Oral Communication in Context

1
Functions of Communication

Functions of Communication

Communicating effectively entails an end goal for the speaker. Is the

communicative action initiated to inform? To motivate? Or to express
feelings or opinions? No matter what end goal the sender has, it is important
to know how to effectively reach that goal through strategic non-verbal and
verbal cues. This module aims that you:
1. Be able to discuss the functions of communication;
2. Be able to Identify the speaker’s purpose(s);
3. To Comprehend various kinds of oral texts;
4. To be able to Identify strategies to effectively convey ideas; and
5. To be able to evaluate the effectiveness of an oral
communication activity.

Regulation / Control

A scene from the movie “ The Devil Wears Prada”

Using communication to regulate or control means you use verbal and non-
verbal cues to manage an individual or group. This kind of communication is
means to encourage the other person to reciprocate encouraging or positive
feedback from the initial interaction. This kind of communication also
controls the behavior of person and this control will adhere to the rules or
culture/practices of their organization, group, or fellowship. Watch this clip
using this link: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2f2Kqt_KcE) and
observe how Andy (Anne Hathaway) behaved while trying to “sell” herself
Course Module
 during her interview to the editor, Miranda (Meryll Streep). Notice how
Miranda carried herself throughout the interview and how Andy’s initial
body language and facial expressions changed.

Social Interaction and Emotional Expression

A scene from the movie “500 Days of Summer”

O
ne of the reasons why we communicate is to connect with others or with
ourselves. Social Interaction and Emotional expression are the most used
form of communication we use. We use it every day when we hold
conversations with our friends or classmates, or when we express how we
feel when we felt offended or when we feel happy and state our opinion.
However, the way we communicate with others will depend on how close we
are to them or how much we value them. How you talk to your best friend
will be very different with how you talk to someone you just met or to
someone with high authority.
Emotional expression is also a form of communication. As with how you talk
with someone depending on your relationship with that person, emotional
expression can also be communicated differently depending on how
emotionally close you are to the person.
Please follow this link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-
fL94BTrFhs), to a scene from 500 days of Summer, to show how this form of
communication happens.

Motivation

A scene from the movie “Dead Poets Society”

 Oral Communication in Context
3
Functions of Communication

To motivate means to stimulate people to act on their goals. However, the

motivational kind of communication can work in two ways, positive or
negative motivation.
Positive motivation happens when the speaker who is motivating someone
or a group uses his or her skills in communication as a bridge towards self-
assessments, confidence, knowledge, etc. Negative motivation, on the other
hand, can lead either to communication apprehension, social anxiety,
shyness or public speaking anxiety.
Communication anxiety happens when a person becomes fearful of
communicating with another person or a group. This fear is either imagined
or real, and may have rooted from a previous experience. Signs of
apprehension include sweaty palms or feeling upset stomach also known as
butterflies in the stomach. These physical signs motivate someone to avoid
communication or feel anxious when forced to communicate.
Context apprehension happens when the anxiety to communicate happens
in certain situations only such as interpersonal, small group or public
speaking. Public speaking is also called stage fright. This is when a person
hesitates or avoid speaking in front of a large group or large audience. The
next is shyness, this happens when you feel uncomfortable when speaking to
a small group or people. Shy people are afraid to initiate communication or
actively participate in small group discussions. Lastly, we have social
anxiety, which is when someone hesitates interpersonal communication.
This kind of anxiety happens when a person feels threatened and scared of
what other people say or think about them.

Information
Information exchange is the core reason why we communicate. Information
is needed for an individual to build a harmonious relationship with others
and with their environment. Information and communication will always be
linked with each other.
These are the four functions of communication. As an effective
communicator you must set your goal as to what you want to achieve before
you proceed so that you can utilize your knowledge in verbal and non-verbal
cues to your advantage. Go back to Chapter 2 if you need to review on your
non-verbal and verbal communication.

References
Diaz, Rafaela Hernandez. (2014). Speech and Oral Communication for College
Students, Revised Edition. Quezon City: National Bookstore
Baraceros, Esther L. and Lintao, Rachelle, B. (2010). English 4: Oral
Communication in Context (First Edition). Quezon City: Rex
Bookstore, Inc.

Course Module
Dapat, Jose Rizal O., Sadorra, Bryan Eli B., and Lumabi, Bethany Marie C.
(2016). Oral Communication in Focus. Quezon City: Lormar
Publishing, Inc.
Flores, C.and Lopez E. (2008). Effective Speech Communication 5 th Edition.
National Bookstore: Philippines.
Galero-Tejero, E. (2008) Doorways to English Language Proficiency: A self-
improvement program. National Bookstore: Philippines
Effective Communication (n.d). Management Training Australia. Retrieved
from
http://www.mtaustralia.com/effectivecommunicationsample.pdf
What is Motivation (n.d) Management Study Guide. Retrieved from
http://www.managementstudyguide.com/what_is_motivation.htm
Smith, J. (2013). 10 Nonverbal cues that convey confidence at work. Forbes
Magazine online. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=https://www.for
bes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/03/11/10-nonverbal-cues-that-
convey-confidence-at-
work/&refURL=https://www.google.com.ph/&referrer=https://ww
w.google.com.ph/