The seven Cs of communication are an essential framework to ensure the professionalism, clarity and effectiveness of a wide range of materials produced for use in the workplace and in customer-facing environments.
The Impellus Effective Communication Skills course requires a thorough understanding of the principles as delegates writing the related assignment are asked to apply the seven Cs when assessing the quality of their own communications such as emails.
“However, if you master the seven Cs you will discover they are multi-taskers,” says Chris Burt, Leadership and management Assessor at Impellus, “and can be used as a benchmark to ensure anything you produce, from emails and instructions to presentations and reports, is clear, concise and effective.
“And if you are an ILM delegate tackling any assignment – not only Effective Communications Skills – you will find the seven Cs invaluable in helping to ensure you write with clarity and get your points across in a compelling way.”
Use the seven Cs to stay on course in your assignments
As mentioned above, the seven Cs can be applied to a wide range of materials, particularly in a professional or business setting. And they are a really useful set of principles to consider when writing your ILM assignments. So what are they?
Here are the Seven Cs:
- Clarity: Make sure every sentence you write is clear and easy to understand. Use straightforward language and avoid jargon or complex terms unless really necessary.
- Conciseness: Keep to the point and explain what you want to say as briefly as possibly, editing out unnecessary words or information.
- Concreteness: Provide clear, specific and concrete details that are relevant to the point you want to make. Avoid vagueness and ambiguity. For example, instead of saying a project ‘went well’, state precise facts and figures (concrete details) in relation to it such as the percentage rise in sales or positive customer feedback.
- Correctness: Check and double-check your work for factual errors. Correct grammar, spelling and punctuation will also help to ensure your writing is clear and easily understood by the reader.
- Coherence: Arrange the points you want to make in a logical and well-organised way. The use of headings and subheadings will help with this.
- Completeness: Make sure you include all the information required to achieve a pass. To do this, you will need to read the question carefully and take note of the verb used in the question. Find out more about understanding verbs in assignment questions.
- Courtesy: Always consider the reader of your ILM assignment and look at your work from their perspective. Maintain a polite, respectful and courteous tone, avoiding offensive wording and opinions.
Useful resources
The ILM-accredited Assessment Team here at Impellus will support you every step of the way as you work towards achieving your ILM Award. Find out more about the resources and help available to you. Always make sure you leave enough time to get feedback on your assignments from the Impellus Assessment Team before submitting for marking.
AI and online writing tools: dos and don’ts when writing your ILM assignments
Writing that works: our guide for assignment success.
Our ILM workshops bring your organisation’s ILM Award candidates together to accelerate learning, share ideas and experiences, and help you successfully qualify as professional managers. Find out more.
