Essential Principles and Techniques for Effective Oral Communication

Essential Principles of Oral Communication

Oral Communication Functions

The power of the word and understanding is the primary function (to ensure people understand), as we receive and convey ideas, messages, and thoughts.

• Representative Function: Regarding the content of the communication; the message is purely descriptive or informative.
• Emotive or Expressive Function: Related to the speaker, who, in addition to informing, expresses emotions.
• Conative or Appealed Function: Focusing on the listener when seeking a relationship or a response from them.

Types of Oral Communications

• Interview

  Working with clients. This typically develops between a marketing or sales department representative and a customer (or potential client), or between a boss and an employee.

• Meeting Types

  • Departmental: Involves members of the same section or department.
  • Interdepartmental: Involves members of various sections or departments.
  • With External Agents: Involves people outside the company.

• Discussion

  A meeting with a limited number of participants. It is more informal than formal meetings and often arises spontaneously.

• Assembly

  Meetings involving all the members of a group. Assemblies may be limited or general.

Effective Listening Techniques

• Take notes if necessary: Write down important data.
• Do not interrupt: Interrupting shows a lack of consideration and respect, breaks the conversation dynamics, and makes the other person feel uncomfortable.
• Do not anticipate conclusions: Anticipating what the speaker means diminishes your attention.

Nonverbal Communication (Voluntary Messages)

These are messages deliberately emitted in the course of communication, consistently involving gestures and signs with hands and arms.

Conduct in Verbal Communication

• Brevity and Conciseness

  Keep conversations as short as possible without compromising the message. Provide the necessary information—neither more nor less. Avoid misunderstandings. Communication should not be telegraphic or incomplete.

• Accuracy and Precision

  We must be rigorous in the information provided and choose the most appropriate words for each case. Business communications require clarity and precision.

Hearing vs. Listening

• Hearing: A physical process for collecting the message; a passive activity.
• Listening: An active process involving effort to mentally process and interpret the message.

Characteristics of Verbal Communication

Verbal communication relies on the voice as its mode of transmission. Messages are transient, and there is often no permanent record. The meaning of the message is heavily influenced by how it is said.

• The Voice as a Basic Element: It can be supported by technical elements such as tape recorders or telephones.
• Difficulty in Verification: If messages are not recorded, we cannot verify what was said, requiring greater care in delivery.

• Meaning Depends on Many Factors

  These factors include Paralinguistic Elements: all that accompanies the verbal message, such as posture, hand movements, gaze, and volume. The same phrase can be interpreted in several ways.