What Are the 7 Cs of Communication? A Checklist with Examples (2024)

The 7cs of communication are essential in achieving effective and meaningful communication. It guides you on how you can interact with people impactfully. Implementing these communication rules helps you build good connections and maintain your reputation.

The 7 Cs communication skills are helpful for any kind of communication. It can help you with your verbal as well as writing method of communication while maintaining the tone of your message. This approach is beneficial for both interpersonal communication and business communication. It makes communication easier to understand and increases the influence.

The 7 Cs of communication are the principles for making your ideas more impactful and practical. It leads to understandable and effective communication. It can be complicated to improve your communication skills without exercising the principles of 7cs. You will see the differences and recognize their importance once you practice them. The 7cs of effective communication are Concise, Complete, Coherent, Clear, Courteous, Concrete and Correct.

The longer your message is, the harder it can be for the audience to remember. It’s easy for people to lose attention when your message is long and includes a draggy explanation. Considering this fact, your message must be brief and to the point. Getting to the end of your message quickly and efficiently is essential. Being concise is one of the most important 7cs of communication. Avoid repetitions of the information. It saves your time while keeping your audiences engaged.

Don’t: Drag on and use unnecessary words.

Bad Example: “In order to possibly determine the outcome of the situation that we’re currently looking at, we might need more data.”

Do: Get straight to the point.

Good Example: “We need more data to determine the outcome.”

Providing answers to your listeners with logic, fact, and relevancy is crucial in any form of communication. You must provide complete information in your message without missing the major points. Do not hesitate to provide additional explanations for the complex messages. It makes your content more understandable as you provide details on what you’re saying. Moreover, it ensures that you do not leave any questions in the receiver’s mind or leave them wondering.

Don’t: Leave out crucial details or information.

Bad Example: “Send me the files.”

Do: Provide all necessary details.

Good Example: “Please send me the sales report files for March by the end of the day.”

Keeping your message related to the audience can aid influential communication. Structuring your message to suit your audience is a great way to keep your audience engaged throughout the conversation. You must acknowledge the background of your audience to structure your message coherently. Additionally, explaining your message in an organized order is important for properly understanding the intended message. Make sure the points of your message are logical and connected.

Don’t: Jump from topic to topic without a clear connection.

Bad Example: “Our sales increased last month. Did you see the new coffee machine in the pantry? We should target the Asian market next.”

Do: Ensure your message flows logically.

Good Example: “Our sales increased last month, especially in the Asian region. We should continue targeting the Asian market.”

Clarity is one of the most essential 7 Cs of communication. Your message should be easily understandable and not confuse your audience. Make your perception of communication clear, as you can’t make your audience understand unless you are clear on the message. Only you can carry clear ideas with relevant meanings in messages. While carrying your ideas forward, put them straight, using simple language to bring clarity to your speech or message.

Don’t: Use jargon or complicated words without explaining them.

Bad Example: “The ROI of our latest PPC campaign has surpassed our KPIs.”

Do: Make sure your message is easily understood.

Good Example: “The return on investment (ROI) of our latest pay-per-click (PPC) campaign has exceeded our key performance indicators (KPIs).”

Being courteous is another fundamental principle of the 7 C’s of communication. Be open and honest to the audience while communicating. You must be polite and respectful to your listeners. It doesn’t mean using just formal language and polite words. The use of informal language is okay, especially during casual communication. However, there must be a presence of respectful attitude in communication. Even if it’s not good news, it’s important to communicate positively and transparently. There should be no hidden insults in your message.

Don’t: Be blunt or insensitive.

Bad Example: “Your report was wrong.”

Do: Use polite and respectful language.

Good Example: “I think there might be some inaccuracies in the report. Let's review it together.”

Concrete means being confident and very focused on your information. You must ensure that your message is trustworthy. Keep your message straight and meaningful by supporting it with factual data and figures. Concreteness can be significant for businesses and is considered one of the most essential seven c’s of communication. You must include concrete details in your message in business communication. However, it is also important not to include too many of them to avoid confusion. The details must be specific to your message.

Don’t: Be vague or ambiguous.

Bad Example: “We had good sales last year.”

Do: Use specific details and facts.

Good Example: “Our sales increased by 20% last year, resulting in an additional $50,000 in revenue.”

Correctness plays a crucial role in ensuring effective communication. Your audience can not understand your intended message if you do not ensure correctness. Your message must be correct both grammatically and technically. It means your ideas and information must be error-free and based on facts and reality. It must not contain any inaccurate or false information. The errors, misstatements, and lies lead to ineffective communication, resulting in loss of confidence and trust issues.

Don’t: Use incorrect grammar or misinformation.

Bad Example: “There sales last month was good.”

Do: Ensure your message is grammatically and factually accurate.

Good Example: “Their sales last month were impressive.”

Communication is vital for everyone, whether for an individual or an organization. The 7 Cs of communication play a significant role in improving your communication to achieve effectiveness. It allows you to influence your audience with your words. Such perk applies to various sectors such as organization, business, and education. It helps improve your work efficiency and improve your business communication.

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The 7 Cs of communication refer to seven essential principles that enhance the clarity and impact of communication. They are: Concise, Complete, Coherent, Clear, Courteous, Concrete, and Correct.

The 7 C’s are pivotal for clarity and understanding in communication. They ensure messages are concise, accurate, and well-structured, improving audience engagement, fostering trust, and preventing misunderstandings.

A significant portion of communication is non-verbal. Studies suggest that up to 93% of communication can be non-verbal, though this varies depending on the context and type of interaction. Non-verbal cues include body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions, which are crucial in conveying emotions and intentions.

Professor Scott M. Cutlip and Allen H. Center published the book “Effective Public Relations“ in 1952. It was the first textbook about public relations that later introduced the 7cs of communication.

You can achieve conciseness in communication by keeping your message brief and accurate based on facts. You must avoid using filler words and unnecessary phrases in your message.

You can apply the 7cs of communication to various forms of business communication. You can practice it in speech, text messages, meetings, emails, or seminars. It helps businesses to ensure a proper and accurate exchange of information.

The 7 Cs of communication can be applied in both verbal and written communication. It helps deliver clear and effective messages in interpersonal and business communication.