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The Seven Cs of Effective Communication: 1. Completeness: Provide all necessary information.

1. Who? 2. What? 3. When? 4. Where? 5. Why? & How?

1. Answer all questions. a. stated questions from questioner b. implied questions from questioner. 2. Give something extra when desirable. E A!P"E# A software distributor$ when replying to a dealer%s letter$ answered only four of seven questions# Activity: 1. &rite an announcement for a concert.

2.Im new to the city and would like to consider joining your club. As I will be visiting your club within the month, will your please tell me where the next meeting will be held? 'n your reply to this letter include a welcome plus such needed details as directions for reaching the building$ par(ing facilities$ day$ date and time of meeting$ and perhaps also the programme for the next meeting. )our message will then have the *something extra% that a reader really appreciates.

2. Conciseness# &hat is really relevant+


1. ,se one word in place of phrases. 2. -mit outdated trite expressions. .. "oo( for unnecessary repetitions# /oes the same word or idea appear too often+
Wordy At this time /ue to the fact that 2ave need for 'n due course Please find attached the list you requested Allow me to say how helpful your response was
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Concise 4ow 0ecause 4eed 5oon 6he list you requested is attached )our response was helpful 1

3. Consideration: )our attitude$ empathy$ the human touch$ understanding of human nature.
1. 5ee your material from the reader%s point of view. 2. 7)ou8 is more desirable that 7'8 or 7&e8 in most instances. .. 9eaders li(e to see benefits. 0e sure benefits are prominent part of the message. :. 1onsciously use positive words# 9eaders will react more favourably. E A!P"E5# I am delighted to announce that we will be extending our hours to make shopping more convenient. )ou will be able to shop evenings with the extended hours. You failed to enclose your check in the envelope. 6he chec( was not enclosed. ;Passive voice< -9 the envelope we received did not have a chec( in it. ;/epersonali=ed< It is impossible to open an account for you today. As soon as your signature card reaches us we will gladly open an > Activity: 1. &rite a sentence to show you are considerate. C E!"#"$"T% &' %&( C&))(*"CAT"&* Competence# /oes the sender of the message (now his or her message+ Character# /oes the audience perceive the message sender as communicating honestly+ Composure# /oes the ender give the impression of being calm and collected$ particularly in a stressful situation+ Socia+ility# /oes the sender come across as a li(eable individual+ E,troversion# /oes the source exhibit outgoing tendencies rather than timidity#
!c1ros(ey$ ?. 1.$ 2olridge$ &. @ 6oomb$ ?. A. ;1BC:< An instrument for measuring the source of basic speech communication instructors.

-. Concreteness: 0eing specific$ definite and vivid.


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1. 0e precise in using facts and figures wherever possible. 2. Prefer active voice over passive. .. Put action in verbs and not in nouns. a. 6he subDect does not do the acting in a sentence. b. 6he verb consists of two or more words$ one of which is in some form of *to be% ;is$ is being$ am$ are$ was$ were$ will be$ etc.< c. 6he word *by% is expressed or implied ;by whom or what< The tests were administered by the professors. Professors administered the tests. Active verbs help ma(e your sentences more helpful$ personal$ concise and emphatic. E A!P"E5# The function of this office is the collection of payments. This office collects payments. Eastern Europe investments. is making progress in obtaining

In 1990 investments in Eastern Europe were about $30 million; today that fi ure has increased by 1!". Grades of students will be sent university. The university will send students# rades. 5ometimes words lead to uncertainty 5lightly !ost small a few soon slow early about high several almost very to you by the

.. Clarity: ,sing precise$ concrete and familiar words.


After our perusal of pertinent data, the conclusion is that a lucrative market exists for the subject property.

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The data we studied show that your property is profitable and in hi h demand. 1. 1hoose as precise or as concrete a word as possible. 2. -pt for the familiar word$ the one that is not pretentious. .. "imit average sentences length to 1CE2F words. :. 'nsert no more that one main idea into a sentence. G. Arrange words so that the main idea occurs early in a sentence. E A!P"E5# His report was about managers, broken down by age and gender. $is report focused on a e and ender of mana ers. The airplane finally approached the speed of sound and it became very difficult to control. %s it finally approached the speed of sound& the airplane became very difficult to control. Being an excellent lawyer, I am sure you can help us. 'ein an e(cellent lawyer& you can surely help us. %s you are an e(cellent lawyer& I am sure you ). (nity in a sentence H whether simple$ compound or complex H means you have one main idea$ and any other ideas in the sentence must be closely related to it. 3or example$ I like Jim and Eiffel Tower is in Paris, is not a unified sentence. Coherent sentences have words correctly arranged so that the ideas clearly express intended meaning. Emphasi/e on important ideas and parts of the sentences and paragraphs. Iisuals li(e headings$ bullet points$ numbering$ etc.$ clarify your message.

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0. Courtesy: 0eing sincere$ thoughtful and appreciative


%s* yourself+ ,oes the communication have a sincere attitude Is it tactful 'e cautious in usin humour. 'e careful in usin discriminatory lan ua e+ treat each respect.

ender with

E A!P"E5# 5tupid letter$ ' can%t understand any of it. It#s my understandin ) 1learly$ you did not ready my latest fax. .ometimes my wordin is not precise; let us try a ain ' rewrote that letter three timesJ the point was clear. I#m sorry the point was not clear; here is another version.

&fficial correspondence within an organi=ation will vary from that which is outside the organi=ation. "oo( at the following emails#
Aami$ give us a call at .:G2 and give me the number of the report you%re sending along to the IP.

A fax or letter to a foreign company would not be blunt or shortJ instead would have a few more tactful words#
't was (ind of you to write and extend holiday greetings. 2ere in Pa(istan$ the Eid season is a high point of the year. 6han( you for your regards. 0ecause your company receives many reports from 1hina and your company$ we need the number of the report you sent us in -ctober. &e need this in order that our electronic files can easily find it in the system. &e then wish to send the report along to our Iice President of !ar(eting.

1ompare the two emails above.

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1mit Irritatin E(pressions

4o reader wants to receive messages that offend. 6hey are referred to as irritating expressions or questionable humour. Always use expressions that show respect. "aughter to one person is disgust for another person as each of us has a different sense of humour. A flippant attitude can be poor in taste. &hen in doubt be more formal H leave out the humour.

1ompare the following two notes. 0oth are informal$ but one is also courteous. /uestionable humour0 4ote 1

'ontrary to your inferen"e( You are probably ignorant of the fa"t( You "laim that( You did not tell us( You failed to( You forgot to( You have to( You leave us no "hoi"e( !e dont believe( !e e)pe"t you to( !e find it diffi"ult to believe that(

Hey man, whats this I hear about the good news. You sure pulled a fast one this past weekend and then didnt tell any of us about it. Give my regards to the little lady. And wish her the best she will need it.

4ote 2
!arm "ongratulations on your wedding# !ell, you "ertainly took us by surprise. In fa"t, $ust a few of us even suspe"ted you were taking off to get married. %ut even though we didnt hear about it until later, we&my wife and I&wish you the best. Give our warm regards to your new partner.

Activity: &rite a note as an instructor to your students intimating that they have submitted an assignment late.

1. Correctness# the right level of language$ accuracy$ and acceptable mechanics


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5elect the right level of language for your communication either formal or informal. 9eali=e that formal language is most often used in business communication. 1hec( for correct figures$ facts$ and words. Apply the principles of accepted mechanics to your writing. 6here are three levels of language# formal, informal, substandard.

'ormal 2ritin3 is often associated with scholarly writing$ doctoral dissertations$ scholarly articles$ legal documents$ etc. "nformal 2ritin3 is often more characteristic of business writing H even more so if that writing occurs in an email message.

)ore 'ormal Participate Procure Endeavour Ascertain /eem Edifice ,tili=e 'nterrogate

$ess 'ormal ?oin Get 6ry 6ry 3ind out 6hin( ;believe< ,se Luestion

The list of Less Formal has words that are short, well-known, and conversational. Avoid substandard language. ,sing incorrect words$ incorrect grammar$ faulty pronunciation all suggests inability to use good English. Su+standard Ain%t 1an%t hardly Aim at proving /esirous to 'rregardless 5toled 0rung 5hould of Standard 'sn%t$ aren%t 1an hardly Aim to prove /esirous of 9egardless 5tolen 0rought 5hould have

4o2 correct are your facts and fi3ures5 Some useful tips: Ierify your statistical data.
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/oubleEchec( on the totals Avoid guessing as they impact the message$ the sender and the receiver. 2ave someone else chec( on your especially if it involves data. /etermine whether a fact has changed over time. Avoid usin3 2ords that confuse. "anguages change constantly. 2owever$ dictionaries are still a maDor source for locating correct words and their intended meaning and usage. 3ind out if you confuse the following# A$ an ,se a before consonants and consonant sounds or a long *u% sound. ,se an before vowels or a silent h Accept$ Acce t is a verb that means to receive. E!ce t is a verb or a except preposition and relates to omitting or leaving out. Anxious$ An!ious implies worry$ ea"er conveys (een desire eager 0etween$ #etween involves two people or two groups$ amon" three or among more. 1ontinual$ $ontinual means *recurring regularly%J continuous means continuous without stopping 1ounsel$ $ounsel means ;as a verb< *to advise% and ;as a noun< *lawyer%. council $ouncil is a noun in an advisory or governing group. Effect$ 'n business usage only *effect% is a noun$ it means *result%$ affect *condition% or *influence%. 0oth words are verbs H to effect is *to bring about%J to affect is *to influence%. 3arther. Farther is more used to express distance in spaceJ further for 3urther distance in time$ quality or degree. 'mply$ Im l% means *to institute% or *suggest%J infer means *to infer conclude%. A writer implies a reader infers. "ay$ laid$ A person or a sheet lies ;rests< on the bed$ but a person la%s the lie$ lay$ lain boo( on the table or la%s himself or herself on the bed. 'f you can substitute lace&s' and answer what+ use the proper tense of la%.

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