When you Google the C’s of communication, you get a flood of frameworks. Four C’s. Five C’s. Seven C’s. Ten-plus C’s. It feels like every communication expert has their own alphabet soup.
But when you look closer, you start to see a pattern. These lists aren’t competing ideas.
They’re the same core principles, remixed. And the real magic is understanding not just what each C stands for, but when it matters, why it matters, and how it fits into real-life communication challenges.
What follows is a modern, practical breakdown of the most common C’s—plus a detailed callout of
how the 4-, 5-, 7-, and expanded 10-C versions differ. This is the grounding you never get from the listicles.
SECTION 1: THE C’S THAT SHOW UP IN ALMOST EVERY FRAMEWORK
Across nearly all versions, you see the same foundational principles repeated. These are the non-negotiables.
Clarity
The number-one C everywhere you look.
Clarity is the art of delivering one message at a time. It’s about the reader or listener getting the meaning the first time—no decoding, no guessing, no hunting for your point.
Clarity is about removing ambiguity and saying precisely what you mean.
Real examples:
- Email: Instead of “Can you take a look at this?” say “Can you review the attached proposal and confirm the pricing section by 3 p.m. today?”
- Remote work: Replace “Let’s sync soon” with “Let’s meet for 15 minutes on Thursday at 10 a.m. to finalize next week’s priorities.”
- Training context: Instead of “Make the session interactive,” say “Include one breakout activity every 20 minutes.”
- Leadership: Replace “We need to improve performance” with “Our target is a 15% increase in customer response time by Q3.”
Conciseness
Another universal pillar. Cutting the clutter and making every word earn its place.
Articles often emphasize this as a response to modern overwhelm—because nobody has space for long-winded explanations anymore.
Conciseness is clarity without the clutter.
Real examples:
- Email rewrite: “Following up to confirm if you saw my previous message” becomes “Can you confirm by noon if the timeline still works?”
- Meetings: Instead of a 20-minute explanation, give a 30-second summary and ask, “Do you want the details?”
- L&D: Instead of a 25-slide deck explaining a concept, use a one-slide model and an example.
- Leadership: Replace “I just wanted to quickly touch base on the thing we talked about last week…” with “Quick update on last week’s hiring decision.”
Correctness
In most teaching materials, this is about accuracy, professionalism, and respect — facts, grammar, context. More modern interpretations expand the definition of correctness to include respectful, culturally aware language choices.
Correctness is professionalism: facts, accuracy, spelling, tone.
Real examples:
- Email: Double-checking numbers before sending a budget.
- Remote work: Avoiding misinterpretation by verifying time zones. “Let’s meet at 3 p.m. EST.”
- L&D: Ensuring learning objectives align with assessment criteria.
- Leadership: Using employee names correctly and respecting pronouns.
Courtesy
You see this in leadership and workplace communication frameworks. It’s the glue that makes messages feel human.
Courtesy blends empathy, emotional intelligence, and respect for the other person’s bandwidth and emotional state.
Courtesy blends respect, empathy, and emotional intelligence.
Real examples:
- Email: “I know this request comes with a tight turnaround, so thank you for your help with it.”
- Remote work: Asking “Is now still a good time?” before launching into a heavy conversation on a video call.
- Training: Acknowledging different learning speeds during sessions.
- Leadership: Starting difficult conversations with “I want us to work through this together.”
Completeness
This is about giving people everything they need to act. It sits in tension with conciseness, which is why most articles list both and none ever explain when to prioritize one over the other. But balance is the key: enough to move forward, not so much that you overwhelm.
Completeness ensures the audience gets everything they need to act.
Real examples:
- Email: When assigning work, include scope, timeline, files, context, and the definition of “done.”
- Meetings: Closing with “Next steps, owners, and deadlines.”
- Training: Providing templates and tools, not just theory.
- Leadership: When delivering a new policy, including what changes, what stays the same, and what people should do next.Concreteness
Especially common in the 7 C’s. This is saying what you mean with specificity. Not “improve customer experience,” but “reduce call wait times by two minutes.” It’s actionable clarity.
Those are the heavy hitters. No matter which C-list you find, these show up again and again. Concreteness removes vagueness with specifics.
Real examples:
- Feedback: Instead of “Be more proactive,” say “Reach out to clients within 24 hours of receiving their initial inquiry.”
- Meetings: Replace “We’ll review this later” with “We’ll revisit this in Monday’s planning meeting at 9:30.”
- Training: Using real case studies instead of abstract explanations.
- Leadership: Saying “The project exceeded budget by 12%” rather than “The project went over.”
SECTION 2: THE NEXT-TIER C’S (POPULAR BUT NOT UNIVERSAL)
Once you move beyond the core set, different authors add their own layers depending on their field.
Coherence
Your message flows logically. No contradictions. No abrupt jumps. Coherence
Messages should follow a logical flow.
Real examples:
- Email: Using bullet points in order of priority.
- Meetings: Beginning with purpose, then going through topics in sequence, not randomly.
- Training: Structuring modules in a way that builds skill progression.
- Leadership: Explaining decisions using a straightforward cause-and-effect narrative.
Credibility
Used heavily in leadership, public speaking, and persuasive communication — evidence, experience, transparency—whatever builds trust. Credibility strengthens trust.
Real examples:
- Email: “We tested this with three clients. Results attached.”
- Meetings: Sharing data instead of opinions.
- Training: Referencing current research or industry benchmarks.
- Leadership: Being transparent about what you know and don’t yet know.
Confidence
Common in presentations. It’s about presence and delivery, not just wording. Confidence shapes how your message is received.
Real examples:
- Email: Clear, decisive wording instead of “I think maybe we could…”
- Remote work: Voice steady and camera-level eye contact.
- Training: Owning the room through pacing and presence.
- Leadership: Delivering decisions with warmth and firmness.
Connection
A modern addition to many blogs and communication workshops. The idea is that your message lands when there’s trust, rapport, or emotional alignment. Connection is emotional alignment or rapport.
Real examples:
- Email: Opening with “How did your presentation go yesterday?”
- Remote work: Cameras on for relationship-building moments.
- Training: Starting with a story that grounds the learning.
- Leadership: Asking team members’ perspectives before giving direction.
Creativity
Often used in branding and marketing contexts. Memorable storytelling. Fresh framing.
Communication with personality. Creativity makes communication memorable.
Real examples:
- Email: Using a metaphor to explain a complex process.
- Meetings: Bringing a visual model to spark discussion.
- Training: Small group challenges that gamify learning.
- Leadership: Storytelling to inspire action.
Consideration
Tailoring the message to the audience’s needs, expectations, knowledge, and emotional state is considered.
Real examples:
- Email: If your recipient is overwhelmed, shorten the message and add a summary at the top.
- Remote work: Sending agendas before meetings for people who process best with preparation.
- Training: Offering accessible formats for neurodiverse learners.
- Leadership: Delivering tough feedback privately, not in a group meeting.
These appear more selectively, depending on intent and audience.
SECTION 3: HOW THE FRAMEWORKS DIFFER (DETAILED BREAKDOWN)
This is the reference to Option 2, expanded with a clear explanation of how each framework is typically used and what distinguishes it.
The 4 C’s of Communication
Most articles using the 4 C’s are trying to simplify. They usually include:
- Clarity
- Conciseness
- Completeness
- Correctness
The tone is practical and minimalist. Aimed at workplace communication or email writing. It’s the “don’t overcomplicate it” version.
When it’s used:
- Email writing courses
- Efficiency-driven teams
- Fast-moving environments where decisions matter more than discussion
Example scenario: An operations manager sends a supply chain update. No fluff. Just facts, decisions, and actions.
The 5 C’s of Communication
This version is popular in customer service and brand communication. Typically:
- Clarity
- Conciseness
- Correctness
- Courtesy
- Consistency or Confidence (varies)
Courtesy is a significant addition here, and as a core principle.
Many customer-focused pieces argue that communication shouldn’t just be accurate—it should feel good to receive.
Often used in customer service and HR.
Used when:
- De-escalating frustrated customers
- Managing employee relations
- Human-centered communication is critical
Example scenario: An HR leader announces a policy change and acknowledges how people may feel about it.
The 7 C’s of Communication
This is the most widely published version—especially in business communication textbooks and corporate training materials.
The standard seven are:
- Clarity
- Conciseness
- Correctness
- Courtesy
- Completeness
- Concreteness
- Consideration
Consideration is the differentiator here.
This version leans into psychology, empathy, and audience-centric messaging. It’s more holistic.
The most widely taught framework. Adds Concreteness and Consideration.
Used in:
- Leadership programs
- L&D workshops
- High-stakes communication training
Example scenario: A team lead gives performance feedback using specific examples (concreteness) and takes into account the person’s emotional state (consideration).
The Expanded 10+ C’s
Modern leadership blogs, communication coaches, and marketing experts often stretch the list into double digits. Common additions include:
- Credibility
- Coherence
- Creativity
- Connection
- Confidence
Context (a newer favorite)
These expansions usually reflect the realities of digital communication, remote work, multicultural teams, and strategic leadership.
They answer the gaps that older versions never addressed.
Expanded 10+ C’s
Adds Credibility, Coherence, Connection, Creativity, Confidence, and Context.
Used when:
- Leading change
- Presenting to executives
- Training programs on influence, storytelling, or persuasion
- Remote and global teams where context gaps create risk
Example scenario: A senior leader explains a new company strategy using a data-backed story (credibility + connection), structured clearly (coherence), and delivered with steady presence (confidence).
SECTION 4: WHAT MOST ARTICLES MISS
Most list-style posts give you definitions without insight. They don’t show how the C’s interact, where they clash, or how you actually apply them in real communication moments.
Here’s what the standout pieces highlight:
- Some C’s are in tension Clarity vs. completeness. Conciseness vs. context. Courtesy vs. correctness in feedback. Powerful communication is knowing which C gets priority in the moment.
- The audience determines which C matters most. A terse slack message might be concise but not courteous. A thorough onboarding email might be complete but not concise. Audience first, always.
- Digital communication has shifted the landscape. Short-form. Asynchronous. Multicultural. AI-assisted. None of the original C-lists were built for this reality.
- The number of C’s matters less than how you use them.
Four C’s can transform communication if you actually apply them.
Ten C’s won’t help if they’re just a list you memorize.
Effective communicators don’t try to follow every C at once. They choose the C that matters most for the moment.
Real-world example: A customer escalation email requires courtesy first, clarity second, and conciseness third.
SECTION 5: A MODERN TAKE
If you distilled the countless articles into one practical rule set, it would look like this:
- Communicate clearly so people understand you.
- Communicate concisely so people stay with you.
- Communicate correctly so people trust you.
- Communicate courteously so people feel respected.
- Communicate thoroughly so people can act.
- Communicate concretely so people know exactly what you mean.
- Communicate considerately so people feel seen.
Everything else — credibility, coherence, creativity, connection — amplifies the basics.
And when the situation calls for more, layer in credibility, coherence, creativity, connection, confidence, and context.
Everyone talks about the C’s of communication like they’re magic. Four C’s. Five C’s. Seven C’s. Ten C’s. But here’s the part nobody tells you: the power isn’t in the list.
It’s in knowing which principle to lean on in the exact moment you need it—so your message cuts through noise, lands cleanly, and actually gets people to act.
At the end of the day, the real skill isn’t memorizing every C of communication.
It’s knowing how to use the right one at the right time.
- Maybe your message needs more clarity.
- Maybe it needs more courtesy.
- Maybe it needs more concreteness so people finally know what to do next.
When you start choosing your C with intention, everything changes.
- Conversations become easier.
- Emails get answered.
- Meetings move faster.
- Training sessions land deeper.
- Leadership decisions make sense.
- People understand you—and respond.
And that’s the entire point.
Communication isn’t about sounding polished. I
t’s about creating understanding that leads to action.
When you focus on the C that strengthens your message in this moment, you start communicating with impact, influence, and ease.
Catherine Fitzgerald is the founder of Oak Innovation. With over 30 years of experience in the training and development industry, Catherine and her team are ideally positioned to help corporate trainers, people managers, and consultants access editable training course material.
