Oral Communication

TYPES OF COMMUNICATIVE STRATEGY

Strategies must be used to start and maintain a conversation (Cohen, 1990). The strategy may vary according to
the need, situation, or speaker. Below are some strategies that a people use in communication:
1. Nomination
- This is a speaker’s strategy in establishing a collaborative conversation by opening a subject.
Commonly, to employ this strategy without prior conversation, the speaker frequently asks
questions, tell some current news or announcements that would require his/her listener to respond
and have a good start for conversation.
2. Restriction
- Restriction in communication refers to any limitation you have as a speaker (Sipacio and Balgos,
2016). This strategy limits the speaker’s content of what to say – mostly only those that are
relevant to the topic presented.
- If a teacher gives a topic to collaborate, everyone in the group are expected to bring out ideas that
would only be concerned with the given topic. Speakers are restricted to sideswipe to avoid
communication breakdown.
3. Turn-taking
- To make communication be organized and all ideas are well-facilitated, people in the circle
must be given equal opportunities to present their ideas during the conversation.
4. Topic Control
- Topic control is a communicative strategy used to control and prevent unnecessary interruptions
and topic shifts in a certain conversation. Topic control is considered a procedural formality
or informality that affects the development of certain topics in particular discussion or
conversation.
- Moreover, topic control works along the concept of turn-taking, where everyone can express related
ideas to the ongoing topic without the need to interrupt others.
5. Topic Shifting
- Topic shifting is a diversionary tactic in which one person in a discussion (the shifter) manages
to subtly change the discussion's topic to another, related but different topic, without explicitly
announcing the change of subject or reaching any kind of mutual agreement that such a change
is appropriate.
6. Repair
- Repair refers to how speakers address problems in speaking, listening, and comprehending
that they may encounter in a conversation. Repair is self-righting mechanism in any social
interaction. Once a problem in communication is not repaired right away, surely, it would lead
into misunderstanding or confusion.
7. Termination
- Termination refers to the conversation participants' close-initiating expressions that end a topic
in a conversation. Most of the time, the topic initiator takes responsibility to signal the end of
the discussion as well.

UNDERSTANDING SPEECH CONTEXT, SPEECH STYLE, SPEECH ACT, AND COMMUNICATIVE

STRATEGY

This refers to the formality or informality of the

language used and it involves the choice of
words and how sentences or utterances are
structured.
Formal language is used when talking with
professionals or persons in authority in a formal,
Language Form
official or ceremonial occasion, situation,
gathering or event. Talking with a lawyer, a
doctor or even with your teacher often creates a
 formal ambiance in communication.
Informal language, on the other hand, is used
without much consideration to rules of convention
or etiquette. It is casual and mostly not well-
thought-of or prepared because it is used to
communicate with people with whom you have
close association with like parents, siblings and
friends.
Duration of Interaction This refers to the amount of time a
conversation takes between and among
communicators.
Relationship of Speaker This refers to the speech style used by the speaker
suited to his/her relationship to the person with
whom he/she is communicating. Styles can be
classified as intimate, frozen, consultative, casual
or formal.

Intimate style – the speaker talks to family

members, bestfriends or romantic partners. This
may comprise private conversations or personal
interactions.

Frozen – the speaker addresses an audience in a

formal gathering such as ceremonial events,
Eucharistic celebrations or even court hearings.
The style is “set” or “fixed” and thus, it rarely or
never changes. Audience feedback is not
required.

Consultative – the speaker communicates with a

person whom he/she may have to clarify things,
discuss a problem, or seek advice.

Casual – the speaker shares close and personal

information with friends, classmates or colleagues.
This ordinarily occurs in everyday life.

Formal – the speaker has to deliver a pre-

planned or written speech to address a crowd of
people such as giving opening remarks during a
seminar, or the president making a public
announcement or delivering SONA.
Role and Responsibility of Speaker This refers to the role and responsibility of the
speaker which will depend on the purpose and
context of communication.
The speaker may be a person who gives
information and additional knowledge to another
person or an audience, someone who convinces
others for a cause or an individual who provokes
laughter for diversion and fun. Hence, his
responsibility depends on his purpose for
communication which may be to inform, to
persuade, or to entertain
Message This involves the content of the message. The
message may be facts, opinion, feelings, order,
suggestions, and questions.
Delivery This refers to the manner of delivery involving
verbal and nonverbal cues made by the speaker.
Delivery can be classified as:
 extemporaneous – speaking with limited
preparation and guided by notes or outline;
 impromptu – speaking without advanced
 preparation or unrehearsed speech;
 memorized – planned and rehearsed speech;
 manuscript – reading aloud a written
message.