Summary of “Things-to-remember for effective communication”

The following principles are relevant to all media but they are most important to written communication.

Principles of communication
1. Clarity
2. Completeness
3. Conciseness
4. Consideration
5. Courtesy
6. Correctness

Clarity of thought comes from a careful consideration of the objective, content, and medium of communication. For clarity of expression,
• Use simple easy-to-understand words,
• Use concrete expressions that have a visual impact on the min and will
be easy to remember,
• Prefer active constructions, which are direct,
• Avoid infinitives (to-verbs), for they make writing indirect and
impersonal,
• Avoid jargon, for it makes writing tedious and obscure,
• Avoid ambiguity by placing the words correctly and using correct marks
of punctuation,
• Write very short sentences.

For completeness,
• See if you have answered all the queries posed in the letter,
• Check for ‘5 W’ questions-who, what, where, when, and why.

For conciseness,
• Only relevant facts,
• No repetition of information,
• No verbosity, proper organisation of the message.

Consideration implies respect for the reader’s point of view. For consideration,
• Adopt the you-attitude in your language,
• Emphasise positive, pleasant facts,
• Write only what you sincerely feel to be correct.

Courtesy begets courtesy, so make your message courteous. For ensuring courtesy,
• Answer/acknowledge the letter promptly,
• Do not use any irritating/offensive expression,
• Apologize sincerely for any omission,
• Thank profusely for any favors.

Correctness implies,
•Giving correct facts at an appropriate time in a suitable style.