Oral Communication in Context

Definition and Principles because you misunderstood what your

parents or sibling said. What did it
of Communication feel like after you found out that you
heard something wrong? Did it affect
Welcome to your first module of the your day and your relationship with
subject “Oral Communications in that person? Such simple experiences
Context.” This module will cover the can give a glimpse of how pivotal
importance, definition of communication, communication is in our lives.
its principles and characteristics. At the
end of this module you are expected: Why Communication is
1. To be able to understand why we need to important
study communication;
2. To be able to give the definition of
communication; and
3. To know and understand the principles
and characteristics of communication.
- Once born, we start communicating
with our parents – crying when we are
hungry, scared, or when we feel pain.
As we grow up, our family, then
society - teaches us how to speak then
draw then read and write. Through
these practices, communication
became integrated in our lives. It then
became a basic human activity that
enables us to connect with each other
(http://picfind1.indexbuzz.net/picfind1/
(Langley, 2006).
page729/)
- Having done this as early as we were
Look at the illustration above. Why do
babies and having done this
you think this happened to their project?
subconsciously, it may be a bit
In your opinion, how could they have
surprising to discover that
avoided this error?
communication is a complex process.
Mark Twain sums up communication
We take it for granted because it is
nicely, “The difference between a good
natural for us. It is second nature for
word and the right word is the same as the
us to speak, use facial expressions,
difference between a lightning bug and
listen to each other, and to learn how
lightning.” (Dean Brenner, Marni Lane).
to read and write. To be able to
Learning how to be a good communicator
understand how it happens, we would
opens a lot of opportunity for us in
need to dissect its characteristics and
relationships, career, and in fulfilling our
elements.
goals and dreams.
- Think about an incident or experience
in the past where you got in trouble
 Oral Communication in Context
Defining Communication
- Communication started years ago with
some of our ancestors surviving
through drawings, sounds, and
gestures. Along with the evolution of
civilizations various mediums of
communication also emerged.
Through time, technology became
integrated in our language processes
and description.
- Communication is defined in several
ways but the fundamental or basic
aspects embodies the following
definition:
- Communication, originating from the
Latin word communicare – meaning
to share, unite or join, can be defined
as the process by which people share
ideas or thoughts which can be
understood by another through a
chosen medium. These said medium
can either be verbal or non-verbal
channels.
- In a nutshell, it is to send and receive
messages using a channel.
Principles of Communication
Before we delve in to oral
communication, let us first go through the
principles of communication. Knowing
these would make it easier for us to
understand how to properly and
adequately communicate with others.
1. Schemata- driven
- The process of communication
makes you either the sender or
receiver. By taking one of the
roles above, you will activate your
schemata, background, or
experiences.
- Schemata or schemas provide a
basis on how we relate to ideas,
concepts, and events based on past
experiences. Prior experiences
give meaning to conveyed
messages. Having no previous
experience nor idea will only
resort pronouncing or sounding
the words. No experience of any
communicative act will trigger
views, feelings, or ideas.
2. Interpretative act
- Communication is an
interpretative act. The exact
meaning of the message being
transmitted is known only by the
sender or speaker. The sender has
the absolute idea of what the
meaning of the message is. The
receiver can only interpret, guess
or infer based on how it appeals to
his/her sense of hearing.
3. Communication is active, forceful or
powerful
- In a communicative act, there will
always be different effects to the
participants. Any message
conveyed may have various
interpretations because of cultural,
ideological, and environmental
factors. What is rude in one
culture can be perceived as
something acceptable in another.
For example, in western countries,
calling an adult not related to you
by their first name is acceptable;
yet, in the Philippines, this is rude.
You need to use their titles or (i.e.
Attorney, Miss, Mrs., teacher, etc.)
general terms showing respect (i.e.
auntie, kuya, tito, etc.) when you
call refer to them or call them by
their name.
 Oral Communication in Context
4. Communication is Symbolic
- Signs, symbols, letters, graphs,
pictures, etc. are concrete objects
that stands for or represents an
idea. Non-verbal communication,
on the other hand, expresses ideas
through gestures, voice pitch,
posture, facial expression, time,
and space.
5. Communication always result in
something
- Two or more persons usually
participate in any communicative
act. One sends the message while
another reacts to the message. As
a transactional process,
communication creates an effect
on the involved parties. It will
elicit either a verbal or non-verbal
response.
6. Communication is irreversible
- The adage “Think before you
click” suggests that you go over
any message or idea before
posting it on your social networks
or messages. The same concept
should also be applied to the other
forms of communication. With
oral communications, the moment
you utter the words to convey
your message already creates an
impact to listeners. Attempts to
reverse, restore, or recreate the
original mood or setting before
these words were spoken would
be irrevocable. The discipline of
mulling over your thoughts before
translating them into words can
help avoid any instances which
may cause problems directly or
indirectly.
7. Communication is contextual
- Idea exchanges between the
sender and the receiver involves
communication setting like time,
occasion, purpose or manner of
communication. Consider cultural
differences when communicating
to avoid any negative impact due
to the effects of the factors above.
8. Communication is Progressive
- Communication is a process you
learn from birth and continues to
evolve as time passes by.
Communicative competence is not
learned in one sitting. You go
through different levels as you
strive to improve your abilities to
interact with other people.
9. Communication is a process
- Several stages of communication
take place when people convey
and exchange ideas with one
another. Each stage differs from
the other. Elements or components
work in a coordinated manner the
complete the process.
10. Communication is ethical
- A communicative event is
expected to follow rules, values,
and beliefs agreed upon by
members of society. These
standards determine which
cultural group you belong to.
Going against these conventions
make the interaction with others
wrong or unethical.
- Examples can be read here: Don’t
give a thumbs-up sign in Russia
and other hand gesture facts
(Schwertly, 2014).
 Oral Communication in Context
11. Communication is Influenced by
technology and media
- Communication in the current age
of technology is characterized by
the instant, real-time exchange of
knowledge, messages, and
services.
- The rapid speed of communication
influences how people construct
their messages and what platform
the use to send their messages.
Why we need to study Oral
Communication
Oral communication competence – both
in listening and speaking – is mandatory
to the success of a person academically,
professionally, and in their personal lives.
Poor listening skills lead to people being
unable to absorb and understand
instructions. This issue intensifies as they
respond incorrectly or inappropriately
because of deplorable speaking skills.
Being able to articulate your ideas and
opinions adds value to one’s self.
Skills in oral communication transcends
the academic and professional setting.
Competence in listening and speaking can
also contribute to personal fulfillment.
Glossary
• Communicare - to join, share, receive or
divide with/out
• Contextual - Depending on or relating to
circumstances that form a setting for an
event, idea of statement to clarify a
meaning
• Ethical - Pertaining to morals; To what is
right and wrong; conforms to imposed
standards or rules and regulations
• Process - A series of steps or activities
that leads to a result
• Progressive - Continuous improvement
• Schemata - A mental framework of
preconceived ideas that are based on
experiences and interactions which shape
how the world is seen and understood
• Scrutinize - To examine, inspect
thoroughly
Kinds of Communication
The previous module gave an overview of
what communication is and the principles
that govern this process. In this module,
the discussion will be about the two main
kinds of communication.
After reading this module and going
through the activities, you should be able:
1. To determine the kinds of
communication; and
2. To understand how these kinds are used
to be an effective communicator.
Learning these kinds of communication
will greatly aid you in becoming more
aware of how to create more emphasis or
to tone down when transmitting your
messages or messages you receive.
To get an overview of the two main kinds
of communication, refer to the illustration
below.
Non-Verbal Communication
- Non-verbal communication
transmits messages without
relying on language or speech. It
 Oral Communication in Context
uses audio signals or visual signals
to communicate a message.
1. Kinesics
- Kinesics is the language of the
body. Notice how our body
movements and facial expressions
add visuals. You may know a
friend or an acquaintance who is
entertaining to watch when telling
a story because of the gestures or
facial twitches. This friend is
practicing this form of non-verbal
communication.
- -To illustrate how body language
and facial expressions affect how
we communicate, click on this
link to watch the video FBI Agent
Explains How to Spot Liars from
KOCO 5 News’ Youtube channel.
2. Proxemics
- Proxemics is the language of
space. Distance and space are
devices that can also be used to
convey meaning. The relationship
of people can be determined by
observing the distance they
maintain from each other.
- The illustration below, from the
website
bodylanguageproject.com, gives
a general description of space
people take-up depending on their
relationship with others.
- However, one must also consider
other factors when deciphering the
relationship between people from
other cultures. For example,
Americans are naturally more
aggressive in nature when it
comes to positioning themselves
when talking to others, on the
contrary, an English person will
maintain a relatively farther
distance as compared to the
American.
3. Haptics
- Haptics is the language of touch.
This nonverbal communication
reveals feelings and culture. If
you have ever heard of the saying
mother’s touch, it illustrates how
someone can feel loved just
through touching. Another
example is when friends bump
fists to show that they
acknowledge another person’s
idea or they absolutely agree on
something. At work, it’s also
important to remember that there
are rules to follow when
communicating with your
superiors or colleagues. There is
such thing as
Professionalfunctional touch,
which is used to communicate
emotions of managers to their
team members. (2014, Haptics
accessed on slideshare.net)
4. Chronemics
- Chronemics is the language of
time. This shows the
interrelatedness of time and
communication. A way in which
one perceives and values time,
structures time, and reacts to time
frames communication. Across
 Oral Communication in Context
cultures, time perception plays a
large role in the nonverbal
communication process
(Chronoemics.
basicknowledge101.com).
- An example can be what they call
Filipino time. During events,
Filipinos allegedly come at least
an hour or two late, thus,
foreigners usually complain about
the practice of Filipino time since
foreigners, especially Americans,
usually arrive on time. This goes
to show that Filipinos and
foreigners may have a different
understanding of what “on time”
really means.
5. Appearance
- The language of looks-appearance.
The way a person looks reflects on
his/her status or position, mood,
culture, taste, and grooming. As
with working, certain companies
require a specific look amongst
their employees, say a brand
ambassador for a make-up brand
versus a brand ambassador for a
laundry soap. Basically, how you
look reflects not only to you as a
person but also to an institution or
your social group.
Buzzfeed did a social experiment called
Does It Pay To Be Attractive? This is a
good example of how people react to how
someone looks. To learn more about this
social experiment follow this link.
6. Artifacts
Artifactual communication is the
language of objects. “Artifactual
communication is the aesthetic coding
and decoding of symbols or
representations. The coding and decoding
is subjectively interpreted with culture in
mind in order to establish cautious
generalizations) about the individual who
adorns themselves with an artifact” (2002.
Artifactual Communication: A Modern
Approach to Understanding
Communication through Nonverbal
Artifacts, Rudrow, K.). Artifacts and the
interpretation of what they mean are never
absolute representation, merely
approximations. Objects, colors, body
modifications, and environments make up
criteria that may constitute artifacts.
(2002. Rudrow,K.)
7. Paralanguage
Paralanguage refers to various nonverbal
cues we can hear in our voice.
These elements are the following:
a. Vocal Quality - refers to the how
pleasant or unpleasant a person’s voice
sounds. Voice quality is usually
referred to as the timbre or tone color.
As with communicating, emotions play a
role (2008. Flores, C. and Lopez, B,
Effective Speech
Communication 5th Edition)
b. Pitch - lowness or highness of tone.
People vary in the pitch of
their voice although it can be observed
that nervousness, fright, and sometimes
excitement may raise the pitch of the
voice, on the other hand, sadness or
disappointment makes the pitch lower
(2008, Flores and Lopez).
c. Tempo - how fast or slow someone
speaks
d. Volume - describes the force of the voice
or how loud or soft it goes
e. Junctures - breaks or pauses applied at
the end of utterances or between thoughts
Verbal Communication
- Verbal communication uses written or
spoken language to transmit
 Oral Communication in Context
information or messages. It involves
sound production; utterance of words
phrases and sentences through speech.
There are five basic features of human
language:
1. Phonology
- Phonology studies the system of
sound in language including how
sound is organized and structured to
convey meaning. Follow this link for a
simplified explanation of this topic.
2. Semantics
- Semantics deal with meaning of
words, phrases, and sentences in a
language. Semantics “explains
different connotations (associated
meaning) and denotations (dictionary
meaning of words)”. For a more
interesting take, head on to this link
to watch “Introduction to Semantics”
by Ashton English.
3. Morphology
- Morphology studies the formation of
words. Words can be divided into two
categories: content words and function
words. To know more follow this link
to watch The Linguistic Channel’s
video “An Introduction to
Morphology”.
4. Syntax
- Syntax is when one studies how words
are put together to form grammatically
correct sentences in language.
5. Pragmatics
- Pragmatics touches on how language
is used. It is how words can be
interpreted in various scenarios.
Process and Elements of
Communication
As mentioned in the previous module, we
said that communication is a process. In
this module, we will be talking about the
communication process and the elements
needed. At the end of this module you are
expected:
1. To be able to define and discuss the
elements of communication;
2. To be able to understand the roles of these
elements in the process of
communication; and
3. To be able to identify forms of
communication; and
4. To be able to utilize different forms of
communication to improve quality of life.
To be able to understand how
communication happens, always
remember that communication is a two-
way process. Always remember that for
every message sent to the receiver, we
must expect a feedback or response either
through non-verbal or verbal medium.
Process of Communication
The communication process pertains to
the steps through which communication
takes place between the sender and the
receiver in an understandable manner. It
is dynamic in nature rather than a static
occurrence. The diagram above shows the
communication process and the details are
as follows:
Elements of Communication
- The sender (source) is an individual,
group, or organization who initiates
the communication. All
communication begins with the
sender. The sender is the source of
 Oral Communication in Context
information for a target receiver or
audience.
- The first step the sender does involves
the encoding process. This process
translates the ideas or concepts into
the coded message that will be
communicated. The symbols can take
on different forms like languages,
words, or gestures. The message is the
idea or information being conveyed
by the sender to the receiver or
listener. It includes content, structure,
and style.
- To start sending the message, the
sender uses a channel which is also
known as a medium. It is the method
used to deliver the message. Most
channels are either oral or written but,
as technology evolves, visual channels
are becoming more common. Usual
channels include the television, radio,
telephone/mobile phone, etc. The
message begins with the decoding
stage when the appropriate channel is
selected.
- Decoding is executed by the receiver.
Once the message is received and
reviewed, it is sent to the brain to be
interpreted to appoint meaning to it.
Successful communication occurs
when the receiver correctly interprets
the sender's message.
- The receiver is the individual or
individuals to whom the message is
directed. All interpretations by the
receiver are influenced by their
experiences, attitudes, knowledge,
skills, perceptions, and culture.
- Picture the next scene. Shelly is a shy
student who says little inside the
classroom. She may feel a bit nervous
when her teacher asked her.
- Feedback is a key element of the
communication process since it allows
the sender to review the effectiveness
of the message. It may be in the form
of a spoken comment, a long sigh, a
written message, a smile, or some
other action. Without feedback, the
sender cannot confirm that the
receiver has interpreted the message
correctly.
- Certain barriers are present throughout
the communication process. Some
usual barriers include the use of an
inappropriate channel, incorrect
grammar, provocative 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
is essentially 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.
 Oral Communication in Context

Forms of Communication 2. Dyadic Commun

1. Intrapersonal Communication

Source Receiver Source

Receiver

Dyadic communication is when two

people communicate. Communication
may take place through the phone, SMS
messaging or face-to-face such as
interviews, dialogues or ordinary
- When we talk about communication, conversations.
we usually think of sending messages It is through interpersonal
to another person; however, communication that you establish,
communicating with one’s self is also maintain, restore and/or end
possible. It is the first level of relationships. At this level of
communication we experience. communication, you learn about others
- The prefix intra means “within”. We and hopefully, you learn about yourself
experience this kind of as well. 3. Small Group
communication when we meditate, Communication
analyze, think, study, and talk to one’s
self. You talk to yourself when you
are about to make a decision and you
argue or try to persuade yourself.
Sometimes you also do this when
you’re rehearsing a message you
intend to send to others.
- Talking to yourself is normal and
necessary. You are simply engaging
in intrapersonal communication. The
study of this form of communication
is not that popular; yet, awareness of
this form of communication can
greatly enhance the quality of life.
 Oral Communication in Context

4. Public Communication

Source

Small group communication happens

when more than three people are
involved. This is simply an enlarged
group which usually happens to solve
problems. Examples of this are
conferences, business meetings,
symposiums, and team meetings inside
the classroom.

Public communication happens between

one and several other people. This large
group type of communication usually
happens in public speaking. In public
speaking, the speaker addresses the
audience to persuade, inform,
entertain, or do all of three. Just like the
other forms, this kind of communication
 Oral Communication in Context

requires knowledge and good 1. To be able to identify the three standard

communication skills from the speaker.
5. Mass Communication
Source below.
Receive
Source
Mass communication Medium
happens when you communicate
r The linear
audience. It is usually mediated by audio and/or
are to ente
rtain,persuade and/or inform.
Media and technology are used to reach a
large audience in a variety of ways today.
Examples of mass communication media
are television, radio, newspapers,
recordings, movies, magazines, comics,
billboards, computers, and the internet.
As seen in the image above, the
newscaster is communicating to his
audience via the radio, television, and
Youtube.
Communication Models
After learning about the different
elements that support the process of
communication, we will now move on to
the different models of communication to
further understand how communication
happens. At the end of this module you
are expected:
communication models;
2. To be able to differentiate the various
models of communication; and
3. To be able to distinguish the unique
feature(s) of one communication process
from the other.
The process of communication can be
studied through the communication
models. These communication models are
conceptual models. Conceptual models
aid in simplifying the explanation of how
something works.
As mentioned in the previous module,
communication is a process and to be able
to understand how the process works, we
will utilize the communication models
Linear Communication Models
tomodel
an extremely largekind of
was the first
visual
model means.
that The
experts purposes
have made to
understand the process of communication.
This kind of model has improved and has
been updated through the years.
Characteristics of the linear model are the
following:
1) Unidirectional - The linear model is a
unidirectional model. It is one-way
communication. The speaker sends
messages to the receiver with or without
effect. Senders can only transmit
messages while receivers can only receive
the messages and no feedback is expected
to happen. Communication may not
happen in turns – thus, the lack of
feedback is seen in this model. This
applies to mass communication.
2) Simple - This model presents a simple
communication act. If you look at the
figure below, you will observe that it
doesn't look like a process. Instead, it
looks like the transmission of one-way
 Oral Communication in Context

causality, which is conveying of only a transmission of electronic information

cause and effect. There is only the back in 1948.
beginning and the end and there is no
interchanging of roles between the sender
and receiver.
3) Persuasion not Mutual understanding -
This model promotes one-way direction
of communication which promotes advice
and influence rather than understanding
from both receiver and sender. Again, the
emphasis is on the lack of feedback.

4) Values psychological over social effects:

This model focuses more on the
psychological effects (such as
understanding the messages) rather than
the social effects (like building the
relationship amongst the communicators). a) Information source / Sender: The
There is no assurance that the message
was effective because the receiver is only message/s to be communicated to the
concerned with the delivery of the
message and will now know the effect on
the receiver/s because of the lack of
feedback.
MESSAGE
SENDER
Examples of Linear Communication Modelscoming from people, the environment,
A. Shannon-Weaver
The Shannon-Weaver model, also known
as the Information Theory model, was
primarily developed to illustrate
This conceptual model has six elements:
Sender / Information Source chooses the
receiver and the channel to use and sends
the message.
b) Transmitter/ Encoder: This changes the
message into a signal then sends it over
the communication channel
c) Channel – This is the medium the sender
uses to transmit the message/s
d) Receptor/Decoder – This does the
opposite of the Encoder. It decodes the
message sent over the channel.
RECIEVER
e) Receiver / Destination – The receiver is
the person or group of people who must
get the message. The receiver can then
provide a feedback which will then
reverse their roles.
f) Noise - Noise is a kind of disturbance
internal knowledge, beliefs, etc. which
hinders the receiver from getting and
understanding the message.
An example how this model explains this
process: The sender can be you and the
 Oral Communication in Context
receiver can be your friend. The channel
you will use is your mobile network. The
encoder is your mobile network company
and decoder is the receiver’s smartphone.
When you try to send an SMS message to
your friend and your friend receives only
parts of the message due to disruption of
mobile signal, that is the noise.
B. Berlo’s SMCR model
David Berlo conceptualized the Sender-
Message-Channel – Receiver (SMCR)
model during the sixties. He postulated
this model from the ShannonWeaver
Information Theory model and
emphasized on the encoding and
decoding parts of the process.
Berlo’s model has 4 components: Sender,
Message, Channel, and Receiver. He
stated that each of the components are
affected by many factors.
1) Sender
a) Communication Skills
The communication skills of sender and
receiver plays a significant role in the
process. Communication skills include
writing, speaking, listening, presenting,
reading, etc. If the sender is not good in
communicating, the message might be
lost in the process of transmittal. b)
Attitudes
The attitude of the sender and receiver
also plays a part in the process. The
sender’s attitude towards others,
himself/herself, and the environment
can affect the meaning of the message.
c) Knowledge
Knowledge of the sender and receiver
on the subject matter makes the
sender and effective communicator.
If the sender is familiar with the
subject or topic at hand, it adds value
and impact to the message. d) Social
System
Beliefs, religions, social status, values
and other social factors can affect how
the sender communicates the message
and how the receiver understands it. The
situation and place or environment where
it happens are also part of this element.
e) Culture
Cultural difference can make it difficult to
communicate. Some culture may accept
something while the other may find it
offensive. Culture may also be under
social systems.
2) Message
a) Content
The content is the entirety of the message
– it covers the beginning until the end.
b) Elements
These are what comprise the message.
This includes gestures, body language,
language, haptics, etc. Content is
accompanied by elements c) Treatment
Treatment is how the message is
conveyed. It is how you package your
message.
d) Structure
Structure refers to the arrangement of
elements in the content of the message.
 Oral Communication in Context
Arrangement of elements affects the
effectivity and impact of the message.
e) Code
Code is the form in which the message
will be sent. Message can be sent in the
form of videos, spoken word, text, culture
etc. Improper use of a code may still lead
to miscommunication.
3) Channel – simply means the use of the
five senses.
a) Hearing - Hearing is when you use your
ears to get the message.
b) Seeing - When eyes are used, the sense of
sight is activated.
c) Touching - Communication through
touching is also possible.
d) Smelling - Smell can also be used as a
channel for communication. The smell of
something burning can communicate the
danger of fire nearby.
e) Taste - Taste can also be a channel of
communication. The tongue has millions
of tastes buds that can be used to
decipher.
4) Receiver - the receiver and the sender
have the same elements. You can refer to
the description above. a) Communication
Skills
b) Attitudes
c) Knowledge
d) Social System
e) Culture
Transactional Communication
Models
The transactional models are
communication models that illustrate how
the sender and receiver take turns in
conveying and receiving messages. We
call the sender and receiver
“communicators”. Their roles are
reversed each time sending and receiving
messages occur at the same time. For this
kind of communication model we will
scrutinize the Helix model.
Dance’s Helix Model
The Helical model of communication was
conceptualized in 1967 by Frank Dance.
A helix is "an object having a three-
dimensional shape like that of a wire
wound uniformly around a cylinder or
cone" like a corkscrew or coil that grows
bigger and bigger as it moves up.
The Helix communication model
illustrates how the development and
growth of communication or
communicative actions will always be
based on previous experiences or
behaviors. “That communication while
moving forward is at the same time
coming back to itself and being affected
by its past behavior…” (Dance, 1967).
This model shows how the knowledge
base of a person deepens and expands
throughout life. This model also shows
that a person’s understanding of a
message or thought is influenced by
external and internal factors that are
learned through out life.
To better illustrate how this works, refer
to the illustration and example below.
 Oral Communication in Context

on the cycle of message exchanges

between the sender and receiver.
The source of the message will need to
encode the message while the receiver
will need to decode the message. These
messages will always be affected by the
“field of experience” – these are
communication patterns rising from
factors such as psychological, social,
cultural, societal or situational
experiences or gained knowledge. This
model also takes into consideration noise
as a form of barrier in communication.
Schramm’s communication model is an
example of an Interactive communication
model.

As babies, the only way we can

communicate was through crying. Babies
cry when they are hungry, scared,
uncomfortable or startled. When babies Schramm’s Communication Model
cry, their parents will give them what they
want – milk, a change of diapers, or be
rocked to sleep. As they grow up they
continue to use crying as a language in
their toddler years but they also learn how
to speak during these years. So aside from
crying to get what they want, they also
communicate using the vocabulary they
learn. As they grow older, their
vocabulary increases and they learn to
utilize not only words but non-verbal cues
to communicate what they want or need
to others. This build-up of experiences to
send and receive messages can be
explained by the helical model of
communication.
Schramm’s model has the following
Interactive Communication Model
components:
Interactive communication model, also
a. Sender (transmitter) – sends the
known as convergence model,
message
emphasizes the coding and decoding
b. Encoder - converts the message into
components of the process. It also focuses
codes before sending
 Oral Communication in Context
c. Decoder - gets the encoded message then
converts it into the language
understandable by the receiver
d. Interpreter - tries to understand and
analyze the message. Message is
considered received after interpretation is
done and message is understood.
Interpreter and receiver are the same.
e. Receiver - gets the message. Decoding
and interpreting is also part of his/her
role.
f. Message - data sent by the sender and
information that the receiver gets.
g. Feedback - process where in receiver
responds to the received message
h. Medium or media - channel used to send
the message.
i. Noise - interference disruptions during
the process. This is also created when the
intended meaning sent by the sender is
different from what was interpreted by the
receiver.
j. *Field of experience - patterns which
affect the communication process. This
can be from society, culture, situations,
psychological or sociological events or
experiences of the sender and receiver.
Schramm’s communication model states
the communication is a neverending
process. This model emphasizes the
encoding and decoding parts of the
process. It suggests that the role of the
receiver and sender will eventually switch
with each other as they continue the
exchange of messages. Feedback is seen
as an important part of this model to
ensure that communication takes place.
The field of experience affects the
messages being exchanged. It means that
the background of the persons involved in
the communication process plays a role in
how they interpret the messages received
or how they encode the messages they
will be sending.
This model can be used in Interpersonal
and Intrapersonal communication. A
simple example of how this happens in
real life: You are the sender and your
friend is the receiver. The
communication is initiated by the sender.
The message is first processed in the
sender’s brain then sent to the mouth to
be transmitted. The message is then
delivered to your friend through language,
your voice, symbols, and non-verbal cues.
While sharing the message you may
encounter disruptions or noise. Your
friend will in turn try to understand the
message and will react or give feedback
accordingly. This process repeats until
one of them ends the process.
Glossary
• Conceptual Models - A representation of
a system, concept or abstract idea which
can be help in making it understandable
and easier to simulate or imitate
• Helix - a smooth curve just like a spring
which goes upwards also comes
downwards
Intercultural
Communication
The rise of the internet and the
improvement of transportation and
technology made it possible for us to get
to know our fellow humans from other
countries. We are now living in a period
where traveling from one place to another
is easier than before and communication
has become swift that we have found
 Oral Communication in Context

ways to work with other people from Aspects of Intercultural

different time zones and regions. communication
As our world becomes smaller in a sense
There are five basic elements or aspects
that we get to touch base faster and in
more frequently than before, we will then to remember when participating in an
be more exposed to various cultures from intercultural or cross-cultural
different points in the world. communication. These elements are: 1)
This module will be centered around Cultural Identity
intercultural communication and the
As mentioned earlier, culture is the sum
barriers as well as strategies to become
of the beliefs, traditions, values, symbols
effective and ethical communicators.
and practices of a group of people
It is expected that at the end of this
(Mulvaney, 2005). Different culture
module:
doesn’t necessarily mean you live in a
1. To be able to identify the aspects of
different country or continent. Different
intercultural communication;
culture can be seen within a community;
2. To identify problems in intercultural
say, culture in rural areas versus urban
communication; and
areas. We can even observe different
3. To be able to identify and apply strategies
culture from another family who lives
to avoid intercultural communication
next door to us.
breakdown;
An example of cultural difference:
Culture is the accumulated learned
Chinese families teach children early on
behavior of a group of people. It is the
the value of handling money well as they
way of life of people that they accept
want their children to focus more on
without thinking and it is passed along
business, maths, and sciences. Also, it is
from one generation to another through
part of their culture to be transparent
imitation and communication.
when it comes to money matters. (Lee-
Culture doesn’t have to be from another
Chua, 2012) (Li, 2008). On the other
country, it can also be observed from
hand, Filipinos shy away from talking
people living in the same country but
about money with their
from different regions or states or even
family as it is taboo.
groups of people coming from different
schools, religion or even family. Money is often a topic
Intercultural communication involves avoided as it brings
communicating with another person or misunderstanding.
group of people coming from a (Rapisura, 2016). 2)
background or community who does not
share your beliefs, tradition, symbolism, Gender role
or values. This kind of communication Gender is a social construct and is not
should be done in a mindful way to be synonymous to sex, which refers to the
able to engage each other properly and anatomical differences between male and
effectively. female. Gender roles are learned and
taught by culture. A culture’s language
 Oral Communication in Context
reflects the social roles of men and
women.
An example can be calling an assertive
girl “bossy” and calling an assertive boy
“a leader”. Immediately you can observe
the negative connotation of the term
“bossy” – that is usually used to describe
women in a patriarchal society. Male
language is often direct, commanding,
and assertive while female language
should be polite, collaborative and
nurturing. 3) Age Identity
This refers not only to their biological age
but it is also about how they think and
feel about themselves as they age. Age
identity influences one’s selfimage,
language use, personality, attitude and
communication with others. We consider
that some children can be mature and not
all adults are responsible and matured.
We may have dealt with cases wherein
old people usually generalize that
teenagers as brash and impulsive even if
this is not true. Moreover, older people
specially those have reached their 50s to
be fragile and slow.
In other instances, advertisements use
life-span-related role identities can be
used to trigger affect to a certain period.
An example can be the infamous
McDonald’s commercial aptly titled,
“Lolo” (Notz, 2002). This commercial
showed the relationship of “Karen” the
granddaughter and her grandfather who
were eating at McDonald’s. This
commercial became popular as it
showcases the relationship of the brand
with the relationship of the two
characters.
4) Social Status
Social Status is determined and assigned
according to income, titles possessions,
etc. Social classes in other cultures also
differ from one another. Generally
speaking, the lower classes usually work
blue collar jobs while the upper middle
and elite or upper class hold white collar
jobs or manage their own businesses.
Perception of a person’s status affects
how the people around her communicate.
In the Philippines, the use of the English
language, with the slight twang, projects
an elite social status. As Tolentino (2011)
stated in an interview with The Guidon, a
student publication, English proficiency
of Ateneans is “… a marker of a kind of
elitism in the country”. Showing this
kind of language proficiency insinuates a
wealthy background even if the student
comes from the middle or lower classes
and subsists on scholarships. 5) Religion
Religion is defined by Geertz, an
anthropologist, as “(1) a system which
acts to (2) establish powerful, pervasive,
and long-lasting moods and motivations
in men by (3) formulating conceptions of
a general order of existence and (4)
clothing these conceptions with such an
aura of factuality that (5) the moods and
motivations seem uniquely realistic.”
Religious identity is when someone sees
themselves as a member of a religious
group and may be active or inactive in
practicing their rituals and customs.
Religion plays a big part in the lifestyle of
a person and seen as sacred and
important. Thus, religious issues and
prejudices should be handled respectfully.
Why is it important to learn more about
cross-cultural communication? At this day
and age travel has become easier and the
internet have made cultures more exposed
and accessible. To be able to
communicate with another person from
another country, religion, social status,
 Oral Communication in Context

and gender means to be able to have a to those coming from NCR. They exhibit
smooth and harmonious relationship. the superiority of those coming from
Problems in intercultural Manila.
communication 2. Stereotyping
Stereotyping is the generalization “made
To be able to avoid intercultural
about a group of people underestimating
miscommunication, one must be able to
their culture” (Baraceros and Lintao).
identify first the problems that need to be
Stereotyping assumes members of a group
addressed. The following are the
of people share the same characteristics.
problems that usually arise in intercultural
When one stereotypes, you judge how a
communication:
person behaves or looks based on what
1. Ethnocentrism
you believe about the group where they
Ethnocentrism is the term applied to
belong.
ethnic bias. This term comes from the
One of the usual stereotyping we hear are
word “ethnos” meaning nation and the
about women. Women are still being
word “center”. This is the conscious or
boxed by society when it comes to rearing
unconscious worldview coming from a
children. It is expected that women
person’s own perspective which
should have children in a certain age
establishes an archetype or rating of other
range while men are given the chance to
groups in reference to the ideal of his or
do whatever they want until whatever age.
her own group. This kind of worldview
That women must always prioritize
often results to the inadequate
building a family rather than building
understanding of other cultures and
their own career. This stereotype is still
judging other groups according to the
rampant until now even if a lot of groups
preference of the group they belong in
around the world have strived for equality
which often leads to assertion of the
in gender roles.
inherent inferiority of other groups.
Another kind of stereotype can be seen in
“Tunnel vision” is the idiom used for
local television series. Usually women
ethnocentrism.
protagonists have long straight hair while
An example of ethnocentrism in the
antagonist women have short or
Philippines can be observed during the
curly/wavy hair. Another thing to
2017 Bar exam results. When the results
observe is how rich families are usually
of the bar exam were posted online on
seen in formal clothes even if they’re
social media, the comments section
inside their house and will not be
became a platform where people
attending any formal event. These
questioned the results, some even saying
stereotypes are very far from real rich
that they do not know the schools where
families who dress simply when going
the top examinees came from since these
out or even dress in plain house clothes
schools were not from Metro Manila. One
when they are inside their house. 3.
netizen even questioned the integrity of a Prejudice
Dumaguete based law school. This Prejudice is when one has a negative
behavior clearly shows how Manilenos preconceived notion, feeling, or attitude
see provincial schools and students subpar against a cultural group. These
 Oral Communication in Context
assumptions are often made even if there
is little or no interaction with this said
group at all.
An example can be the prejudice towards
Muslims. In Manila, it can be observed
that Catholics are usually wary of
Muslims. The author has observed how
their neighbors are always hesitant or
reserved when interacting with their
Muslim neighbor. Rarely did anyone talk
to their Muslim neighbors during events
or gatherings. This prejudice usually
comes from how Muslims are portrayed
by media thus when one encounters a
Muslim in society, their prejudice for this
certain group kicks in.
How to avoid intercultural
miscommunication?
With these three problems in mind, how
exactly do we ensure that we
communicate effectively and properly
with people from other cultures?
1. Delay attributing meaning
Non-verbal communication plays a big
role in avoiding intercultural
communication breakdown. Avoid
interpreting nonverbal signals made by a
person from another culture until you
have read and studied their culture
adequately. When visiting another place,
say a province or country, study their
culture before the trip and try to learn
more about their non-verbal cues.
An example can be when attending
church service with Iglesia ni Kristo. Men
and women cannot sit together in one side
even if they are already married. Women
are also expected to wear a dress or skirt
during service. Another example can be
how you give your business card in Japan.
In Japan, you are expected to hold your
business card with both hands and to bow
when you give it to someone. The
business card must be turned towards the
receiver. The receiver, on the other hand,
must also receive the business card with
both hands with head bowed slightly and
must display the card for the duration of
the meeting.
2. Develop awareness of your non-verbal
communication
Be mindful of how you use your face,
gestures, body language, and voice when
communicating. Understanding how
certain cultures react to certain body
language can smoothen and make the
experience with other cultures
pleasurable.
Be aware of your voice, of your fidgeting
or even the space you allot when
communicating with people from other
cultures. A thumbs up sign in Filipino
means you “approve” or you’re okay or
you agree. While in other countries such
as Middle East the thumbs up sign is
almost equivalent to giving someone the
middle finger.
3. Check whether non-verbal messages
correspond to verbal messages.
It is given that you will not be able to
understand the language of another group
or culture immediately so you have to be
very observant and persistent in listening
when you communicate with them.
Sometimes misinterpretation can happen
when the verbal and non-verbal messages
come in conflict with each other.
Paying attention and being very mindful
of how a person speaks or reacts can give
you clues if you really are communicating
with each other.
Glossary
• Blue collar jobs - Work that requires
manual labor
 Oral Communication in Context
• Identity - A category or social group
which is assumed to insinuate sameness
or connection, such as gender, age, or
nationality, or to a larger scale a sense of
self to which the specific identity
categorizes are assumed to contribute.
• White Collar Jobs - Work that is done
inside an office or cubicle or an
administrative job
Intercultural
Communication
The rise of the internet and the
improvement of transportation and
technology made it possible for us to get
to know our fellow humans from other
countries. We are now living in a period
where traveling from one place to another
is easier than before and communication
has become swift that we have found
ways to work with other people from
different time zones and regions.
As our world becomes smaller in a sense
that we get to touch base faster and in
more frequently than before, we will then
be more exposed to various cultures from
different points in the world.
This module will be centered around
intercultural communication and the
barriers as well as strategies to become
effective and ethical communicators.
It is expected that at the end of this
module:
4. To be able to identify the aspects of
intercultural communication;
5. To identify problems in intercultural
communication; and
6. To be able to identify and apply strategies
to avoid intercultural communication
breakdown;
Culture is the accumulated learned
behavior of a group of people. It is the
way of life of people that they accept
without thinking and it is passed along
from one generation to another through
imitation and communication.
Culture doesn’t have to be from another
country, it can also be observed from
people living in the same country but
from different regions or states or even
groups of people coming from different
schools, religion or even family.
Intercultural communication involves
communicating with another person or
group of people coming from a
background or community who does not
share your beliefs, tradition, symbolism,
or values. This kind of communication
should be done in a mindful way to be
able to engage each other properly and
effectively.
Aspects of Intercultural
communication
There are five basic elements or aspects
to remember when participating in an
intercultural or cross-cultural
communication. These elements are: 1)
Cultural Identity
As mentioned earlier, culture is the sum
of the beliefs, traditions, values, symbols
and practices of a group of people
(Mulvaney, 2005). Different culture
doesn’t necessarily mean you live in a
different country or continent. Different
culture can be seen within a community;
say, culture in rural areas versus urban
areas. We can even observe different
culture from another family who lives
next door to us.
An example of cultural difference:
Chinese families teach children early on
 Oral Communication in Context
the value of handling money well as they
want their children to focus more on
business, maths, and sciences. Also, it is
part of their culture to be transparent
when it comes to money matters. (Lee-
Chua, 2012) (Li, 2008). On the other
hand, Filipinos shy away from talking
about money with their
family as it is taboo.
Money is often a topic
avoided as it brings
misunderstanding.
(Rapisura, 2016). 2)
Gender role
Gender is a social construct and is not
synonymous to sex, which refers to the
anatomical differences between male and
female. Gender roles are learned and
taught by culture. A culture’s language
reflects the social roles of men and
women.
An example can be calling an assertive
girl “bossy” and calling an assertive boy
“a leader”. Immediately you can observe
the negative connotation of the term
“bossy” – that is usually used to describe
women in a patriarchal society. Male
language is often direct, commanding,
and assertive while female language
should be polite, collaborative and
nurturing. 3) Age Identity
This refers not only to their biological age
but it is also about how they think and
feel about themselves as they age. Age
identity influences one’s selfimage,
language use, personality, attitude and
communication with others. We consider
that some children can be mature and not
all adults are responsible and matured.
We may have dealt with cases wherein
old people usually generalize that
teenagers as brash and impulsive even if
this is not true. Moreover, older people
specially those have reached their 50s to
be fragile and slow.
In other instances, advertisements use
life-span-related role identities can be
used to trigger affect to a certain period.
An example can be the infamous
McDonald’s commercial aptly titled,
“Lolo” (Notz, 2002). This commercial
showed the relationship of “Karen” the
granddaughter and her grandfather who
were eating at McDonald’s. This
commercial became popular as it
showcases the relationship of the brand
with the relationship of the two
characters.
4) Social Status
Social Status is determined and assigned
according to income, titles possessions,
etc. Social classes in other cultures also
differ from one another. Generally
speaking, the lower classes usually work
blue collar jobs while the upper middle
and elite or upper class hold white collar
jobs or manage their own businesses.
Perception of a person’s status affects
how the people around her communicate.
In the Philippines, the use of the English
language, with the slight twang, projects
an elite social status. As Tolentino (2011)
stated in an interview with The Guidon, a
student publication, English proficiency
of Ateneans is “… a marker of a kind of
elitism in the country”. Showing this
kind of language proficiency insinuates a
wealthy background even if the student
comes from the middle or lower classes
and subsists on scholarships. 5) Religion
Religion is defined by Geertz, an
anthropologist, as “(1) a system which
acts to (2) establish powerful, pervasive,
and long-lasting moods and motivations
 Oral Communication in Context
in men by (3) formulating conceptions of
a general order of existence and (4)
clothing these conceptions with such an
aura of factuality that (5) the moods and
motivations seem uniquely realistic.”
Religious identity is when someone sees
themselves as a member of a religious
group and may be active or inactive in
practicing their rituals and customs.
Religion plays a big part in the lifestyle of
a person and seen as sacred and
important. Thus, religious issues and
prejudices should be handled respectfully.
Why is it important to learn more about
cross-cultural communication? At this day
and age travel has become easier and the
internet have made cultures more exposed
and accessible. To be able to
communicate with another person from
another country, religion, social status,
and gender means to be able to have a
smooth and harmonious relationship.
Problems in intercultural
communication
To be able to avoid intercultural
miscommunication, one must be able to
identify first the problems that need to be
addressed. The following are the
problems that usually arise in intercultural
communication:
3. Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is the term applied to
ethnic bias. This term comes from the
word “ethnos” meaning nation and the
word “center”. This is the conscious or
unconscious worldview coming from a
person’s own perspective which
establishes an archetype or rating of other
groups in reference to the ideal of his or
her own group. This kind of worldview
often results to the inadequate
understanding of other cultures and
judging other groups according to the
preference of the group they belong in
which often leads to assertion of the
inherent inferiority of other groups.
“Tunnel vision” is the idiom used for
ethnocentrism.
An example of ethnocentrism in the
Philippines can be observed during the
2017 Bar exam results. When the results
of the bar exam were posted online on
social media, the comments section
became a platform where people
questioned the results, some even saying
that they do not know the schools where
the top examinees came from since these
schools were not from Metro Manila. One
netizen even questioned the integrity of a
Dumaguete based law school. This
behavior clearly shows how Manilenos
see provincial schools and students subpar
to those coming from NCR. They exhibit
the superiority of those coming from
Manila.
4. Stereotyping
Stereotyping is the generalization “made
about a group of people underestimating
their culture” (Baraceros and Lintao).
Stereotyping assumes members of a group
of people share the same characteristics.
When one stereotypes, you judge how a
person behaves or looks based on what
you believe about the group where they
belong.
One of the usual stereotyping we hear are
about women. Women are still being
boxed by society when it comes to rearing
children. It is expected that women
should have children in a certain age
range while men are given the chance to
do whatever they want until whatever age.
That women must always prioritize
building a family rather than building
their own career. This stereotype is still
 Oral Communication in Context
rampant until now even if a lot of groups
around the world have strived for equality
in gender roles.
Another kind of stereotype can be seen in
local television series. Usually women
protagonists have long straight hair while
antagonist women have short or
curly/wavy hair. Another thing to
observe is how rich families are usually
seen in formal clothes even if they’re
inside their house and will not be
attending any formal event. These
stereotypes are very far from real rich
families who dress simply when going
out or even dress in plain house clothes
when they are inside their house. 3.
Prejudice
Prejudice is when one has a negative
preconceived notion, feeling, or attitude
against a cultural group. These
assumptions are often made even if there
is little or no interaction with this said
group at all.
An example can be the prejudice towards
Muslims. In Manila, it can be observed
that Catholics are usually wary of
Muslims. The author has observed how
their neighbors are always hesitant or
reserved when interacting with their
Muslim neighbor. Rarely did anyone talk
to their Muslim neighbors during events
or gatherings. This prejudice usually
comes from how Muslims are portrayed
by media thus when one encounters a
Muslim in society, their prejudice for this
certain group kicks in.
How to avoid intercultural
miscommunication?
With these three problems in mind, how
exactly do we ensure that we
communicate effectively and properly
with people from other cultures?
1. Delay attributing meaning
Non-verbal communication plays a big
role in avoiding intercultural
communication breakdown. Avoid
interpreting nonverbal signals made by a
person from another culture until you
have read and studied their culture
adequately. When visiting another place,
say a province or country, study their
culture before the trip and try to learn
more about their non-verbal cues.
An example can be when attending
church service with Iglesia ni Kristo. Men
and women cannot sit together in one side
even if they are already married. Women
are also expected to wear a dress or skirt
during service. Another example can be
how you give your business card in Japan.
In Japan, you are expected to hold your
business card with both hands and to bow
when you give it to someone. The
business card must be turned towards the
receiver. The receiver, on the other hand,
must also receive the business card with
both hands with head bowed slightly and
must display the card for the duration of
the meeting.
2. Develop awareness of your non-verbal
communication
Be mindful of how you use your face,
gestures, body language, and voice when
communicating. Understanding how
certain cultures react to certain body
language can smoothen and make the
experience with other cultures
pleasurable.
Be aware of your voice, of your fidgeting
or even the space you allot when
communicating with people from other
cultures. A thumbs up sign in Filipino
means you “approve” or you’re okay or
you agree. While in other countries such
 Oral Communication in Context
as Middle East the thumbs up sign is
almost equivalent to giving someone the
middle finger.
3. Check whether non-verbal messages
correspond to verbal messages.
It is given that you will not be able to
understand the language of another group
or culture immediately so you have to be
very observant and persistent in listening
when you communicate with them.
Sometimes misinterpretation can happen
when the verbal and non-verbal messages
come in conflict with each other.
Paying attention and being very mindful
of how a person speaks or reacts can give
you clues if you really are communicating
with each other.
Glossary
• Blue collar jobs - Work that requires
manual labor
• Identity - A category or social group
which is assumed to insinuate sameness
or connection, such as gender, age, or
nationality, or to a larger scale a sense of
self to which the specific identity
categorizes are assumed to contribute.
• White Collar Jobs - Work that is done
inside an office or cubicle or an
administrative job
Barriers and Strategies in
Communication
In the previous chapters, we learned what
communication is, how the process
happens, and touched on the models used
in communication. We have learned that
certain factors can impede effective
communication and in this module we
will discuss the various barriers we can
encounter in communication. You will
also learn how to solve these barriers. At
the end of this chapter, it is expected that
you:
1. Be able to identify reasons for
communication breakdown;
2. Classify examples of these barriers; and
3. Be able to use the strategies taught to
communicate across cultures and avoid
communication breakdown.
What is Effective Communication
Effective communication happens when
the receiver does not only get the message
but he or she must truly understand it.
Effectively communicating with ones’
self or other can be hindered because of
communication barriers. These barriers,
however, are not permanent and can be
dealt with accordingly. To be able to
provide a solution, we must first learn to
identify these barriers.
Barriers in Communication
A. Language Barriers
English is not our native language; thus,
we are called second language learners.
As second language learners, there will be
times when misinterpretation happens-
this may be caused using terminologies or
nuances that are not familiar to us; thus,
creating confusion between the sender
and receiver of the message. Keep in
mind that misinterpretation can also
happen even if we use our native tongue.
Again, terms or jargons used may be the
root of this issue.
B. Psychological Barriers
Psychological state of mind can also be a
hindrance to the communication process.
An example can be when someone is
stressed he or she can be easily irritated
and may snap at the people they talk to.
The combination of the non-verbal and
verbal cues may not complement each
 Oral Communication in Context
other which in turn results to a
miscommunication. Another example
can be when you fear your teacher.
Sometimes, when teachers tell jokes or
playfully tease students, that student may
automatically think that he/she is being
seriously reprimanded. The internal
scripting of one’s mind can make them
worry about real or imagined fears. C.
Physiological Barriers
Physiological barriers refer to the physical
state of a person. A receiver who is
legally blind may not clearly grasp the
whole picture of the conversation because
he is disadvantaged with a disability that
hinders him from reading non-verbal cues
coming from the speaker. Someone who
is partially suffering from tinnitus can
have a hard time understanding spoken
communication because of the ringing in
his ears.
D. Physical Barriers
Physical barriers can include geographical
distance. Although calls made through
Facebook and Skype can help bridge
communication between continents, there
are non-verbal cues that cannot be read
because of the context of the
communication. A person feigning
sickness so that his mother will not worry
can get away with this because his mom
will not be able to assess the physical
state and body language of her son just
from online calls. E. Systematic /
Systemic Barriers
This barrier refers to hindrances in the
structure and organization where there is
inefficient or lack of appropriate
information systems or communication
channels. Roles and responsibilities may
be unclear; thus, a person may be
confused as to what role he plays in the
communication process.
An example can be an email coming from
a big boss of a business unit of a
multinational company. A notification
regarding an issue suddenly appeared and
she emailed all the teams under her
supervision. She asked the status of a
certain database but did not specify which
team is responsible in giving the
feedback. Instead of solving the problem
that instant, it took her whole team one
day and a half to resolve the issue.
Nobody replied to her email because
nobody was sure which team is supposed
to handle that certain project.
F. Attitudinal Barriers
Conflict from this barrier arises because
of poor management, lack of motivation,
resistance or internal or interpersonal
conflicts. The attitude of a receiver
significantly affects how he/she
understands the message.
An example can be being in a team with a
classmate who you think is annoying.
Communicating with her may become
difficult because there is a high
possibility that anything she says to you
can be understood in the wrong way.
Your preconceived notion of her taints
the message she sends to you.
Strategies in Communication
In any problem, hundreds of solutions
can be used to resolve it. Now that you
have familiarized yourself with the
different communication barriers, it is
best to apply the following strategies to
be able to cope with the
miscommunication or difficulty in
communicating or at best, to eliminate
or avoid these barriers. 1. Practice
active listening.
Go back to your module on listening so
you can remember how to be an effective
 Oral Communication in Context
listener. Knowing how to listen
attentively and properly enables you to
have better relationships with other
people and with yourself.
When listening to someone talk, clear
your mind and focus on the speaker.
During this moment, do not think of other
things you need to do or think of another
topic or person. Aside from listening to
the message teach yourself to identify
different tones or delivery styles so that
you would be able to experience a richer
communication exchange.
2. Pay attention to nonverbal cues.
Nonverbal cues give more meaning to a
message. Body language, facial ticks and
changes in pitch when speaking deepens
the communication experience. Always
keep in mind that diverse cultures can be
different in spoken language as well non-
verbal communication. Always take the
initiative to study or learn more about the
person or group you are interacting with.
The internet freely gives information
about anything, use it to widen your grasp
on distinct groups and how to
communicate effectively. They say at
this age, it is laziness to not find means to
learn anything.
The old joke about men not understanding
women can be used as an example for this
strategy. Some men may be too
dependent in what is being said rather
than how it is being said. Being able to
understand the spoken message along
with the nonverbal cues can help you
gauge on how to respond to the speaker.
3. Keep your emotions at bay.
Communication is irreversible; thus,
whatever you say or write at the height of
anger, fear, sadness, or happiness can not
be taken back. Always keep your
emotions at bay when communicating.
As much as possible, try to retain control
when your emotions are high. The results
can be frustrating if we let our emotions
take control of what we say, how we act,
and how we perceive or listen to others.
Relax and maintain your composure.
Countless instances have been featured on
television where someone said something
or acted on his/her emotions thus causing
problems, accidents, and even death.
Harness your emotions when
communicating so that you avoid any
problems.
4. Assert yourself.
Asserting yourself means you stand up for
your thoughts, feelings, and needs in an
open and honest way that will not result
to disrespecting others or appear
demanding and hostile. Effective
communication is understanding the other
person and not forcing your opinions or
disregarding theirs.
How can you be assertive without being
hostile:
a. Always remember that your opinion
matters just like everyone else’s does.
b. Know yourself. Determine your needs
and wants then learn to express them
without stepping undermining the rights
of others.
c. It’s ok to express your emotions as long
as you remain respectful. Learn how to
express negative feelings in a way that
will not truly offend the other person or
group.
d. Accept feedback. Accept compliments.
Ask when you need help and be always
grateful to others in addition to learning
from your mistakes.
e. Know your limits. Be brave enough to
say “no”. Agreeing and saying “yes” all
 Oral Communication in Context
the time may result to spreading yourself
too much which may affect the quality of
your output or feedback. Being firm and
clear about what you want is beneficial
for all parties as they will know where
they stand on issues.
Functions of Communication
Communicating effectively entails an end
goal for the speaker. Is the
communicative action initiated to inform?
To motivate? Or to express feelings or
opinions? No matter what end goal the
sender has, it is important to know how to
effectively reach that goal through
strategic non-verbal and verbal cues. This
module aims that you:
1. Be able to discuss the functions of
communication;
2. Be able to Identify the speaker’s
purpose(s);
3. To Comprehend various kinds of oral
texts;
4. To be able to Identify strategies to
effectively convey ideas; and
5. To be able to evaluate the effectiveness of
an oral communication activity.
Regulation / Control
A scene from the movie “ The De
Using communication to regulate or
control means you use verbal and
nonverbal cues to manage an individual or
group. This kind of communication is
means to encourage the other person to
reciprocate encouraging or positive
feedback from the initial interaction. This
kind of communication also controls the
behavior of person and this control will
adhere to the rules or culture/practices of
their organization, group, or fellowship.
Watch this clip using this link:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=b2f2Kqt_KcE) and observe how Andy
(Anne Hathaway) behaved while trying to
“sell” herself
Course Module
during her interview to the editor,
Miranda (Meryll Streep). Notice how
Miranda carried herself throughout the
interview and how Andy’s initial body
language and facial expressions changed.
Social Interaction and Emotional
Expression
 Oral Communication in Context

Motivation

A scene from the movie “500 Days of Summer”

O A scene from the movie “Dead Poets Soci

ne of the reasons why we
communicate is to connect with
others or with ourselves. Social
Interaction and Emotional expression are
the most used form of communication we
use. We use it every day when we hold
conversations with our friends or
classmates, or when we express how we
feel when we felt offended or when we
feel happy and state our opinion.
However, the way we communicate with
others will depend on how close we are to
them or how much we value them. How
you talk to your best friend will be very
different with how you talk to someone
Oral Communication in Context
you just met or to someone with high 3 Functions of Communication
authority.
Emotional expression is also a form of To motivate means to stimulate people to
communication. As with how you talk act on their goals. However, the
with someone depending on your motivational kind of communication can
relationship with that person, emotional work in two ways, positive or negative
expression can also be communicated motivation.
differently depending on how emotionally Positive motivation happens when the
close you are to the person. speaker who is motivating someone or a
Please follow this link group uses his or her skills in
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?
communication as a bridge towards
v=fL94BTrFhs), to a scene from 500
selfassessments, confidence, knowledge,
days of Summer, to show how this form
etc. Negative motivation, on the other
of communication happens.
 Oral Communication in Context
hand, can lead either to communication
apprehension, social anxiety, shyness or
public speaking anxiety.
Communication anxiety happens when a
person becomes fearful of communicating
with another person or a group. This fear
is either imagined or real, and may have
rooted from a previous experience. Signs
of apprehension include sweaty palms or
feeling upset stomach also known as
butterflies in the stomach. These physical
signs motivate someone to avoid
communication or feel anxious when
forced to communicate.
Context apprehension happens when the
anxiety to communicate happens in
certain situations only such as
interpersonal, small group or public
speaking. Public speaking is also called
stage fright. This is when a person
hesitates or avoid speaking in front of a
large group or large audience. The next is
shyness, this happens when you feel
uncomfortable when speaking to a small
group or people. Shy people are afraid to
initiate communication or actively
participate in small group discussions.
Lastly, we have social anxiety, which is
when someone hesitates interpersonal
communication. This kind of anxiety
happens when a person feels threatened
and scared of what other people say or
think about them.
Information
Information exchange is the core reason
why we communicate. Information is
needed for an individual to build a
harmonious relationship with others and
with their environment. Information and
communication will always be linked
with each other.
These are the four functions of
communication. As an effective
communicator you must set your goal as
to what you want to achieve before you
proceed so that you can utilize your
knowledge in verbal and non-verbal cues
to your advantage. Go back to Chapter 2
if you need to review on your non-verbal
and verbal communication.
Tools in Effective Oral
Communication
This module will be all about proper
pronunciation, tone, how to make the
sound; what it takes to make you create
the correct sounds in English. To aid you
with the drills given, please ask your
teacher for a copy of the Phonemic Chart
so that you can retain the sounds you need
to learn.
This module aims that you:
1. Sounds of English;
2. Rhythm of English;
3. Intonation of English; and 4. Variants
that affect Speech.
Before diving into the readings about the
topics given. Give yourself a moment to
quickly evaluate your oral skills. Read
the poem below out loud.
How Confusing is the English
Language?
We’ll begin with a box, and the
plural is boxes; but the plural
of ox became oxen not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but
two are called geese, yet the
plural of moose should
never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a
nest full of mice; yet the
 Oral Communication in Context

plural of house is houses, not Sounds of English

hice.
If the plural of man is
always called men, why
shouldn’t the plural of pan
be called pen?
If I spoke of my foot
and show you my feet, and I
give you a boot, would a
pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a
whole set are teeth, why
shouldn’t the plural of
booth be called beeth?
Then one may be that, and
three would be those, yet
hat in the plural would
never be hose, and the
plural of cat is cats, not
cose. Figure 1: Vietor Triangle
We speak of a brother
and also of brethren, but The Vietor Triangle is a visual
though we say mother, we representation to show the differences of
never say methren. the vowels sounds in English and their
Then the masculine pronouns are relative positions of the tongue.
he, his and him, but imagine To be able to create the correct sound you
the feminine, she, shis and must learn how your lips, tongue, and
shim. other parts of your mouth should move.
Did you have a tough time reading the Here are the parts you need to know:
poem? If everything was a bit tongue Organs of Speech
twisting and difficult, do not worry! This Respiratory
module will help you practice the sounds
you need to communicate better in This part is all about breathing – inhaling
English. and exhaling. To inhale is to fill the
lungs with air. To exhale is to expel the
air from the lungs. In the production of
sound, the diaphragm plays a significant
role. The diaphragm is a muscle between
the ribs and abdomen. When you inhale,
the diaphragm contracts and exerts a
pulling action. Exhalation, on the other
hand, relaxes this muscle and expands.
To try proper breathing, make sure that
 Oral Communication in Context
your shoulders don’t go up and your side
expands. To know more about proper
breathing please follow this link
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ldNnKVGxabA) to Tech Insider’s
video on “The correct way to breathe in”.
Now on exhaling, the air is pushed up to
the windpipe which is a tube called
trachea. There’s little difference in
breathing to speak and breathing to live,
the only significant difference would be
the short inhalations when pausing during
speech. The respiratory organs are the
motors to start speech.
Figure 2: Respiratory Organs
Vocalizing / Phonating Parts
After the air is pushed out from the lungs,
towards the windpipe or trachea, it then
finds it way to the larynx. The larynx is
where the voice box is located. The air
then triggers the vocal cords – or
anatomically speaking, called vocal folds
because these are muscles- which are
found at the tip of the larynx, to vibrate
which then sends the sounds upwards.
The sound produced by air moving
upwards results to a muffled and
unpleasant sound.
Figure 3: Vocalizing Organs
Resonating Parts
Once the air is pushed up the vocal
chords/folds, air is the expelled through
the mouth. The sound coming from the
vocal chords can now be amplified, made
richer and fuller by the oral cavity, nasal
cavity, and pharyngeal cavity. By
modifying the shape and size of the
mouth, different sounds can be created.
 Oral Communication in Context

Front Section of Articulatory Parts

Figure 4: Resonating Organs

Articulatory Parts
Articulatory parts are found inside the
mouth. The points of articulation are
the upper lip, upper teeth, the alveolar
ridge, hard palate, velum or soft palate,
and the uvula. The chief articulators, on
the other hand, are the tongue, lower lip,
and the jaw.
Articulatory parts make the sounds
precise and distinct. Amongst all the
articulators, the tongue is the most
versatile. The tongue is a muscle which Figure 6: Cross Section of Articulatory
consists of glands and connective tissue. Parts

Vowels
To be able to make the proper vowel
sounds in English, one must be aware of
the five characteristics that will determine
how the sound is formed.
• Tongue position
• Tongue and jaw height
 Oral Communication in Context

• Lip position Pint

• Tension
• Length Climb

[i:] Consonants a. Voicing vs Voiceless

[ɪ] consonants i. Voiced
[ey] b Ben
[e] n neck
d den
[æ]
ŋ
[ɒ] bring g
[ɔ] God
[ oʊ ] l let v
[u] vine
r right
[ ʊəʳ] θ thy
[ə] y you z
zoo
Dipthongs w water
Dipthongs are the sounds produced when ʒ measure
two vowels are combined which results to j Jew
a blended sound within a syllable. m
Dipthong sounds are created when one
tongue and lips move quickly from one m
vowel position to a higher vowel position. e
In English, there are three dipthongs: [eɪ], n
[ɔɪ], and [aʊ].
Here are the examples. Practice these
words to practice your dipthongs.

b. Nature of Obstruction or Manner of

Articulation i. Stops
Pie These are sounds created by stopping the
passage of the breath with a build up of
Rhyme pressure before the release of breath.

Sigh Bilabial Stops - [p]

and [b]
Aisle

Quite Alveolar Stops – [t]

and [d]
 Oral Communication in Context

Velar Stops - [k] and [g] iv.

Nasals
ii. Nasals can be produced when the air
Fricatives passes through the nose and not the
Fricatives are created when the air is not mouth.
completely stopped but goes through with Bilibial
a hissing sound or friction. Fricatives are
continuants, or consonant sounds with the [m]
vocal tract only partially closed, thus Alvelar
allowing air to pass through.
[n]

Labiodental fricatives [f] Velar nasal

[v]
v.
Dental fricatives Lateral
[θ] & [ð] Lateral sounds are created whan air is
stoped in the center by the tip of the
[s] tongue against the alveolar ridge, while
[z] your breath passes either one or both side
of the tongue.
Post Alveolar Fricatives
[r]
Alveolar lateral

vi.
[ʃ]
[ ʒ] Semi-vowels
Semi-vowels are consonants that sounds
vowel-like. There is no friction made
[h] when making the sounds.

Bilabial
iii.
wear
Affricates
Affricates can be created when a stop is
[wh]
combined with a fricative. As with the
fricatives, they are also continuants.
These sounds can be prolonged as long as
[y]
the speaker wants to.

Alveolar affricates
&
 Oral Communication in Context

c. vii. Glottal : the sound of air when friction is

Po produced as it goes through the glottis,
int like the [h] sound.
of
Ar Rhythm of English
tic Rhythm of English is created through the
ul recurrence of unstressed and stressed
ati syllables. Stress, (‘) is a sound we put on
on a syllable or word to make it stand out
i. Bilabial : when lower lip touches the upper lip from the group.
to produce the sound. There are three elements in the rhythm of
Ex. [p], [b], [m] & [w] ii. English: force, pitch, and duration. The
dictionary is a valuable tool in helping
Labio-Dental: when the lower
you learn how words are stressed. Make
lip comes in contact with the upper it a habit to pick up a dictionary to consult
front teeth rather than guessing.
Force shows the intensity or loudness.
Pitch is about the tune, and duration
Ex. [f] refers to the length of the vowel sound.
and Rules:
[v] 1. General rule:
Most words with two syllables are
iii. Alveolar : the sound is created when the stressed on the first syllable:
tips of the tongue is raised near the back
of the upper front teeth. Ex. always, lesson, river, batter
Ex.
[θ] 2. Some words have more
& specific rules:
[ð] a. Compound nouns – stress on the first
iv. Post-Alveolar: when the tongue is word
slightly behind the alveolar ridge as the
[r] sound. E
x
v. Palatal: when the tongue is arched .
towards the palate like the consonant [ʃ].

vi. Velars: when the back of the tongue is lampshade armchair

against the soft palate (velum) as when
creating the sound [k] doorknob playground

sunflower
 Oral Communication in Context

and verb. The difference would be how

blackboard these words are stressed to distinguish
which word is a verb or noun.

b. Compound verbs – stress is placed on Ex

the second word .
E
x NOUN VERB
.

undergo outdo present

overdose
overflow interact permit
understand

c. Intensive-reflexive pronouns – receives

stronger stress on the second syllable. subject
subject
rebel
herself
rebel
itself
ourselves record
record
d. Numbers that end in – teen - this f. Added suffix - when a suffix is added to
rhythmic shift is applied to distinguish a word, the newly formed word will
words from each other. retain the stress on the syllable as the
root word.

E
E
x
x
.
.

thirty
thirteen
merriment
fifteen
interest interesting
nineteen
cloudy
e. Functional shift (from noun to verb) –
some words can be used as both a noun
 Oral Communication in Context

is the technical term for tune. Intonation,

honesty then, is the music of language.
teacher There are two kinds of intonation, rising-
falling intonation and the rising
g. Words that end in – tion, - sion, -ic, -ical, intonation.
and -ity - with this words, always stress Command /factual sentences: when the
on the syllable that comes before the last voice rises and then goes down at the end
syllable of the sentence. This intonation can also
logical be applied to open ended questions,
dedicati meaning they are not answerable by a yes
on or no. The rising of the voice at the end
Ex. of the sentence signals a question
answerable by a yes or no.
possibili These are the basic tones of English:
ty 1 - low
2 - normal
3 - high
exten
4 – extra
economic high
1,2,3 are commonly used. Tone 4 is used
8. Some words have two stressed when strong emotions are expressed.
syllables : Primary (‘) stress and Rising-Falling Intonation
secondary stress (“).
1. The slide or
Ex.
inflection
a
Ex. Good day Good
dministrative afternoon Good night
elementary
2. The drop
education
preparatory or shift

secondary Ex. Good morning Good evening

organization Rising Intonation

Rising intonation happens when your
Intonation of English pitch switches from one pitch to a higher
Pitch is the musical tone which we pitch.
pronounce a stressed syllable. Pitch is an
element of stress. Tune or melody is the
combination of the musical tones when
we pronounce the sentences. Intonation
 Oral Communication in Context

Ex. Are you married? Am I right? partner market help push

bakery take

Can you see that? Is he alright? When positioned in the medial and final
part of a word /p/, /t/, and /k/ are not
aspirated. When found in words such as
skill, spill, and still, the same thing
Often intonation emphasizes emotions applies. This also happens with the
such as fear, excitement, anger, etc. voiced counterpart sounds -/b/, /d/, and
/g/.
palm route tuck
Hurrah! Are you leaving us?

Intonation is not limited to short

utterances. Non-final intonation can be
heard within a sentence. Non-final
intonation vary according to the speaker.
Analyze the example below: Remember: Go back to the previous
Ex. lessons on how to correctly create the
They say that car cost millions of dollars. needed sound.
Practice:
She has a lot of pocketbooks. good old
Variants that affect Speech days
plan a picnic
1. Aspiration do a dance step
of /P/, /T/, and take a test
/K/ tour the country
Aspiration is the explosive release of air get-together party
after the breathe comes in contact with
parts of the speech mechanism.
Compare how /p/, /t/, and /k/ are 2.
aspirated when found in the Sylla
initial position and when they are found in bic
the medial or final positions. Cons
onant
s
These are consonants that occur only
when a stressed syllable ends in /t/,
/d/, or /n/ and is followed by /I/ or /n/
in the unstressed syllable.
 Oral Communication in Context

Carefully consider the list of word below

and observe how the intervening vowel
sound is absent.
Ex.

hadn't

shouldn't
tried and
Tools in Effective Oral
tested Communication
burden This module will be all about proper
pronunciation, tone, how to make the
sound; what it takes to make you create
garden hidden settlethe correct sounds in English. To aid you
with the drills given, please ask your
teacher for a copy of the Phonemic Chart
so that you can retain the sounds you need
didn't to learn.
This module aims that you:
4. Sounds of English;
3. Vowel Length 5. Rhythm of English;
Vowel length refers to the length of time 6. Intonation of English; and 4. Variants
given to pronounce a vowel sound. It is that affect Speech.
the duration or quantity of time rather Before diving into the readings about the
than the quality or difference in sound. topics given. Give yourself a moment to
Vowel length may be altered by two quickly evaluate your oral skills. Read
things: 1) Stress, and 2) Syllable the poem below out loud.
structure. How Confusing is the English
Stress goes with the length of the vowel Language?
sound. We’ll begin with a box, and the
Ex. Can’t he swim? No, plural is boxes; but the plural
he can’t. of ox became oxen not oxes.
In the first sentence, the vowel in the One fowl is a goose, but
word can’t is pronounced shorter than the two are called geese, yet the
second. plural of moose should
Syllable Structure – this can also shorten never be meese.
a stressed syllable as compared to stress You may find a lone mouse or a
which lengthens the syllable sound. nest full of mice; yet the
plural of house is houses, not
Ex. hice.
 Oral Communication in Context

If the plural of man is Sounds of English

always called men, why
shouldn’t the plural of pan
be called pen?
If I spoke of my foot
and show you my feet, and I
give you a boot, would a
pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a
whole set are teeth, why
shouldn’t the plural of
booth be called beeth?
Then one may be that, and
three would be those, yet
hat in the plural would
never be hose, and the
plural of cat is cats, not
cose.
We speak of a brother
and also of brethren, but Figure 1: Vietor Triangle
though we say mother, we
never say methren. The Vietor Triangle is a visual
Then the masculine pronouns are representation to show the differences of
he, his and him, but imagine the vowels sounds in English and their
the feminine, she, shis and relative positions of the tongue.
shim. To be able to create the correct sound you
Did you have a tough time reading the must learn how your lips, tongue, and
poem? If everything was a bit tongue other parts of your mouth should move.
twisting and difficult, do not worry! This Here are the parts you need to know:
module will help you practice the sounds Organs of Speech
you need to communicate better in Respiratory
English.
This part is all about breathing – inhaling
and exhaling. To inhale is to fill the
lungs with air. To exhale is to expel the
air from the lungs. In the production of
sound, the diaphragm plays a significant
role. The diaphragm is a muscle between
the ribs and abdomen. When you inhale,
the diaphragm contracts and exerts a
pulling action. Exhalation, on the other
hand, relaxes this muscle and expands.
To try proper breathing, make sure that
 Oral Communication in Context
your shoulders don’t go up and your side
expands. To know more about proper
breathing please follow this link
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ldNnKVGxabA) to Tech Insider’s
video on “The correct way to breathe in”.
Now on exhaling, the air is pushed up to
the windpipe which is a tube called
trachea. There’s little difference in
breathing to speak and breathing to live,
the only significant difference would be
the short inhalations when pausing during
speech. The respiratory organs are the
motors to start speech.
Figure 2: Respiratory Organs
Vocalizing / Phonating Parts
After the air is pushed out from the lungs,
towards the windpipe or trachea, it then
finds it way to the larynx. The larynx is
where the voice box is located. The air
then triggers the vocal cords – or
anatomically speaking, called vocal folds
because these are muscles- which are
found at the tip of the larynx, to vibrate
which then sends the sounds upwards.
The sound produced by air moving
upwards results to a muffled and
unpleasant sound.
Figure 3: Vocalizing Organs
Resonating Parts
Once the air is pushed up the vocal
chords/folds, air is the expelled through
the mouth. The sound coming from the
vocal chords can now be amplified, made
richer and fuller by the oral cavity, nasal
cavity, and pharyngeal cavity. By
modifying the shape and size of the
mouth, different sounds can be created.
 Oral Communication in Context

Front Section of Articulatory Parts

Figure 4: Resonating Organs

Articulatory Parts
Articulatory parts are found inside the
mouth. The points of articulation are
the upper lip, upper teeth, the alveolar
ridge, hard palate, velum or soft palate,
and the uvula. The chief articulators, on
the other hand, are the tongue, lower lip,
and the jaw.
Articulatory parts make the sounds
precise and distinct. Amongst all the
articulators, the tongue is the most
versatile. The tongue is a muscle which Figure 6: Cross Section of Articulatory
consists of glands and connective tissue. Parts

Vowels
To be able to make the proper vowel
sounds in English, one must be aware of
the five characteristics that will determine
how the sound is formed.
• Tongue position
• Tongue and jaw height
 Oral Communication in Context

• Lip position Pint

• Tension
• Length Climb

[i:] Consonants a. Voicing vs Voiceless

[ɪ] consonants i. Voiced
[ey] b Ben
[e] n neck
d den
[æ]
ŋ
[ɒ] bring g
[ɔ] God
[ oʊ ] l let v
[u] vine
r right
[ ʊəʳ] θ thy
[ə] y you z
zoo
Dipthongs w water
Dipthongs are the sounds produced when ʒ measure
two vowels are combined which results to j Jew
a blended sound within a syllable. m
Dipthong sounds are created when one
tongue and lips move quickly from one m
vowel position to a higher vowel position. e
In English, there are three dipthongs: [eɪ], n
[ɔɪ], and [aʊ].
Here are the examples. Practice these
words to practice your dipthongs.

b. Nature of Obstruction or Manner of

Articulation i. Stops
Pie These are sounds created by stopping the
passage of the breath with a build up of
Rhyme pressure before the release of breath.

Sigh Bilabial Stops - [p]

and [b]
Aisle

Quite Alveolar Stops – [t]

and [d]
 Oral Communication in Context

Velar Stops - [k] and [g] iv.

Nasals
ii. Nasals can be produced when the air
Fricatives passes through the nose and not the
Fricatives are created when the air is not mouth.
completely stopped but goes through with Bilibial
a hissing sound or friction. Fricatives are
continuants, or consonant sounds with the [m]
vocal tract only partially closed, thus Alvelar
allowing air to pass through.
[n]

Labiodental fricatives [f] Velar nasal

[v]
v.
Dental fricatives Lateral
[θ] & [ð] Lateral sounds are created whan air is
stoped in the center by the tip of the
[s] tongue against the alveolar ridge, while
[z] your breath passes either one or both side
of the tongue.
Post Alveolar Fricatives
[r]
Alveolar lateral

vi.
[ʃ]
[ ʒ] Semi-vowels
Semi-vowels are consonants that sounds
vowel-like. There is no friction made
[h] when making the sounds.

Bilabial
iii.
wear
Affricates
Affricates can be created when a stop is
[wh]
combined with a fricative. As with the
fricatives, they are also continuants.
These sounds can be prolonged as long as
[y]
the speaker wants to.

Alveolar affricates
&
 Oral Communication in Context

c. xii. Glottal : the sound of air when friction is

Po produced as it goes through the glottis,
int like the [h] sound.
of
Ar Rhythm of English
tic Rhythm of English is created through the
ul recurrence of unstressed and stressed
ati syllables. Stress, (‘) is a sound we put on
on a syllable or word to make it stand out
i. Bilabial : when lower lip touches the upper lip from the group.
to produce the sound. There are three elements in the rhythm of
Ex. [p], [b], [m] & [w] ii. English: force, pitch, and duration. The
dictionary is a valuable tool in helping
Labio-Dental: when the lower
you learn how words are stressed. Make
lip comes in contact with the upper it a habit to pick up a dictionary to consult
front teeth rather than guessing.
Force shows the intensity or loudness.
Pitch is about the tune, and duration
Ex. [f] refers to the length of the vowel sound.
and Rules:
[v] 3. General rule:
Most words with two syllables are
viii. Alveolar : the sound is created when the stressed on the first syllable:
tips of the tongue is raised near the back
of the upper front teeth. Ex. always, lesson, river, batter
Ex.
[θ] 4. Some words have more
& specific rules:
[ð] a. Compound nouns – stress on the first
ix. Post-Alveolar: when the tongue is word
slightly behind the alveolar ridge as the
[r] sound. E
x
x. Palatal: when the tongue is arched .
towards the palate like the consonant [ʃ].

xi. Velars: when the back of the tongue is lampshade armchair

against the soft palate (velum) as when
creating the sound [k] doorknob playground

sunflower
 Oral Communication in Context

and verb. The difference would be how

blackboard these words are stressed to distinguish
which word is a verb or noun.

b. Compound verbs – stress is placed on Ex

the second word .
E
x NOUN VERB
.

undergo outdo present

overdose
overflow interact permit
understand

c. Intensive-reflexive pronouns – receives

stronger stress on the second syllable. subject
subject
rebel
herself
rebel
itself
ourselves record
record
d. Numbers that end in – teen - this f. Added suffix - when a suffix is added to
rhythmic shift is applied to distinguish a word, the newly formed word will
words from each other. retain the stress on the syllable as the
root word.

E
E
x
x
.
.

thirty
thirteen
merriment
fifteen
interest interesting
nineteen
cloudy
e. Functional shift (from noun to verb) –
some words can be used as both a noun
 Oral Communication in Context

is the technical term for tune. Intonation,

honesty then, is the music of language.
teacher There are two kinds of intonation, rising-
falling intonation and the rising
g. Words that end in – tion, - sion, -ic, -ical, intonation.
and -ity - with this words, always stress Command /factual sentences: when the
on the syllable that comes before the last voice rises and then goes down at the end
syllable of the sentence. This intonation can also
logical be applied to open ended questions,
dedicati meaning they are not answerable by a yes
on or no. The rising of the voice at the end
Ex. of the sentence signals a question
answerable by a yes or no.
possibili These are the basic tones of English:
ty 5 - low
6 - normal
7 - high
exten
8 – extra
economic high
1,2,3 are commonly used. Tone 4 is used
8. Some words have two stressed when strong emotions are expressed.
syllables : Primary (‘) stress and Rising-Falling Intonation
secondary stress (“).
1. The slide or
Ex.
inflection
a
Ex. Good day Good
dministrative afternoon Good night
elementary
2. The drop
education
preparatory or shift

secondary Ex. Good morning Good evening

organization Rising Intonation

Rising intonation happens when your
Intonation of English pitch switches from one pitch to a higher
Pitch is the musical tone which we pitch.
pronounce a stressed syllable. Pitch is an
element of stress. Tune or melody is the
combination of the musical tones when
we pronounce the sentences. Intonation
 Oral Communication in Context

Ex. Are you married? Am I right? partner market help push

bakery take

Can you see that? Is he alright? When positioned in the medial and final
part of a word /p/, /t/, and /k/ are not
aspirated. When found in words such as
skill, spill, and still, the same thing
Often intonation emphasizes emotions applies. This also happens with the
such as fear, excitement, anger, etc. voiced counterpart sounds -/b/, /d/, and
/g/.
palm route tuck
Hurrah! Are you leaving us?

Intonation is not limited to short

utterances. Non-final intonation can be
heard within a sentence. Non-final
intonation vary according to the speaker.
Analyze the example below: Remember: Go back to the previous
Ex. lessons on how to correctly create the
They say that car cost millions of dollars. needed sound.
Practice:
She has a lot of pocketbooks. good old
Variants that affect Speech days
plan a picnic
1. Aspiration do a dance step
of /P/, /T/, and take a test
/K/ tour the country
Aspiration is the explosive release of air get-together party
after the breathe comes in contact with
parts of the speech mechanism.
Compare how /p/, /t/, and /k/ are 2.
aspirated when found in the Sylla
initial position and when they are found in bic
the medial or final positions. Cons
onant
s
These are consonants that occur only
when a stressed syllable ends in /t/,
/d/, or /n/ and is followed by /I/ or /n/
in the unstressed syllable.
 Oral Communication in Context

Carefully consider the list of word below

and observe how the intervening vowel
sound is absent.
Ex.

hadn't

shouldn't
tried and
Strategies in Various
tested Speech Situations
burden
This module aims that you:
1. Be able to identify the several types of
speech context;
garden hidden 2.
settleBe able to distinguish types of speech
style;
3. Learn to identify social situations in
which each speech style is appropriate to
didn't use;
4. Lear how to engage in communications
situations using acceptable, polite, and
3. Vowel Length meaningful strategies; and
Vowel length refers to the length of time 5. Explain that a shift in speech context,
given to pronounce a vowel sound. It is speech style, speech will have effects in
the duration or quantity of time rather several elements of the communication
than the quality or difference in sound. process.
Vowel length may be altered by two Intrapersonal Communication
things: 1) Stress, and 2) Syllable
Intrapersonal speech is often about
structure.
clarifying ideas or analyzing situations
Stress goes with the length of the vowel
and other times about reflection and
sound.
appreciation. We are both the sender and
Ex. Can’t he swim? No,
receiver of the message.
he can’t.
a. Self-concept
In the first sentence, the vowel in the
a. The way we see ourselves will influence
word can’t is pronounced shorter than the
how we act, and how we respond when
second.
interacting with others. Our self-concept
Syllable Structure – this can also shorten
is affected by our beliefs, values, and
a stressed syllable as compared to stress
attitudes. Beliefs are our learned personal
which lengthens the syllable sound.
orientation when deciding which is right
or wrong, good or bad; beliefs can either
Ex.
be prescriptive or descriptive. Values, are
 Oral Communication in Context
ideals that are based on and are aligned
with what we believe in – our beliefs.
Attitudes are learned disposition against
or for a topic. This is also consistent with
our values. Attitudes are typically
emotional. These three elements play a
significant role in affecting our behavior.
Behavior is how we conduct ourselves
towards others and yourself.
b. Perception
Perception focuses on looking outward.
Our perception of the world is deeply
entwined in our self-concept.
Perceptions are rooted in our beliefs,
attitudes, and values. c. Expectations
Expectations are “future-oriented
messages dealing with roles we call life
scripts”. Our relationship with other
people mold our expectations.
Interpersonal
Interpersonal communication is when we
communicate with at least one person
other person, a small or large group.
a. Dyad – this kind of communication
involves two people in the process.
b. Small group – this involve three or more
people. Group communication is often
done to solve problems and strategize.
c. Public – this involves a large group of
persons. Usually a one-way monologue
happens here. This kind of
communication has very little feedback.
Information sharing, broadcasting, and
recitals are some examples.
Types of Speech Style
Various occasions mean different speech
styles. To be an effective communicator,
the context or circumstances should
always be considered. Styles of language
changes according to who your receiver
will be in addition to taking into
consideration the context of the
communication.
1. Intimate
This kind of communication happens with
our family and closest friends. Using the
correct grammar or clear articulation
doesn’t necessarily happen here. This is a
spontaneous setting and people tend to
use jargon or slang, repeat words, and
many times use the wrong or unnecessary
words when they speak. Informal
communication happens here and, more
often than not, mere utterance of sounds
or non-verbal cues already communicate a
lot in this setting.
2. Casual
This is also used between family and
friends. This applies to daily
conversations where colloquial words are
often used. Slang language and short
sentence are often used in this setting.
3. Consultative
This form of communication is used in
group discussions, conversations inside
the school or work, trade speech
conventions, etc. This is the most
operational type of speech. Consultative
speech is delivered in an average rate of
speaking speed. Spontaneity means
shorter sentences and the presence of
repeating words, slangs, jargons, and
wrong choice of words.
This type of speech can be observed in
schools, offices, and organizations.
4. Formal
Formal speech is given in formal events
where topics are about serious
problems/issues. Formal speeches are
very careful with wordings, has low
tempo speech, contains technical
vocabulary with complex and divergent
grammatical structure. Repetition of
words are avoided, people are addressed
 Oral Communication in Context
using their full name and titles, when
necessary.
5. Frozen
Frozen speech is the most formal style
and is a standard in ceremonies and
respectful situations. Speech given in this
style is well articulated, symbolic, fixed
and historical in nature. The delivery is
almost oratorical in style.
Types of Speech Act
1. Locution (Utterance)
This is an act of performance of an
utterance; it can also have words, phrases
and sentences. Sentence has grammatical
structure and a literal meaning. This kind
of act deals with “what was said” rather
than “what does it mean”.
Ex. “ Hello!” (greeting someone)
“Don’t go in the water!” (strong
command)
“How
much is that?” (inquiry)
2. Illocution (Intention)
Illocution is about the intention of the
speaker. The meaning will depend on the
context (why, where, when, and how) and
the utterance of the speaker.
Compare:
“How’d you like to hand me that spoon?”
(locution)
“Hand me that spoon!” (illocutionary
force of command)
Remember: every sentence has a
locutionary force and illocutuionary
force)
Ex. “Can I get you to hand me that
bag?” (locutionary force) – has structure
(linguistic meaning) `will I be able to be
successful in getting your cooperation in
handing me that bag’
Illocutionary force: “Please hand me that
bag”
3. Perlocution (Response)
This is when there is an effect of the
utterance to the receiver from the
speaker. The response may be induced
by inciting, comforting, scaring,
persuading or inspiring. This is act is
used to change the feelings, actions, and
thoughts.
Ex. “All is well” (comforting)
“ I don’t want to see you ever
again!” (inciting)
“If it’s too good to be true, run!”
(scaring)
Communicative Competency
Being an effective communicator and a
good speaker can be learned. The
following reading is about how you can
improve yourself in communication.
Communicative competence “is when the
cluster of abilities that enable humans to
convey and interpret messages and to
negotiate meanings personally within
specific contexts”. Having
communicative competence means you
have the knowledge on the language and
have an aptitude on the target language.
Communicative competency can be
classified in four sub-categories (Canale
and Swain, 1980):
1. Grammatical competence – proficiency in
syntax and morphology
2. Discourse competence – ability to use the
proper words (cohesion) and coherence,
which is the appropriate combination of
communicative function.
3. Sociolinguistic competence – ability to
use the appropriate words in a particular
social situation.
4. Strategic competence – proficiency to
cope and adjust with the imperfect
knowledge and ability to sustain
communication through various methods.
 Oral Communication in Context
Types of Communicative Strategy
Communicative strategies are techniques
on how to deal with difficulties
encountered when communicating. Here
are the seven Communicative Strategies:
1. Nomination
This is the act of getting the attention of
your listener and
“nominating” or to start talking about a
topic that you propose. This act allows
other people to talk during the discussion.
An example can be talking to your
classmate while waiting for your ride or a
lengthy conversation on the phone
between a mother and her child who is
physically away from her.
2. Restriction
This is the opposite of nomination.
Restrictive speaking is a one-way process
of communicating. The listeners are not
allowed to speak up or provide feedback
to the speaker. An example can be a
homily or a commencement speaker
during graduation.
3. Turn-taking
Turn-taking is when the people involved
in a conversation decide who speaks next.
The rules are dependent on norms,
culture, traditions, or mechanics. A
parliamentary debate provides this
example. Speakers take turns in raising
their points or arguing against their
opponents instead of everyone speaking
and raising points at the same time.
4. Topic control
Topic control is limiting the discussion
only about the chosen topic. In a debate,
the affirmative side can only argue as to
why they are in favor of the given
proposition, they cannot speak to oppose
this. The discourse in a debate is always a
controlled one. Another can also be class
reporting, groups take turns in reporting
and the topic is predetermined or assigned
before the presentation. 5. Topic shifting
This strategy is used when a speaker
needs to change the topic being discussed.
This requires the speaker to be polite,
prudent, and courteous when ending the
topic and leading the conversation to a
new one. An example can be reporters,
the reporters are obligated to ask varied
types of questions and he or she must
know how to shift from one topic to
another.
6. Repair
Within the process of communicating,
miscommunication or misarticulation
could occur which may result to stopping
the interaction. To repair is to correct, to
ensure that interaction does not stop, that
the turn sequence does not fail and to
avoid the distortion of the subject. Repair
can come from the listener- other
initiated, or from the speaker (self-
initiated).
7. Termination
This strategy entails ending a
conversation “artistically”. This is to end
the discussion indirectly or directly.
Indirect strategies can be gestures such as
looking at your phone, yawning, or
looking somewhere else. Direct
strategies, on the other hand, is when you
use verbal and non-verbal signals. You
can point at your watch or simply say “I
have to go….” Or “Sorry, I need to leave
now. I think we’ve talked long enough”.
Types of Speeches
 Oral Communication in Context
This module is the culmination of what
you learned from the previous chapters.
In this chapter you will be applying the
orals communications skills you have
learned previously to reach the goal of
this subject This module aims that you:
1. Distinguish types of
speeches;
2. Use principles of effective
speech delivery in different
situations;
3. Use principles of effective
speech writing; and 4. Use
principles of effective speech
delivery.
According to purpose
Expository/Informative Speech
This kind of speech is meant to inform
and enlighten an audience about a topic
they do not know. The goal of the speaker
is to impart knowledge and help make the
audience understand the topic.
An expository speech can be about an
object, process, event, or concept.
Speeches about an object focus on the
tangible instead of abstract. Topics can be
anything that our senses can experience.
Examples are speeches about beaches in
Palawan, the new perfume from a
celebrity, your favorite food, etc.
A speech about incidents, experiences,
historical or personal is called a speech
about events. Events discussed can be
something from the past or a current one.
This kind of speech aims to bring the
audience’s consciousness to things that
happened, happening or about to happen
in our world. The President’s inaugural
address is an example of this speech.
Another example can be about the time a
baby was born during a calamity or even
simple things like your first time to attend
a Chinese wedding.
The next kind of informative speech is
about a process. The content of this
speech is focused on the steps taken or
actions needed to make something like
pesto pasta or how to play basketball.
The last kind of speech is about concept.
Speech about concept talks about the
abstract or simply what we cannot
perceive using our senses. Philosophies
and theories or views on world peace, or
racial discrimination or gender politics are
some examples of speeches about
concepts.
Persuasive Speech
Persuasive speech is all about pushing
people into action, whether to do or not
do something. It is created in such a way
to arouse favor against or for a policy,
person, or plan. Persuasion is all about
making people believe or do something.
It is important for the speaker to influence
the object to agree with him/her on his/her
points. The goal of this speech is to make
the listeners feel good about the lecture
and not feel coerced or forced but not just
informed.
Persuasive speeches can be categorized
either according to purpose or topic.
Persuasive speeches according to purpose
are speeches to actuate, to convince and
to inspire. On the other hand, persuasive
speeches according to topic consist of
factual persuasive speech, policy
persuasive speech, and value persuasive
speech.
Factual persuasive speech’s core basis is
to answer the question “is it true?” This
speech uses evidence to back up his/her
points in convincing the audience to
 Oral Communication in Context
determine the truth. This speech is used to
convince listeners whether Pluto is a
planet or if vaccines cause autism in
children.
In value persuasive speech, the argument
is about ethics or morality, if something is
actually right. An example of this speech
can be whether or not same sex marriage
should be allowed in the Philippines.
The last kind of persuasive speech is the
policy persuasive speech. This is to
influence the audience whether to reject
or support a rule, regulation or dogma. It
is to persuade them to go against or
maintain the status quo. An example of
this speech can be about adopting
Federalism in our country or having a
constitutional change.
Speech to actuate involves convincing
people to act. This speech is created to
influence the behavior of the audience. A
miting de avance is a perfect sample of
this kind of speech. A speech to
convince, on the other hand, is to establish
conviction. An example of this kind of
speech can be a conclusion that women
are better than men. Lastly, a speech that
is meant to change the feelings of
listeners is a speech to inspire. Eulogies,
commencement speeches, even New Year
messages are some examples.
Entertainment Speech
A speech for entertainment purpose is to
make the listeners enjoy, smile or relax.
Maintaining the attention and focus of the
audience is important and the speaker can
do that by telling a joke, or dramatizing
an anecdote or story, or tell a scary story,
etc.
Methods of Delivery
Reading from a manuscript – this is
delivering a speech from a text written
word-for-word. This is a good for
speaker who would want to practice
beforehand the speech they will be
delivering. This is to ensure that they will
not forget their words. Congressional
hearings, educational paper presentation
are places where this can be done.
The weakness of this method is that the
speaker may at times be more focused on
reading the manuscript rather than
connecting with the audience.
This speech may also be too formal at
times and may make the audience
uncomfortable specially if the speaker
rigidly follows the script. Reading to
quickly is also a possibility when using
this method of delivery.
Memorized Speech – this method entails
a word-for-word delivery. Before this
speech is delivered, the speech is written
by the speaker. During the delivery of the
speech no note cards or manuscripts are
used. The advantage of this method is that
the speaker can move freely while
speaking. Connecting with the audience
and gauging the increase or decrease of
attention can also be done with this
method. There are, however, also
disadvantages when using this method.
Blanking out while speaking or forgetting
the words can be quite an alarming
experience for the speaker and cause
discomfort to the listeners. Another
weakness of this method is that the
speaker can sound robotic or may rush
when speaking. The room for no adlibs in
this method can sometimes feel rigid and
stiff specially when the speaker does not
use correct emotions or emphasis on the
right parts and would always lack
spontaneity. This method of delivery can
still be beneficial.
 Oral Communication in Context

Impromptu Speech
I. Introduction
This method is used when you speak at
A. Attention Getter
the spur of the moment. Recitations or
B. Significance
speaking during a meeting are some
instances where you use this method. C. Credibility
This method relies on stock knowledge on D. Thesis Statement
the subject and requires you to organize E. Preview
your ideas while speaking. This method’s F. Transition into yo
strength is that is spontaneous and sounds
natural; however, this may also result in II. The Main Body
the lack of filtering of words or ideas. A. First main point
Thinking on your feet is a skill that 1. First sub-p
complements this method because of the Transition closing
lack of time for preparation. For this kind opening main poin
of delivery one must always remember to B. Second main poin
keep it short and simple. Avoid rambling, 1. First sub-p
mumbling or flitting from one idea to material
another. Focusing on your central idea is 2. Second su
key. Transition closing
Extemporaneous Speech opening main poin
Extemporaneous speaking is when you C. Third main point
only use an outline as a guide when 1. First sub-p
delivering your speech. This is like a material
middle ground between memorized 2. Transition
delivery and impromptu delivery. This
method still requires preparation however III. Conclusion
it only uses an outline, keywords or A. Review of main p
phrases that you can put on memory cards B. Final statement –
or power point presentations. The outline
of this speech is carefully crafted. When
this method is used carelessly, it will Choosing the Topic
sound like a bad impromptu speech. As with anything where results are
Executing this method properly will result expected, choosing a topic means
to an almost memorized speech with the knowing what your goal is. What is the
flexibility to move about and adlib here purpose of this speech? Choose
and there, thus, sounding more natural. something that you are interested in or
Principles of Speech Writing know about to make it less tedious on
Parts of the speech your part. It may be difficult to zero in on
As with any kind of speech, except of just one topic, so to help you choose:
course the impromptu method, write the general topics first then narrow
you will need to learn these basic parts it down to more specific topics.
 Oral Communication in Context
Analyzing the Audience
Part of speech preparation is knowing
who will be your listeners. You would
need to adapt to their age range, interests,
needs, and expectations. You have gauge
their educational level, race, religion,
geographic uniqueness, income, gender,
and language. This information will help
you adjust necessary details. Remember
to be careful with your use of words as
this will greatly affect your influence on
people. An example of this unfortunate
mistake is
Senator Sotto’s “na ano” statement
(http://www.philstar.com/headlines/
2017/05/03/1696362/sotto-drawsflak-
belittling-taguiwalos-single-parenthood-
na-ano-lang).
Sourcing the Information
Speech preparation must also include
gathering information about the topic.
Select the materials according to its
relevance, depth, a breadth to the topic
and your audience. You can use
anecdotes, or humorous, unique or
interesting stories to make your speech
richer and to illustrate points. Be careful
of the quality of your research. You will
be sharing this to an audience so be very
careful when using resources as they will
affect your credibility.
Principles of Speech Delivery
Voice 1. Rate or speed
The speed or rate varies and will depend
on the mood or thought that you would
like to communicate. It is important to
determine which parts of your speech
should you slow down or when to be fast.
2. Pause
Pauses in speeches are important so that
the listeners are given some time to let the
information or emotions sink in. A pause
may be used to elicit anticipation, kill
boredom or emphasize a word.
3. Duration
The type of speech dictates the duration of
the speech. Each occasion will call for
different lengths. Fast speakers can talk at
160 words a minute, on the other hand, a
slower one uses 100 words per minute.
4. Rhythm
Speech rhythm is how spoken words are
arranged, alternating from the stressed
and unstressed elements. It is also the
rising and falling of the voice that adds
cadence and regularity during speech
delivery.
a. Pitch – refers to how high or low your
tone is perceived. This element usually
conveys emotions when used in speaking.
b. Volume – this is the loudness or softness
of a sound. This element shows the
energy behind the speaker. A good
speaker must always speak in a modulated
voice, one that is neither too loud nor too
soft.
c. Enunciation
This is the correct articulation or
pronunciation of words. Pronunciation
focuses on rhythm, stress, and intonation
of syllables. Articulation, on the other
hand, is about the individual sound
created. To be able to create a more
meaningful, clearer and more accurate
speech, the speaker must always
enunciate words properly.
d. Fluency
This if frequently observed when engaged
in an impromptu speech. This is the
ability to express and speak smoothly
without difficulty in utilizing the
appropriate words. Fluency or good
diction adds the value of smoothness of
flow in communication. Absence of
 Oral Communication in Context
fluency can result to misinformation and
may lessen one’s persuasiveness leading
the audience to lose focus on what you are
saying.
Body 1. Shoulders
Movement and position of shoulders
convey the behavior of the speaker.
Relaxed shoulders are always a must to
communicate integrity and maintain your
influence. Hunched shoulders projects
doubt and uncertainty on the speaker’s
part which results to your listeners
doubting you.
2. Arms and hands
The movement of the hands and arms
signals purpose and grace. If not used to
express something, let them rest at the
side. Be careful with gestures. Too big
gestures may look to theatrical and no
hand or arm movements tend to make you
look stiff and awkward.
3. Eyes
Maintaining eye contact with your
audience conveys confidence and
encourages connection with them. How
you move your eyes also affect the
message you are sending. Rolling your
eyes may convey disregard while giving
them the side eye may send a message
that you were offended in some way by a
member of the audience.
4. Posture
Good posture, specially when speaking,
signals control, courage, authority and
belief. Stand straight with your feet apart
and shoulders squared facing the
audience. Do not lean or slouch as it may
convey anxiety or disinterest.
5. Walking
Movements attract attention when
delivering a speech. Every once in a
while, a speaker must move away from
the lectern to be visibly available to the
listeners. This movement provides a
mental connection where in you show that
you want your audience to connect and
empathize with you. Too much
movement; however, may become too
distracting and work against you.
6. Facial expressions
The face can give a lot of information to
the receiver of the message.
The face unconsciously communicates
fear, joy, sadness, or doubt. So
a speaker must always be mindful of his
reactions. The brain is programmed to
make sense of even the slightest ticks or
micro ticks of the face. Practice in front
of the mirror or record yourself speaking
so you can observe how your face moves
when speaking.
7. Appearance
Like the old adage, first impressions last,
it is important for a speaker to also take
extra care of her or his appearance. This
means you have to be aware of how you
dress up. Each occasion entails different
dress codes, and as a speaker you must
always dress accordingly to convey
integrity, confidence, and authority.
Good grooming is a basic element to
always practice. Remember that you
must always be mindful of how you
project yourself as to avoid distracting
your audience from your message.
Oral Communication in Context