In one line
The first four of the Seven Cs ask a business message to include all needed information, use no unnecessary words, keep the reader's needs in mind, and give specific facts rather than vague statements.
Explained simply
Imagine a message: 'Meeting tomorrow.' Which meeting? What time? Where? It is short but incomplete. Another message runs three paragraphs before saying the time. Complete but not concise. The Seven Cs balance all such qualities.
Technically, the Seven Cs of business writing are Completeness, Conciseness, Consideration, Concreteness, Clarity, Courtesy and Correctness. This explainer covers the first four.
How it works
- Completeness: give all information the reader needs to understand and act. Answer the 5 Ws and 1 H (who, what, when, where, why, how). Answer all questions asked, and add extra details where useful. Example: a meeting notice with date, time, venue, agenda and documents to bring.
- Conciseness: say it in the fewest words without losing meaning or courtesy. Remove wordy phrases and redundancy, and include only relevant points. 'Due to the fact that' becomes 'because'; 'at this point in time' becomes 'now'.
- Consideration: write from the reader's point of view, the 'you-attitude'. Focus on what the reader gets, emphasise positives, and respect their feelings. 'You will receive your refund by Friday' instead of 'We have processed the refund'.
- Concreteness: be specific, definite and vivid; use facts, figures, names and dates. 'The battery lasts 10 hours' instead of 'The battery lasts long'; 'Delivered on 5 March' instead of 'Delivered recently'.
Quick example
Weak: 'We would like to inform you that your order has been processed by us and will reach you soon in some days.' Improved: 'Good news: your order (No. 4521) for 20 drawing kits was dispatched today by Blue Dart and will reach you by 18 June. You can track it at the link below.' Complete (order number, items, courier, date, tracking), concise (no padding), considerate ('good news', 'you can track'), concrete (20 kits, 18 June).
Common mistakes
- Thinking conciseness means 'as short as possible'; it means no unnecessary words, while staying complete and polite.
- Confusing consideration (reader's viewpoint) with courtesy (politeness and respect).
- Giving definitions with no example for each C.
How MU asks it
Typical form: 'Explain the Seven Cs of business communication with examples' (6 marks). For each C, give a one-line definition, one guideline and a short weak-versus-improved example. Learn all seven in order; a summary table at the end helps.