Oral Communication - Meaning, Advantages and Limitations

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. Oral communication is generally
recommended when the communication matter is of temporary kind or
where a direct interaction is required. Face to face communication
(meetings, lectures, conferences, interviews, etc.) is significant so as to
build a rapport and trust.
Advantages of Oral Communication
There is high level of understanding and transparency in oral
communication as it is interpersonal.
There is no element of rigidity in oral communication. There is
flexibility for allowing changes in the decisions previously taken.
The feedback is spontaneous in case of oral communication. Thus,
decisions can be made quickly without any delay.
Oral communication is not only time saving, but it also saves upon
money and efforts.
Oral communication is best in case of problem resolution. The
conflicts, disputes and many issues/differences can be put to an
end by talking them over.
Oral communication is an essential for teamwork and group
energy.
Oral communication promotes a receptive and encouraging morale
among organizational employees.
Oral communication can be best used to transfer private and
confidential information/matter.
Disadvantages/Limitations of Oral Communication
Relying only on oral communication may not be sufficient as
business communication is formal and very organized.
Oral communication is less authentic than written communication
as they are informal and not as organized as written
communication.
Oral communication is time-saving as far as daily interactions are
concerned, but in case of meetings, long speeches consume lot of
time and are unproductive at times.
Oral communications are not easy to maintain and thus they are
unsteady.
There may be misunderstandings as the information is not
complete and may lack essentials.
It requires attentiveness and great receptivity on part of the
receivers/audience.
Oral communication (such as speeches) is not frequently used as
legal records except in investigation work.
Principles of effective communication
1. Principle of clarity: the beginning of all communication is some
message. The message must be as clear as possible. No ambiguity
should creep into it. The message can be conveyed properly only if it has
been clearly formulated in the mind of the communicator.
2. Principle of objective: the communicator must know clearly the
purpose of communication before actually transmitting the message. The
objective may be to obtain information, give information, initiate action,
and change another persons attitude and so on. If the purpose of
communication is clear it will help in the choice of mode of
communication.
3. Principle of understanding the receiver: understanding is the main
aim of any communication. The communication must crate proper
understanding in the mind of the receiver. Thus according to Killian,
communication with an awareness of the total physical and human
setting in which the information will be received. Picture the place of
work; determine the receptivity and understanding levels of the
receivers; be aware of social climate and customs; question the
informations timeliness. Ask what, when and in what manner you
would like to be communicated with if you were in the similar
environment and position.
4. Principle of consistency: the message to be communicated should be
consistent with plans, policies, programmes and goals of the enterprise.
The message should not be conflicting with previous communications. It
should not create confusion and chaos in the organisation.
5. Principle of completeness: the message to be communicated must be
adequate and complete, otherwise it will be misunderstood by the
receiver. Inadequate communication delayed action, poor public
relations affects the efficiency of the parties to communication.
6. Principle of feedback: this principle calls for communication a two-
way process and providing opportunity for suggestion and criticism.
Since the receiver is to accept and carry out the instructions, his
reactions must be known to the sender of message. The latter must
consider the suggestion and criticism of the receiver of information. But
feedback principle is often given a back seat by most managers, which
defeats the very purpose of communication.
7. Principle of time: information should be communicated at the right
time. The communicator must consider the timing of communication so
that the desired response is created in the minds of the receivers.



Features of Effective Communication?
Simple language: The language used in the communication should be
simple and understandable.
2. Clearness: The communicator should be clear in his mind about the
objective of his communication. There should not be any ambiguity
in communication.
3. Adequacy of information: It should contain adequate information
and should be complete in all respect; otherwise it will not serve the
purpose of communication.
4. Proper medium of communication: The communicator should
select the proper media of communication by considering such factors
as the nature of communication, urgency of communication, distance
between communicator and recipient of communication etc.
5. Accurate: An effective communication should be accurate. False
and misleading statement will seriously undermine the reputation of
the business. It may also lead to expensive litigation.
6. Courtesy: Politeness is, of course, one of the important attributes of
good business communication. A polite language should be used in
communication. It helps improve business relations.
Elements of Communication
The basic elements of communication are:
a) Communicator: The sender, speaker, issuer, or writer who intends to
convey or transmit a message.
b) Message: The subject matter of communication.
c) Transmission: The act of conveying the message.
d) Channel: The medium used to transmit the message.
e) Receiver: The person to whom the message is meant
f) Response: Replying or reaction of the receiver.

Importance of Communication
Communication is one of the important functions of a manager. Every
manager must communicate in order to get things done through others.
Communication is indispensable for all managerial controlling. In the
opinion of Chester Barnard "The first executive function is to develop
and maintain a system of communication. In the words of George R.
Terry "Communication serves as the lubricant, fostering for the smooth
operations of the management process".
The importance of communication could be stated as under:
a) Communication is the basis for decision making and planning.
b) It helps in smooth and efficient working of an organisation.
c) It facilitates co-ordination.
d) It increases managerial efficiency.
e) It promotes co-operation and industrial peace.
f) It motivates employees and increases employee morale
g) It helps in effective control of the entire operations of the
organisation.
h) It helps to maintain public relations.

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
Interpersonal communication is the universal form of communication that takes
place between two individuals. Since it is person-to-person contact, it includes
everyday exchange that may be formal or informal and can take place anywhere by
means of words, sounds, facial expression, gestures and postures.
In interpersonal communication there is face-to-face interaction between two
persons, that is, both are sending and receiving messages. This is an ideal and
effective communication situation because you can get immediate feedback. You
can clarify and emphasize many points through your expressions, gestures and
voices. In interpersonal communication, therefore, it is possible to influence the
other person and persuade him or her to accept your point of view. Since there is
proximity between sender and receiver, interpersonal communication has
emotional appeal too. It can motivate, encourage, and coordinate work more
effectively than any other form of communication. Also, in a crisis, through
interpersonal channel, flow of information is tremendous e.g. news of violence,
famine or disaster.


Effective presentation strategies
Effective presentation is an integral part of modern communication.
Through effective presentation the sender would be able to convince the
receiver and achieves desired result. At each and every stage of life
effective presentation enhances good result. This makes us curious to know
the strategies of effective presentation. The following are the main points
that will help you to make effective presentation:

(I) Defining purpose
(ii) Analysis audience and locate
(iii)Organizing contents
(iv)Preparing an outline of the presentation
(v) visual aids
(vi)Nuances of delivery
(vii)Body language and effective presentation

Let's try to discuss each component of effective presentation. The first
important component is defining purpose.
Defining purpose: Generally presentation is arranged for an explanation
of particular issue to bring general awareness among the workers, for
teaching purpose, and to divert your target mass in particular direction.
Presentation may be for collaboration, for problem solving, for making a
major decision, for increasing audiences' understanding of a particular
subject. In short, presentation includes, information, analysation,
explanation and persuasion.
Analysis of audience and locate:
Before presentation it is very necessary to understand the audience and the
place where you are going to present your views. One should understand
the audience properly in order to prepare the message effectively.
Understanding audience includes: to know their level, knowledge,
background, culture, expectations etc. An effective speaker makes ample
efforts to understand audience.
Another point of discussion is locate. Locate means the place/location
where you are presenting. If you are presenting in foreign country, the
linguistic problems may arise. Even due to different culture the problem
may be raised. It is advisable for the speaker to understand the location.
Organizing contents:
It becomes very important for the speaker to organize the content logically.
The speaker comes with different kinds of information regarding the topic
of presentation. If this information is not logically connected the problem of
communication gap may occur. The content can be arranged/organized in
three categories:
Introduction
Body
conclusion
Introduction: This section of the presentation talks about the relevance
of the topic, definition of the topic or starts with any suitable quote,
anecdote or brief story of the topic which leads the audience to understand
the importance of the topic.
Body: The body of the presentation contains the main or central idea. It is
the duty of the speaker to make the body of presentation logically
organized. It must be supported with relevant examples, details and data.
The following are different way to organize the body of the presentation:
1. chronological
2. Categorical
3. Cause and effect
4. Problem-solution
5. Contrast and comparison.
Conclusion: this section contains brief summary of the points which are
discussed in the body. Appropriate words should be used to conclude the
topic.
Preparing an outline of the presentation:
Preparing an outline is a mechanical framework in which the contents of
presentation arranged in order to deliver. An outline serves as a guide to
show the speaker the right part for the presentation. Knowing the outlined
sequence like Introduction, body and content well in advance gives the
speaker the confidence to control his or her speech anxiety.

Use of visual aids:
I remember Chinese proverb: "a picture is work thousand words" It means
visual medium is the best medium of presentation. Visual aids may be used
to as notes to emphasis and clarify the points of the topic. It also increase
audiences' interest in the presentation. In order to understand abstract
ideas visual aids become an important medium. It includes use of charts,
picture, power point presentations etc.

Nuances of delivery (modes/meanings of delivery)
In oral presentation the style or the shade of delivery is very important
Basically there are four modes of delivery.
Extemporaneous: It is very popular as it is a spontaneous over flow of
the subject. It does not require detailed preparation but to look the main
points and start in form of the audience. It requires best oratory skills.
Manuscript: another mode of deliver is manuscript. It means the speech
is written in a paper and speaker has to read only. It is the easiest mode of
presentation since the speaker is not required to recollect any matter and
no need to memorize it. Simply louder reading of text would serve the
purpose.
Impromptu: It is an informal style of presentation. It is used for informal
speech or at familiar group. It is generally used at non business gathering.
It is very natural in tone so gives no stress to speaker and listener
understand it easily.

Body language
Have an open posture face on to your audience to show confident and positive body
language
People judge your body language dont close yourself off to them by turning away
or folding your arms. This can be perceived as nervousness or insecurity and may be
construed as negative body language by your audience. Use body language to your
advantage by showing you are positive, open and confident.
Make eye contact with the audience as it helps build trust, establish rapport and shows
you know what youre talking about
Dont be too rigid and use your hands and body language to make controlled gestures
to help make your points
Control your use of body language and dont move around too much though as this is
off putting for someone in the audience
Dont stand in front of the screen or over gesture so that your arms cover the screen at
times
If youre not sure how to use body language as a tool for making great
presentations then watch some other great presenters on YouTube and learn from
them.
Smile and be friendly and show positive body language!

Tone of voice
Vary the tone of your voice throughout the presentation. Your tone of voice can help
engage your audience throughout the presentation
Emphasize key words and points
Pause where appropriate to build the anticipation or let one of your messages sink in
Think about the speed at which you deliver your presentation. You will always be
talking faster than you think so slow down
Try not to learn your presentation word for word as you want it to appear
conversational and natural


LISTENING
"Listening" is receiving language through the ears. Listening involves
identifying the sounds of speech and processing them into words and
sentences. When we listen, we use our ears to receive individual sounds
(letters, stress, rhythm and pauses) and we use our brain to convert these
into messages that mean something to us.
Listening in any language requires focus and attention. It is a skill that
some people need to work at harder than others. People who have
difficulty concentrating are typically poor listeners. Listening in a
second language requires even greater focus.
Like babies, we learn this skill by listening to people who already know
how to speak the language. This may or may not include native
speakers. For practice, you can listen to live or recorded voices. The
most important thing is to listen to a variety of voices as often as you
can.

SIX STAGES OF LISTENING PROCESS
Hearing, attending, understanding, remembering, evaluating, and
responding. these stages occur in sequence, but they generally
performed with little awareness an often rapid succession
HEARING - it refers to the response caused by sound waves stimulating
the sensory receptors of the ear; it is physical response; hearing is
perception of sound waves; you must hear to listen, but you need not
listen to hear (perception necessary for listening depends on attention
ATTENTION- brain screens stimuli and permits only a select few to
come into focus- these selective perception is known as attention, an
important requirement for effective listening;strong stimuli like bright
lights, sudden noiseare attention getters; attention to more
commonplace or less striking stimuli requires special effort; postural
adjustments are aided by physical changes in sensory receptor
organs; receptor adjustments might include tensing of the ears tympanic
muscle for better response to weak sounds
UNDERSTANDING- to understand symbols we have seen and heard,
we must analyze the meaning of the stimuli we have perceived;
symbolic stimuli are not only words but also sounds like applause and
sights like blue uniformthat have symbolic meanings as well; the
meanings attached to these symbols are a function of our past
associations and of the context in which the symbols occur; for
successful interpersonal communication, the listener must understand
the intended meaning and the context assumed by the sender.
REMEMBERING- it is important listening process because it means
that an individual has not only received and interpreted a message but
has also added it to the minds storage bank; but just as our attention is
selective, so too is our memory- what is remembered may be quite
different from what was originally seen or heard.
EVALUATING- it is a stage in which active listeners participate; it is at
these point that the active listener weighs evidence, sorts fact from
opinion, and determines the presence or absence of bias or prejudice in a
message; the effective listener makes sure that he or she doesnt begin
this activity too soon ; beginning this stage of the process before a
message is completed requires that we no longer hear and attend to the
incoming message-as a result, the listening process ceases
RESPONDING- this stage requires that the receiver complete the
process through verbal and/or nonverbal feedback; because the speaker
has no other way to determine if a message has been received, this stage
becomes the only overt means by which the sender may determine the
degree of success in transmitting the message.

LISTENING VS HEARING
Listening and hearing are both kinds of sense that are processed by the
brain through the ear. It is the most effective communication between
each other, hearing is already a capability we are born with, except if
you are deaf or mute or when you are a hearing-impaired individual.
Listening
Listening is the processing of sounds to understand the meaning behind
it. Listening requires your brain to work out every bit of sounds to form
words or sentences that you can understand. Most memories are
inculcated into our brain due to the reason that we listen carefully to
every sounds, words, and music that we hear. In order to understand
what the other person is talking about, we must listen to him.
Hearing
Hearing is an in born trait of any individual. When we are born, it will
take about a months time before we can hear an assorted of sounds. But
hearing is just receiving the sounds from the ear, most often we do not
process the sounds. We simply sense that our environment is noisy but
we do not know the cause behind the noise, which is hearing.
Difference between Listening and Hearing
Listening and hearing may be both sensed through our ears but beyond
that listening is very different to hearing. Hearing is just the perception
that there are several sounds going through your ear while listening is
parsing every part of the sound and understanding what it is meant.
Therefore, listening begets understanding while hearing does not. Aside
from this, listening requires attentiveness and concentration which
requires your brain to work. On the other hand, hearing is more like of a
sense. So when somebody gives you an oral instruction, it is always a
wise decision to listen and not only hear.
If you want to understand and learn knowledge always use your ears to
listen and not just to hear words.

TYPES OF LISTENING
1. Discriminative Listening
2. Comprehensive Listening
3. Therapeutic Listening
4. Critical Listening and
5. Appreciative Listening.

1. Discriminative listening is where the objective is to distinguish
sound and visual stimuli. This objective doesn't take into account
the meaning; instead the focus is largely on sounds. In a basic level
class this can be as simple as distinguishing the gender of the
speaker or the number of the speakers etc. As mentioned before the
focus is not on comprehending; but on accustoming the ears to the
sounds. If one thinks s/he can see that this is where L1 listening
begins - the child responds to sound stimulus and soon can
recognise its parents' voices amidst all other voices. Depending on
the level of the students, the listening can be discriminating sounds
to identifying individual words.
2. Then there is Comprehensive listening where the focus is on
'understanding the message'. The writers consider this as the basis
for the next three types of listening. However, the problem can
come in the form of 'understanding'. Depending on many factors
(both individual and social) students can end up understanding the
same message in different, different ways. Lot of work in teaching
listening in the classroom has to happen here in facilitating the
students to develop their comprehension skills.
3. The third one - Therapeutic listening - is one kind of listening
where the listener's role is to be a sympathetic listener without
much verbal response. In this kind of listening the listener allows
somebody to talk through a problem. This kind of listening is very
important in building good interpersonal relations.
4. Critical listening is the fourth kind of listening where listeners
have to evaluate the message. Listeners have to critically respond
to the message and give their opinion.
5. The final one is Appreciative listening where the focus is on
enjoying what one listens. Here my students raised the point that
when they listen to English music, even if they don't understand,
they still enjoy thereby challenging the notion of comprehensive
listening as the basis for other three types of listening. Then we
reflected on the practice of listening to songs in the language lab.
Generally my students listen to the songs once and try to make out
the lyrics before listening a second time with the lyrics. Then they
recalled that they appreciated the song better during the second
time and were able to see the relation between how one would
enjoy something that s/he is able to make sense of

BARRIERS OF LISTENING
There is a famous proverb: Nature gave us two ears and only one
mouth so
we could listen twice as much as we speak. Good listening in
silence is essential to good conversation. But we are poor listener.
Most of us listen at only 25 percent efficiency. Following are some
reasons:
1. SELFISH BEHAVIOUR: The biggest problem in listening is that
we fail to focus on others. All of us desire to tell our ideas,
feelings, opinions, achievements and jokes. And we want to do so
at once without even waiting for the other person to stop. This
thing causes listening problem.
2. DISTURBANCE: Disturbance block the way of listening.
Disturbances may be external or internal. External disturbances
include noise, abnormal temperature, glaring light, background
music, poor dress of speaker, too many gestures etc.
Internal disturbances include daydreaming, nervous problems,
headache etc.
3. PREJUDICE: If you have good opinion about a person, you will
pay full attention to what
he says. But when you have certain prejudices against the speaker,
you will not like to listen to him or you will listen to him
carelessly. People so often see who is speaking. They forget what
is being said. As a result, they lose interest in the
spoken words because they do not like the speaker. Thus your
listening efficiency is affected.
4. THINKING SPEED: Most of us speak between 80 and 160
words a minute. Yet people can think at the rate of up to 800 words
per minute. That leaves time on the listeners hands. This lag time
may take listener away from the speaker.
5. HASTY GUESS: Very often we jump to the conclusions. We race
ahead to what we feel is the conclusion. We anticipate too much.
We arrive at the concluding thought quickly. Then we stop
listening.
6. HATED WORDS: We hate some people. In the same we hate
some words. Our attitude, biases, and feelings make us hate some
word. We turn out the speaker when he uses such words
repeatedly. This thing blocks the way of listening.
7. PRONUNCIATION: The way of delivering a message affects the
people. Poor delivery makes the people bored and uninterested.
The monotone can put listeners to sleep. Incorrect pronunciation
creates doubts about the qualification of the speaker.
8. SELECTIVE LISTENING: Another common fault in listening is
selective listening. When we listen selectively, we will listen only
what is of interest. The result in that we will not remember what
the speaker has said, instead, we will remember only what of
interest.