Spoken English conversation at Oxford School of English

Steer conversation with the 7 C of Communication

-Published on 07th April 2021 by Oxford School of English-

In very simple terms, communication refers to the act of transmitting a message containing information in such a way that the recipient receives and understands it effectively. Communication is a two-way process, and it forms the basis of all interpersonal interactions around us, be it in a personal or a professional setting. The 7 C of communication are a set of 7 principles that guide meaningful and effective communication. Let’s take a look at them!

1.Clarity The message to be conveyed must be clear and well explained so that the recipient has no difficulty in understanding it. A message can be made adequately clear by the use of appropriate words that accurately and effectively get the message across.

2.Conciseness According to this principle, the message that is intended to be conveyed should be crisp and concise. People appreciate it when messages are to the point and don’t beat about the bush. Keeping a message concise saves everyone time, effort and even money.

3.Completeness An incomplete message makes it difficult for the recipient to understand and fully grasp information, so a message should convey all the relevant information so that the recipient can properly assimilate the information delivered and take action (if required) with full knowledge of what has been asked of them.

4.Coherence When a message contains disconnected or irrelevant pieces of information, the recipient gets confused. Therefore, it is important to ensure that all the pieces of information in a message are well-connected and relevant to the topic, as well as keeping the tone of the conversation consistent with the topic.

5.Correctness For a message to be effectively communicated, it should contain information that is factually correct to the best of the communicator’s knowledge. Also, grammar and spellings should also be cross checked to ensure accuracy.

6.Concreteness The principle of concreteness says that a message should have all the relevant facts, figures and all other relevant information clearly contained, so that the message is ‘solid’ and gives the recipient a clear idea of the topic being discussed.

7.Courtesy Last but not in any way the least, courtesy is, as we all know, what helps to sweeten the deal. The sender should be empathetic and compose the message keeping the recipient’s mindset and sentiments in mind so that the communication is open, friendly and with all good intentions.