The 7cs of Communication for an effective communication.

Communicating effectively is an art that can be learnt by remembering and practising certain principles of communication, and for that 7cs of communication play a great role. Effective communication is most essential for the smooth functioning of any organization. Whatever may be the channel or medium of communication, one has to follow certain scientific principles.

Francis J. Bergin 's  7CS of communication is worth mentioning here. In his opinion, communication to be effective should be Candid, Clear, Complete, Concise, Concrete, Correct and Courteous.

So let's understand these 7cs of communication.

7CS OF COMMUNICATION

1. Candid 

  The message which is to be communicated should be candid (straight forward, frank). It should not be indirect and untrue. 

To make communication effective, it is most imperative that the message should be frank and straight forward. One should not convey something that hinders (obstructs) the truth. If the sender is not truthful in preparing the message the receiver will begin to doubt the intention of the sender. As a result a sincere feedback cannot be obtained.

2. Clear

   The message which is to be communicated, whether oral or written, should be clear. For this, there should be clarity of expression and clarity of thought. It is the first and foremost requirement. Clear messages always come from clear minds and clear hearts. 

Since the message to be communicated is first produced in the mind of the sender, it is essential that sender's mind should have clear thought about the objectives of communication, their effect on the receiver and the channel to be used. The message should be clear without any confusion. Simple words should be chosen. The sender should avoid long phrases and long sentences. Short sentences are a key to clarity of the message.

The clearly thought-out message should be presented with clear expression to avoid ambiguous and confusion. The sender should be very careful about the meaning and organization of the words and symbols used in the communication.

3. Complete

     Completeness is necessary for effective communication. Incomplete message gives rise to misunderstanding and misinterpretations. It leads to further queries resulting in wastage of time and resources. It irritates the receiver. Therefore, every aspect and relevant detail should be put in logical sequence while composing the message. 

The sender should keep in his mind the 3 W's i.e. who, what, why while sending the message. 'Who' refers to the receiver, reader or listener. 'What' refers to the text, message or the topic. 'Why' refers to the message is sent.

4. Concise

     To retain the attention as well as to save the time of the reader, it is essential that the message should be concise, short or brief. Conciseness means conveying the message in fewest possible words without sacrificing it's completeness and clarity. If a message is written to the point and precise, the important ideas or points are very well identified.

On the other hand, if the sender gives unnecessary details in his message, the receiver might loose interest and get distracted resulting in ineffective communication and he is bored with unnecessary information.

5. Concrete

    The communicated statement should not be vague (unclear, confusing) rather should be concrete and specific. Concrete expressions create specific visual image in the mind of the receiver. For example :

(ⅰ) The price of washing machine is very high.

(ⅱ) The price of automatic washing machine is ₨.18,000.

The first statement is vague and general. To say that the price is very high, conveys different meanings to different people depending upon their economic background and perceptions. The second statement specifying "automatic washing machine" and "₨.18,000" is concrete and specific in expression because it presents definite facts. 

While writing business letters, memos, advertisements, reports, etc. one should always give concrete facts instead of making generalised statements.

6. Correct

     The message to be communicated should be correct in spelling, grammar, format, contents, statistical information, etc. Incorrect and inaccurate statements mislead the receiver, lower his confidence in the sender and destroy the image of the organization.

These (incorrect and inaccurate information or statements) may sometimes lead the management to take wrong decisions. Therefore, it's essential that the sender should verify the correctness of the knowledge before presenting it to the receiver.

7. Courteous

    A healthy communication environment is essential to ensure the effectiveness of communication. Courtesy and manner in the message play a dominating role in this regard. While communicating, it is necessary that we should be considerate, compassionate (kind) and friendly. 

We should avoid becoming sarcastic (insulting), impatient and irritated by being aware of ourselves. If it is necessary to criticise, we must be tactful in approach so that our communication does not fail.