Oral communication Talking and its key elements
Oct 30, 2014
Oral communication
Talking and its key elements
Spend more time talking than writing.In meetings, telehone calls,dictation,
speeches.
Oral communication can be-Formal- conference,committee
meetings,group discussionInformal- get-together,walk-around.
Talkingo Oral expression of knowledge, viewpoints, and
emotions through wordso 75% of our waking time spent speaking and
listening.
Elements of good talkingo Voice quality- vocal sounds which one hears
when another speakso Speed and volume of speecho Refer to life experiences-good and not so good
speakers
o Style-how the three parts of voice quality-pitch, speed and volume blend together.
o Unique to each person
o Word Choice-Related to one’s vocabulary• Larger the vocabulary , the more choices one has.• Vocabulary(The sum of words used by, understood by,
or at the command of a particular person or group)• Keep in mind that the recipient should understand
the words used by you.o Adaptation-Fitting the message to the intended
listenero Voice and style used varies from person to person
• Varies in messages delivered to various cultures,social situations, work situations, and classrooms.
Why should a manager learn oral communication skills?
Problem solvingResolve conflictsInfluence people to work togetherTo be assertive without being aggressiveDevelop listening Effectively negotiateTo make a proposalDrive involvement in organisational goals
Why oral communication in workplace ?
More personal and informalImmediate impactOpportunity for interaction and feedbackHelps to correct ourselvesEasy to convey feelings and emotions
How do you make your oral communication effective
Consider the objectiveInterest level of the receiverSinceritySimple language, familiar wordsGive full factsAssume nothingUse polite words and toneCut out insulting message
Give time to respondDon’t be vague
Barriers to effective oral communication
Listening-The active process of receiving and respondingto spoken (and sometimes unspoken) messages.Listening is affected by -Status-o Formal and informal status affect face-to-face
interactions.o Subordinate will listen more and speak less with
the superior
o Fear of superior prevents free upward flow of communication
Halo effect-o The perception of the speaker in the mind of
the listener will determine the effectiveness of the communication.
o If the speaker is trusted /held in high esteem his words are taken as true
Complexes-o Lack of confidence, sense of
superiority/inferiority prevents free flow of communication.
Closed and all-knowing mind-o Belief that they know everything.o Unwilling to enter into a dialogue.
Poor retention-o To understand one has to remember the
sequence of ideas.o Since there is no written record whole
conversation gets lost.Abstracting-o Partial listening/selective listeningo Listener approaches message from a particular
point of view.
o Focus attention on some aspects of the conversation.
Premature evaluation/hurried conclusionso Pre-judging the intention of the speaker.o Inferring (to conclude) the final purpose and
meaning of the message.o Giving a different twist to the argument
according to his/her own assumptions.
Slanto Biased presentation of a matter by the speakero Important aspects of the message are
suppressed (To keep from being revealed) , left out or indirectly hinted.
Cognitive dissonanceo Listener fails to accept new information as
he/she is unprepared to change from the old basis of belief and knowledge
Language Barriero Language of communication should be the
medium shared by both speaker and listener.o Listener should be familiar with the accent of
the language.o Call centre professionals require training in
accent
Conversation control
• Involves skills of listening and talking in a positive and meaningful way at an appropriate time.
Includes-• Techniques of changing the direction of
conversation smoothly.• Ability to allow a discussion to develop along
key issues in an uninterrupted way towards the desired end.
Reflection and Empathyo Reflection is when the receiver of a message
reflects or “mirrors” back the words of the person giving a message to make sure s/he has really understood the message
o helps the receiver make sure s/he is following the story
o helps the person giving the message feel listened to and validated
Empathyo Empathy is the emotional identification with
another person’s experienceo One does not necessarily share the feeling of
the other person, but can relate to the feeling.o The listener can empathize with the feelings
of the person giving messages by trying to name or pinpoint feelings
Non-Verbal Communication
Wordless message received through the medium of gestures , signs, bodily movements,facial expressions, tone of voice, colour, time, space, style of writing, and choice of words.
Kinesic communication –message conveyed through non-verbal acts-in the form of body movements , such as gestures, winking, smiling, postures, or style of dressing and grooming, send out a message that supports or contradicts the verbal message.(also known as body language)
• Characteristics-• Instrumental body movements• When we move our hands to perform some
work, such as wash our face, it is an instrumental movement
• Communicatve body movements• Meaningful body movements which have
symbolic clues
• Example-wiping ones mouth when confrontedby a superior communicates nervousnessConscious or unconscious body movements-Non-verbal clues which reveal the state of mind,
inner feelings and emotions and which are real and not practiced are unconscious body movements
Trained gestures, body movements and postures are conscious body movements.
• Non verbal clues are taken as indicators of reality.
• Occur spontaneously.• Can support or contradict the verbal message
Effective listening