There are 7 qualities of effective communication and each one of them begin with the alphabet "C". This brings us to the interesting topic called 7 Cs of Communication. The 7 Cs are:
- Completeness
- Conciseness
- Consideration
- Concreteness
- Clarity
- Courtesy
- Correctness
Completeness: One cannot have effective communication without completing it in the first place. Every communication must therefore be complete. The communication must convey all facts that are required or requested by the audience. The communication must answer all the WH questions - What?, When?, Who?, Why?, Where? and How?. Answering all these questions ensures that the communication is complete in all respects.
Conciseness: Although completeness is desired in a communication, care must be taken to ensure that only relevant information is provided. Any extra information that are not required by the audience can lead to waste of time and energy too. This is because the receiver then has to spend time to sift through the details to separate the relevant from the irrelevant.
Consideration: Consideration basically refers to remembering where the interest of the receiver lies and then communicating to satisfy that interest. One needs to think from the receivers' perspective and provide information as per their liking. This helps in striking a better deal due to effective communication.
Concreteness: It is always better to send messages that are specific instead of general. General messages often create an ambiguity which does not render itself to proper understanding at the first attempt. Sometimes ambiguous messages are so vague that the entire essence of the communication is lost.
Clarity: Clarity emphasizes on sending across a specific message or achieving a particular goal at a time rather than trying to achieve too much at once. One needs to use precise and familiar words to achieve clarity. Use of slang in communication makes the message unclear.
Courtesy: This C of communication refers to the 'You Attitude'. A message is never well received as long as it does not demonstrate professional courtesy. It is therefore very important to keep the feelings and perspective of the receiver in mind as the effectiveness of the communication is lost if the sender comes across as rude or offensive.
Correctness: This C of communication does not just mean delivering the apt message. It also involves usage of proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. All mechanics of writing must be followed and the message should be adjusted according to the situation - formal or informal, etc.
