Written Communication Toolkit

The six 'C's of effective writing

"Effective business correspondence yields results because it achieves two basic objectives.

First, it conveys a clear and unambiguous message to the reader and second, it produces goodwill in that reader. To achieve these two objectives, the writer must write:

• clearly:
• coherently;
• concisely;
• correctly; with
• courtesy; and
• confidence.

These characteristics are the result of careful planning, writing in plain English, and critical editing."

Dwyer, J. (1993). The Business Communication Handbook , (3 rd ed.). New York: Prentice Hall, p.186.