Oral communication

Talking and its key elements

Spend more time talking than writing. In meetings, telehone calls,dictation, speeches. Oral communication can beFormal- conference,committee meetings,group discussion Informal- get-together,walk-around.

Talking o Oral expression of knowledge, viewpoints, and emotions through words o 75% of our waking time spent speaking and listening.

Elements of good talking o Voice quality- vocal sounds which one hears

when another speaks o Speed and volume of speech o Refer to life experiences-good and not so good speakers o Style-how the three parts of voice qualitypitch, speed and volume blend together. o Unique to each person

o Word Choice-Related to ones 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 listener o 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 solving Resolve conflicts Influence people to work together To be assertive without being aggressive Develop listening Effectively negotiate To make a proposal Drive involvement in organisational goals

Why oral communication in workplace ?

More personal and informal Immediate impact Opportunity for interaction and feedback Helps to correct ourselves Easy to convey feelings and emotions

How do you make your oral communication effective

Consider the objective Interest level of the receiver Sincerity Simple language, familiar words Give full facts Assume nothing Use polite words and tone Cut out insulting message

Give time to respond Dont be vague

Barriers to effective oral communication

ListeningThe active process of receiving and responding to spoken (and sometimes unspoken) messages. Listening is affected by Statuso 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 effecto 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

Complexeso Lack of confidence, sense of superiority/inferiority prevents free flow of communication. Closed and all-knowing mindo Belief that they know everything. o Unwilling to enter into a dialogue.

 Poor retentiono To understand one has to remember the sequence of ideas. o Since there is no written record whole conversation gets lost. Abstractingo Partial listening/selective listening o Listener approaches message from a particular point of view.

o Focus attention on some aspects of the conversation. Premature evaluation/hurried conclusions o 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.

 Slant o Biased presentation of a matter by the speaker o Important aspects of the message are suppressed (To keep from being revealed) , left out or indirectly hinted. Cognitive dissonance o Listener fails to accept new information as he/she is unprepared to change from the old basis of belief and knowledge

Language Barrier o 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 Empathy o 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

Empathy o Empathy is the emotional identification with another persons experience o 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 confronted by a superior communicates nervousness Conscious or unconscious body movementsNon-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