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Topic 1THE NATURE OF ORAL COMMUNICATIONI. Learning Objectives:

After completing the lesson, the students should be able to:1. describe the nature of oral communication;2. explain the importance of communication; and3. demonstrate different non-verbal cues.

II. Introduction:The Nature of Oral Communication

At its most basic level, oral communication is the spoken interaction between two ormore people. However, what we intend to teach you is that the interaction is far more complexthan it seems. Oral communication is composed of multiple elements which, when taken as awhole, result in the success or failure of the interaction. Communication is the process ofsharing our ideas, thoughts, and feelings with other people and having those ideas, thoughts,and feelings understood by the people we are talking with. When we communicate we speak,listen, and observe. Not everyone is an effective communicator.The way we communicate is a learned style. As children we learn from watching ourparents and other adults communicate. As an adult we can learn to improve the way wecommunicate by observing others who communicate effectively, learning new skills, andpracticing those skills.In order to function successfully academically and professionally, you need to learneffective oral communication skills. For many, conversational speech comes naturally. However,in more formal speech, effective communication skills are essential. A poorly conductedinterview, sales presentation, or legal argument could have ramifications that affect many morepeople than yourself.By becoming an effective communicator you will be able to conduct yourself in a varietyof personal, professional, and academic environments with confidence. Oral communication isa unique and learned rhetorical skill that requires you to understand what you say and how yousay it. Unlike conversational speech, speech in more formal environments does not comenaturally. What you will learn is how to critically think about how you present yourself as aspeaker in all occasions and then how to function in a variety of speaking environments.The ability to effectively communicate at work, home, and in life is probably one of themost important sets of skills a person needs. What would our life and world be like withoutcommunication? We cannot get along without it. It is also not easy, and we all have probablyhad experiences where our communication failed or ran into a barrier. So, if we can understandthe communication process better and improve it, we will become a more effective andsuccessful communicator.

III. Discussion:A. What is Communication?

Communication is a learned skill. Most people are born with the physical ability to talk,but we must learn to speak well and communicate effectively. Speaking, listening, and ourability to understand verbal and nonverbal meanings are skills we develop in various ways. Welearn basic communication skills by observing other people and modeling our behaviors basedon what we see. We also are taught some communication skills directly through education, andby practicing those skills and having them evaluated.Communication as an academic discipline relates to all the ways we communicate, so itembraces a large body of study and knowledge. The communication discipline includes both

verbal and nonverbal messages. The field of communication focuses on how people usemessages to generate meanings within and across various contexts, cultures, channels, andmedia. The field promotes the effective and ethical practice of human communication.

B. Why is Communication Important?

Oral communication has long been our main method for communicating with one

another. It is estimated that 75% of a person’s day is spent communicating in some way. A

majority of your communication time may be spent speaking and listening, while a minority ofthat time is spent reading and writing. These communication actions reflect skills which fosterpersonal, academic, and professional success.Employers have ranked communication abilities first among the desirable personalqualities of future employees (1998). In a report on fastest growing careers, the U.S.Department of Labor states that communication skills will be in demand across occupations wellinto the next century. In a national survey of 1000 human resource managers, oralcommunication skills are identified as valuable for both obtaining employment and successful job performance. Executives with Fortune 500 companies indicate that college students needbetter communication skills, as well as the ability to work in teams and with people from diversebackgrounds. Case studies of high-wage companies also state that essential skills for futureworkers include problem solving, working in groups, and the ability to communicate effectively.When 1000 faculty members from a cross section of disciplines were asked to identify basiccompetencies for every college graduate, skills in communicating topped the list. Even an

economics professor states that, “. . . we are living in a communications revolution comparable

to the invention of printing . . . In an age of increasing talk, it is wiser talk we need most.

Communication studies might well be central to colleges and universities in the 21st century.”

Today, communication and its study are especially relevant. In the 21st century,contemporary society is increasingly diverse and communication is more complex. Many alsoare stressing the role of communication and citizenship in a civil and democratic society.

Frequently, the communication discipline is referred to as the “engaged discipline,” as a result

teachers’ and students’ participation in service learning projects and researchers concern for

community-based research on critical social issues.What was once seen as the field of speech and rhetoric is now the discipline ofcommunication that includes communication in the workplace, in families, in mass media, and inadvertising, to name a few. Contemporary students of communication draw on theories andpractices common in the fields of anthropology, psychology, sociology, linguistics, semiotics,and rhetoric. Students in broadcast communication make use of work in computer engineeringfor web development and streaming audio and video. Communication as a discipline nowincludes interpersonal, small group, organizational, intercultural and international, public, mass,and mediated communication. The study of communication considers how people communicateas individuals, in society, and in various cultures.

C. Types of Communication

Read on to find out about the different types of communication...

If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now.

~ Woodrow WilsonCommunication is a process that involves exchange of information, thoughts, ideas andemotions. Communication is a process that involves a sender who encodes and sends the

message, which is then carried via the communication channel to the receiver where thereceiver decodes the message, processes the information and sends an appropriate reply viathe same communication channel.

Types of Communication

Communication can occur via various processes and methods, channel used and the style ofcommunication there can be various types of communication.

Types of Communication Based on Communication Channels

Based on the channels used for communicating, the process of communication can be broadlyclassified as verbal communication and non-verbal communication. Verbal communicationincludes written and oral communication whereas the non-verbal communication includes bodylanguage, facial expressions and visuals diagrams or pictures used for communication.

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Verbal Communication

Verbal communication is further divided into written and oral communication. The oralcommunication refers to the spoken words in the communication process. Oralcommunication can either be face-to-face communication or a conversation over thephone or on the voice chat over the Internet. Spoken conversations or dialogs areinfluenced by voice modulation, pitch, volume and even the speed and clarity ofspeaking. The other type of verbal communication is written communication. Writtencommunication can be either via snail mail, or email. The effectiveness of writtencommunication depends on the style of writing, vocabulary used, grammar, clarity andprecision of language.

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Nonverbal Communication

Non-verbal communication includes the overall body language of the person who isspeaking, which will include the body posture, the hand gestures, and overall bodymovements. The facial expressions also play a major role while communication since

the expressions on a person’s face say a lot about his/her mood. On the other hand

gestures like a handshake, a smile or a hug can independently convey emotions. Nonverbal communication can also be in the form of pictorial representations, signboards, oreven photographs, sketches and paintings.

Types of Communication Based on Style and Purpose

Based on the style of communication, there can be two broad categories of communication,which are formal and informal communication that have their own set of characteristic features.

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Formal Communication

Formal communication includes all the instances where communication has to occur in aset formal format. Typically this can include all sorts of business communication orcorporate communication. The style of communication in this form is very formal andofficial. Official conferences, meetings and written memos and corporate letters are usedfor communication. Formal communication can also occur between two strangers whenthey meet for the first time. Hence formal communication is straightforward, official andalways precise and has a stringent and rigid tone to it.

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Informal Communication

Informal communication includes instances of free unrestrained communication betweenpeople who share a casual rapport with each other. Informal communication requirestwo people to have a similar wavelength and hence occurs between friends and family.Informal communication does not have any rigid rules and guidelines. Informalconversations need not necessarily have boundaries of time, place or even subjects for