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Oral communication implies communication through mouth. It includes individuals conversing with each other, be it direct conversation or telephonic conversation. Speeches, presentations, discussions are all forms of oral communication. Oral communication is generally recommended when the communication matter is of temporary kind or where a direct interaction is required. Face to face communication (meetings, lectures, conferences, interviews, etc.) is significant so as to build a rapport and trust.
What is Oral communication?
Oral communication is the process of verbally transmitting information and ideas from one individual or group to another. Oral communication can be either Formal or Informal.
Meaning Nature and Scope of Oral Communication
Meaning of Oral Communication
The oral communication skills, hold great importance in interacting properly with people. The communication process which is carried out by means of spoken words is referred to as oral communication. In today's world, development of different media has led to the communication process to take place by different means such as telephones, teleconferences and video conferences. Face-to-face meetings and speeches were the main forms of communication in earlier times. Effective listening in the workplace is important just like speaking.
Oral communication is the form of verbal communication, which conveys the message from the sender to the receiver through the stated word. In other words, communication with the help of spoken words is called oral communication. It is essential at every stage of our social and business dealings.
Oral communication is a two-way process, as it provides a clear insight about the meaning to the message, and the message transmitted and the feedback is immediate. We communicate orally with our family, friends, in meetings, committees, conferences, over the telephone, radio, public, etc.
Definitions of Oral Communication
Oral communication describes any type of interaction that makes use of spoken words.
Oral communication implies communication through mouth.
Oral communication includes individuals conversing with each other, be it direct conversation or telephonic conversation.
Nature and Characteristics of Oral Communication
Oral communication does not require much planning. It requires appropriate Para-linguistic features like tone, pitch, register, facial expressions, gestures and body language. Effective oral communication depends on purpose of the message.
For oral communication to be effective, it should be clear, relevant, tactful in phraseology and tone, concise, and informative. Presentations or conversations that bear these hallmarks can be an invaluable tool in ensuring business health and growth. Unclear, inaccurate, or inconsiderate business communication, on the other hand, can waste valuable time, alienate employees or customers, and destroy goodwill toward management or the overall business.
The Importance and Scope of Oral Communication in Business are Discussed Below:
Oral communication should be used because it is simple, faster, informal, more direct and more personal. It saves more time and creates efficiency.
In oral communication, there are no formalities of using pen, paper, stamps, etc. and waiting endlessly for the response. Thus, even most personal and confidential matters can be placed before the receiver in a simple and direct way.
Scope of oral communication
Scope means the possibility of any particular subject in a particular field. It can be understood by dividing in two parts:
- Internal (within the organization)
- External (outside the organization)
Scope within the organization
The types of oral communication commonly used within an organization include staff meetings, personal discussions, presentations, telephone discourse, and informal conversation.
Scope outside the organization
Oral communication with those outside of the organization might take the form of face-to- face meetings, telephone calls, speeches, teleconferences, or videoconferences.
Examples of informal oral communication include:
Face-to-face conversations
Telephone conversations
Discussions that take place at business meetings
More formal types of oral communication include:
Presentations at business meetings
Classroom lectures
Commencement speech given at a graduation ceremony
Types of oral communication
Intrapersonal communication is self-talk or a conversation you hold with yourself under certain circumstances – for example, when you need to make an important decision or learn something about yourself. You may wonder whether intrapersonal communication is just another way of describing the thinking process. In a way, that would be correct.
Interpersonal communication is communication between several people. This form of communication may range from the impersonal to the very personal. Impersonal communication is when you talk with a person you do not really care about – there is often coldness or indifference in your attitude when you engage in this kind of communication.
Small group communication takes place in a group, usually comprising five to 10 people. This form of communication serves relationship needs (like companionship, family bonding and affection or support) as well as task-based needs, for example, deciding on disciplinary action or resolving conflict in the workplace.
Public communication , also known as public speaking, involves communication between a speaker and an audience. This audience may range from just a few people to thousands or even millions of people. The aim of the speaker is usually to inform or to persuade the audience to act, buy, or think in a certain way. A teacher may address an assembly of students on codes of behavior or school rules.
Mass communication is communication that is sent out from a source to many receivers all over the world. It takes place through media like films, radio, videos and television. Modern avenues of mass communication like the Internet and blogs can be very powerful indeed as information is disseminated instantly.
Corporate communication is communication that takes place among members of an organization, within that organization. Interacting in teams, conferencing with co-workers, talking with a supervisor or manager, giving employees explanations and directions, interviewing and making presentations are some examples of corporate communication
Principles of Effective Oral Communication :
- Well-Planned Before presenting something, there should be proper planning regarding the audience, topics to be delivered, timing, and other factors: So, a person must be well-prepared to deliver his speech.
- Clear pronunciation To make oral messages meaningful to receivers, words should be clearly and correctly pronounced. There should not be any lack of clarity, otherwise, the communication would be confusing.
- Brevity Effective oral communication desires that a message should be brief. If the sender took a long time for talking, his message may not get the attention of the receiver.
- Precision Precision is needed to make oral communication effective. There should not be any
confusing words rather a message to be delivered should be specific so that there is no misunderstanding.
- Natural voice Any sort of unnatural voice may distort the message. A natural voice can do a lot to make oral communication effective.
- Logical sequence Ideas should be organized in a sequential way to make the message communicative and attractive. Unorganized ideas do not provide a clear sense while a logical sequence of ideas gives a clear sense.
- Suitable words Words have different meanings to different people in different situations in oral communication, a speaker should use common, simple, and familiar words so that the receiver can react to the message without any problem.
- Courteous Courtesy costs nothing but can earn many things. So, a speaker should be courteous while addressing listeners. It helps create a good impression in the mind of listeners regarding the speaker.
- Attractive presentation It is another principle to make oral communication effective. A speaker should deliver his speech in very nice and sweet language so that the receiver is attracted to take part in the communication.
- Avoiding Emotions Speaker must control his emotions to make oral communication effective. Too much emotion will take the speaker away from the main subject.
- Emphasis The speaker must be knowledgeable regarding the portion of the speech where he should give emphasis. Giving emphasis on respective points will help draw the attention of the audience.
- Controlling Gesticulation The speaker on many occasions, consciously or unconsciously, gesticulates for expressing his ideas or thoughts. This is a habit and should be avoided. Otherwise, the application of such a habit may lead to % disinterest of the audience.
Techniques of Effective Speech:
1. Think before you speak
By organizing your thoughts in advance, you can eliminate many of the awkward pauses that occur when speaking. It will also help you relay your information more concisely.
While writing down your thoughts is not always possible in impromptu discussions, it is still effective to take a minute to organize your thoughts in your mind before you begin to speak.
Effective verbal communication is an important skill to understand. Having the courage and ability to convey your thoughts in a respectable way will help enhance mutual understanding, trust, decision-making, and problem-solving between yourself and others, making the act of properly speaking and listening to an imperative influence on how we learn and think for ourselves.
Media of Oral Communication:
- Face to Face Communication : Face-to-face communication is the distinction of being able to see the other party or parties in a conversation. It allows for a better exchange of information since both speaker and listener are able to see and interpret body language and facial expressions.
- Teleconferences: A teleconference is a live audio or audiovisual meeting with two or more participants. With the ability to teleconference, remote teams in an organization can collaborate and communicate, even when geographically dispersed. The process involves technology more sophisticated than a simple two-way phone connection. At its simplest, a teleconference can be an interactive audio conference with people at two or more locations communicating over a speakerphone. With more equipment and special arrangements, a teleconference also can be a video conference, in which the participants can see each other.
- Press Conference: A press conference is an event organized to officially distribute information and answer questions from the media. Press conferences are also announced in response to specific public relations issues.
- Video Conferencing: Video conferencing is an online technology that allows users in different locations to hold face-to-face meetings without having to move to a single location together. This technology is particularly convenient for business users in different cities or even different countries because it saves time, expenses, and hassles associated with business travel. Uses for video conferencing include holding routine meetings, negotiating business deals, and interviewing job candidates.
- Demonstration: The act of showing someone how to do something or how something works.
- Radio Recording: This includes all kinds of recorded sound that is used for the purpose of broadcast.
- Meetings: A meeting is when two or more people come together to discuss one or more topics, often in a formal or business setting, but meetings also occur in a variety of other environments.
- Grapevine: The informal communication system, sometimes known as the grapevine, is the communication aspect of the informal system of the organization. It is as fickle, dynamic, and varied as people are. It is the expression of the natural motivation of people to communicate.
- Group Discussion: Group Discussion or GD is a type of discussion that involves people sharing ideas or activities. People in the group discussion are connected with one basic idea. Based on that idea, everyone in the group represents his/her perspective.
- Mobile Phone Conversation: Includes verbal conversations on mobile phone.
The Art of Listening
Listening is different from hearing. Hearing is passive in nature. Listening is a proactive undertaking. Active listening requires you to listen attentively to a speaker, understand what they’re saying, respond and reflect on what’s being said, and retain the information for later. This keeps both listener and speaker actively engaged in the conversation.
The listener may use active listening techniques like paying close attention to the speaker’s behavior and body language in order to gain a better understanding of their message — and may signal that they’re following along with visual cues such as nodding, eye contact, or avoiding potential interruptions, like fidgeting and pacing.
Principles of Good Listening
It is tempting to think that because you can hear, you must be a good listener. However, there is far more to listening than merely hearing. A good listener will listen not only to what is being said, but also to what is left unsaid or only partially said. Effective listening therefore involves observing body language and noticing inconsistencies between verbal and non- verbal messages, as well as what is actually being said at any given moment.
For example, if someone tells you that they are happy with their life but through gritted teeth or with tears filling their eyes, the verbal and non-verbal messages are in conflict. It is therefore possible that they don’t mean what they say. Effective listening involves using your eyes and mind, as well as your ears.
Ten Principles of Effective Listening
There are ten principles behind really good listening.
1. Stop Talking
Don't talk, listen. When somebody else is talking, it is important to listen to what they are saying. Do not interrupt, talk over them or finish their sentences for them. Right now, the most important thing that you can do is simply listen to them. As the saying goes, there is a time and a place for everything—and that includes both listening and speaking.
2. Prepare Yourself to Listen
Focus on the speaker. Put other things out of your mind. The human mind is easily distracted by other thoughts, such as wondering what’s for lunch, or what time you need to leave to catch your train, or whether it is going to rain later.
6. Be Patient
A pause, even a long pause, does not necessarily mean that the speaker has finished.
Sometimes it takes time to formulate what to say and how to say it. Be patient and let the speaker continue in their own time. Never be tempted to interrupt or finish a sentence for someone.
7. Avoid Personal Prejudice
Try to be impartial. Our personal prejudices can lead us to pre-judge someone’s words and meaning based on their habits or mannerisms. This prevents effective listening, because you have effectively already decided whether their words have value.
Don’t become irritated and don't let someone’s habits or mannerisms distract you from what they are really saying. Everybody has a different way of speaking. For example, some people are more nervous or shy than others, some have regional accents or make excessive arm movements, some people like to pace whilst talking, and others like to sit still. These behaviours can be distracting for listeners. However, try to focus on what is being said and ignore the style of delivery or the accompanying mannerisms.
8. Listen to the Tone
Volume and tone both add to what someone is saying. A good speaker will use both volume and tone to help them to keep an audience attentive. Equally, everybody will use pitch, tone and volume of voice in certain situations. Effective listening means using these non-verbal cues to help you to understand the emphasis and nuance of what is being said.
9. Listen for Ideas – Not Just Words
You need to get the whole picture, not just isolated bits and pieces. Words are the most basic elements of communication, but they do not occur in isolation.
Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of listening is the ability to link together pieces of information to reveal the ideas of others. However, with proper concentration, letting go of distractions, and improving your focus this becomes easier. It is also helpful to use techniques like clarification and questioning to help you make more sense of ideas.
10. Wait and Watch for Non-Verbal Communication
Gestures, facial expressions, and eye-movements can all be important in understanding someone’s full meaning. We tend to think of listening as being something that happens with our ears—and hearing is of course important. However, active listening also involves our eyes. Some experts suggest that up to 80% of communication is non-verbal. That includes hearing the volume and tone—but a substantial element of any communication is body language. This is why it is much harder to gauge meaning over the phone. When listening, it is vital to watch and pick up the additional information being transmitted via non-verbal communication.
(Notes taken from open sources on the internet)
