ORAL COMMUNICATION

THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

“ When we label something as a process, we also mean that it does not have a beginning, an
ending, or fixed sequence of events. It is not static, or at rest. It is moving. The ingredients
within a process interact, each affect all of the others.”
---David Berlo

Communication is about two people talking such as with a sibling, a parent, a teacher, or
a friend, face-to-face in real life or even via the internet. It is also a group of people talking with
each other to solve a problem such as discussing with classmates about how a report should be
done. Even buying a snack from a vendor outside the school campus is considered
communication.
It involves a transaction: a person wants to talk to someone about something because
that person needs something from that someone. For example, if a student needs permission to
attend high school trip, the student has to ask his/her parents. When a group has to submit a
report, all the group members have to sit down and discuss how to go about it. Anyone who
needs to buy something has to tell the vendor exactly what is wanted and ask how much it
costs.
Communication is stirring up ideas in the mind of another. It is the sharing of ideas
among a group of people. It is sharing of ideas among the group of people. It is imparting
concepts to an audience.

Nature of Communication
 Communication is a process.
 Communication occurs between two or more people (the speaker and the
receiver).
 Communication can be expressed through the words (verbal), actions
(nonverbal), or both at the same time.

Process of Communication Example

The speaker generates an idea. Daphne loves Rico as a friend

The speaker encodes an idea or converts the She thinks of how to tell him using their native
idea into words or actions. language.

The speaker transmits or sends out a She tells him, “Rico, I love you as a friend.”
message.

Rico hears what Daphne says.

The receiver gets the message.

He tries to analyze what she means, and he is

The receiver decodes or interprets the heartbroken.
message based on the context

He frowns and does not say something,

The receiver sends or provides feedback. because he is in pain.

MODELS OF COMMUNICATION

1. Shannon- Weaver Model

Known a s the mother of all communication models, the Shannon-Weaver model (1949)
depicts communication as a linear or one-way process consisting of five elements: a source
(producer of message); a transmitter (encoder of message into signals); a channel (signals
adapted for transmission); a receiver (decoder of message from the signal); and a destination.
 This model, however, has been criticized for missing one essential element in the
communication process: feedback. Without feedback, the speaker will not know whether the
receiver understands the message or not.

2. Transaction Model
It is a two way process with inclusion of feedback as one element. This model is more
interactive. There is a collaborative exchange of messages between communicators with an aim
of understanding each other. It also shows the barrier, such as noise, mat interfere with the flow
of communication.

3. Schramm Model

Schramm modified the Shannon-Weaver Model. Field of experience is everything that makes a
-person unique--- everything he/ she has ever learned, watched, seen, heard, read and studied.
In other words, it is everything a person has ever experienced or not experienced, done or not
done. In fact, this is practically everything that has happened in his/ her life. It is this field of
experience that is used to interpret the Message and create a Response.
 ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION

Communication is divided into elements which help us better which help us better
understand its mechanics or process.
These elements are the following:
1. Speaker- the source of information
2. Message- the information, ideas, or thoughts conveyed by the speaker in words or in
actions.
3. Encoding- the process of converting the message into words, actions, or other forms
that the speaker understands.
4. Channel- the medium or the means, such as personal or non-personal, verbal or
nonverbal, in which the encoded message is conveyed.
5. Decoding- the process of interpreting the encoded message of the speaker by the
receiver.
6. Receiver- the recipient of the message; or someone who decodes the message.
7. Feedback- the reactions, responses, or information provided by the receiver.
8. Context- the environment where communication takes place.
9. Barrier- the factors that affect the flow of communication.

VERBAL AND NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Verbal Communication refers to the interaction in which words are used to relay
a message for effective and successful verbal communication, used words to express
ideas which can be easily understood by the person you are talking to.

Consider the following when engaging in this type of communication.

1. Appropriateness
The language that you used should be appropriate to the environment or
occasion whether formal of informal.
2. Brevity
Speakers who often use simple yet precise and powerful words are found to be
more credible. Try to achieve brevity by being more direct with your words. Avoid
fillers and insubstantial expressions which do not add to the message, such as
“uh”, “you know”, “I guess,” and others.
3. Clarity
The meaning of words, feelings, or ideas maybe interpreted differently by the
listeners; hence, it is essential for you to clearly state your message and express
your ideas and feelings.
4. Ethics
Words should be carefully chosen in consideration of the gender, roles, ethnicity,
preferences, and status of the person or people you are talking to.
5. Vividness
Words that vividly or creatively describe things or feelings usually add color and
spice to communication; hence, you are encourage to find ways to charm your
audience through the use of vivid words.

Nonverbal Communication refers to the interaction where behaviour is used to convey

and represent meanings. All kinds of human responses that are not expressed in words are
classified as nonverbal communication. Examples of nonverbal communication are stares,
smiles, tone of voice, movements, manner of walking, standing and sitting, appearance, style of
attire, attitude towards punctuality and space, personality and others.

Mastery of nonverbal communication is important for several reasons:

1. It enhances and emphasizes the message of your speech, thus making it more
meaningful, truthful, and relevant.
2. It can communicate feelings, attitudes and perceptions without saying a word.
3. It can sustain the attention of listeners and keep them engaged in the speech.
4. It gives the audience a preview to the type of speaker you are.
5. It makes you appear more dynamic and animated in your delivery.
6. It serves as a channel to release tension and nervousness,
7. It helps make your speech more dramatic.
8. It can build a connection with listeners.
9. It makes you a credible speaker.
 10. It helps you vary your speaking style and avoid a monotonous delivery.

FEATURES OF AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

In their pioneer book Effective Public Relations, Professors Broom, Cutlip and Center
(2012) list the 7Cs of Effective Communication. This list is widely used today, especially in public
relations and advertising.
1. Completeness
Complete communication is essential to the quality of the communication
process in general. Hence, communication should include everything that the
receiver needs to hear for him/her to respond.
2. Conciseness
Conciseness does not mean keeping the message short, but making it direct or
straight to the point. Insignificant or redundant information should be eliminated
from the .communication that will be sent to the recipient.
3. Consideration
To be effective, the speaker always consider relevant information about his/ her
receiver such as mood, background, race, preference, education, status, needs,
among others. By doing so, he/ she can easily build rapport with the audience.
4. Concreteness
Effective communication happens when the message is concrete and supported
by facts, figures and real-life examples and situations. In this case, the receiver is
more connected to the message conveyed.
5. Courtesy
The speaker shows courtesy in the communication by respecting the culture,
values, and beliefs of his/ her receivers. Being courteous all the time creates a
positive impact on the audience.
6. Clearness
Clearness in communication implies the use of simple and specific words to
express ideas. It is also achieved when the speaker focuses only on a single
objective in his/her speech so as not to confuse the audience.
7. Correctness
Correctness in grammar eliminates negative impact on the audience and
increases the credibility and effectiveness of the message.

Intercultural Communication

Intercultural communication happens when individuals interact, negotiate, and create meanings
while bringing in their varied cultural backgrounds ( Ting-Toomey, 1999).

For some scholars, intercultural communication pertains to communication among people from
different nationalities ( Gudykunst, 2003). Still, others look at intercultural communication as
communication that is influenced by different ethnicities, religions, and sexual orientations.

Both interpretations show that intercultural communication takes place when people draw from
their cultural identity to understand values, prejudices, language, attitudes, and relationships
( Gudykunst & Kim, 2003). Moreover, this facet of communication can also be seen as a
bargained understanding of human experiences across diverse societies. Simply put,
intercultural communication is the sending and receiving of messages across languages and
cultures.

Sometimes, intercultural communication can flow smoothly and become very interesting for a
cross-cultural group. However, things may not go as planned when communication is disrupted
by cultural collisions.

When you speak, your speech is continuously accompanied by gestures, facial expressions and
other body movements that add to what you are saying in different ways. For example, nodding
means “yes” in the Indian subcontinent, Iran, most of Europe, Latin America, and North America.
However, in Greece, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Turkey, Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Albania,
nodding indicates disagreement. Moreover, in the case of Japanese culture, silence as a form of
communication is more integrated in their customs than in Western languages. It is therefore
important for you to acknowledge and understand the many communicate on patterns present in
other cultures.
The Development Model of Intercultural Sensitivity
The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) offers a structure that
explores how people experience cultural differences. According to Bennet and Bennet (2004), it
has six stages. These are the following:

Stage 1: Denial. The individual does not recognize cultural differences.

An individual in the denial stage might be heard saying:
“ All cities are the same; they have tall buildings, fast food chains, and coffee shops.”

Stage 2: Defense. The individual starts to recognize cultural differences and is intimidated by
them, resulting in either a superior view on own culture or an unjustified high regard for the new
one.
An individual in the defense stage might be heard saying:
“ This culture does not view life the way we do; our culture is certainly better.”
“ Their ways are better than my own; I wish I were one of them.”

Stage 3: Minimization. Although individuals see cultural differences, they bank more on the
universality of ideas rather than on cultural differences.
An individual in the minimization stage might be heard saying:
“ Once we see through the cultural differences, we really are just the same!”

Stage 4: Acceptance. The individual begins to appreciate important cultural differences in

behaviours and eventually in values.
An individual in the acceptance stage might be heard saying:
“ These people and I have different values and experiences , and I think we can learn
from one another.”

Stage 5: Adaptation. The individual is very open to world views when accepting new
persperctives.
An individual in the adaptation stage might be heard saying:
“ To address our issue, I have to adjust my approach to consider both my own and my
counterpart’s background.”

Stage 6: Integration. Individuals start to go beyond their own cultures and see themselves and
their actions based on multifarious cultural viewpoints.
An individual in the integration stage might be heard saying:
“I can look at things from the perspective of various cultures.”

Once you understand these stages, you may apply it to:

1. Recognise communication behaviors which differ from your own,
2. Take into account what can influence these types of behaviors,
3. Try to analyse how linguistic and cultural communities in terms of communication
behaviour and influencing factors (Allwood, 1985).

Characteristics of Competent Intercultural Communicators

World Bank (2010) identifies the following traits that define a competent intercultural
communicator.

1. Flexibility and the ability to tolerate high levels of uncertainty

2. Reflectiveness or mindfulness
3. Open-mindedness
4. Sensitivity
5. Adaptability
6. Ability to engage in divergent thinking (or thinking creatively) and systems-level thinking
(or thinking how each one in a system or organization influences each other)
7. Politeness

Note that in addition to culture, other elements such as gender, age, social status, and religion
must also be taken into consideration when communicating with others. Refrain from showing a
bias when talking to someone by following the tips below:
1. Avoid stereotypes, i.e., generalizations about a certain group.
2. Challenge gender norms; avoid using “he” and “man” to refer to a general group of
people. To remedy this, you may use plural pronouns or rewrite a sentence to avoid
using pronouns. The use of his/her is also acceptable.
3. Do not talk down on younger people and the elderly.
4. Be sensitive to the religious practices of others.
 5. Be polite at all times; do not belittle people you perceive to be on a lower social class
than you.

Functions of Communication

Communication is a complex process, with elements, levels, and dimensions. People do not just
communicate because people love to talk. Humans communicate for several reasons:
regulation and control, social interaction, motivation, information, and emotional expression.
These reasons are called the Functions of Communication. Each Function is based on the
Speaker’s purpose for communicating.

1. Regulation and Control. The speaker is using this function if his/her purpose is to
control others by managing their behavior. This can be seen in the example of making
an announcement that the community will start segregating their garbage. This function
is also demonstrated by the simple act of telling someone to be quiet or encouraging
someone to continue discussing the topic.

This function of communication means to be able to use language, gestures, and

emotions to manage individual or group activities such as a parent telling a child not to
misbehave or a policeman directing pedestrians not to jaywalk but use the pedestrian
lane. This is also observed when a student tells his/her parents to stop teasing them
about having a crush at school. Siblings are also told not to look for that crush in school.

2. Social Interaction. The most familiar and the primary reason why people communicate.
This is because people do love to talk and love to talk with each other. Talking with one
another is one way people are entertained. Humans talk for the sole purpose of coming
together as a society. Social interaction allows people to be connected with one another.
A family becomes close not because they live under the same roof, but because each
member interacts with another. Friends get together to interact and enjoy each other’s
company. A new acquaintance can become a friend by getting to know that person
through more opportunities for interaction.

3. Motivation. This is when the Speaker’s purpose is to persuade or try to persuade

another person to change his/her opinion’s attitude, or behavior. This is different from
Regulation and Control where the Speaker simply directs others and insists on his/her
own agenda. In this function, persuasion is used to move the listener away from his/her
own position towards the Speaker’s own or the position where the Speaker wants the
other person to move. For example, having the Listener agree with the Speaker that
there is a “Pope Francis effect” is one such agenda. Convincing friends to go to the mall
after school to watch a movie is another example.
4. Information. This function is used when the speaker wants to make others aware of
certain data, concepts, and processes- knowledge that may be useful to them. This may
be something as serious as knowing what the MRSA virus is and how to avoid getting it.
Or something less serious but just as important such as when and where the school
graduation will be held and what the other details are.
5. Emotional Expression. More than Regulation and Control, more than Motivation,
Emotional Expression is used by a Speaker for the purpose of moving another person to
action. The Speaker appeals to the Listener’s feelings and emotions to encourage
him/her to act in a particular direction. Receiving messages that include pictures of the
devastation brought about by a typhoon such as Yolanda, or photos of children dying or
crying because of hunger, the Receiver of the message cannot help but be moved to do
something: donate money, clothes, food, and water, or even volunteer to help build new
houses for the victims.