FAKULTI SAINS SOSIAL GUNAAN

SEMESTER SEPTEMBER / TAHUN 2016

OUMH1303

ENGLISH FOR ORAL COMMUNICATION

NAMA PELAJAR : AHMAD FAIZ BIN MOHD SULTAN MERICAN

NO. MATRIKULASI : 840619075527002

NO. KAD PENGENALAN : 840619075527

NO. TELEFON : 0194256168

E-MEL : ahmadfaizmerican@oum.edu.my

NAMA TUTOR : PN. YUSNITA YUNUS

PUSAT PEMBELAJARAN : PP KUALA TERENGGANU

1.0 DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION

Communication is the process that occurs between two or more people in which a message is
delivered and received by the other party[ CITATION Maund \l 1033 ]. Communication happens
every day in the workplace. Managers give direction to workers, co-workers communicate to
plan a project and employees communicate information to customers. Poor communication
leads to misunderstandings and poor customer service. The word Communication comes from
the Latin word commūnicāre meaning “to share” [ CITATION Wik161 \l 1033 ].

2.0 TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

Communication is the key to maintaining successful relations. There are three basic types of
communication:

a. Verbal Communication
Verbal or oral communication uses spoken words to communicate a message. When
most people think of verbal communication, they think of speaking, but listening is an
equally important skill for his type of communication to be successful. Verbal
communication is applicable to a wide range of situations, ranging from informal
office discussion to public speeches made to thousands of people. Improving verbal
communication skill can help you to foster better relationships with your co-workers
and maintain a large network of contacts that you can call on when necessary
[ CITATION Ude13 \l 1033 ].

b. Written Communication
Written communication is essential for communicating complicated information, such
as statistics or other data, which could not be easily communicated through speech
alone. Written communication also allows information to be recorded so that it can be
referred to at a later date. When producing a piece of written communication,
especially one that is likely to be referred to over and over again, you need to plan
what you want to say carefully to ensure that all the relevant information is accurately
and clearly delivered [ CITATION Ude13 \l 1033 ].
 c. Non-verbal Communication
Non-verbal communication includes body languages, gestures, facial expressions and
even posture. Non-verbal communication sets the tone of a conversation, and can
seriously undermine the message contained in your words if you are not careful to
control it [ CITATION Ude13 \l 1033 ].

3.0 IMPROVING COMMUNICATION IN ENGLISH

English is an international language and is a common medium for communication for many
people across different nations. English plays a major role in almost all the sectors like public
and private sectors. There are a few tips to improve our English communication skills. Here
are some tips that might be helpful:

a. Be positive and keep on speaking

A very important thing to remember is never feel low of yourself if you do not
possess good knowledge in English. The only thing you need to do is keep speaking
in English with the people around you [ CITATION Red13 \l 1033 ].
b. Have enough patience
We should bear one thing in our mind that improving communication skill in English
is a process and it cannot be accomplished overnight. So, we should have enough
patience to gain good command over English language [ CITATION Red13 \l 1033 ].
c. Practice regularly with strong determination
Start speaking English in your daily life because only practice can help in learning
and communicating effectively. Never be lazy and enough practice can do miracles
[ CITATION Red13 \l 1033 ].
d. Take it as a challenge
When you start improving your English communication skills, you will find more
obstacles in the way. However, if you take it as a challenge and work hard with strong
dedication and commitment, then you will certainly be able to augment your English
communication skills [ CITATION Red13 \l 1033 ].

e. Improve your pronunciation

 Pronunciation is also very essential for effective communication; hence you need to
improve your pronunciation of various words in English. Keep continuously listening
mainly to news readers of the English news channels and try to pick the way they
pronounce the words [ CITATION Red13 \l 1033 ].

4.0 INTERVIEWS

An interview was conducted with five respondents on how they improve their communication
skills. The question asked was “How do you improve and develop your English speaking
skill?” The results of the interview are as follows:

Respondent 1, age 23, female, clerk

She said that to improve English oral skill, we need to read a lot. Make a habit of reading
regularly. Read as many English books, newspapers and magazines as you can get your hands
on. Reading should be fun, so make sure the texts you choose are not too difficult for you.
Reading is a fluent process of readers combining information from a text and their own
background knowledge to build meaning and the goal of reading is comprehension [ CITATION
Çağ12 \l 1033 ]. Reading enables learners to comprehend better which is an important factor
that can develop language competence.

Respondent 2, age 30, female, teacher

According to her, reading a book with lots of dialogue such as novels and comic books. I
agree because dialogues are much easier to understand and they can be used in our daily
conversation. Dialogues show clearer way how to use the language in speech.

Respondent 3, age 25, female, nurse

Respondent 3 said that listening to songs can greatly improve English. Try to write down the
lyrics while listening to the song. For this method, in my opinion, it cannot be applied to all
songs. Some English songs, mainly from the USA do not use proper English. Singing along
with your favourite English songs will help you to learn how to pronounce English words
correctly and will also help to reduce your accent. You will learn more about the rhythm of
sentences and how to link your words together when you speak.

Respondent 4, age 23, male, front desk

According to him, to improve English oral skills, we must try to speak even if it is not
correct. This will make us learn from our mistakes and try to improve it from time to time. If
you do not have a partner to start a conversation, just talk to yourself in front of the mirror.
Choose a topic and just talk. If you are reading then read aloud.

Respondent 5, age 33, male, executive

The fifth respondent, who is also a movie enthusiast, recommended watching any English
movies or television shows. Watching movies really helps in improving English oral skills.
This is because the English spoken in movies is very natural. It is close to what you will hear
if you speak with native English speakers. You can learn the correct way to pronounce words,
slang and also you can improve your listening skills.

4.0 CONCLUSION

Nowadays, English language plays an important role in many fields such as education, social,
economic and many more. If we fail to master this language, we will become a “blind man”
in the future because even now, English language has become the lingua franca of the world.
We should not be afraid to learn and improve our mastery of English language. Although it is
used as second language now, in the future the usage will spread even to the rural place.

A few tips, as a conclusion, to improve our communication skills in English:

1. Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Be confident. People can only correct your
mistakes when they hear you make them.
2. Surround yourself in English. Put yourself in an all-English speaking environment
where you can learn passively.
3. Practice every day. Practice make perfect.
4. Practice the four core skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening.
5. Make use of all the resources around you, for example the Internet, books, movies,
songs etc.

(2021 words)

References
Udemy Blog. (2013, June 15). Retrieved November 2016, from Types of Communication:
Verbal, Non-verbal and Written: https://blog.udemy.com/types-of-communication/

Wikipedia. (2016). Retrieved November 2016, from Communication:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication#Bacteria_quorum_sensing

Malone, M. (n.d.). The Nest. Retrieved November 2016, from The Definition of
Communication Skills & Their Importance in a Job:
http://woman.thenest.com/definition-communication-skills-importance-job-3460.html

Mart, Ç. T. (2012). Developing Speaking Skills through Reading. International Journal of

English Linguistics.

Reddy, B., Gopi, M., & Sunethri, A. (2013). Improving Communication Skills in English: A
Necessity in the Present World of Globalization. Indian Journal of Applied Research