Oral Communication – Key Concepts

Nature and Purpose of Communication

  • Derived from Latin 'communis' meaning common; process of exchange; sharing meaning
  • Involves verbal and nonverbal messages; continuous process

Key Definitions

  • John Dewey: Communication is a process of sharing experience till it becomes a common possession and it modifies the dispositions of both parties
  • Edgar Dale: Sharing of ideas and feelings in a mood of mutuality
  • Aristotle: Means of persuasion to influence others to achieve desired effect
  • John W. Newstrom: Transfer of information from one person to another; transmitting ideas, facts, thoughts, feelings and values

The Communication Process

  • Sender/Encoder and Receiver/Decoder
  • Message encoded/decoded; medium or channel; feedback loop
  • Factors: Experiences, Attitudes, Skills, Perceptions
  • Noise that interferes; context influences

Elements of Communication

  • Sender/Encoder
  • Medium/Channel
  • Receiver/Decoder
  • Feedback
  • Context
  • Noise
  • Message (the idea the sender wants to communicate)

The main components

  • Context: physical, social, chronological, cultural; every communication has context
  • Sender/Encoder: creates message with symbols to convey message and elicit response

Message, Encoding, Transmission, Decoding, Feedback

  • Message: key idea; main objective of the message should be clear
  • Encoding: converting subject matter into symbols
  • Medium: means to exchange the message (written, oral, etc)
  • Receiver: recipient's understanding depends on knowledge and responsiveness
  • Decoding: translating the encoded message into understandable language
  • Feedback: essential to assess message efficacy; may be verbal, nonverbal or written

Verbal Communication

  • Exchange of information using words including spoken and written
  • Key aspects: Language, Pacing, Intonation, Clarity and Brevity, Timing and relevance

Characteristics of Effective Verbal Communication

  • Consider the objective
  • Be sincere
  • Use simple language and familiar words
  • Be brief and precise
  • Assume nothing
  • Use polite words and tone
  • Say something interesting and pleasing

Merits and Demerits of Verbal Communication

  • Merits: more personal and informal; immediate impact; interaction and feedback; helps correct messages via feedback and nonverbal cues; fastest and least expensive
  • Demerits: can be forgotten; words cannot be taken back; no legal evidence; impact may be short lived; hard to monitor body language

Barriers to Effective Verbal Communication

  • Status formal and informal affects face to face communication
  • Complexes lack of confidence or sense of superiority
  • Abstracting partial listening
  • Language barrier

Nonverbal Communication

  • Unwritten and unspoken messages; intentional or unintentional
  • Elements: gesture, facial expression, posture, gait, body space and proximity, touch, personal appearance, eye contact, sounds, silence
  • Types: Kinesics (body language); Meta communication
  • Forms: facial expression, body movement, gestures, eye contact, voice, touch
  • Features: flows through all acts of speaking or writing; wordless messages; creative
  • Importance: nonverbal cues often carry more weight than words; approximate distribution: 55% nonverbal, 38% vocal variety, 7% words

Symbolic Communication

  • Involves verbal and nonverbal symbolism to convey meaning
  • Art and music are forms used to facilitate understanding

Metacommunication

  • Communication about communication; helps uncover deeper message
  • Example: interpreting anxious cues via body language

Written Communication

  • Important when oral communication is not feasible; useful for distant recipients

Seven C’s of Communication

  • Capability
  • Credibility
  • Content
  • Continuity & Consistency
  • Channels
  • Context
  • Clarity

Barriers and Noise (Expanded)

  • Noise: anything that inhibits conveyance of a message; internal or external
  • Types: Psychological, Physiological, Physical (external), Semantic, Syntactical (grammar, structure)
  • Environmental Noise: loud environments
  • Cultural Noise: cultural misunderstandings
  • Organizational Noise: poorly structured messages

Reflection and Practice (Exam Prep)

  • Common points where communication breaks down in daily life
  • Visual representation of the communication process
  • Effective listening exercises: practice summarizing and clarifying
  • Self-reflection prompts on role as a communicator and impact on relationships