Unit 2

Verbal Communication:

Verbal Communication uses language to communicate messages. Language uses

spoken and written words; therefore verbal communication includes oral and
written communication.

A. Oral communication:

Oral communication is communication by means of the spoken word. It can take

place as a face-to face meeting or over the telephone. It could be a personal and
informal communication, or a formal interview, business meeting, a conference or
a speech before an audience.

Principles of effective oral communication:

Oral communication is a very effective and powerful medium. Effective oral

communication depends on the speaker following certain principles. These
principles are as follows:

 Know your objective:

You must know what you want your message to do you may need to inform,
to entertain, to convince, to express an opinion, or to explain.

 Know your audience:

Consider carefully the nature of your audience – their age, level of
understanding, their occupations and their level of interest in your message.

 Know your subject:

 Prepare your message thoroughly. See that you know your main ideas and
key points. You must also know your facts and figures.

 Know (how to use) your voice:

A good speaker uses his voice to maximum advantage. Attention must be
paid to volume, pitch, speed of speaking and correct pronunciation of words.
Your voice must be clear, pleasing; and varied in volume, pitch and speed,
to be interesting. Good delivery depends on using your voice well.

 Know when to stop:

The length of the oral message has a lot to do with its success. The message
must aim for just the right length, neither too short nor too long. All points
must be covered and yet there should be no repetitions or unnecessary
elaboration.

Advantages of oral communication:

Oral communication is generally more preferred, as compared to written

communication. Its popularity is due to its several advantages.

1. It is direct and time-saving. The listener understands the words as soon as they
are spoken. Oral communication is the best way to transmit messages quickly and
to save time.

2. It saves money. It is economical as it does not require costly equipment or

stationery.

3. It conveys the exact meaning of words. A great advantage of oral

communication is its use of nonverbal elements like body language and
paralanguage. Body language includes facial expressions and posture.
Paralanguage includes features like voice volume, pitch and speed of speaking; it
also includes the sounds we make while speaking, like sighing or clearing the
throat. These non-verbal elements allow the speaker to express his/her meaning
more accurately.

4. It provides immediate feedback from the receiver. The sender gets the receiver‘s
response immediately, even on the telephone. This also explains why oral
communication is so effective in teaching and coaching.

5. It is more persuasive in nature. Oral communication is more useful when

arguments and reasons have to be given to convince someone, as in sales and
marketing, or in a court of law.

6. On-the-spot additions and corrections are possible. The speaker has the scope to
change, improve and add to her/his message as s/he is speaking.

7. Confidential messages can be communicated. When subjects of a delicate and

confidential nature cannot be written, one can take recourse to oral communication.

8. It is informal and friendlier. It can build friendly relations with people and
develop social contacts.

Disadvantages of oral communication:

Oral communication, however, has several drawbacks.

1. It lacks legal validity. Oral messages have no legal proof.

2. It lacks accountability. In oral messages, we cannot fix responsibility. The

speaker can deny that he said something.
3. Possibility of misunderstanding. This happens when the listener is not attentive
to the message.

4. Problem of retention. People do not remember oral messages for a long time. Or
they may retain only a part of the message.

5. Not always effective. Oral communication is not effective when the distances
are great or when the message is very lengthy.

6. The need for good speaking skills. Oral communication cannot be effective, if
the speaker does not have the necessary skills

B. Essentials of effective oral communication

1. Think before you speak

By organizing your thoughts in advance, you can eliminate many of the awkward
pauses that occur when speaking. It will also help you relay your information more
concisely.

While writing down your thoughts is not always possible in impromptu

discussions, it is still effective to take a minute to organize your thoughts in your
mind before you begin to speak.

2. Speak with confidence

Speaking in a confident manner will help you build trust and command the respect
of your audience. There are several factors which can impact your ability to speak
confidently, including your command of the subject matter, your word choice, the
tone of your voice, your body language, and your ability to make direct eye contact
with your audience.
3. Be clear and concise

The most effective way to get your point across is to make it in a clear and concise
manner. Avoid using complex, convoluted sentences, and try to state your
argument in direct language. Before speaking, ask yourself, “What is the clearest
way I can make my point?”

4. Be aware of your non-verbal communication cues

Your body language significantly impacts the way others interpret what you say.
Pay attention to the gestures you make, your facial expressions, and your body
language to ensure they align with the message you are trying to get across.

5. Be a good listener

Being a good listener is as important as being a good speaker, and it will improve
the quality of your verbal interactions. It shows the people you are speaking with
that you genuinely care about their ideas, and it helps ensure you understand their
needs. This will enable you to build trust and rapport much quicker.

6. Think about the perspective of your audience

Just because you have a strong command of a topic doesn’t mean the people you
are speaking to have the same knowledge as you.

Try to think about how someone else will understand what you are trying to
communicate, particularly if they lack the technical knowledge about a subject that
you possess.
7. Vary your vocal tone

Speaking in a monotone voice is a surefire way to bore your audience. Instead, use
voice inflection to add emphasis to important points, and vary the pitch of your
voice to express emotion. This will help keep your audience engaged in your
message.

Strong verbal skills will help to encourage essential discussion while playing a
major role in bringing people together. Ask questions if you are wondering about a
new concept in order to become more knowledgeable about that topic. Explain
why you are confused about a certain policy to get the assistance required for a
better understanding of that set of guidelines.

Express what you experienced in a certain situation so you can work through what
you are feeling. Relaying this information will not only help yourself, but also
those who you are speaking with by solving problems, making connections, and
avoiding conflicts. Additionally, be prepared to serve as a good listener in return
because lacking the ability to give the same level of attention that you expect from
somebody else when you are speaking is not fair.

Effective verbal communication is an important skill to understand. Having the

courage and ability to convey your thoughts in a respectable way will help enhance
mutual understanding, trust, decision-making, and problem-solving between
yourself and others, making the act of properly speaking and listening to an
imperative influence on how we learn and think for ourselves.
 Types of Oral Communication:
1. Face to Face communication
2. Using of Mechanical devices for oral communication

1. Face to Face Communication

A. Presentations:
 Presentations are an important component of oral communication in
organization they cannot be avoided.
 Presentation may be Individual or Team efforts
 Though oral presentation need both written and audiovisual support
 As oral presentations are formal in nature it is important to be well prepared,
to know your audience and show willingness to interact.
B. Meetings
 In every organization, besides one to one communication there are occasions
where personnel gather to discuss topics common to the group.
 They may be formal routine meetings, committee meetings, conferences or
informal meetings.

C. Group Discussions
 Group Discussions are conducted to help organizations select candidates
who are good team members and skilful group communicators.
 Group discussion is another method of screening candidates before selecting
them for a job.
 This is much preferred method because it tests the communication skills,
group behavior, IQ, general knowledge and listening skills of the candidates.
 D. Interviews
 Interviews put into practice the view of communications as a two-way
process.
 It is a meeting of two persons which enables them to know more about each
other through dialogue and personal interaction.
 This interaction is particularly useful when it comes to selecting applicants
for jobs, scholarships, admission to courses etc.

2. Using of Mechanical devices

A. Telephone
 Telephone is a mechanical device meant to reproduce sound at a distance
through the help of cables or wires.
 It is a convenient and quickest method of communication.
B. Radiophones
 It is a device where instruments are not connected with wire but facilitate
oral communication. This is otherwise called as wireless system.
 Speaking skills
Introduction:

Speaking:

Speaking is an act of making vocal sounds. We can say that speaking means to
converse, or expressing one's thoughts and feelings in spoken language. To speak
often implies conveying information. It may be from an informal remark to a
scholarly presentation to a formal address.

Speaking skills:

 Speaking skills are the skills that give us the ability to communicate
effectively.
 These skills allow the speaker, to convey his message in a passionate,
thoughtful, and convincing manner.
 Speaking skills also help to assure that one won't be misunderstood by those
who are listening.

Concept:
Speaking is the productive skill in the oral mode. It, like the other skills, is more
complicated than it seems at first and involves more than just pronouncing words.
There are three kinds of speaking situations in which we find ourselves:
1. Interactive
2. Partially interactive
3. Non-interactive.
  Interactive speaking situations include face-to-face conversations and
telephone calls, in which we are alternately listening and speaking, and in
which we have a chance to ask for clarification, repetition, or slower speech
from our conversation partner.
 Some speaking situations are partially interactive, such as when giving a
speech to a live audience, where the convention is that the audience does not
interrupt the speech. The speaker nevertheless can see the audience and
judge from the expressions on their faces and body language whether or not
he or she is being understood.
 Few speaking situations may be totally non-interactive, such as when
recording a speech for a radio broadcast.
In all the above explained conditions speaking is always a headache for most of the
people. Although the fear of speaking is common, studies show that ability to
speaking can be enhanced by improving speaking skills.

Pre-requisites of speaking skills:

The first step to speaking is to think and the first step to perfect speaking is to thick
positive. Good speakers have the ability to quickly analyze and absorb the
information given to them, assess it fast and to make a decision and communicate
that decision to other. Keep in mind to:
1. Be an active listener:
The key ingredient towards making you a person who can think on the spot and
respond intelligently is to be an active listener. This means listening carefully and
giving your full attention to the words, tone, emotion and logic behind what the
other one is saying.
2. Be a quick organizer of thoughts:
All of us have the ability to think fast. The trick is to adopt some frameworks or
models to structure new information into something coherent that we can respond
with. One can break down issues or ideas into past, present and future.

3. Structure your speech in your mind:

These are useful frameworks to organize ideas and thoughts quickly. The basic
structure of any speech involves:
 Opening
 Body
 Conclusion
It is very useful in delivering speeches and especially for speaking in situations
such as table topics during meetings or other times when called upon to "say some
words". Thinking before speaking is important for us to add value in terms of
communicating our thoughts, ideas and feelings. We can touch lives through deeds
and we can touch lives through speech.

Some speaking skills are:

1. Be prepared and practice.
The more you know what you want to say, the better you'll get at it. First,
brainstorm the topic of your speech and research it, if you need to. Write down all
the points you want to make and then organize them into an outline. Then, practice
your speech out loud at least 3 to 5 times.
2. Know your audience.
The better you know your audience or listeners, the easier it will be to connect to
them as you speak. When you are able to make that connection, you'll hold their
attention.

3. Pay attention to the old KISS principle, that is, Keep It Short and Simple.
When you are speaking don't beat around the bush or try to impress with complex
metaphors. Stories, however, can be a powerful public speaking tool, especially
when they contain at least a hint of humor. But again, keep them short and on
point. Shorter messages leave more impression. They're also easier for your
audience to remember.

4. Interact with your audience.

Lectures will rarely have the same impact on an audience that an open discussion
will. Look for opportunities to involve your audience in what you are speaking
about. Ask for validation of points you are making ("Am I right?" "Has that ever
happened to you?") Or allow time for questions. Also, make sure to establish eye
contact with your audience, and keep it throughout your speech.

5. Speak with sincerity and passion.

When a person wants to leave a lasting impression with the audience about one’s
topic then be sure that you are true to yourself and your topic as you speak .Don't
be afraid to inject enthusiasm and passion into the speech as well.
6. Close your speech in a memorable way.
Give your audience something to think about as you finish up your speech.
Certainly, it's a good idea to summarize your main points one more time, but then
finish up with an inspiring story or quote, or leave them with a thought provoking
question.

7. Fluency
The main goal is fluency. Remember that one don't have to know many complex
grammatical structures to achieve that goal! First of all try to speak as fluent as
possible (even making some grammar mistakes). Then, after making one’s
speaking fluent, one can focus on grammar aspects.

Speaking skills required in meeting:

Speaking skills are very important in business. Those who are at ease
conversationally have the ability to "connect" with others which builds rapport and,
eventually, relationships. Effective business meeting communication is very much
a learnable skill. Here are important tips on speaking well as a meeting participant.
1. Talk to the entire group.
When speaking in groups moves your eyes around and talk to anyone who's
listening to what you have to say. "When responding to a question, address the
entire group, not just the person who asked the question,"
2. Reach out and encourage feedback.
Actively encourage comment and feedback based on what you have to contribute.
3. Mirror the tenor of the meeting.
Another business meeting basic is establishing a comfortable atmosphere where
everyone feels at ease. One effective way to achieve that is to establish a
consistency in communication. If, for instance, most participants are keeping their
remarks short, do the same. If their tone is low and reserved, follow their lead.
4. Don’t be a time hog.
Be thorough, but don't take much time to get your message across that you lose
others' attention.