Oral Communication: Loud and Clear

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Introduction

“The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives”.

Anthony Robbins

Having verbal communication or exchanging ideas or opinions with one another is referred to as oral communication. Talking of day-to-day life, oral communication is an integral part of our life. We don't even realize the importance of it unless we are communicating through nonverbal means. One must know, there is a thin line difference between aural, oral, and verbal communication. Aural refers to the hearing aspect of communication. Oral simply refers to spoken words. Whereas verbal communication can be classified fairly into spoken and written aspects.

Importance of oral communication

Expressing ideas by being vocal is something everyone does. The quality of words used and the pace at which one is talking create the whole difference. Effective social communication promotes social well-being outside the workplace. Being capable of presenting thoughts in a clear and concise manner is the driving force to have effective oral communication. Productive oral communication is possible only when one can express their thoughts and emotions in an appropriate way and be able to give an impression for a good outcome.

The message is the central aspect of oral communication. Therefore, communication in a relevant way is very important. However, good oral communication brings self-awareness in an individual where an individual comes to know of their strengths and weaknesses. With due respect, one must know that the exchange of simple messages keeps clarity and understanding on point. As compared to written communication, it is more personal and less formal. Also, last but not the least, oral communication helps in the modulation of voice tone as and when required.

Types of oral communication

“Speak clearly if you speak at all, carve every word before you let it fall.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Oral communication can either be formal or informal. While we talk about informal oral communication, they are mainly classified as, face to face conversation, telephone conversation, and business meetings. Communication in business organizations often takes place face to face for the smooth running of the tasks. The best part about face-to-face communication is that the messages are communicated in the fastest way and it encourages immediate feedback. This type of communication does not necessarily take place within the organization but also outside the organization with other business parties.

Telephone communication is an informal way of communicating in a business organization. It can also take place internally or externally with immediate feedback and no written record of the conversation. Sending and receiving the messages instantly takes place in business meetings. Usually, these meetings are conducted in a formal way. Talking in detail about formal oral communication, it comprises classroom communication, Presentations at business meetings, formal speeches. Classroom communications involve an interaction between the teacher and the students directly. It is usually one person addressing a large number of students.

Conducting presentations in business meetings is a formal way of oral communication, where the sender might send the message, but the receiver might not be able to give feedback due to the involvement of a large audience.  There is a minimal chance of discussion in this kind of setup. Last but not the least, formal speeches are a one-way oral communication conducted with no purpose of achieving any feedback but only give a speech by addressing the audience. It involves a large number of audiences with the purpose of getting heard to what is being said.

Elements of oral communication

“The more we elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate”.

J.B Priestley

Effective oral communication is a dynamic and not a static process. It is important to communicate in the right way for the exact message to be delivered. However, the whole of the communication process involves various elements of communication. To start with the model, first we talk about the sender, who is a person who conveys ideas and messages through his speech or by being verbal in oral communication. Then we talk about the ideas, referring to the information or the content being delivered by the sender in the form of opinions, point of views, etcetera.

Next, we infer the concept of encoding, which refers to the transformation of the subject matter or the information into symbols. The symbols include certain pictures, words, texts or information in any form. Another element that is an important one is the communication channel, anyone who intends to communicate has to choose the right channel of communication, and the way of information transmitted through these communication channels can be formal or informal depending upon the situation.

Next is the receiver, who receives the message, or the information sent by the sender. It is very important for the receiver to interpret the information in the right way for the smooth working of the task and achieve the desired goals. To continue the model, there is an aspect of decoding, where the receiver converts the sent symbols into his way of understanding and extracts the maximum information out of these symbols. The last element is an important element which is the feedback, however, it is very important for the receiver to interpret the message in the same way as intended by the sender.

Conclusion 

Effective oral communication is the key to success. With the due motive of exchanging ideas and facts, the exchange of clear and concise messages is very important. The running of a smooth process of communication requires to focus more than pretension. Also, it helps in creating mutual understanding between the individuals.

“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others. “

Tony Robbins

Reference Links

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