MODULE 2

Oral Communication

Oral communication is the exchange of information through spoken words and sounds. It can be
formal or informal, and can involve one person or a group of people. Some examples of oral
communication include: Meetings, Discussions, Face-to-face conversations, Speeches, and
Telephone conversations.

Types of Oral Communication

Meetings, Videoconferences, and Telephone Conversations.

Principles of successful oral communication

Successful oral communication is essential in both personal and professional settings. It involves
conveying information effectively, building relationships, and ensuring that your message is
understood as intended. Here are some principles to keep in mind for successful oral
communication:
1. Clarity: Clearly articulate your message. Use straightforward language and avoid jargon or
technical terms that may be unfamiliar to your audience. Be concise and get to the point.
2. Conciseness: Avoid unnecessary details or information overload. Focus on the key points you
want to convey, and organize your thoughts in a logical sequence.
3. Active Listening: Effective communication is a two-way street. Pay close attention to the
responses and reactions of your audience. This allows you to adjust your message and ensure it is
being understood.
4. Non-Verbal Communication: Body language, facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice
play a crucial role in oral communication. Maintain eye contact, use appropriate facial
expressions, and employ gestures to emphasize important points.
5. Empathy: Consider the perspective of your audience. Understand their needs, concerns, and
level of familiarity with the subject matter. Tailor your message to be relevant and relatable to
them.
6. Feedback: Encourage questions and feedback from your audience. This not only helps in
clarifying any doubts but also demonstrates your willingness to engage with them.
7. Preparation: Know your subject matter well. Prepare in advance, organize your thoughts, and
anticipate potential questions or concerns from your audience.
8. Adaptability: Be flexible in your communication style. Adjust your approach based on the
needs, preferences, and level of understanding of your audience.
9. Confidence: Project confidence in your message. This doesn’t mean being arrogant, but rather
speaking with conviction and assurance.
10. Appropriate Language and Tone: Tailor your language and tone to suit the context and the
audience. For instance, you might use a different tone when speaking to a group of colleagues
compared to when addressing a formal gathering.
11. Avoid Assumptions: Don’t assume that your audience shares your level of knowledge or
perspective on a subject. Provide enough context to ensure everyone can follow along.
12. Stay on Topic: Resist the urge to go off on tangents. Stick to the main points to maintain focus
and avoid confusing your audience.
13. Use Visual Aids (if applicable): Visual aids like slides, charts, or diagrams can enhance
understanding and retention of information, but use them judiciously and ensure they
complement your verbal message.
14. Practice and Rehearse: Practice your presentation or conversation beforehand. This helps you
become more comfortable with the material and reduces the likelihood of stumbling over your
words.
15. Follow-up: After the communication event, follow up if necessary. This could involve
addressing any remaining questions or providing additional resources.

Advantages of Oral Communication

1. Less expensive

Benefits of oral communication is less expensive and saves money as no stationary or gadgets
are required.

2. Saves time
Merits of oral communication are that saves time, labor and energy as it is direct, faster and
personal.

3. Immediate Feedback

In Oral communication, immediate feedback or response is obtained.

4. Personal Contact

Oral communication is more effective, and it develops personal contact, which is essential and
valuable for smooth working.

5. Useful in Difficult Situations

Oral communication is very useful in difficult and emergent situation.

6. Co-operative spirit

Oral communication has a human touch as it generates the friendly and co-operative spirit.

7. Useful in Secret Matters

Oral communication is very useful for some secret and confidential matters.

8. Persuasive

In oral communication, the speaker can win over the other person to his point of view.

9. Useful for all kinds of Audiences

Oral communication is very useful for addressing literate, semi-literate and illiterate masses.

Conversation control

Conversation control is the ability to manage a conversation and ensure that people communicate
clearly to resolve problems. It can be a key managerial skill, and is also useful in business
settings like meetings, negotiations, and interviews.

To Manage the Conversation Control, one should know:

 To identify the cues and clues.

 To choose appropriate words and arguments.
 To recognize, understand and appreciate other’s point of views.
 To assert one’s point of view.
 To manage one’s body language in the appropriate situation.

Assertive Behavior and Communication

 Assertiveness is the ability to honestly express one’s opinions, feelings, attitudes and
rights besides respecting the boundaries of others and without provoking negativity such
as resentment and anxiety.
 Assertive communication is the ability to express positive as well as negative ideas and
feelings in an open, honest and direct way without offending the boundaries of others.

Assertive people have the following Characteristics:

 They feel free to express their feelings, thoughts, and needs.

 They know their rights.
 They have control over their negative emotions as they are aware of it and then talk it
later in a reasoning manner.

People behavior can be classified into four basic types:

1. Passive behavior
2. Aggressive behavior
3. Indirectly aggressive behavior
4. Assertive behavior

Why assertiveness is important?

 Depression.
 Resentment.
 Frustration.
 Anger/Violence.
 Anxiety.
 Physical complaints.
 Poor relationships.

Assertive Communication has the following characteristics:

 Eye Contact
 Body Posture
 Voice
  Content
 Movements of the body
 Giving opinions
 Feedback

The 5 elements of oral communication

The Sender
 The communication process begins with the sender, who is also called the communicator
or source. The sender has some kind of information—a command, request, question, or
idea—that he or she wants to present to others. For that message to be received, the
sender must first encode the message in a form that can be understood, such as by the use
of a common language or industry jargon, and then transmit it.

The Receiver
 The person to whom a message is directed is called the receiver or the interpreter. To
comprehend the information from the sender, the receiver must first be able to receive the
sender's information and then decode or interpret it.

The Message
 The message or content is the information that the sender wants to relay to the receiver.
Additional subtext can be conveyed through body language and tone of voice. Put all
three elements together—the sender, receiver, and message—and you have the
communication process at its most basic level.

The Medium
 Also called the channel, the medium is the means by which a message is transmitted.
Text messages, for example, are transmitted through the medium of cell phones. Other
common mediums of communication include television broadcasts, radio waves, internet
platforms, and face-to-face interactions.

Feedback
 The communication process reaches its final point when the message has been
successfully transmitted, received, and understood. The receiver, in turn, responds to the
sender, indicating comprehension. Feedback may be direct, such as a written or verbal
response, or it may take the form of an act or deed in response (indirect).

Modes of Oral Communication

 A scripted or formal speech. This mode may allow (or require) the chance to utilize
note cards, a teleprompter, and/or memorization skills. Although resources are available,
avoid simply reading information, since this hinders the important connection you make
with your audience. Eye contact is necessary to engage with those in attendance. Pacing
depends on time provided and using it wisely. An advantage for a prepared speech is
practicing/rehearsing the material. Outline the various points of the talk to estimate how
much time to spend on each segment, and factor in the possibility for audience questions
and technical difficulties to develop a presentation that is not rushed to confuse the
audience, nor presented at a snail’s pace to bore the audience.

 An extemporaneous or impromptu speech. Occasionally, you may need to offer a

quick presentation or update to a supervisor, client, or coworker. Perhaps you have
encountered a potential client at a conference, or maybe your boss or peer has a looming
deadline for a report they must write. You might even be asked to respond to an
emergency or sudden development that affects your project. In these situations, you will
not have the time to create a full script or even an outline. Without the aid of material
resources such as slides or visuals, your focus must be directed toward presenting
relevant and related content in a smooth manner to avoid straying from the purpose of the
communication. Think of keywords that highlight your message in order to maintain
consistency in the delivery of information as you navigate from one point to the next.

 A guided discussion. In this mode, you are responsible for maintaining a relevant thread
of content while people in attendance pose questions, provide information, and analyze
the subject matter being covered. This is a facilitator role in which what you say is
equally important to listening to foster a consistent discussion. Prior knowledge of the
topic at hand and inquiries that may arise during the discussion help create a positive
experience for the audience. Preparation for this mode includes brainstorming and
preparing engaging questions and researching answers to audience queries that are likely
to arise. Guided discussions may be enhanced by the use of visuals, such as questions,
directions, or being projected on a screen.

Effective oral communication can lead to many benefits, including:

  Improved workplace productivity: Oral communication can help employees be more
productive.
 Higher job satisfaction: Employees who have strong oral communication skills may be
more satisfied with their jobs.
 Better relationships: Oral communication can help improve relationships between peers.
 Reduced conflict: Oral communication can help reduce conflict in the workplace.
 Innovative ideas: Employers may seek candidates with strong oral communication skills
to help advance the organization's goals.

Reflection and Empathy: two sides of effective oral communication

Reflection and empathy are indeed two crucial elements of effective oral communication.
They work together to create a dynamic and responsive interaction, allowing for better
understanding and connection between individuals.

Reflection:

Definition: Reflection in communication involves mirroring back the thoughts, feelings, or

information expressed by the speaker. It shows that you’re actively listening and trying to
understand the speaker’s perspective.

Benefits:

 Demonstrates active listening and genuine interest.

 Provides an opportunity for the speaker to clarify or elaborate on their point.
 Affirms the speaker’s feelings and experiences.

Examples:

“So, if I understand correctly, you’re saying…”

“It sounds like you’re feeling…”

Use in Practice:

During a conversation, periodically summarize or rephrase what the speaker has said to ensure
you’re on the same page.

Reflect emotions as well as information. For example, “You seem really excited about this
project.”

Empathy:

Definition: Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It goes
beyond reflection, as it involves not only recognizing the emotions of the speaker but also
connecting with them on an emotional level.
Benefits:

Fosters a sense of trust and rapport between individuals.

Validates the speaker’s emotions and experiences.

Encourages open and honest communication.

Examples:

“I can imagine how frustrating that must be for you.”

“I’m really sorry to hear that you’re going through this.”

Use in Practice:

Acknowledge and validate the speaker’s emotions. For example, “It sounds like you’re feeling
really disappointed about the outcome.”

Avoid minimizing or dismissing the speaker’s feelings. Instead, offer support and understanding.

Combining Reflection and Empathy:

Effective communicators often use both reflection and empathy in tandem. For instance, you
might reflect what someone has said (“It sounds like you’re feeling overwhelmed with the
workload”) and then express empathy (“I can understand how that would be really challenging”).

This combination helps create a supportive and validating environment, where the speaker feels
heard and understood.

It’s important to be genuine in your reflection and empathy. Authenticity can be sensed by
others, and it strengthens the connection between communicators.

Remember that both reflection and empathy require active engagement. This means paying close
attention to verbal cues, body language, and the overall context of the conversation.

Non-verbal Communication

Nonverbal communication means conveying information without using words.

American Psychological Association. Nonverbal communication (NVC)

 This might involve using certain facial expressions or hand gestures to make a specific point, or
it could involve the use (or non-use) of eye contact, physical proximity, and other nonverbal cues
to get a message across.

Types of nonverbal communication

1. Facial expressions

The look on an individual’s face is often the first thing we see. A smile, frown, or grimace
tells a lot about their mood and how the subsequent conversation will go. Expressions of
happiness, sadness, anger and fear are universal emotions and key forms of nonverbal
communication.

2. Kinesics

Kinesics, or gestures, are conscious body movements like waving, pointing, and giving a
thumbs up or down. One's culture typically determines what gestures are socially
acceptable and which are rude.

For example, in Westernized countries, glancing at your watch suggests, “I need to be

somewhere.” In contrast, many Middle Eastern populations consider this rude. They are
more likely to believe a conversation should continue until it ends naturally.

3. Paralinguistics

Paralinguistics (or vocalics) refers to the aspects of verbal communication that aren’t the
words themselves. Your tone of voice, loudness, and pitch are common aspects of
paralanguage.
This type of communication is powerful since altering your voice changes the meaning of a
sentence. Think about all the ways you can use the phrase “I’m fine.” If you say it quietly,
you might be feeling dejected, but if you say it forcefully, someone might detect your
defensiveness.

4. Body language and posture

Crossing your legs or arms, a head nod, slouching, or sitting up straight are all examples of
true body language. For example, you may have seen crime films focus on body language
to further the narrative. It can also hint at what isn’t included in the dialogue.

However, this type of nonverbal communication is complex and quite subtle. Just because
you observe a movement doesn’t guarantee you understand the meaning.

5. Proxemics

Proximity references how near something is. Human beings take personal space seriously.
They also interpret physical distances in interactions differently.

Social and cultural expectations, personal preferences, and relationships all determine the
suitable proximity. For example, if you’re in a relationship with someone, you’d expect to
sit close together on the couch. On the other hand, you likely wouldn’t sit that close to a
coworker.

Proxemics is an important part of interpersonal communication. Noticing when to adjust

your closeness for each situation ensures you’re not making people uncomfortable.

Scientists focused on proximity biases in North America have grouped expected space as
follows:
  Personal space: Between 18 inches to 4 feet depending on whether you’re speaking
to a stranger, casual acquaintance, or close friend.
 Social space: 4 –12 feet of space provided in social settings, like a shared office
space or the distance between a presenter and their audience.
 Public space: 12 feet or more, typically observed in shopping malls and airports.

6. Gaze

It may sound cliche, but it’s true that “The eyes are the windows to the soul.” Our eye
contact is a massive factor in nonverbal communication because it can give clues to how
we feel.

When we’re scared, our pupils dilate due to a surge in adrenaline. When something excites
us, we blink rapidly. Maintaining eye contact generally means that someone is comfortable
and telling the truth. In contrast, avoiding eye contact might suggest that they’re nervous or
hiding something.

7. Haptics

Communication by touch is called haptics. Touch is powerful because our emotions drive
it. Our social class, gender, and, of course, our upbringing all determine how we respond to
touch. Women generally use touch to convey care and concern, while men are more likely
to convey control.

Psychologist Harry Harlow made a career in studying the impacts of touch on rhesus
monkeys. Monkeys who were raised without physical contact from their mothers struggled
with social interactions. We share this affect with our ancestors — physical contact at a
young age improves our social skills when we're older.

8. Appearance

Your appearance is another thing people notice immediately. Your hairstyle, clothing,
tattoos, piercings, and even body shape give off cues. This can encourage snap judgments
from other people. There’s a reason your mother always told you to “dress to impress” for a
presentation at school or a job interview.

9. Chronemics

Chronemics is the role time plays during communication. How people interpret time can be
personal, cultural, or have to do with their power or status.

Have you ever waited around for a friend to show up for an event? Maybe you felt annoyed
or disrespected by their laziness or lack of time management. Now imagine if your boss
showed up 15 minutes late to a meeting. You might be more understanding of their busy
schedule.

10. Physiological responses

Your body naturally sends out nonverbal signals that are nearly impossible to control. This
includes nervous sweating, blushing, or tearing up.