oral communication exam (situations)

Facial expressions

A student frowns and purses their lips after receiving a low grade on an assignment

Proxemics

During a conversation, one person keeps stepping back as the other moves closer

Appearance

At a formal event, one attendee arrives in a well-tailored suit, while another shows up in casual jeans and a t-shirt

Eye gaze

While presenting, Rae avoids looking at the audience, instead scanning the ceiling and the walls as she talks

Gestures

A teacher raises her hand to signal silence in the classroom without saying a word

Haptics

Rico held Claudine’s hand to comfort her

Proxemics

Two colleagues lean in to each other while discussing a project

Artifacts

I got scared of the huge needle that the nurse was holding while taking my blood sample

Facial expression

Someone greeting ‘Hello’ with a polite butt insincere smile

Haptics

Two friends hug each other tightly after not seeing each other for a long time

Semantic Barrier

“Skibidi” is a humorous nonsense word with no real meaning

Emotional barrier

An interviewee is nervous during a job interview, causing them to speak too quickly and unclearly. The interviewer struggles to understand their responses

Physical barrier

During a meeting, participants cannot focus because the air conditioning is too noisy

Semantic barrier

In his presentation, Carlos keeps using acronyms like “ROI” and “KPI”. His classmates do not understand and lose track of his point.

Cultural barrier

During a lecture, Mark insists that only Western customs are “professional”, dismissing Nadia’s suggestion of using traditional greetings. This causes tension in the group.

Emotional barrier

Maria forgets her lines and trembles during her speech contest because of stage fright

Physiological barrier

Miguel struggles to understand the lecture because of the poor hearing

Syntatic barrier

The sentence “Let’s eat grandma” confuses the listener without proper punctuation

Cultural barrier

Emily shakes hands firmly, but Hiro bows, causing awkwardness

Language barrier

Fatima gets lost in Italy because she cannot understand the street signs

Religion

Omar pauses his group activity at noon to perform prayer, and Carlos respectfully waits until he finishes

Food habits

Takashi slurps noodles loudly as a sign of appreciation, but Emily from the west thinks it sounds impolite

Kinships

Mei from China often consults her elder brother before making decisions, but Sarah from Canada finds it strange since she decides independently

Cultural Taboos

Never chew gum in public in Austria, Italy, Germany, or Malaysia

Cultural Taboos

It is considered bad luck for a building to have a 13th floor in the US or a 4th floor in China

Dress codes

Fatima wears an abaya, while Anna wears jeans and a T-shirt

Food habits

Juan eats with a spoon and fork, while John uses a for and a knife

Sexuality and Gender

The largest continuing matrilineal society, where women inherit property and lineage, is in Minangkabau in Indonesia

Dress codes

During a cultural day, Liam proudly wears a Scottish kilt, A garment resembling  a wrap-around knee-length skirt

Sexuality and Gender

On Valentine’s Day in Japan, men do not buy women flowers or chocolates. Women are the ones who buy things for men, and normally get chocolates

Intrapersonal communication

Carlisle thinks silently about whether to join the dance club

Public communication

A principal addresses parents during orientation

Public communication

Sofia performs spoken poetry in front of her classmates

Psychological context

Leo misinterprets constructive criticism as a personal attack

Situation context

John politely whispers to his classmate during a library study session

Mass communication

A school posts an announcement on its official Facebook page

Physical context

Students in the back row cannot understand the teacher because her voice is too low

Situation context

As a Swiftie, Loki sang his heart out during Taylor Swift’s concert in Doha

Relation context

The police officer felt disrespected after being joked with by teenage boys

Relation context

Fatima speaks confidently with her younger siblings but humbly with others