on the same day.

Best Wishes

Brainy

Standard Form

Hi Johnny,

Please report on coming Saturday for completing joining formalities at our company.

Best Wishes

Brainy

Courtesy

You have to be friendly, honest, and courteous, charm the audience by keeping their view in your mind. Be positive and use terms “they, we” to engage a larger audience while speaking.

Example

Substandard Form

Stormy,

You did a great mistake, you were supposed to submit the report on yesterday, you are yet to complete the report “New Drug Delivery System”, report me by EOD.

Thanks

Ronald

Standard Form

Hi Stormy,

Please submit the report “New Drug Delivery System” by EOD.

You missed the deadline, don’t be sluggish.

Thanks

Ronald

7 C's of Communication | The Effective Communication Checklist (2024)

FAQs

7 C's of Communication | The Effective Communication Checklist? ›

When the communication process is described in elements or components rather than sequential steps, the terms "sender" and "receiver" may be listed to clarify the process's participants. Thus, the seven elements are sender, idea formation, encoding, channel selection, receiver, decoding, and feedback.

What is the 7 point checklist for effective communication? ›

According to the 7 Cs, communication needs to be:
  • Clear.
  • Concise.
  • Concrete.
  • Correct.
  • Coherent.
  • Complete.
  • Courteous.

What are the 7 C's of effective communication? ›

The 7 Cs of Communication | Professional Academy
  • Clear. Clarity is ensuring what you're saying is communicated clearly and with no room for misunderstanding. ...
  • Concise. Convey your points in a succinct and concise way. ...
  • Concrete. ...
  • Correct. ...
  • Coherent. ...
  • Complete. ...
  • Courteous.

What are the 7 steps of effective communication? ›

How to Be an Effective Communicator in 7 Easy Steps
  • Identify Your Objectives. What do you hope to accomplish, either immediately or long term? ...
  • Listen Actively. Communication isn't just about what you say. ...
  • Note Your Body Language. ...
  • Know Your Audience. ...
  • Pace Yourself. ...
  • Choose the Right Time. ...
  • Be Clear.

What are the 7 elements of communication with definition? ›

When the communication process is described in elements or components rather than sequential steps, the terms "sender" and "receiver" may be listed to clarify the process's participants. Thus, the seven elements are sender, idea formation, encoding, channel selection, receiver, decoding, and feedback.

What is the 7 rule in communication? ›

The 7-38-55 Rule indicates that only 7% of all communication is done through verbal communication, the words we speak, whereas the nonverbal component of our daily communication, such as the tonality of our voice, make up 38% and 55% from the speaker's body language and facial expressions.

What are the 7 C of leadership? ›

The Social Change Model of Leadership based on seven dimensions, or values, called the “Seven C's”: consciousness of self, congruence, commitment, common purpose, controversy with civility, collaboration, and citizenship. All seven values work together to accomplish the transcendent “C” of change.

What are the 7 principles of communication PDF? ›

The Seven Principles of Effective
  • Completeness.
  • Conciseness.
  • Consideration.
  • Concreteness.
  • Clarity.
  • Courtesy.
  • Correctness.

What are the 7 types of communication? ›

Summary: Let's explore the seven types of communication: verbal, non-verbal, written, feedback, visual, group, and mass. Through examples like speaking, body language, emails, and more, we delve into how each communication form plays a unique role in effective interaction.

What are the 7 principles of effective communication explain each? ›

The seven C's of communication is a list of principles that you should ensure all of your communications adhere to. Their purpose is to help ensure that the person you're communicating with hears what you're trying to say. The seven C's are: clear, correct, complete, concrete, concise, considered and courteous.

What are the 7 steps in the communication cycle? ›

It includes seven stages:
  • Source.
  • Encoding.
  • Channel.
  • Decoding.
  • Receiver.
  • Feedback.
  • Context.

What are the seven strategies of effective communication? ›

7 effective strategies in communication
  • Convey important points clearly and concisely. ...
  • Use multiple modes of communication. ...
  • Be mindful of your tone. ...
  • Maintain awareness of your body language and nonverbal cues. ...
  • Know your audience. ...
  • Focus on what others say and acknowledge it. ...
  • Request and provide feedback.
Feb 2, 2024

What are 7Cs of effective communication? ›

The 7 Cs of Communication
  • Clear.
  • Concise.
  • Concrete.
  • Correct.
  • Coherent.
  • Complete.
  • Courteous.
Jun 26, 2022

What are the basic principles of communication? ›

The 8 basic principles of communication are clarity, timeliness, coherence, urgency, conciseness, correctness, courteousness, and completeness. Similar to Cialdini's principles of persuasion, the eight principles of communication are the driving force behind messaging that resonates and persuades.

What should all seven principles of communication be a part of? ›

Explanation: All seven principles of communication should be a part of effective communication, whether it is verbal, written, formal, or informal.

What are the 7 principles of effective communication? ›

The seven C's of communication is a list of principles for written and spoken communications to ensure that they are effective. The seven C's are: clear, correct, complete, concrete, concise, considered and courteous.

What is the rule of 7 in communications? ›

The Rule of 7 asserts that a potential customer should encounter a brand's marketing messages at least seven times before making a purchase decision. When it comes to engagement for your marketing campaign, this principle emphasizes the importance of repeated exposure for enhancing recognition and improving retention.

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