Oral Communication

Oral communication implies communication through mouth. It includes individuals conversing with each
other, be it direct conversation or telephonic conversation. Speeches, presentations, discussions are all
forms of oral communication.

According to Bovee and others, “Oral communication expresses ideas through the spoken word.”

Types of oral communication

One-on-one conversations: Conversation between two friends, employees or with one’s manager. This
could be personal, professional or just sharing motivational quotes between each other.

Meetings: Decision-making meetings and information-sharing meetings, often applicable to business

meetings.

Group discussions: Book club gathering, small group project.

Speeches: Political debate, motivational speech.

Presentations: Teaching students in a classroom, instructional presentation or elevator pitch.

Electronic: Talking over the phone, listening to a show on the radio.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Oral Communication

1. Less expensive
Benefits of oral communication is less expensive and saves money as no stationary or gadgets
are required.

2. Saves time
Merits of oral communication are that saves time, labor and energy as it is direct, faster and
personal.

3. Immediate Feedback
In Oral communication, immediate feedback or response is obtained.

4. Personal Contact
Oral communication is more effective, and it develops personal contact, which is essential and
valuable for smooth working.

5. Useful in Difficult Situations

Oral communication is very useful in difficult and emergent situation.

6. Co-operative spirit
Oral communication has a human touch as it generates the friendly and co-operative spirit.

7. Useful in Secret Matters

Oral communication is very useful for some secret and confidential matters.

8. Persuasive
In oral communication, the speaker can win over the other person to his point of view.

9. Useful for all kinds of Audiences

Oral communication is very useful for addressing literate, semi-literate and illiterate masses.

1.No legality
Limitation of oral communication is that it has no scope from legal point of view as there is no proof or
evidence.
2. Lack of accountability
Drawbacks of oral communication are a speaker or a listener cannot be held accountable for any vocal
message. As anyone can claim or disclaim having said or heard something.

3.Low reference value

As oral communication cannot be stored, it has little reference value.

4.Greater scope for errors

In oral communication, there is a greater chance of misunderstanding due to the verbal nature of
exchange.

5.Easily forgotten
In oral communication, What is conveyed orally, cannot be remembered for a long time as human
memory is short. Hence it is easily forgotten.

6.Not Useful for long Distance

Oral messages are not useful for long distances hence for long distances messages are sent by fax, telex
or e-mail.

12 Principles of Effective Oral Communication

Well-Planned

Before presenting something, there should be proper planning regarding the audience, topics to be
delivered, timing, and other factors: So, a person must be well-prepared to deliver his speech.

Clear pronunciation
To make oral messages meaningful to receivers, words should be clearly and correctly pronounced.
There should not be any lack of clarity, otherwise, the communication would be confusing.

Brevity

Effective oral communication desires that a message should be brief. If the sender took a long time for
talking, his message may not get the attention of the receiver.

Natural voice

Any sort of unnatural voice may distort the message. A natural voice can do a lot to make oral
communication effective.

Logical sequence

Ideas should be organized in a sequential way to make the message communicative and attractive.
Unorganized ideas do not provide a clear sense while a logical sequence of ideas gives a clear sense.

Suitable words

Words have different meanings to different people in different situations in oral communication, a
speaker should use common, simple, and familiar words so that the receiver can react to the message
without any problem.

Courteous

Courtesy costs nothing but can earn many things. So, a speaker should be courteous while addressing
listeners. It helps create a good impression in the mind of listeners regarding the speaker.

Attractive presentation

It is another principle to make oral communication effective. A speaker should deliver his speech in very
nice and sweet language so that the receiver is attracted to take part in the communication.

Avoiding Emotions

Speaker must control his emotions to make oral communication effective. Too much emotion will take
the speaker away from the main subject.
Emphasis

The speaker must be knowledgeable regarding the portion of the speech where he should give
emphasis. Giving emphasis on respective points will help draw the attention of the audience.

Controlling Gesticulation

The speaker on many occasions, consciously or unconsciously, gesticulates for expressing his ideas or
thoughts. This is a habit and should be avoided. Otherwise, the application of such a habit may lead to %
disinterest of the audience.

Besides, objective information, the capacity of the listener, interesting language, and proper fluency
should be considered also as the principles of oral communication.
Techniques used in conversation control

Conversation control uses the following techniques

1. Eye Contact: A person who is in control and a person who’s the alpha is not afraid to look directly
into someone’s eyes and command attention, so the first of the mind control tricks I want share
with you is when you’re the one talking the more eye contact you make with a person, the more
dominant they’ll perceive you to be

2. Voice Projection: And as well as the most important thing in all of this is your voice, the biggest
predictor of how good Someone is going to be when they’re just starting out using mind control
tricks is their voice, and it all comes down to the clarity and the volume in which they speak. So
as an example, the next time you see two people having a conversation…. You can see who’s the
more alpha just by taking the time to notice how they’re projecting their voice, nine times out of
ten the most alpha person will be the one with the loudest and the clearest voice.

3. Verbal Leading: So as you work on these sub-communications, another one of the mind control
tricks I have learnt is you also want to adopt the mindset of an alpha and the first thing that I can
say anyone who is an alpha has in common is we assume people will follow our lead, so if I’m
talking I’m leading the conversation, I’m the one who’s coming up with the interesting topics of
conversation, or I’m the one with the funny story. An example of verbal leading is just leading
the conversation, so when you’re talking to people one on one or in group situations you are the
one who is bringing up the interesting conversation topics, you are the one who is talking about
the movie you just saw, you are the one who is telling the jokes or the funny stories and if you
watch closely, this is exactly what the controller of a group always does.

Reflection and empathy

It involves paying attention to their words, tone, body language, and emotions. It also means showing
interest, asking questions, reflecting back, and summarizing what you heard. Active listening can help
you empathize with the other person’s perspective, needs, and feelings.

Empathy

The term “empathy” first appeared in English in 1909 when it was translated from the German
Einfühlung (empathy) by Edward Bradford Titchener.

Today, empathy is defined as “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another”.

In line with that, empathic communication is our ability to communicate to understand the other
person’s feelings and empathize with the situation they’re in.

Empathic communication is about being fully present, listening consciously, and hearing deeply
Two types of empathy:

Cognitive, and

Emotional.

The difference between cognitive and emotional empathy.

Cognitive empathy is being aware of the emotional state of another person. It allows us to meet people
where they are and understand why they would be feeling sad or disappointed about something. It’s
what enables us to see things from their shoes.

Emotional empathy is engaging with how others are feeling and sharing those emotions. It moves
beyond cognitive empathy and allows us to share an emotional experience with the person. Thanks to
emotional empathy, we’re more willing to help others when they are in pain or distress.

According to Volpe, both cognitive empathy and emotional empathy are important for helping us
communicate better at work and in life:

Tips for Communicating with Empathy

 Respond in a timely manner to the concerns of your target audience. Whether it’s a global crisis
or a support ticket, addressing the issue promptly (without instantly turning it into a marketing
campaign) shows people you genuinely care how they’re feeling.
 Take inspiration from reflective listening. Rather than simply saying “I understand your
concerns,” try to pair your understanding with a reflection of the context that’s causing people
to react in a particular way. Often it means adding an additional sentence like “I see where
 you’re coming from. I would feel the same way if I experienced that (validating the person’s
emotional experience).” Without relying on interpretation, verbalizing someone’s feelings back
to them in your own words helps people feel not only heard, but understood.
 Acknowledge people’s subjective experience even if you disagree. “We know the recent changes
to our terms and conditions may make some people uncomfortable, however, you can rely on us
to provide you with clear communication and flexible options.”
 Be accountable. Regardless of the intention behind your communication, your organization
should take responsibility for how your content affects people, even if it elicits an undesired
reaction.
 Use emotive language in content responsibly. Use an emotional analysis tool to make sure you’re
not unnecessarily evoking fear or anger to prompt a reaction from your target audience.
 Empathic communication skills are vital for both internal and external communication — so for
employees and customers. Use these tips to develop your communication skills and put them to
practice! Next time you chat with a coworker, make an effort to practice reflective listening and
demonstrate that you understand what they’re saying. Or when you write your next email, think
about your emotional expression and how it might affect the receiver.

Reflection in oral communication

Reflecting content is listening accurately to another person and reflecting the essence of the content of
the communication to the other in your own words. In reflecting content, you focus on the content of
what a speaker is saying to you, including thoughts, ideas, beliefs, facts, data, etc

Reflecting is the process of paraphrasing and restating both the feelings and words of the speaker. The
purposes of reflecting are:

 To allow the speaker to ‘hear’ their own thoughts and to focus on what they say and feel.
 To show the speaker that you are trying to perceive the world as they see it and that you are
doing your best to understand their messages.
 To encourage them to continue talking.

Two Main Techniques of Reflecting:

Mirroring

Mirroring is a simple form of reflecting and involves repeating almost exactly what the speaker says.
Mirroring should be short and simple. It is usually enough to just repeat key words or the last few words
spoken. This shows you are trying to understand the speakers terms of reference and acts as a prompt
for him or her to continue. Be aware not to over mirror as this can become irritating and therefore a
distraction from the message.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing involves using other words to reflect what the speaker has said. Paraphrasing shows not
only that you are listening, but that you are attempting to understand what the speaker is saying.
It is often the case that people ’hear what they expect to hear’ due to assumptions, stereotyping or
prejudices. When paraphrasing, it is of utmost importance that you do not introduce your own ideas or
question the speakers thoughts, feelings or actions. Your responses should be non-directive and non-
judgemental.

It”is very difficult to resist the temptation to ask questions and when this technique is first used,
reflecting can seem very stilted and unnatural. You need to practice this skill in order to feel comfortable.

For example:

Speaker:

“I just don’t understand my boss. One minute he says one thing and the next minute he says the
opposite.”

Listener:

“You feel very confused by him?”

Why Is Reflective Learning Important in the Workplace

Effective listening

An effective listening definition is when a person can attend to a speaker,

process what the speaker is saying, and respond appropriately. It is simply
not enough to hear what a person is saying. One must absorb the meaning of
the words, reflect, and respond accordingly.
Why is listening important?

Better understanding: Listening allows you to understand better the person or situation you are
interacting with. It enables you to gather information, clarify your understanding, and gain insights you
might not have otherwise.

Improved communication: When you listen actively, you can communicate more effectively with others.
You can respond to their needs, concerns, and emotions in a more meaningful way.

Building trust: Listening attentively helps to build trust and rapport with others. It shows that you value
their input and are genuinely interested in what they say.

Avoiding misunderstandings: Misunderstandings can arise when people fail to listen to each other. Active
listening helps to prevent such misunderstandings by ensuring that all parties are on the same page.

Conflict resolution: Listening is an essential tool for resolving conflicts. It enables you to understand the
other person’s point of view, identify the root causes of the conflict, and work towards a mutually
beneficial solution.

5 Active Listening Techniques

Active listening is a crucial skill for effective communication and building solid relationships. Here are five
techniques to enhance your active listening abilities:
Maintain eye contact: Engage with the speaker by making consistent but not overly intense eye contact.
This shows your attentiveness and interest in what they’re saying.

Paraphrase and reflect: After the speaker finishes a point, paraphrase it or reflect it back to them. This
demonstrates your understanding and encourages the speaker to clarify or elaborate on their thoughts.

Ask open-ended questions: Encourage the speaker to share more by asking open-ended questions that
cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” This promotes deeper conversation and allows the
speaker to express their thoughts and feelings.

Empathize and validate: Show empathy by acknowledging the speaker’s emotions and validating their
feelings. This can be as simple as saying, “I can understand why you’d feel that way.” It helps create a
supportive and understanding atmosphere.

Avoid interrupting: Resist the urge to interrupt or immediately respond. Let the speaker finish their
thoughts and pause briefly before providing your input. This shows respect for their perspective .

What is Written Communication?

Communication is the act of sending, receiving, and sharing information through various forms of media.
It is an important life skill to develop in order to build understanding and comprehension across a
significant range of subjects. Good communicators are able to speak, listen, and write clearly, which is
helpful when interacting with others in the world of business. Written communication is one of the most
important forms of communication that professionals within a workplace or career field should seek to
develop.

Effective written communications should include the following skills:

Clarity: All written communications should be clear, direct, straightforward, and understandable.
Confusion will be prevented amongst readers if the message makes sense.

Concision: Written communications should be kept short to avoid repetition and avoid leaving out
necessary information. Conciseness assists in making a message more clear.

A professional and formal tone: Keeping a courteous tone builds effective rapport and maintains a polite,
respectful, and culturally sensitive dialogue.

Precision and composition: All facts and dates should be accurate, and all spelling and grammar should
also be correct. Precision builds a professional tone and confirms effective research has been done.

Completeness: All necessary information should be included in the written communication

Types of Written Communication

There are two main types of communication: oral and written. Written communication involves any type
of message that makes use of the written word. Written communication is the most important and the
most effective of any mode of business communication.

Some of the various forms of written communications that are used internally for business operations
include:
Memos

Reports

Bulletins

Job descriptions

Employee manuals

Emails

Instant messages

Examples of written communications generally used with clients or other businesses include:

Email

Internet websites

Letters

Proposals

Telegrams

Faxes

Postcards

Contracts

Advertisements

Brochures

News releases

Advantages of written communication

Disadvantages of written communication
Principles of effective written communication

Clarity
Written communication requires clarity of thought and clarity of expression like
using simple words, active construction, avoiding ambiguity and Jargon, using
simple sentences, etc.
Completeness
The writer needs to check the completeness of the message. He should verify
whether all questions are answered in the message or not.
Conciseness
Conciseness is communicating complete information about the idea in a few
words. Concise writing also involves being mindful of word choice. Brevity is very
important for effective writing. The writer should include only relevant facts and
avoid repetitions.
Consideration
This principle advocates that the writer should consider the reader in his writing.
It is always better to emphasize positive and pleasant facts. The writings should
reflect the integrity of the writer.
Courtesy
According to this principle, courtesy will be observed through promptness in
writing and giving replies, avoidance of imitating expressions, sincere apology for
an omission, and generous thanks for a favor.
Correctness
According to this principle, the writer should give correct facts in the message.
The message should be sent to the reader at the right time and in the correct
style.
Written communication is accurate and serves as a permanent record. One can
reach a large number of people through this media simultaneously. You can also
fix responsibility for the people through this communication. However, written
communication is much more time-consuming and more expensive when
compared to oral communication.
The 3x3 writing process
Prewriting
 Analyze
 Anticipate
 Adapt
Writing
 Research
 Organize
 Compose
Revising
 Revise
 Proofread
 Evaluate

Prewrite
WARNING: Fight the urge to jump headfirst into writing a blog post without doing
all the necessary brain work and planning.
Prewriting is the first group of tasks for the 3×3 writing process. Prewriting
includes three sub-tasks which are Analyze, Anticipate, and Adapt. Doing the brain
work in this prewriting phase will help turn your blog articles from mundane to
meaningful.

Analyze
What is your big WHY or purpose for the particular blog article that you’re planning
to write? Starting with why is an excellent to gain perspective and direction for your
blog article. In fact, you should have a list of common questions that you plan to
answer from various angles on your blog. With this in mind, your first step must be to
ANALYZE your purpose for writing your blog article.

Anticipate

Knowing who you’re writing to and for gives you even more direction for writing
amazing blog posts. The next step is to ANTICIPATE your audience and their
specific profile. You can do a deep reader profile exercise with specific information
like age, occupation and gender or you can keep it simple. For example, I anticipate
that I’m writing to/for other bloggers, online marketers and internet entrepreneurs.

Adapt
Now it’s time to think about the language that you’ll use to elicit the emotional
response that you want. Prepare to ADAPT your language to accomplish this goal.
I’m a big fan of brainstorming and brain dumping. Make a list of words that you
will consider using within your blog article that will produce the reader response
that you desire.
Write
I know you’re ready to get to your laptop and start writing already…but hold your
horses! We’re almost there.
Research
Now it’s time to gather information for your blog post like it’s nobody’s business
— well…it’s YOUR business so… Google search is a blogger’s best friend for doing
high-quality blogging research. RESEARCH the top three or four blog articles that
you’ll be competing against for Google ranking. Study what these articles do well
and how you can improve upon them.
Organize
Outlining your articles before writing them is the secret to efficient and productive
blog writing. ORGANIZE all of the major points and their sub points into a blog
post outline.
Compose
Oh joy! It’s time to start writing.
COMPOSE your blog post’s zero draft at this step of the 3×3 writing process. Open
a separate browser window with Google Docs and only a few other necessary
tabs. This will help reduce distraction. The other tabs that you should have open
are your blog post planner, outline and maybe one or two of the articles that you
found during your research.
Revise
You’re almost ready to present your hard work to your readers. But there’s some
cleaning up that you need to do first.
Revise
With being helpful by providing value understood, readability is the main goal for
any kind of writing. Nothing else matters if your audience can’t understand what
they are reading! REVISE your article for conciseness and readability during this
crucial step.
Proofread
Make a good impression on your readers with error-free copy. PROOFREAD your
blog post and clean up spelling and grammar issues at this step. Correct errors in
names, numbers, subject and verb agreement and other grammatical issues.
Evaluate
Go back through the 3×3 writing process steps to see if you completed the tasks at
every step.

Consider the following questions after you’ve completed the first eight steps of
the 3×3 writing process:

 Did you write your blog post with a clear purpose in mind?
 Did you write for the right audience and use the kind of language that will
connect with them?
 Did your research efforts produce the right information for your blog post
and did you disclose the sources for any statistics that you provided?
 Will your blog post inspire, motivate and/or educate the reader and drive
them to take action?
 Did you choose the best article format for communicating the information?
Format for writing your own cv for job