COURTESYCLARITYCONCINESSCONCRETENESSCORRECTNESSCONSIDERATIONCOMPLETENESS

COURTESYExpressing perfunctorily, a sincere & genuine

expression that stems out of respect and care for others

Expects the speaker/writer to be aware of the listener's/reader’s feelings.

Essential for harmonious understanding.TIPS (to achieve courtesy in Communication)• Be sincere.• Avoid anger or extreme rapture.• Refrain from preaching. Apologize sincerely for any

omissions.• Use positive words & avoid negative.• Avoid all discriminating words.• EMPATHY in horizontal, BRIEF, COMPLETE &

RESPECTFUL in upward (avoid fawning) and BRIEF, CLEAR & COURTEOUS in downward communication

COURTESY: EXAMPLES

INCORRECT STYLE CORRECT STYLE

o“Please sign here” (impolite)

o“You fail to confirm the appointment with us” (negative)

o‘Look at the INDIAN manager! Doesn’t even realize that he is in a foreign country! Why does he speaks so loudly?’ (stereotyping)

o“Sir/Ma’am, would you please sign here?”

o“If you had confirmed your appointment with us, we certainly would have reserved a seat for you.”

o“The manager at the counter seems angry. Is he upset?

CLARITYExpressing through SIMPLE, PRECISE, FAMILIAR,

RIGHT WORDS and SHORT SENTENCES succeeds well.

Clarity usually depends upon PITHY of the expression, i.e., the concise one and full of meaning.

Clarity of thought comes from a careful consideration of the OBJECTIVE, CONTENT & MEDIUM of communication.

Writer/speaker must know what kind of words the receiver will accept.

EXAMPLE:oincorrect: “I am sorry I cannot grant you the request

unless you submit the statement for payment” (which payment?)

correct: “I am willing to consider your request provided you submit the invoice first.

CLARITY: DO’s & DON’T’s

DO’s DON’Ts

oUse simple, easy to understand words.

oUse single word for long phrases.

oAvoid redundant words.

oUse concrete expressions that have a visual impact on the mind and will be easy to remember.

oAvoid jargon, for it makes expression tedious & obscure.

oAvoid use of camouflaged words.

oAvoid use of passive voice.

oAvoid use of clichés/rubber stamp words.

oAvoid use of unfamiliar words.

oAvoid long, convoluted, bureaucratic style of writing.

CONCISENESSConciseness is a prerequisite to effective business

communication.Since time is money in business, a long message is a

time robber and business people reject such message in no time.

Achieved by eliminating all redundant words.Relevant words & phrases are the soul of business

communication.

EXAMPLE:oQ: “When will you submit the report?”A1: “Within the course of next week.” (Are you being

clear? Definite?)A2: “I’ll definitely try to submit by Wednesday.” (full of

vividness & conciseness)

CONCISENESS: Essentials

oOnly relevant facts.

oNo repetition.

oNo verbosity.

oProper organization of the message.

CONCRETENESSConcrete words provides CLARITY &

CONCISENESS.FIGURES, FACTS; NAMES, EXAMPLES & VIVID

NOUNS add a special touch to the expression.Concreteness means opposite to ABSTRACT or

VAGUE.Business communication needs to be PRECISE &

FACTUAL.

EXAMPLE:o“I will send the goods to the upper floor by noon.” (But

how?)“The goods will be sent by the conveyor belt to the upper

floor.”

o“The new manager seems pretty good in his work. Has an impressive track record.” (Exactly how impressive?)

“Mr. ABC, the new manager, has been associated with the WORLD BANK and GOI for the rehabilitation of the earthquake affected victims.”

CORRECTNESSCorrect use of grammar, message composition and

appropriate words and adapting the right level of communication to suit the receiver’s level determine the correctness of communication.

Adapting the right tone for conveying is the key to effectiveness.

Giving correct facts. At an appropriate time. In a suitable style.

EXAMPLE:o“I want to use you”, said the manager to the secretary.“What do you mean?” said the secretary. “Mind your words.”

The person immediately corrected himself and said“No, no, what I mean is that I want to use your services.”

CONSIDERATIONConsideration implies that the sender gives due

importance to the receiver.“YOU-ATTITUDE Approach” – consideration provides

a thoughtful approach to the communication.The sender composes the message keeping in mind

various factors like PRICE, DELIVERY DATE, SPECIFICATIONS, and other benefits from the receiver’s side.

EXAMPLE:o“We are delighted to inform that we have extended

shopping time by 2twohours.” (Why use ‘we’ so many times? Is it more important than ‘you’?)

“So that you will be able to shop freely, we have extended the shopping timing by two hours.”

COMPLETENESSConcern regarding how the matter has been put

across to the receiver of the message.The substance and the style of the message must go

hand in hand, apart from providing all necessary information, including something extra.

EXAMPLE:o“I sent you a letter hoping that I would receive a reply by

the end of this week. I still have not.” (Which letter? What was it about? When was it dated?)

“I sent you a letter dated on 2 June, about additional information of the shirt samples that you had sent for approval. I have still not received any reply from you. We are finalizing our order plan. If you send us the information, we will be able to consider your request for placing an order with you.”

The power of seven deadly C’s cannot be underestimated as they collectively form the base of any effective communication.. It is a power packed approach that lends credence to BUSINESS COMMUNICATION