ENG201 LESSON 10 THE SEVEN C’S OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION III

LESSON 10: The Seven C’s of Effective Communication III

1. What is the purpose of “clarity” in communication?
   Answer: The purpose of clarity is to get the meaning from the writer’s head accurately to the reader.
2. What are the two main ways to achieve clarity?
   Answer: The two main ways are to choose precise, concrete, and familiar words, and to construct effective sentences and paragraphs.
3. What are the four important characteristics of sentences to consider for clarity?
   Answer: The four characteristics are length, unity, coherence, and emphasis.
4. According to the lesson, what is the “Golden Rule” for word choice when aiming for clarity?
   Answer: The Golden Rule is: when in doubt, use the more familiar words; the audience will understand them better.
5. What is “unity” in a sentence?
   Answer: Unity means that a sentence should have one main idea, and any other ideas in it must be closely related to that main idea.
6. What is “coherence” in a sentence?
   Answer: Coherence in a sentence means the words are arranged so that the ideas clearly express the intended meaning, with modifiers placed as close as possible to the words they modify.
7. What does “courtesy” in communication stem from?
   Answer: Courtesy stems from a sincere you-attitude and a genuine respect and concern for others.
8. What are the two groups of expressions that show respect, which should be omitted?
   Answer: The two groups are irritating expressions and questionable humor.
9. Explain why choosing familiar words aids clarity.
   Answer: Familiar words are more easily and quickly understood by a wider audience, reducing the risk of confusion or misinterpretation that can occur with unfamiliar or pretentious language.
10. How can the average sentence length affect readability?
    Answer: An average length of 17-20 words is generally manageable. Excessively long sentences can be difficult to follow, while too many very short sentences can make writing seem choppy and simplistic.
11. Why is it important to avoid discriminatory language in business communication?
    Answer: Avoiding discriminatory language is a matter of basic respect, professionalism, and fairness. It ensures all readers feel included and valued, and it protects the organization from legal and reputational damage.
12. Explain how “emphasis” can be achieved in a sentence.
    Answer: Emphasis can be achieved by placing the main idea at the beginning of the sentence, using specific sentence structures, or employing visual devices like headings, italics, or lists.
13. Describe the problem with using the singular masculine pronouns “he,” “his,” or “him” to refer to all people.
    Answer: Using masculine pronouns generically is now widely considered sexist and exclusionary, as it ignores or marginalizes female and non-binary individuals.
14. How can a writer be “sincerely tactful” when delivering negative news or criticism?
    Answer: Instead of being blunt or accusatory (e.g., “You are wrong”), a writer can take responsibility for potential miscommunication (e.g., “Perhaps I did not explain this clearly”) and restate the point more precisely.
15. Why is it advisable to avoid humor in business communication?
    Answer: Humor is subjective and can easily be misunderstood, misfire, or offend, especially in written form where tone is absent. What is funny to one person may be offensive or confusing to another.
16. What is the “singular they” and why is it used?
    Answer: The “singular they” is the use of “they,” “them,” or “their” to refer to a single person of unspecified gender. It is used to avoid the awkwardness of “he or she” and to be inclusive of non-binary individuals.
17. How does using a person’s name in a parallel form demonstrate courtesy?
    Answer: Using names in parallel form (e.g., “Mr. Ali and Ms. Soni” instead of “Ali and Mrs. Soni”) shows equal respect for all individuals, regardless of gender, and avoids implying unequal status.
18. Rewrite the following unclear sentence for coherence: “Being an excellent lawyer, I am sure that you can help us.”
    Answer: Clear version: “Because you are an excellent lawyer, I am sure you can help us.” OR “Being an excellent lawyer, you can surely help us.”
19. The following sentence is unfamiliar and unclear: “After our perusal of pertinent data, the conclusion is that a lucrative market exists for subject property.” Rewrite it using familiar words.
    Answer: Familiar version: “The data we studied show that your property is profitable and in high demand.”
20. A memo contains the sentence: “Each manager must submit his report by Friday.” Rewrite this sentence to use non-discriminatory language.
    Answer: Non-discriminatory version: “All managers must submit their reports by Friday.” OR “Each manager must submit his or her report by Friday.”
21. A customer service email reads: “Clearly, you did not read my latest fax.” Rewrite this to be more courteous and tactful.
    Answer: More courteous version: “Sometimes my wording is not precise; let me try again.” OR “I apologize if my previous fax was unclear. Let me clarify…”
22. The following sentence lacks emphasis: “The airplane finally approached the speed of sound, and it became very difficult to control.” Rewrite it to emphasize the difficulty of control.
    Answer: Better emphasis: “As the airplane approached the speed of sound, it became very difficult to control.”
23. You are writing a letter to two recipients: Dr. James Smith and Mrs. Sarah Jones. How should you list their names in the salutation for courtesy and parallelism?
    Answer: For courtesy and parallelism, I should list them as “Dr. James Smith and Ms. Sarah Jones” or “Dr. Smith and Ms. Jones,” using the professional title “Ms.” unless I know she prefers “Mrs.”
24. Identify the lack of unity in this sentence: “I like Sohail, and Eiffel Tower is in Paris.” Rewrite it to be unified.
    Answer: The two ideas are unrelated. A unified version would be: “I like Sohail because he is knowledgeable about French history, including landmarks like the Eiffel Tower in Paris.” (This is one example of creating a link).
25. A job description states: “The ideal candidate is a scholar; he is also a good teacher.” Rewrite this to be non-discriminatory.
    Answer: Rewritten: “The ideal candidate is a good scholar and a good teacher.” OR “Ideal candidates are good scholars and teachers.”