LESSON 5 ORAL COMMUNICATION

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

1. Outline advantages and disadvantages of using oral communication

2. To explain circumstances under which oral communication may be the most

appropriate to use in work place.

3. At the end of the topic the student should be able to identify the different types of meetings,

purpose, terminologies and documents used in meetings.

4. Acquire skills to conduct meetings, interviews and other forms of oral communication

in school and work place situations successfully.

ORAL COMMUNICATION

“A wound inflicted by speech is more painful than a wound inflicted by a sword.”

As the term itself suggests, communication through the spoken word is known as oral

communication. Of the working time spent in communication, 9% is writing, 16% in reading, 30%

in speaking and 45% in listening. In oral communication, words should be chosen very carefully

so that what they connote the precise shade of meaning. The sender of the message or this

representative is usually the speaker, while the receiver or his representative, the listener. Listening

is also an important aspect of oral communication.

Factors/Components in oral communication

 - The speaker

- How he speaks (style)

- What he speaks (content)

- Whom he speaks to (listener or audience)

- Whether he receives a feedback

Pre-requisites of oral communication

- Clear and proper pronunciation of words

- Clarity and exactitude of message

- Conciseness

- Right tone of voice

- Right pitch

- Right style and vocabulary

Merits of oral communication

a) Saving of time and money: Oral communication saves money as well as time. No money

needs to be spent for producing oral communication since it involves only the spoken word.

Oral communication is, therefore, economical.

b) Secondly, there is hardly any delay from the time when the sender sends the message and

the receiver receives it. The words are received and understood as soon as they are spoken.

Oral communication, therefore, saves time, too.

 c) Immediate feedback: The feedback in most oral communication is immediate. The words

are received as soon as they are spoken and the receiver can also give his reaction

immediately. The speaker can gauge the mood and the response of the listener. The

immediate feedback is an advantage for the speaker.

d) Saves paperwork: Paperwork is minimal since communication is in the form of spoken

words.

e) An effective tool for exhortation: When the communication is oral, you can try to persuade

the listener. Doubts can be cleared immediately.

f) Builds a healthy climate: A friendly atmosphere is created when you communicate orally

since there is less formality. You can also make modifications in the communication

immediately on the basis of the feedback and response from the listener.

g) Best tool during emergency: Oral communication is the quickest tool during an emergency.

It is the best method of communication when an immediate and fast response is critical.

Demerits of oral communication (Limitations)

a) Greater chances of misunderstanding: Unless it is recorded, you cannot refer to an oral

message again. There are, therefore, greater chances of a message being misunderstood or

misinterpreted. In fact, there is also a chance that the message may not be understood at

all.

b) Bad speaker: Only an individual who can satisfy all the requisites of effective oral

communication can produce good results. More often than not, a bad speaker may sent the

wrong message. Poor articulation, voice modulation and body language to can distort the
 message. A message may be misunderstood if there is a disharmony among these

components.

c) Ineffective for lengthy communication: Oral communication is not useful for lengthy

communication because of human limitations- time, space, psychological- there is high

likelihood that something important will be missed out.

d) Lower retention rate: Oral communication suffers from the drawback of a low retention

rate. A listener may absorb only some part of an oral message since the attention span

differs from person to person. People also tend to forget an oral message quickly.

e) No legal validity: Oral communication lacks proof of record. There is no permanent record

or proof of what has been said. An individual who has given a message may deny it later;

similarly, an individual who has been given an oral message or instruction may say he

never received it. Hence, oral communication has very little value from the legal point of

view.

f) Difficult to fix responsibility: Since a message is transmitted orally, it is difficult to fix

responsibility. This may also lead to carelessness in the implementation of a message.

TYPES OF ORAL COMMUNICATION

A. MEETINGS

Definition: Based on the case law precedent; a legal definition of a meeting is:-

“The coming together of at least two persons for any lawful (ommunication) purpose”

A meeting may also be defined as an assembly of persons meeting in accordance with legally

defined rules and procedures to discharge business as required by law.

Types of Meetings

Classification based on the degree of formality

. Buzz groups Local Government

council meetings

Managerial Local Government meetings

Meetings
Executive meetings
Quality Circles
Shareholders
meetings
Task force Board of Directors Tribunals

Meetings Winding up
meetings
Working party meetings Advisory committee Company General
meeting
meetings Local
Informal encounter meetings Some Voluntary Creditors meetings

Group meetings

Intra- Departmental Meetings Management/trade

unions meetings

LEAST FORMAL MOST FORMAL

Formally documented notices,

Informally documented notes
Agenda motions & minutes

Group leader rather than hierarchy of Meetings follow rules set down in
officials, no formal rules of statutes constitutions, standing
orders or by-laws, officials preside
procedures records kept.
 i) Executive meetings

These are meetings that take place in the on-going administration of companies, or local and

centered Government.

All present share in the making of decisions which lead to action being taken. An assembly of

people with common interests arriving at decisions and instituting actions through the process of

an exchange of relevant views and information which leads to an agreement favoured by the

majority of these present and subsequently supported by all.

ii) Briefing

Some meetings are just called to relay some information or decisions made from a higher level.

iii) Advisory:

This is a meeting of individuals to generate advice and submit it to a higher authority; an assembly

of people formulating advice, suggestions or proposals for submission to a higher executive body

for ratification.

iv) Managerial

These are informal meetings some arising spontaneously between a manager and his subordinates

or counterparts to exchange opinions, give advice or supply information as part of the managerial

decision making process. It is a type of meeting where people within an organization meet to

exchange views, attitudes or information with a view to making decision and instituting actions.

v) Task Force, Working Parting, Quality Circles

A modern approach to solving an organization’s problem has been to bring together a group of

people with varying responsibilities and from different departments to pursue a particular

problem. It is an assembly of people drawn from various levels and sectors of an organization,

embodying different specialists, brought together to find the solution to a problem by wondering

about the normal administrative structure.

vi) Brain Storming /Buzz Group

Some informational meetings are called for generation a fresh approach or new ideas relating to

organizational activities in an informal assembly of people who aim to generate ideas suggestions

or approaches to organizational activities to proceed through the items efficiently. But you should

not cut off discussion before all the important points have been made your goal is to permit

complete discussion on the one hand and to avoid repetition, excessive details and useless

comments on the other hand.

Techniques of conducting a meeting (If you are the Chairperson)

1. Plan the meeting.

Develop an agenda (a list of topics to be covered or transacted) by selecting the items that need

to be covered to achieve the goals of the meeting. Arrange

these items in the most logical order. Items that explain or lead to others should come before the

items that they explain or lead to. Make the agenda available to those who are attending the

meeting.

2. Follow the plan.

The plan should be adhered to item by item. In most meetings discussions tend to stray and new

items tend to come up. As a leader, you should keep the discussion on track. If new items come

up during the meeting, you can take them up at the end or perhaps post pone them to a future

meeting.

3. Move the discussion along.

As a leader, you should control the agenda. When one item has been covered, bring up the next

item. Do what is needed to proceed through the items efficiently. But you should not cut off

discussions before all the important points have been made. Your goal is to permit complete

discussion on the one hand and to avoid repetition, excessive details and useless comments on the

other hand.

4. Control those who talk too much

The task of a leader is to control those few who like dominating the discussion. The meeting should

be democratic and contributions should only be towards the goals of the meeting.

When strong points or duplicate points are still coming in, the reader should step in and tactfully

ask for other points or summarize the discussion and move forward.

5. Encourage participation from those who talk too little

Those who talk too little should be encouraged by being asked for their views and their comments

should be respected. Most of the times some of these are of lower positions than the rest and

therefore may fear to express their points.

6. Control Time
The meeting time needs to be determined in advance then at the appropriate times discussions of

the items should be completed. It may be important to announce the time and goals at the beginning

of the meeting and to remind the group members of the time progress during the meeting.

7. Summarize at appropriate places

A summary of key items should be made after the group has concluded on the point. If a group

decision is needed, the group’s role will be to make the conclusion. Each point should be

concluded before moving to the next one.

Techniques of participating in a meeting (If you are a member)

1. Follow the Agenda

When an agenda has been prepared, you should follow it; you should not bring up items not on the

agenda, or comment on such items if others bring them up.

When discussing the agenda, you should stay within the general limit of the goal for the meeting.

2. Participate

The purpose of meetings is to get the input of everybody concerned, thus you should participate.

Your participation however, should be meaningful. You should talk only when you have

something to contribute.

3. Do not talk too much

As you participate in the meeting, be aware that other people are attending. You should speak

only when necessary. Always respect the rights of others as you ask yourself whether what you

are saying really contributes to the discussion.

 4. Cooperate

A meeting by its very nature requires co-operation from all the participants. So keep this in mind

as you participate. Respect the teacher and his/her efforts to make progress. Respect the other

participants and work together in every practical way.

5. Be Courteous

In any event, you should be courteous to the other group members. Specifically you should respect

their rights and opinion, and you should not prevent them from speaking.

Documents used in meetings

i) Notice of meeting

These are dispatched in advance in accordance to standing regulations and may be written in any

of the following formats:-

• A form postcard- It pre-printed and is used to call routine meetings. Spaces are left for the

secretary to fill in the names, dates times and venues.

• Letter Format- These are personally written letters from the secretary to each committee

member on an organization’s letter head.

• Memorandum- Meetings called by companies or public service departments use the

memorandum method to write notices.

ii) Meeting Agenda

An agenda acts as a running order, schedule and timetable during a meeting. Normally agenda

follows the format below:

1. Apologies for absence

2. Minutes of the last meting

3. Matters arising

4. The last item is normally Any Other business- A.O.B.

5. The chairperson’s signature

iii) The Chairman’s Agenda

The Chairman’s agenda will include sufficient space for the secretary to insert background

information

iv) Minutes

These are records of meetings proceedings. In some organizations the minutes record only the

decisions reached while the preceding debate is no recorded.

Such minutes are “resolution minutes” since a motion which is successfully carried in a meeting

is thereafter referred to as a “resolutions”.

Narrative minutes on the other hand include a summary of the main points of a discussion

preceding a decision.

Action minutes are those that include clear tasks to certain participants to act upon.

B. COMMITTEE MEETINGS

As discussed earlier, committees can be categorized as:-

• Executive Committees – decision making

 • Advisory Committees – Suggestions

• Standing Committees

• Ad hoc Committees

• Formal Committees

• Informal Committees

• Line Committees

• Staff Committees

Advantages of forming Committees

 Committees offer expert opinions because when different people meet, much useful

knowledge and experience is pooled.

 They help to generate new ideas. Upon discussion of a problem, ideas that may have never

come to mind will come up and they may have considerable repercussions on future

activities of the organization.

 Feedback is available. As a result management is able to have the response of the

employees to proposed policies. Knowing these reactions early enough can prevent future

resentment among their employees.

 Employer – employee relationships are improved because employees feel part and parcel

of decision making process of the organization.

 The employee’s interest can be safeguarded.

 Involvement of employees enables them to put forward their cases through the

representative body and hence their interests will be safeguarded.

  Latent talents are drawn from committees. A chance is given to various employees to make

significant contributions; a large number of people who would otherwise have lain dormant

are brought into active display.

 Committees promote co-ordination

 Committees consisting of department heads who meet at regular intervals will have to work

with understanding and co-operation among them for the success of their discussion.

 Committees give valuable training to junior executives.

 When junior executives are allowed to work in committees, they are exposed to a rich

treasurer of creative ideas that would later enable them tackle problems more confidently

and effectively.

 Committees help to check authoritarian trends

 Committees prevent the concentration of authority in one man and tend to distribute power

to many hands.

 Committees achieve consolidation of authority.

 Decisions which concern more than one department or section would require the working

of different committees. As a result the decision arrived at would be consolidated in a

committee instead of an individual.

 Committees transmits information uniformly

 Uniform transmission is achieved when information is given in a committee consisting of

various needs or other representative members.

Disadvantages of Committees
In spite of the numerous advantages of the committees, they do also have disadvantages as

explained below.

 Delay: Decision to be made by committees often takes longer because notices have to be

circulated early enough to ensure that sufficient quorum would be present. In this case a

decision which would have taken a short-time by an individual takes a longer period.

 Irrelevant Discussion: In committees drifts tend to arise during discussions. This leads to

waste of time and increase expenditure.

 Expensive: Committee deliberations often take a very long time and prove to be expensive.

 Undesirable Compromises: Decisions from committees has to be these that accommodate

the interests of many and sometimes these decisions may not actual be the best, but are

compromised.

 Responsibility is split: Decision arrived at by committees may not be traced or borne by

any member but are rather responsibilities of the team as a whole.

 Minority Tyranny: In the effort to seek consensus, members may have to yield to the

wishes of a minority group whose thinking may be opposed to organizational interests.

Why Committees Fail

a) Poor leadership: In this case a chairman fails to effectively control the meeting and give a

direction to the discussion.

b) Overbearing Leadership: This is a situation where the chairman behaves in an authoritarian

manner and does not allow members to express themselves freely. At times the chairman

may only lend an ear to those whose contributions match his preference.
 c) Lack of compliance with formal procedures: Sometimes, on account of the negligence of

the secretary, formal procedures and not fully complied with. For instance if proper notice

is not issued and the quorum not complete, there is an unnecessary waste of time.

d) Inadequate or Large Membership: Few members are not representatives enough while

more members lead to a diversity of opinion and difficulty to value decisions.

e) Undesirable or Incompetent Membership: The right type of people should be selected for

successful function of committees. These people should be accommodating

knowledgeable, gentle and able to work in groups.

How to Improve the Effectiveness of Committees

1. Proper definition of the scope of the committee- This should not be too broad or too vague.

2. Competent Memberships

The members should be of the right temperament and well informed. They shouldn’t be

too rigid or too yielding to reduce decision making to a force.

3. Correct Size

The membership shouldn’t be too large nor too small, it should be adequate.

4. Proper Selection of the Subject

The subject selected should justify the formation of the committee and thus the expense

incurred.

C. CONFERENCES
Conferences are aimed at bringing together a large group of people as delegates to listen to expert

speakers and to take part in arising discussions and forums.

Some of the reasons for organizing of conferences both locally internationally or regionally are:-

• To share knowledge and attitudes about a newly emerged topic like the HIV

infections/impact.

• To be given an expert updating on a given theme by national/international expert.

• To develop a response to a particular topic as a group of specialists.

• Conferences are increasingly taking place by means of telecommunication links or hooks

hence we have audio telephone conferencing or audio-visual teleconferencing.

The main stages of organizing a conference are:-

I. The Go- ahead decision

Upon decision to hold a conference for any underlying reasons such as to increase the awareness

of a company’s product, the essential ingredients from the outset are:-

• Creating a skilled and communicative teaching

• Devising and keeping to a conference plan.

• Assigning clearly understood and accepted responsibilities to team members.

II. Strategic Planning

This stage involves deciding on the following issues.

Theme: What will the conference be about?

Are the topics likely to attract sufficient delegates?

Venue: When, where and for how long will the conference take place.

Delegate: What kind of delegate will the conference attract?

Speaker: What sorts of speakers can the team interest.

Extra features: What supportive features should be included?

III. Costing and Budgeting

The cost of the conference should be weighed against the benefits. A break even analysis should

be done to help in decision making.

IV. Promotion and Sales Drive

Typically, conferences are advertised in specialist magazines & journals which the targeted

delegates are likely to see. In addition mail shots and literature on proposed programmers are sent

to likely participants.

V. Hiring of Conference Facilities

Provisional booking will have to be made early and need to be confirmed twelve to eight weeks

before the conference.

Advantages of Conferences

Since conferences are similar to committees, all the advantages of group communication discussed

in the section on committees are equally applicable to conferences also. Conferences disseminate

information, stimulate a creative flow of ideas, pool knowledge and experience, define problems,

and help to solve them. They also help to promote public relations and enhance the prestige of the

organization convening the conferences. One of their major advantages is that they succeed in
focusing attention of the public and the government on the problems being faced by a particular

industry.

The government may not care for the suggestions made by different industrial units individually,

but when the suggestions emerge at a conference and are submitted to the government in the form

of a charter, they are bound to draw attention.

Limitations of Conferences

Like committees, conferences have their limitations also. Big conferences are highly expensive,

but the results may not justify the expenses incurred. They may unconsciously be lead into

generalization and specific problems may not be discussed at all. They may be dominated by a

few vocal delegates who may use them to project their own image and may not contribute much

to thinking.

Some delegates may treat their participation in such conferences as pleasure trips and may not

take them seriously at all. They can be useful only if they are taken seriously, if the delegates come

well prepared and if the chairman does his job completely and draws out substantial contribution

from all the delegates.

E. THE TELEPHONE

Telecommunication systems in general and the telephone in particular have become indispensable

tools for communicating the spoken word. The following are effective telephoning techniques in

business today.

Before Calling
 - Choose the right time to call. Consider the cost, urgency and convenience. When calling

overseas, you must also consider the time difference.

- Check the number. A great deal of money is wasted each year on dialing wrong numbers.

- Plan your call. Make a list of points and questions to be raised during your call.

- Be prepared-: Gather together any files, papers or other information which may be needed

during the call. It is unprofessional to have to say “Hold on while I look for that.”

- Avoid interruptions. Call at a time when you are unlikely to be distracted.

During the call

- Be Courteous and establish a rapport. Make time for pleasantries like “ How are you today”

- Put a smile in your voice. Remember the caller can’t see you, so use intonation to good

effect and try to sound confident, decisive helpful and interested.

- Check your note. Look back at your notes to ensure you have covered everything and quote

figures and other data correctly.

- Obtain feedback. Make sure the caller understands the message correctly especially where

deadlines and actions are involved.

- Be courteous. Finish by thanking the caller for his or her time and trouble.

After the call

- Make notes. Let it become a habit to make notes of the call and place them in the

appropriate file.

- Take action: If you need to send a letter of confirmation or inform someone in your

organization about any details of the call, do so immediately so that you do not forget

important points.
- Taking Messages: Taking telephone messages requires both oral and written

communication skills. A pencil and a telephone message pad should always be kept by the

telephone. A message pad provides headings which acts as a reminder to obtain the

necessary information from the caller.

Sample Message pad

YES NO
URGENT

Message for_______ _________ (name of recipient)

Time Date _____________

WHEN YOU WERE OUT

M .

Of .

TELEPHONE _________________

Telephone Wants to see you

INTERVIEWS

The word interview means ‘view between’ or ‘sight between’. It suggests a meeting between two

persons for the purpose of getting a view of each other, or for knowing each other. It takes place

when two parties meet to satisfy pre-determined objectives by mutual interrogation and is

characterized by posing and answering of questions where both parties have specific aims to

achieve.

When we normally think of an interview, we think of a situation in which an employer tries to size

up a job applicant for selection. The employer’s aim is to know whether the applicant can be of

service to his company, and the applicant’s aim is to find out whether the job being offered by the

company can be suitable to him. An interview is, thus an oral means of two-way communication

during which both participants speak and listen from time to time.

Job Selection interview is only one kind of interview, though it is a major one. Apart from it, there

can be appraisal interview to assess the performance of employees, grievance interview to learn

about their grievances or complaints, exit interview with employees when they are leaving the

company either on their own or through dismissal etc.

The interview is certainly an important kind of communication which many people encounter

during their working lives. There are, hence, a large number of other kinds of exchange which can

be categorized as interviews.
For instance, a more formal kind of interview is the meeting between two people or a small group

to discuss routine matters or affairs of particular concern within their organization. Such meetings

may take place between section heads and their subordinates, or between employees at any level

of the organization.

Routine interviews may also take place between members of different organizations. A phone call

from a representative with samples of new stock to show to the chief buyers; a visit by contractors

for printing work or for the manufacture of components; and a meeting between a wholesaler and

a retailer – also may be described as interviews in the widest sense of the term.

FORMS OF INTERVIEWS

Some of the more common forms of interview which occur within an organization are discussed

in more detail below.

Selection interviews

These are the encounters most people associate with the term ‘interview’ – the kind which take

place to decide whether or not somebody will be given a job. The selection process may include

tours of the factory or premises and informal discussions with other members of staff, but the

most important part will be the interview itself. Here, one of the more senior staff, or in some

cases a personnel officer, will ask questions about the candidate’s background and experience,

ambitions and general interests, and any other subjects which help in assessing his or her

suitability for the post in question.

Promotion interviews
 Promotion interviews take place when an employee has applied for a job of a higher grade

within the organization. They are conducted in a manner similar to selection interviews, and

aim to discover whether the applicant has the necessary qualifications and abilities to perform

the job in question. They are generally conducted by a person or people in positions of some

seniority within the organization, perhaps in a group so that the applicant’s suitability can be

assessed from a number of different viewpoints.

Appraisal interviews

Appraisal interviews are a way of assessing the work done, and progress made, by an individual

employee. Sometimes called ‘update interviews’, they generally take place at yearly intervals,

and are conducted by a department or section head. The interviewer reviews the worker’s

progress during the past year, and then moves on to future prospects such as the likelihood of

promotion, staff training, and possible transfer to other work or to a different department.

Appraisal interviews may also give an employee the chance to make suggestions about the

organization’s procedures.

Effective conducted, appraisal interviews are a way in which employee can be made to feel an

active part of the organization. As such, they are a very important part of business

communication.

Instructional interviews

Interviews can also be used to issue instructions new procedures to key individuals within an

organization. These meetings resemble other interviews in terms of their general conduct, but

must be prepared with greater care to ensure that the procedures concerned are demonstrated

and explained with perfect clarity. If this is not done, the interview will achieve very little, and
 may even be harmful by giving the employee a limited or incorrect notion of the new

procedure.

Disciplinary interviews

Disciplinary interviews are the least pleasant kin of interview, as they are carried out by a

senior employee when an employee has been accuse of committing a breach of company

regulations. Preparation must include a complete study the facts and the conduct of the

interview must be based solely on these, to avoid considerations of personality clouding the

judgment of the interviewer. Often the interviewee will be permitted to bring a friend or

colleague to speak in her or his support and to witness the proceedings. Above all, it is

important that the interview is conducted with complete impartiality, and that the decision

reached is a just one.

Grievance interviews

Interviews of this kind take place when an employee feels that he or she has been wrongly

treated by another member of the organization. Like disciplinary interviews, they should be

conducted on a basis of sound, factual knowledge, taken. Most large organizations have a

clearly defined grievance procedure, which dictates how and with whom complaints should be

registered. Again, the presence of a friend or colleague at the interview is often permitted. Such

interviews demand considerable tact and understanding, and for this reason are usually

conducted by senior employees.

Decision - making interviews

 Unlike the interviews considered so far, decision making interviews are essentially small

meetings between company members of equal status. The arrangement of furniture and general

conduct of the encounter should reflect this equality, ensuring that the views of all parties are

expressed fully and considered in detail before a decision is reached. Preparation for such

interviews will include gathering all the information necessary to gain a full picture of the facts,

which will then form the basis of any decision.

Planning and conducting an interview

An interview of any kind – form a friendly encounter between equals to a formal grievance

interview- should be organized according to certain principles if it is to be successful. An interview

will be more effective if the organizer gives careful consideration to the following six areas:

I. preparation

II. activation

III. attention

IV. structure

V. summary

VI. action

Preparation
All interviews need careful preparation, which should cover four areas: the purpose of the

interview; gathering the necessary information; planning a suitable setting for the interview; and

thinking about the people who will be involved.

▪ Purpose

The reason why the interview is being g held must be clearly defined. The most concrete way of

doing this is in terms of the intended outcome. Ask yourself what you wish to have achieved by

the end of the meeting. This may be a detailed knowledge of the progress of a particular employee

in the past year, or a firm decision about the development of a new product. The nature of the

desired outcome will depend very much on the nature of the interview, but you should always have

an idea of what you want to achieve, bearing in mind what is realistic within the time available.

▪ Information

Before an interview you should obtain all the relevant information and familiarize yourself with

it. Read any relevant correspondence, look at job application forms, consider files of documents

or study reports. Once you have assimilated the information, you should note the main topics which

you wish to discuss, or particular questions which you would like to ask during the meeting.

You should keep all of this information with you so that, if necessary, you can consult it during

the interview. It is best not to rely too heavily on your notes, though, as you will then be able to

concentrate on discussing the ideas in hand and on listening to the other person’s responses.

▪ Setting

You should set a time and place for the meetings which are convenient for all concerned. A room

of a suitable size, well lit properly ventilated, should be made available, with the furniture arranged
appropriately – either a desk and chairs or a table and chairs depending on the nature of the

interview and the relationship you wish to establish with the interviewee.

Finally, make sure that you will not be interrupted during the meeting, by arranging for telephone

calls to be taken elsewhere, putting an ‘engaged’ sign on the door or using other means to ensure

that everyone can concentrate fully without distractions.

▪ People

One part of your research before the interview may well concern the other person or people

involved. This will be particularly true in the case of selection, appraisal, disciplinary or grievance

interviews, but will also be of importance in other, less formal exchanges. It is always worthwhile

thinking briefly about the person or people with whom you are meeting, and about their attitudes.

If you are meeting someone for the first time, finding out a little about him or her will also be a

sign of courtesy, as it shows that you have taken the time and trouble to consider his or her feelings.

Activation

This is the most important priority in conducting an interview. Remember that your task is get

your interviewee to talk freely and expressively, so that you can have a full exchange of ideas. Try

to put the interviewee at ease, by adopting a friendly and reassuring manner from the start, so that

he or she can relax, forget any feeling of unease and concentrate fully on the meeting. This is

particularly important in selection and promotion interviews, but is also valid for meetings of other

kinds.

One important technique is the ‘open’ questions. These are questions which give the respondent

an opportunity to express his or her ideas in full, unlike their opposite – ‘closed’ questions- which

suggests that ‘yes’ or ‘no’ are the only answers. For example, instead of saying ‘Did you like my
suggestions for a new centralized computer system?’, you might say, ‘You’ve read my ideas about

the centralized computer system: tell me what you think of them.’ Open questions suggest genuine

interest in other person’s point of view, and so encourage full response, especially when they are

supported by careful and attentive listening.

Attention

As an interviewer, you should always give the other person your undivided attention. All the

techniques of listening – such as smile, nodding, looking at the speaker and use of para-linguistics

– should be employed to make clear that you have a genuine interest in what is being said.

Structure

One aspect of your preparation will have been the drawing up of a list of points for discussion,

rather like the formal agenda of a committee meeting. Interviews may fail because of lack of

planning, and drawing up a formal list of points or questions - perhaps in consultation with the

other person involved. But if this is done, it will ensure that the interview comes close to achieving

its desired outcome.

Once you have listed the points to be covered, you should make sure that the time available is

used properly, so that minor points are dealt with quickly and that there is time for a full discussion

of more complicated matters. Making sure that a clock is clearly visible to both parties will help

in this.

Ensure effective control of discussion so that irrelevant ideas are not introduced or- if introduced

– that they are not discussed in depth.

Summary
It is important that both people involved have a clear idea of what has been decided during an

interview. For this reason, it is good practice to stop after you have discussed each point on your

list to summarize what you have decided. At the end of the interview, a summary of all these points

will be useful.

It is also good idea to write up these points while they are fresh in your mind, and then incorporate

them in a letter or memo to the interviewee so that you both have a record of what was said and

agreed. In more formal interviews, a secretary may be present just to take notes, but in most cases

those who take part will do it themselves at suitable point in the discussion.

Action

An important part of your summary will concern the action which is to be taken as a result of the

discussion and who is to take it. These points can be incorporated into the letter or memo sent just

before the meeting, to make clear who is to do what. This ensures that the decisions made are put

into practice, and that the outcome desired is actually achieved.

In conclusion

Interviews or meetings between individuals, whatever their purpose, will be much more efficient

if we follow these principles. Although they may appear most relevant to more formal interviews,

they are also valuable for any encounter which is more than a casual exchange of ideas as a result

of a chance meeting.

From a broader perspective, these principles form the basis for organizing clear and effective

meetings of larger groups of people, and underlie the formal procedures used by committees used
in conjunction with the principles of oral communication outlined earlier and they will meet their

intended aim, and also ensure that oral exchanges of ideas are an efficient and enjoyable way of

increasing mutual trust and respect between all concerned.

Responding in an interview

The preceding section has discussed the ways in which you should organize and conduct an

interview with another individual. In the early stages of your career, however, you are more likely

to take part in interviews as a partner who responds – be it to a senior employee within your own

organization or to someone interviewing you for a new job. Responding in an interview of this

kind is something which needs careful consideration, and once again there are a number of

principles to be followed:

Follow the checklist

All the principles in the checklist are just as appropriate for someone being interviewed as they are

for the person directing the interview. In particular, you should note the following points:

Use the right form of expression: As interviews – especially those for jobs – tend to be quite formal

occasions, you should always try to use language suitable to the questioner. This will usually be

rather more formal than the kind of language you would use with your own friends or relatives.

Listen carefully: As your fitness for a job will be evaluated on the basis of your answer, you need

to listen very carefully to the questions. Think carefully, too, before answering. No one will mind

if you pause briefly before speaking.

Send the right non-verbal signals: Dressing smartly will show that you take the interview seriously

and that you respect those whose are conducting it. An alerting posture, showing interest without
anxiety, will convey a sense of involvement and commitment. Try to speak clearly and calmly so

that you can be heard by everyone in the room. Be pleasant and polite when answering questions

and, although you should look mainly at the person who asked the question, glance quickly at any

other people present to show that you are including them in what you are saying.

Prepare for the interview: If you are attending a job interview, find out something about the

company before the interview by looking at its products or sales brochures. Try to work out what

kind of questions you will be asked, and how you might answer them. You may well be asked why

you want to work for that particular company, and it will be of little value to answer that you

‘hadn’t really thought about it’ or that it was ‘one job out of several’ you have applied for. Watch

the news the night before the interview in case you are asked about current events; think about

your hobbies, recreational interests and other pursuits which might from the basis of questions. All

these will help you to answer readily, which will give you confidence and convey a better

impression of your general character and your suitability for the job.

Think before speaking: Try NOT to rush in with your ideas. Work out whether they are really

valid, and try to think of a complete sentence which expresses them clearly and in language

appropriate to the interviewer. This will create a far better impression than saying the first thing

that comes into your head in careless, inappropriate language.

Be honest: Although you should match your form of expression to the interviewer, you should not

simply say what you think he or she expects or wants to hear. There is no point in being offensive,

but remember that the aim of an interview is for the interviewer to get an idea of your views and

personality. There is nothing to be gained by giving bland, non-committal answers to question.

Try not to fidget: Nervousness is often betrayed by body and head movements of various kinds.

Try to control your anxiety by sitting in a comfortable but fairly formal position, with you hands

by your sides, not near your mouth where they may cause you to be misheard.

Remember that an interview is an exchange: Above all, remember that the purpose of the

interview is to get you views on a topic, or to gain a general idea of your suitability for a job.

Giving a false impression will probably only create problems at a later stage and, while you should

not stubbornly refuse to compromise your views, there is no point in presenting a false picture of

yourself. The interviewer will want you to be relaxed.

How to become an effective interviewer

Murphy and Peck in their book Effective Business Communications have listed the following

suggestions for a person who wants to become an effective interviewer:

• Let the applicant do most of the talking. If you talk more than 50% of time, you are

interviewing yourself not conducting an interview.

• Use brief verbal responses that will help the applicant talking- prod with questions such as

“Tell me more”, “ That’s interesting”, “what happened then?”

• Give your entire attention to the interviewee and respond by encouraging facial

expressions, movement and expression of the eyes, and nods of the head.

• Allow pauses in the conversation if you think the applicant will reveal important

information. But avoid lengthy pause when the applicant has definitely finished a topic.

• Try to understand the applicant, who in turn may volunteer really useful information.
 • Make self-expression easy for the applicant.

• Respect the feelings of the other person even though you consider the person wrong. At all

times accept what the applicant says. Never frown, show surprise, or show disapproval.

• Avoid the impulse to cut applicant off or change the subject abruptly.

• Never argue.

• Sit on the same side of the desk as the applicant and use informal, plain language.

Characteristics of Interview

It has two sides, the interview and the interviewee; takes place between two or more people of

different status

▪ Has a pre-determined purpose

▪ It is planned and pre-arranged

▪ It is structured

▪ Is controlled by the interviewer - Failure to maintain control of an interview loses focus.

Interviews may be conducted for the purpose of:

➢ Job selection

➢ Hearing complaints

➢ Discipline

➢ Determining (job) progress

What Interviews will be concerned with

Usually the interviewer will be interested to get information about the interviewee in these areas.

1. Physical attributes

2. Manual skills

3. Knowledge skills

4. Knowledge

5. Personality and social skills

Preparation by the interviewer

I. Preparing job description: this is meant to set down clearly what a particular job consists

of and in what context.

Details to include are:

▪ Job title

▪ Appropriate coded person on the legal table of the organizations hierarchy

▪ A brief outline of its major role

▪ The identity of the person who supervises the work

▪ A catalogue the major responsibility

II. Set the date

III. Determine the style and structure of the interview

IV. Preparing the questions which could be closed or probing questions. The questions should

be relevant, unambiguous and free from bias

 V. Identify the type of response you expect and provide a check to be used by interviewers as

each applicant answers questions.

As the interviewer you can use;

Closed questions, or/and Open questions, Mirror questions.

Closed questions require the interviewee to answer specific answers, usually one word or one

sentence answers.

Advantages

▪ They usually get a reluctant interviewee talking as they may require simple straight forward

answers.

▪ Are used when seeking clarifications or verification of any points

▪ They provide easily quantifiable information in a highly standardized form which allow

for easy comparison between different interview subjects

Disadvantages

▪ They elicit very little information

▪ It makes the interviewee feel that they are being interrogated as it is cold, and lifeless

▪ It ignores complexities which can result in an invalid response

Mirror questions
These are the questions that restate the interviewee’s previous answers and invite them to add

further information. These questions play back to the interviewee the interviewer’s understanding

of the last response.

Advantages

▪ It is the most effective way of ensuring that real communication is taking place, it provides

the interviewee with immediate feedback as to how well they are communicating what they

really mean and allows the interview to check their understanding.

▪ To improve the quality of listening in the interview and helps promote an atmosphere of

empathy and trust.

Disadvantages

▪ There is change of putting words who the month of the interviewee

Open/Probing Questions

These are questions that calls for broad answers

Advantages

▪ Allows the interviewee to explore the depth of the knowledge, skills, attitude the

interviewee

Disadvantages

▪ Time consuming
 ▪ Prepare the venue, panel

Conducting and interview (Interviewer’s role)

i) Create an open friendly and environment and aim to put the interviewee at ease.

ii) Greet the applicant by name and introduce yourself, the panel, by name and job designation

iii) State the interview purpose and intended results, be specific and avoid generalities

iv) Establish and maintain rapport.

v) Beware of you own communication style, particularly use of non-verbal ones such as eye

contact, facial expression body posture, gestures, voice levels

vi) Beware of different personalities and cultural backgrounds and project an encouraging

positive attitude.

vii) Give the interviewee your individual attention; smile and use appropriate gestures.

viii) Sum up the interview by stating any action you are going to take or anything

expected of the interviewee after the meeting.

Interviewee’s role

In any interview the interviewee will directly or indirectly be assessed in these areas:

 Appearance and manners

 Look smart and well groomed

 Enter the room politely and not over- hesitantly

 Once invited to take a seat avoid the tendency to slouch on lounge and assume posture that

is comfortable and alert

 Master feelings of nervousness

  Listen before speaking

 Get to know where a sequence of questions are leading you

 See the probing which might be going on beneath an apparently harmless question.

 Look at the interviewer

 /facial expression provide valuable insights into what is in the interviewers mind and show

that you are paying attention but avoid staring..

 Avoid thinking while speaking

Interviewee’s preparation for the interview

If you are an interviewee, you should prepare yourself on the following lines:

1) Know yourself

This is probably the most important part of your preparation. Try to find out what to achieve

through your work: e.g. inner fulfillment, fame, position in society, wealth, security, comfort,

travel, power. Before you apply for a job, be sure that you know why you are applying for it and

whether it will suit you. Know yourself (strengths) weakness), down play weaknesses and

capitalize on strengths. Deal with nervous. Choose appropriate clothes, shoes, accessories, wear

comfortable clothes that are appropriate and acceptable.

2) Know the company

The next thing is to know the company in which you are seeking the job. You should try to find

out as much as you can about its activities, its growth over the years, its future prospects, etc. If

you reveal a sincere interest in the company and show that you have acquired knowledge about it

on your own initiative, you will create a favourable impression on your interviewer. Get
background information-organization product, services, history e.tc (These information can be got

from internet, organization, T.V, newspaper, personal contacts, annual reports).Know who to see

and how to get to the venue

3) Prepare for the questions

Anticipate the questions that you will probably be asked and prepare answers to them. It is not

difficult to anticipate these questions, for after all, you will be asked questions about your interests,

hobbies, achievements, prospects, relationship with your friends and members of the family. Try

to be clear in your mind about the answers you will be giving. Don’t lie, for you will surely be

caught and will spoil the whole show.

4) Prepare the questions that you would like to ask

If the interviewer does not offer you full information about the company and the job, you must ask

questions to gain this information. Prepare the questions that you would like to ask. These

questions might relate to formal or informal training, promotional avenues, and fringe benefits.

5) Plan to get there 10-30 minutes earlier so that you can relax and gather your thoughts

During the interview

1) Aim to give the interviewer a good idea about you as a person and your suitability to the

job.

2) Do not present yourself wrongly act naturally

3) Listen carefully-you will be judged on the basis of your answers so listen to them carefully-

pick out the key details of the questions to and pause briefly before
 4) Take care to be formal by using the correct expressions and language suitable to the

situation at all costs avoid slag and expressions like “you know’, “sort of err…”.

5) Be honest, do not say what you think the interviewer wants to hear or expects you to say.

Do not pretend to have qualifications or experience which you do not have.

6) Ask questions-A good interviewer will give you an opportunity to ask questions- do not

ask holidays, and salaries instead ask about potential for future responsibilities and training.

Avoid: Negative start, Monotonous delivery, Unresponsiveness; expand you answer, inappropriate

language, Unnatural posture.

CHAPTER REVISION QUESTIONS

i) You have been invited for an interview for a job as a front office/ sales representative

in an organization you have all along wanted to work for. Explain the preparations you

would undertake before the interview to maximize success.

ii) “By the time individuals are invited for an interview they will definitely have met the

basic requirements for the job in terms of knowledge, skills and experience” Why the

interview necessary if the assertion above is correct?

iii) Telephone is an important component of organizational communication, In line with

explain the precaution measures that individuals need to bear in mind when receiving

or making a call on behalf of an organization.