Executive Service Centers -- Corporate Communication --

Oral Communication

ASPECTS OF ORAL COMMUNICATION

Communication Process Elements

To understand and develop efficient communication strategies it’s
necessary to analyze before each one of the elements that are part of the
communication process. So, make part of the communication process the
transmitter, a transmission channel, generally influenced by noises, a receiver and
still the receiver’s feedback.
1. Transmitter (or communications’ message source): represents who thinks,
encodes and sends the message, being, who initiates the communication process.
The message encoding can be made transforming the thought that one wants to
transmit into words, gestures or symbols that are comprehensible by who receives
the message.
2. Message transmission channel: make the connection between the transmitter
and the receiver and represents the way through which the message is
transmitted. There is a wide variety of transmission channels, each one of them
with advantages and inconvenient: stand out the air (in the case of the transmitter
and receptor be front to front), the telephone, the electronic and computer ways,
the memos, radio, television, among others.
3. Message receptor: represents who receives and decodes the message. Here
it’s necessary to have in attention that the encoding of the message results in what
effectively the transmitter wanted to send (for example, in different cultures, the
same gesture can have different meanings). Can exist only one or numerous
receptors for the same message.
4. Noises: represent obstructions more or less intense to the communication
process and can occur in any one of its phases. Internal noises are dominated if
they occur during the encoding or decoding phases and external if they occur in
the transmission channel. Obviously these noises vary depending on the type of
transmission channel used and depending on the transmitters and receptors’
characteristics, being, for that, one of the criteria used in the choice of the
transmission channel and the encoding type.
5. Feedback: represents the answer of the message from the receptor to the
transmitter and can be used as a measure of the communication result. Can be or
not transmitted by the same transmission channel.

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Oral Communication

Oral Communication
In the case of oral communication, its main characteristic is the presence of
the receptor (excluding, obviously, oral communication that uses television, radio
or recordings). This characteristic explains several of its main advantages, namely
the fact that allows an immediate feedback, grants (contributes) the immediate
transition from the receptor to the transmitter and vice versa, allows the use of
non-verbal communication such as gestures, mimic and tone, for example, ease
the corrections and additional explanations, allow to observe the receptor’s
reactions, and still the great speed of transmission. However, and in order that
these advantages be seized it´s necessary the themes’ knowledge, explicitness,
presence and spontaneous, pleasant voice and good utterance, safety and self-
control, and still the availability to listen.
As main disadvantages of oral communication stands out the fact of being
fleeting (brief), not allowing any registration and, consequently, being inadequate
to long messages and that require a careful analyses from the receptor.

 Oral Communication´s Factors

Pleasant voice (voz agradable): attractive voice.

Tone (tono): a quality in the voice that expresses the speaker´s feelings.

Pace while speaking (ritmo mientras habla): the speed at which someone
speaks.

Modulation (modulación - sonido): To change loudness of something such

as your voice in order to achieve an effect or express an emotion.

Volume (volume): the level of sound produced.

Pronunciation (pronunciación): the way in which a word or letter is said, or

said correctly, or the way in which a language is spoken.

Diction (dicción): the manner in which words are pronounced.

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Requirements to achieve good communication

Clarity (claridad): the quality of being clear and easy to understand.

Conciseness (concision): short and clear, expressing what needs to be said

without unnecessary words.

Coherence (coherencia): a clear relationship between parts.

Simplicity (sencillez): the quality of being easy to understand without

unnecessary extra words, things or decorations.

Naturalness (naturalidad): the quality of being real and not influenced by

other people.

Interest (interés): a matter, activity that is of special concern to one

Participation (participación): to be active of an activity.

The oral communication´s characteristics

Voice restraint (control /moderación de la voz): calm and voice control.

Emphasis (énfasis): the extra force that you give to a word of part of a word
when you are saying it.

Silences and rhythms (silencios y ritmos): a period of time when there is no

sound or no talking, and a regular, repeating pattern of sound.

Gestures (gestos): a movement you make with your hand, arm, or head to
express what you are thinking or feeling.

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Manners (modales): polite ways of behaving with other people.

Facial expression and body language.

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

Communications Directional Streams

Communications streams in the organizations can be divided in vertical
communication (ascendant and descendant) and in lateral or horizontal
communication.

Vertical Communication
Descendant vertical communication consists on a type of communication
that begins in the top management and flows in the way of the hierarchy base of
the organization. This kind of information consists, generally, in information,
communication and instructions related with the organizational goals, policies,
rules and regulations and with the present situation of the organization. This kind
of communication prevails essentially in organizations where the subordinates’
level of participation is low.
As to the ascendant vertical communication, consists generally in reports
sent to the superiors about the situation of a certain department or project,
clarifications’ requests, suggestions and complaints, searches reports, among
others, depending on the degree of participation and democracy in the decisions.
The main problem that can affect the ascendant vertical communication is the lack
of objectivity or even untruth in the reports handed to the superiors, especially
when the facts are negative.

Lateral or Horizontal Communication

Lateral or Horizontal Communication consist in the communication between
members of different departments, between members of a certain
interdepartmental work group, between members of different work groups or
between the line agencies and staff. A kind of lateral communication is the
informal communication which can cross any organizational level and in any

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direction, not depending from the standards and rules established by the formal
organization.

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