Oral Communication in Context

Lesson Proper
Read: WHY EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION MATTERS!
Even before we were born, we were already communicating: Interaction is not possible without communication.
We did not have to be taught to communicate nor were we taught the nature, types, and elements of
communication, yet we communicate like we breathe. We do not need to learn about the communication process
to be communicative.
So why do we need to learn about communication? By learning about communication--its nature, process,
elements, types, and more- we are able to improve our ability to communicate. Developing insight into
communication makes us better communicators. As we become better communicators, we are able to improve our
relationships and achieve our goals in life. Good communication makes us better people, and better people
produce a better world. This is an important societal benefit of good communication.
Besides the societal benefit, there are economic benefits of good communication as well. One of the skills
employers look for in job applicants is good or even excellent communication skills. This means that a job
applicant, especially a fresh graduate, is more likely to get hired if he or she possesses excellent communication
skills. In the course of your studies, you probably have experienced encountering difficulties that arise from an
inability between groupmates or classmates to communicate well.
Communication is also an essential skill in leadership. One of the most common traits of effective leaders
throughout history is the ability to communicate well to their subordinates. Through effective communication,
they are able to marshal people's energy toward action and achieve what ordinary people could not. All these
situations show that effective communication is a very important skill to learn.

COMMUNICATION DEFINED
Communication is basically defined in the following way: Communication is the process of giving and receiving
information between a human source and a human receiver using words, symbols, or actions. The definition
above is the most common definition given by experts throughout the years. Its common components involve the
source, the receiver, the message, and the means of sending and receiving the message.

The Communication Process

The sender is an individual, group, or organization who initiates the communication. This source is initially
responsible for the success of the message. The sender's experiences, attitudes, knowledge, skill, perceptions, and
culture influence the message. "The written words, spoken words, and nonverbal language selected are paramount
in ensuring the receiver interprets the message as intended by the sender" (Burnett & Dollar, 1989). All
communication begins with the sender.
The first step the sender is faced with involves the encoding process. In order to convey meaning, the sender must
begin encoding, which means translating information into a message in the form of symbols that represent ideas
or concepts. This process translates the ideas or concepts into the coded message that will be communicated. The
symbols can take on numerous forms such as, languages, words, or gestures. These symbols are used to encode
ideas into messages that others can understand.
When encoding a message, the sender has to begin by deciding what he/she wants to transmit. This decision by
the sender is based on what he/she believes about the receivers knowledge and assumptions, along with what
additional information he/she wants the receiver to have. It is important for the sender to use symbols that are
familiar to the intended receiver. A good way for the sender to improve encoding their message, is to mentally
visualize the communication from the receiver's point of view.
To begin transmitting the message, the sender uses some kind of channel (also called a medium). The channel is
the means used to convey the message. Most channels are either oral or written, but currently visual channels are
becoming more common as technology expands.

Common channels include the telephone and a variety of written forms such as memos, letters, and reports. The
effectiveness of the various channels fluctuates depending on the characteristics of the communication. For
example, when immediate feedback is necessary, oral communication channels are more effective because any
uncertainties can be cleared up on the spot. In a situation where the message must be delivered to more than a
small group of people, written channels are often more effective. Although in many cases, both oral and written
channels should be used because one supplements the other.
If a sender relays a message through an inappropriate channel, its message may not reach the right receivers. That
is why senders need to keep in mind that selecting the appropriate channel will greatly assist in the effectiveness
of the receiver's understanding. The sender's decision to utilize either an oral or a written channel for
communicating a message is influenced by several factors. The sender should ask him or herself different
questions, so that they can select the appropriate channel. Is the message urgent? Is immediate feedback needed?
Is documentation or a permanent record required? Is the content complicated, controversial, or private? Is the
message going to someone inside or outside the organization? What oral and written communication skills does
the receiver possess? Once the sender has answered all of these questions, they will be able to choose an effective
channel.
After the appropriate channel or channels are selected, the message enters the decoding stage of the
communication process. Decoding is conducted by the receiver. Once the message is received and examined, the
stimulus is sent to the brain for interpreting, in order to assign some type of meaning to it. It is this processing
stage that constitutes decoding. The receiver begins to interpret the symbols sent by the sender, translating the
message to their own set of experiences in order to make the symbols meaningful. Successful communication
takes place when the receiver correctly interprets the sender's message.
The receiver is the individual or individuals to whom the message is directed. The extent to which this person
comprehends the message will depend on a number of factors, which include the following: how much the
individual or individuals know about the topic, their receptivity to the message, and the relationship and trust that
exists between sender and receiver. All interpretations by the receiver are influenced by their experiences,
attitudes, knowledge, skills, perceptions, and culture. It is similar to the sender's relationship with encoding.
Feedback is the final link in the chain of the communication process. After receiving a message, the receiver
responds in some way and signals that response to the sender. The signal may take the form of a spoken comment,
a long sigh, a written message, a smile, or some other action. "Even a lack of response, is in a sense, a form of
response" (Bovee & Thill, 1992). Without feedback, the sender cannot confirm that the receiver has interpreted
the message correctly.
Feedback is a key component in the communication process because it allows the sender to evaluate the
effectiveness of the message. Feedback ultimately provides an opportunity for the sender to take corrective action
to clarify a misunderstood message. "Feedback plays an important role by indicating significant communication
barriers: differences in background, different interpretations of words, and differing emotional reactions" (Bovee
& Thill, 1992).
The communication process is the perfect guide toward achieving effective communication. When followed
properly, the process can usually assure that the sender's message will be understood by the receiver. Although the
communication process seems simple, it in essence is not. Certain barriers present themselves throughout the
process. Those barriers are factors that have a negative impact on the communication process. Some common
barriers include the use of an inappropriate medium (channel), incorrect grammar, inflammatory words, words
that conflict with body language, and technical jargon. Noise is also another common barrier. Noise can occur
during any stage of the process. Noise essentially is anything that distorts a message by interfering with the
communication process. Noise can take many forms, including a radio playing in the background, another person
trying to enter your conversation, and any other distractions that prevent the receiver from paying attention.
Successful and effective communication within an organization stems from the implementation of the
communication process. All members within an organization will improve their communication skills if they
follow the communication process, and stay away from the different barriers. It has been proven that individuals
that understand the communication process will blossom into more effective communicators, and effective
communicators have a greater opportunity for becoming a success.

Forms of Communication
Communication means transferring messages from one to another through any medium. There are various levels
in communication like Intrapersonal communication, Interpersonal communication, Group communication and
Mass communication.
Mass communication plays the vital role because it reaches very large number of audience. Basically Mass
communication has two forms one is Interpersonal communication and another one is media communication.
Five major forms of communication:
 Intrapersonal Communication
 Dyadic Communication
 Small Group Communication
 Public Communication
 Mass Communication

A. Intrapersonal Communication
Intrapersonal communication is a communication which happens
yourself. Here both Source (sender) and receiver is only one. so, the
feedback works without any interruption. Example: A person can
communicate himself through pain, thinking, feelings and emotion etc.

B. In Dyadic communication, two persons are involved

in this communication process. Here the Source becomes a
receiver and receiver become Source because of dynamic
communication process were the feedback’s are shared between
Source and the receiver

C. Small Group
Communication More than two members involved in
communication process will become a group
communication. If least number of persons is involved in the
group communication is called as small group
communication. In this communication process, everyone
becomes a Source as well as receiver through sharing
information and gives feedback to another.
D. In public communication, Source or messages from a single
person will reach or received by huge number of audience. But in
this communication there is no mutual feedbacks between source
and receiver like small group communication and it’s only
focused on Speaker.

E. In mass
communication,
basically have a large number of audience and they are all can’t
grouped together in one place so we need certain tool or
technology for communication process. But in mass
communication, there is no direct access with receiver. So, for
that they need media like newspaper, radio, television and
internet. Here the audience feedback is very less or delayed.

Communication Models
The communication process is best described through discussion of different communication models. In simple
terms, model means a systematic description of a phenomenon or abstract process.

1. Jakobson's Model Roman

Jakobson's model has six components:
1. Addresser - the sender of the message
2. Addressee - the receiver of the message
3. Context - the situation in which the message was given
4. Message - the idea to be expressed
5. Contact - the channel through which the message passes
6. Code - the form of the message
He said the six components each had to do with six functions of language which he enumerated as
cognitive, emotive, conative, phatic, metalingual, and poetic.

2. Saussure’s Model
Ferdinand de Saussure, considered the Father of Modern Synchronic Linguistics, described a model in which
a concept in the brain triggers a sound pattern in the brain.
The sound pattern in the brain triggers an actual pronunciation of a sound which goes out of the mouth of a
person and into the ear of the listener where the process occurs in opposite order. That is, the sound produces
a sound pattern in the brain, and the sound pattern in the brain produces a concept. Notable in Saussure's
model is the idea that the sound pattern is different from the actual sound produced by the mouth or heard by
the ear. This is notable in light of the fact that for many people, different sounds are considered the same
sound pattern.
For example,
For the Chinese, [ d] and [+] are the same sound pattern. Saussure's model has been called the speech
circuit model.
Below are two diagrams of Saussure's model of communication. The first is a picture of two people
showing the flow of communication and the other is a schematic diagram in French of the model. Note
that Saussure considered his model of communication as incomplete.
3. Shannon’s Model
In 1948, Claude Shannon what came to be known as Information Theory. It was primarily concerned with the
transmission of electronic information. The diagram below illustrated his model.
Shannon described the parts of his model as follows:

1. An information source which produces a message or a sequence of messages to be communicated to the

receiving terminal.
2. A transmitter which operates on the message in some way to produce a signal suitable for transmission
over the channel.
3. The channel is merely the medium used to transmit the signal from transmitter to receiver. .During
transmission, or at one of the terminals, the signal may be perturbed by noise.
4. The receiver ordinarily performs the inverse operation of that done by the transmitter, reconstructing the
message from the signal.
5. The destination is the person (or thing) for whom the message is intended.
-from Shannon, Claude E. 1948. "A mathematical theory of communication. Bell System technical journal as
cited in Perry Blackburn' A code model of communication.

Noise is anything that garbles or makes the message less clear. Take note that noise can come in many forms
such as physiological noise (when there is a problem with the health of the person talking or listening),
semantic noise (when a person does not completely understand what he or she is saying or hearing), and
environmental noise (whenthere is a problem with the environment like a noisy room).

4. Nida’s Model
Eugene Nida's model includes an element of noise. He also talked about a special message called feedback.
The following diagram illustrates his model:

According to Nida, the S is the source, M is the message, and R is the receptor. Both S and M have
decoder (De) and encoder (En) since S and R can switch roles. The wavy line through M suggests the
 acoustic transmission and the printed form of M stands for written communication. Throughout the
communication, there is a factor of noise.

According to Perry Blackburn, the code model of communication is a result of three models:
1. The conduit model - a model coming from the explanations of ordinary people regarding language. It
emphasizes the means through which two or more people communicate.
2. Saussure's speech circuit - a simplified model of communication focusing on how a message moves from the
brain of the sender to the brain of the receiver and vice versa. It is described further in the section on models of
communication.
3. Information theory - a model of communication coming from electronics theory. It focuses on successful
transmission of information or messages.
Generalization
The lessons show different kinds of model in communication that differentiate the systematic knowledge on
communication works in systematic description of an abstract process. Understanding each model may result to a
better communication towards other people.

COMMUNICATION FUNCTIONS
Communication as a human activity always serves a function. Functions of communication refer to how humans
use language for different purposes. Theoreticians such as Roman Jakobson, Michael Halliday, and Bronislaw
Malinowski have categorized the different uses or functions of communication. Below are five common functions
of language-_-regulation/control, social interaction, motivation, information, and emotional expression.

Regulation/Control
Communication can be used to control the behaviour of human beings. It can be used to regulate the nature and
amount of activities humans engage in. Examples of regulation/control include doctors' prescriptions, parents'
instructions to their children, friends giving advice on what course of action to take, scolding, employers' orders to
their employees, customers making orders, and many others.
LANGUAGE FORMS FOR REGULATION OR CONTROL
Communication as a means of regulation or control can come in the form of commands (grammatically
known as imperatives) such as the following:
Please come in.
Get a chair.
Run.
Another form in which communication can take as a form of control would be questions that influence
human behavior. They are called rhetorical questions because they are not intended to get information.
Examples include the following:
Why don't we go to the dining room now?
Do you have a pen?
Can you pass the salt?
Statements (grammatically known as declaratives) may also be the form in which communication
becomes a means of regulation or control. The idea is that when a person says something, he or she wants
the listener to do something. The following are examples:
I want to be alone.
You need to hurry.
That's not the right thing to do.
Humans need to have a sense of control over their lives and the world around them. That is why we use
communication for regulation/control. Communication as a means to regulate/control human behavior
ranges from simple requests to laws governing large countries and territories. It is a powerful function of
language.

Social Interaction
Communication can be used to produce social interaction. In their daily course of living, human beings develop
and maintain bonds, intimacy, relations, and associations, Humans do this primarily through communication.
Examples of communication as social interaction include pickup lines, invitations, greetings, appreciation,
encouragement, marriage proposals, game plans, and many others.
LANGUAGE FORMS FOR SOCIAL INTERACTION
Below are several examples of expressions that produce social interaction.
Let's be friends. I love you.
Will you marry me? You mean so much to me.
Be my group partner. Hello!
I like you.
It is interesting to note, however, that by simply interacting through communication, humans already form
relationships even without direct invitations to do so. The mere act of spending time with a person and
talking about oneself already produces closeness. This is why a young man trying to develop a romantic
relationship with a woman spends a lot of time with her. The same can be said of working together and
communicating while doing so. It is also evident when parents spend time with their children or when
friends hang out with each other. Social interaction as a function of communication comes about in any
human activity involving communication. As Bronislaw Malinowski says, "ties of union are created by a
 mere exchange of words." al interaction is probably the most natural result of communication. This is
because, its very definition, communication is always social and always involves interaction.

Motivation
Motivation as a function of communication refers to a person using language to express desires, needs, wants,
likes and dislikes, inclinations, choices, and aspirations. Examples of communication used as motivation include
expressing one's ambitions, talking about preferences, ordering in a fast food restaurant, asking for milk, making
petitions, picketing, expressing a need, communicating desires and aspirations, and many more.
Motivation as a function of communication can be grammatically realized usually as declaratives but sometimes
as commands (grammatically known as imperatives) and rhetorical questions (questions not intended for merely
eliciting information.)
LANGUAGE FORMS FOR EXPRESSING MOTIVATION
Forms expressing motivation include the following:
I need….
I want...
Give me…
I dream of …
I like …
We pray for …
Do you have …?
Can I …?
Motivation as a function of communication is one of the most basic functions of human communication.
Humans have been using communication to obtain their needs even as little babies. A baby communicates
by crying in order to have his or her needs met-- milk, comfort, and others. A person who could not use
most means of communication to obtain what he or she wants experiences powerlessness and a feeling of
being trapped. Being able to communicate what our preferences, desires, need, and sentiments is closely
connected to how a person identifies himself or herself in relation to fellow human beings.
Not surprisingly, motivation can also serve to strengthen social interactions. As individuals express their
preferences, goals, and aspirations, they bond more closely with persons who share similar preferences,
goals and aspirations. This greater social interaction in turn strengthens their adherence to such
preferences. This makes motivation as a function of communication very central to human identity.

Information
Communication can be used for giving and getting information. Giving information usually comes in the form of
statements of facts (grammatically known as declaratives) and sometimes in terms of rhetorical questions. Getting
information can come in the form of questions intended for getting information (grammatically known as
interrogatives), commands (grammatically known as imperatives) and even through statements.
LANGUAGE FORMS FOR SHARING/OBTAINING INFORMATION
The following show some forms in which giving and getting information take.
Giving information…
...using statements
I have three brothers.
Philippine Normal University was established in 1901.
For every action, there is a reaction.
…using a rhetorical question
Did you know that some earphones can be used as microphones?
Getting information
..Using questions
Where is Mount Halcon?
Did it rain last night?
Is it windy outside?
..Using imperatives
Tell me how much a can of corned beef costs.
Show me how to tie a knot.
Give me information regarding the weather.
...using declaratives
I don't know where to find the city hall.
I need to understand how my bill was computed.
Communication as information enables humans to get to know the world. It enables them to process and
structure what they learn about it.

Emotional Expression
Humans always need to express their emotions both verbally and nonverbally. Emotions are a central part of who
we are. Beyond thinking about the things and people in our world, we feel about them and about ourselves.
Whether it is love, fear, anger, joy, hope, or any other emotion, humans need to let them out otherwise they harm
our well-being.
 LANGUAGE FORMS FOR EXPRESSING EMOTION
The following are examples of forms for expressing opinion:
I think.
I believe that.
In my opinion,
Let me say that.
The way I see it,
Aside from being expressed through language and verbal communication, emotional expression is the
function of communication most commonly expressed non-verbally. Not unusually, emotional expression
can be done through gestures, facial expressions, and other simple or energetic body movements.

The Special Case of Expressing Opinions

How about expressing an opinion? What function does it perform? The function to which expressing an opinion
belongs depends on the purpose and setting in which it is done. For example, when a doctor or lawyer gives an
opinion, it is likely to be about regulation/control. When a teacher gives an opinion about a topic, it is likely to be
about information. A teenage girl giving an opinion on who among the currently popular male celebrities is the
most handsome, that is likely to be about motivation. Lastly, when a teenage guy expresses an opinion about what
his life would be now that his girlfriend broke up with him that is likely to be in the realm of emotional
expression. Expressing an opinion has broad functions covering every category of communication functions.
As long as humans communicate, there will always be a particular use or function to our communication efforts.

Lesson Proper: Oral communication activities

Following are the 6 samples of effective oral communication:
 Extempore Speeches
 Group Discussions
 Role Plays
 Talk Show
 Short Presentations
 Listen and Talk Activity

Extempore Speeches
Extempore speeches prove to be a great activity for oral communication. It is an impromptu speech that is done
without any prior preparation. The individual has to conduct the speech then and there. The individual is asked to
speak at the spur of the moment. It gauge’s the individual’s ability to discuss, organize and plan spontaneously. In
an extempore presentation, an individual has to do a quick analysis of the topic and choose a direction to speak. If
the individual fails to analyze the topic effectively, it might lead to going in the wrong direction.
The core strategy behind extempore speeches is that the individual understands the main ideas that are central to
the topic and then present them in a logical manner. The idea generation and the flow of ideas in an extempore
speech requires the individual to present ideas in a coherent manner. Along the sequence of the ideas and the
spontaneous ideas generation, the articulation, fluency and modulation are the key components that strengthen the
social skills and verbal communication among the individuals.

Group discussions
Group discussions are another effective activity for oral communication. A group discussion is a communicative
situation that is centered on a set agenda. The group discussion has following purposes:
 Group discussions are carried out to increase knowledge about a certain topic.
 Group discussions are conducted to reach a final agreement leading to action.
 Group discussions are organized to settle a disagreement to reach a conclusion.
The aim behind group discussion activities for oral communication is to:
 Group discussions aid in gauging a person’s communication abilities.
 Group discussions help to analyze an individual’s oral communication skills.
 Group discussions help to boost the public speaking abilities in an individual.
 Group discussions facilitate in enhancing socializing skills of individuals.
 Group discussions inculcate interpersonal skills among the individuals.
 Group discussions help to overcome speech anxiety and social anxiety among individuals.
 Group discussions prove to be an effective activity to gauge communication abilities of individuals while
working in teams.

Role Plays
A very effective activity for oral communication is role play. It is a pretend play or make believe situation that is
at times structured or semi structured. The individual is asked to play as any specific person or take the role of
that person based on his prominent traits and the feelings the person associates to that role.
A role play activity is centered on changing one’s behavior to fit into another social role and adopt the major
characteristics of that role consciously or unconsciously to adopt the social expectancy of that role. The individual
assumes the character and behavior of the other person to pretend the role of that person.
The role play activity is used to enhance oral communication skills among the individuals. The oral
communication skills strengthen as the individuals take other’s perspective and expand their thinking horizon.
The oral communication enhances an individual’s vocabulary for improved oral communication skills.

Talk Shows activity for oral communication skills

Talk shows are another efficient strategy to improve communication skills among individuals. The structured and
semi structured talk shows are centered around building strong oral communication skills among the individuals.
The talk show activity is usually aimed at asking questions from the individuals and the individuals answer those
questions in presence of other guests and audience. The talk show activity is used for boosting oral
communication skills among individuals and confidently answering the open and closed ended questions related
to various topics in front of other people.
Thus the talk shows activity:
 Enhances an individual’s self-esteem
 Enhances an individual’s ability to confidently face larger groups
 Decreases an individual’s ability to feel social anxiety

Short Presentations
Short presentations are another activity to enhance oral communication skills among individuals. The short
presentations are on flash cards or through multimedia. They could be in groups or in small teams.
The individuals have to organize their ideas before they give a short presentation. They need to bring the content
of the presentation down to the level of the audience or up to the expectations of the audience.
Individuals in short presentation activities have to organize their work and convey their ideas to the audience in
designated time. Thus individuals learn time management in oral communication through short presentations.
The short presentation activity for oral communication skills also enables individuals to learn to present their
ideas and opinions in a way that is not threatening for the other team mates and audiences. As with short
presentations, individuals have to respect the ethnicity and values of other people.
The short presentations activity also enables individuals to present an idea using different mediums like visual
aids and other mediums like flash cards or audio aids to support their content and make their point strong.
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Listen and Talk Activity

The listen and talk activity for oral communication involves individuals to sit in a group. The first individual is
given a line to start with for example “in a jungle far away..” the other person listens to this line and adds up
another line”there lived a family..”. Turnwise each individual listens and adds a new line to the story loudly so
that the other members can listen clearly.
The listening and talk activity promotes oral communication skills among individuals. It facilitates individuals to
focus on the central idea that the story is being continued in. The individuals while doing the listen and talk
activity learn communication skills for working in a team and learn communication tactics of respecting others
and taking turns.

Generalization
The present article was based on the 5 different activities that are used for building oral communication skills
among individuals. We learned that extempore speeches,group discussions, role plays, talk shows, short
presentations and listen and talk activities are activities that can be effectively used to improve oral
communication and strengthen the various aspects that facilitate fluent communication.

Lesson 4 Types of Speech Context, Types of Speech Act and Speech styles
Types of Speech Context
The first Type of Speech Context is INTRAPERSONAL Communication, meaning communicating with oneself.
What does this mean? Intrapersonal Communication may be seen in situations involving talking to or writing to
oneself, even thinking to oneself. To clarify further, talking to oneself may mean repeating a song heard while
looking in the mirror, memorizing out loud a dialogue in a play, or berating oneself in a mutter on the way to
school for forgetting one’s homework. A teenager may write in a diary or on a private blog which nobody else is
supposed to read. One also writes on sticky notes to remind oneself of things to be done. And, of course, there is
daydreaming, meditating, or mental planning.
Clearly, in Intrapersonal Communication, the Speaker and the Listener are one and the same: YOU. You send the
Message to yourself and you yourself receive that Message.

2. INTRAPERSONAL Communication
Beyond INTRAPERSONAL Communication are several Types of Speech Context which we are more familiar
with, such as INTERPERSONAL Communication which involves more than one person. Of course, it is not just
the number of participants that determine each particular type of communication. They can each be differentiated
by its purpose. Remember? Communication is always intentional.

Dyadic Communication
Dyadic Communication involves only two participants forming the DYAD. One Speaker and one Listener come
together to exchange thoughts, ideas, opinions, and information. The roles of Speaker and Listener are not fixed,
they are interchangeable. Conversation is informal dyadic communication, while interview and dialogue are
formal dyadic communication. Conversation is the most common, the most frequent, and the most popular of all
dyadic communication. Talking with others is one way people amuse themselves. Dialogues usually happen
during guidance counseling, consulting with a priest, or heart-to-heart talks with a trusted person. One bares heart
and soul to go deeper into their motivations, attitudes, and beliefs. Interviews are almost always highly formal
compared to conversation, but not as in-depth as a dialogue is.

Small Group Communication

Small Group Communication requires from 3 to 15 people to study an issue, discuss a problem, and come up with
a solution or a plan. This is not just a gathering of people with no goal in mind but to pass the time. The group has
an agenda, a leader, and an outcome to accomplish. Because everyone can be both Speaker and Listener in this
setting, rules must be followed to facilitate the order. Order allows for a full discussion, which leads to a
compromise and the hoped for result: a solution or a plan. Small groups may be divided into two according to
purpose: Study Groups and Task-oriented Groups. Study Groups are meant to look into a problem but not
necessarily come up with a solution. It is the Task- oriented Groups that study an issue such as the perennial
traffic problem of Metro Manila or the pollution of Laguna de Bay to come up with a plan to resolve that issue.
Examples of Small Groups are panel discussions, symposia, roundtables, etc.

Public Communication
Public Communication is different from Dyadic or Small Group Communication in that one Speaker addresses
many Listeners, collectively known as an Audience. There is no interchanging of the Speaker and Listener roles.
Many Public Communication events are formal. The speech is well prepared, the Speaker is dressed
appropriately, and the Listeners are set to listen to the Message. Moreover, there is usually a stage, a lectern, and a
microphone coupled with a sound system and, sometimes, spotlights.
Usually, the programs are formally structured, with a Master of Ceremonies or MC (emcee), a Welcome Address,
an Introduction of the Keynote Speaker, the speech by the Keynote Speaker or Paper Presenter, and Closing
Remarks. The informal version of Public Communication does not necessarily have a stage, the Speaker may be
dressed informally, and there may or may not be a microphone or, sometimes, just a megaphone. With no sound
system at all, the Speaker has to project his/her voice to be heard by the Audience. This informal form of Public
Communication happens when the gathering is impromptu such as family reunions and is most often seen during
protest rallies, especially while participants are moving through the street

Mass Communication
Mass Communication is any of the above human verbal interactions carried out with the aid of mass media
technology. Mass media used to mean only radio and television, which reached more people with the use of their
technical systems. With the advent of the Internet and the worldwide web, Mass Communication now includes
Social Media, which allow for the use of technology by everyone, not just journalists, broadcasters, and technical
crew. Social Media cover videos that go viral on the Internet as well as webcasts/ podcasts which reach millions,
more than radio or TV ever could. In fact, radio and TV have joined Social Media by putting up their own
websites to communicate to a larger audience.

Types of Speech Act

When people communicate, their utterances are rarely just strings of words and meanings.Consider the utterance
"I haven't eaten in days." When said in response to the comment "You look thinner," it is merely an explanation to
the other person's observation. However, when told by a beggar to a stranger eating a piece of bread, it is no
longer an explanation, but an indirect request for food.
The example above shows how people are capable of performing acts with their utterances.
Such acts are called speech acts.
A speech act is a confluence of the following acts:
 Locutionary act or the utterance of a meaningful sentence, or what is said literally;
 illocutionary act or the social function of what is said, which refers to the intention of the
speaker in relation to the situation; and
  perlocutionary act or the effect of what is said to the person it is uttered to, or the
characteristic aims of a speech act.

As we analyze the interaction between the teacher and Maria in terms of speech acts, you will notice that the
teacher uses the words please and thank you (locutionary) to indicate the linguistic acts of requesting and thanking
(illocutionary). Maria, on the other hand, responds by saying, "Sure, ma'am, I will" and "You're welcome, ma'am"
to express willingness and to acknowledge the gratitude her teacher expresses. In such instance, both the teacher
and Maria are pleased with the exchange: the former gets her request done (return of the books), while Maria
receives the acknowledgment she deserves for willingly acceding to the request (perlocutionary).
In the next dialogue, a boss shouts at his employee for failing to do what he (employee) was tasked-to deliver a
package. The boss's stern language and raised voice cause the employee to meekly admit that he forgot to do as
told. The boss shouts again to reiterate that the package should be delivered at once. As a result, the employee
gets scared and scampers away. By analyzing the exchange of words between the boss and the employee, you will
know that the utterance of harsh words is the locutionary act, the acts of commanding and berating are the
illocutionary acts, and the actions of being scared and scampering away constitute the perlocutionary acts.