Oral Communication In Context PDF

ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT Lesson 1 The Process of Communication Communication: a process that involves the exchange and the development of ideas to achieve a particular goal or purpose. The experience of communication – that is, the delivery, processing, and reciprocation of messages – di...

ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT Lesson 1 The Process of Communication Communication: a process that involves the exchange and the development of ideas to achieve a particular goal or purpose. The experience of communication – that is, the delivery, processing, and reciprocation of messages – distinguishes humans as the most intelligent beings on Earth. Scholars trace the English term “communication” to the Latin term communicare, which means “to share” or “to be in relation with.” This suggests that communication is an act that brings people together, or an experience shared by individuals who subsequently establish relationships and communities. Other experts highlight the Latin noun communicatio, which means “sharing” or “imparting.” From this perspective, communication involves an exchange or transaction of goods. Therefore, from an etymological standpoint, communication may be understood as both a common experience and a product transaction. The Communication Process Several models of communication have been formulated by scholars through the years. In essence though, communication may be understood as a process that involves these five basic elements. 1. Sender: This is the person that initiates the process. The sender delivers or transmits ideas to the receiver. 2. Receiver: This is the person that decodes the message transmitted by the sender. 3. Message: This is the idea encoded by the sender. The message entails both (A) the content (or the ideas) that the speaker wishes to transmit and (B) the formulation or structure of the ideas. 4. Medium: This is the channel through which the message is delivered. The medium may be oral, written, or even nonverbal. Specific guidelines are followed when using particular medium for the communication process. 5. Feedback: This is the response to the message. The feedback confirms that the message has been correctly interpreted. By extension, feedback validates that the communication process has been effective. Communication process model: MEDIUM/ CHANNEL SENDER SENDER FEEDBACK  Example Daphne loves Rico, her suitor, as a friend. She thinks of how to tell him using their native language. She tells him, “Rico, mahal kita bilang kaibigan.” Rico hears what Daphne says. He tries to analyze what she means based on the content and their relationship, and he is heartbroken. He frowns and does not say something, because he is in pain. Lesson 2: Verbal and Nonverbal Communication Verbal Communication: We employ sounds and language to deliver our message. It also refers to an interaction in which words are used to relay a message. For effective and successful communication, use words to express ideas which can be easily understood by the person you are talking to. Consider appropriateness, brevity, clarity, ethics, and vividness when engaging in this type of communication. 1. Appropriateness: This language that you use should be appropriate to the environment or occasion (i.e., whether formal or informal.) 2. Brevity: Speakers who often use simple yet precise and powerful words are found to more credible. 3. Clarity: The meaning of word, feelings, or ideas may be interpreted differently by a listener; 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 in communication. Skills for effective verbal communication 1. Volume – refers to the loudness of your voice. 2. Enunciation and pronunciation – enunciation refers to the proper pronunciation of the sounds on a word or the blending of sounds to produce a word. 3. Pitch – This refers to the frequency of your voice. 4. Stress – refers to emphasis on a certain word. 5. Phrasing – refers to how you group the words in a sentence. 6. Speed – refers to how quickly you speak. Nonverbal Communication Strategies: We employ communication strategies other than the spoken word. Nonverbal communication strategies  1. Eye contact – by looking at the listeners as we speak, we can engage them in the communicative process taking place. 2. Facial expression – facial features can help convey the emotions in our message. 3. Head and body movements – we can turn our head and move our arms, hands, legs, and feet to emphasize certain points. 4. Posture – we should stand upright to attain a level of dignity or formality as we speak. 5. Proximity – walking from one side to another so that we can reach out to our audience. 6. Personal appearance – our clothing will be determined by the formality that the communicative situation demands. FUNCTIONS OF COMMUNICATION Basically, there are five functions of communication. Control – communication functions to control behavior. Social Interaction – communication allows individuals to interact with others. Motivation – communication motivates people to live better. Emotional expression – communication facilitates people’s expression of their feelings and emotions. Information dissemination – communication functions to convey information. FEATURES OF AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION In their pioneer book Effective Public Relations, Professors Broom, Cutlip, and Center (2012) list the 7 Cs of Effective Communication. This list is widely used today, especially in public relations advertising. 1. Completeness – complete communication is essential to the quality of the communication process in general. 2. Conciseness – it does not mean keeping the message short, but making it direct or straight to the point. Example: eliminate insignificant or redundant information. 3. Consideration – to be effective, the speaker should always consider relevant information about his/her receiver such as mood, background, race, preference, education, status, and needs. This will help build rapport. 4. Concreteness – effective communication happens when the message is concrete and supported by facts, figures, and real-life examples. 5. Courtesy – showing courtesy in communication like respecting culture, values, and beliefs of his/her receivers. 6. Clearness – clearness in communication implies the use of simple and specific words. 7. Correctness – correctness in grammar eliminates negative impact on the audience and increases credibility and effectiveness of the message. BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION There are instances when miscommunication and misunderstanding occur because of certain barriers. To become an effective communicator, you should recognize these barriers that hinder the communication process. This will enable you to control the situation, reset conditions, and start anew. The table below presents some barriers to effective communication with corresponding solutions. Barriers Example solution Emotional You are having a bad day/ feeling Recognize these kinds of barrier frustrated emotions, & politely ask the other person to give you a moment so you can relax or calm yourself You sit in a meeting or class where Recognize this kind of attitude, you think the speaker is boring reset, & reflect on how you can be interested in what the speaker is pointing out. Use of You are a scientist discussing a Jargon refers to the set of jargon certain weather phenomenon with specialized vocabulary in a your neighbor who does not know certain field. To avoid much about the topic. communication breakdown due to lack of clarity, adjust your language; use layman’s terms or simple words. Lack of You are asked to share something Develop self-confidence by confidence about your day or weekend, but you joining organizations where are hesitant because you are shy. you can share and develop your interests. Look for opportunities in your school or community that will help you find your strengths and improve your abilities Noisy You are having a conversation with Recognize that noise is a environment some friends when a song was common barrier make some played loudly adjustments by asking someone to minimize the volume or by looking for quiet area where you can resume the conversation. LESSON 3 INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION This happens when individuals interact, negotiate, and create meanings while bringing in their varied cultural backgrounds (Ting-Toome, 1999). COMMUNICATION MODELS Figure 1. Aristotle Model 1. ARISTOTLE’S MODEL According to this model, the speaker plays a key role in communication. He/She is the one who takes complete charge of the communication. The sender first prepares a content which he does by carefully putting his thoughts in words with an objective of influencing the listeners or the recipients, who would then respond in the sender’s desired way. The model says that the speaker communicates in such a way that the listeners get influenced and respond accordingly. The speaker must be very careful about his selection of words and content in this model of communication. He/She should understand his target audience and then prepare his speech. Examples: In a political meeting, the prospective leader delivers speech to the audience urging for more votes from the constituency. He/She tries to convince the crowd in the best possible way He/She can so that He/She emerges as a winner. What is He/She actually doing? He/She is delivering his speech in a manner that the listeners would get convinced and cast their votes only in his favour, or in other words respond in the same manner the speaker wanted to.  Figure 2. Shannon-Weaver Model (1949) 2. Shannon-Weaver Model (1949) Known as the mother of all communication models, this model from 1949 depicts communication as 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 the message into signals); and a destination. This model, however, has been criticized for missing one essential element in the communication process: feedback. Without which, the speaker will not know whether the receiver understood the message or not. Example: You are sitting inside the class. It is almost lunch time and your stomach is grumbling. You hear what the teacher is saying but cannot keep it in your heart. From time to time, you are checking your smart watch and is already imagine the food you wanted to eat.  figure 3. Berlo’s Model 3. BERLO’S MODEL While the Aristotle model of communication puts the speaker in the central position and suggests that the speaker is the one who drives the entire communication, the Berlo’s model of communication takes into account the emotional aspect of the message. Berlo’s model of communication operates on the SMCR model. In the SMCR model S - Stands for Source M - Message C - Channel R – Receiver S - Source The source in other words also called the sender is the one from whom the thought originates. He is the one who transfers the information to the receiver after carefully putting his thoughts into words. How does the source or the sender transfer his information to the recipient? It is done with the help of communication skills, Attitude, Knowledge, Social System and Culture. Communication Skills Attitude Knowledge Social System  Culture M - Message When an individual converts his thoughts into words, a message is created. The process is also called as Encoding. Any message further comprises of the following elements: Content Element Treatment Structure Code C - Channel Channel - Channel actually refers to the medium how the information flows from the sender to the receiver. How does one know what the other person is speaking? - Through Hearing. How does one know whether the pasta he has ordered is made in white sauce or not? - Through Tasting. How does one know that there is a diversion ahead or it’s a no parking zone? - Through Seeing. How will an individual come to know that the food is fresh or stale? How do we find out the fragrance of a perfume? - Through Smelling. How will you find out whether the milk is hot or not? - Through Touching. All the five senses are the channels which help human beings to communicate with each other. R - Receiver When the message reaches the receiver, he tries to understand what the listener actually wants to convey and then responds accordingly. This is also called as decoding. There are several loopholes in the Berlo’s model of communication. According to the Berlo’s model of communication, the speaker and the listener must be on a common ground for smooth conversion which is sometimes not practical in the real scenario.  figure 4. Schramm Model (1954) 4. Schramm Model Schramm model (1954) modified the Shannon and Weaver model. Whereas the later is rooted in information theory and engineering, focusing on the technical aspects of information transmission, while Schramm's model adopts a more humanistic and interpersonal perspective, emphasizing the role of context, individual interpretation, and social dynamics in communication. When the information reaches the recipient his prime responsibility is to understand what the speaker intends to convey. Unless and until the second party is able to understand or decode the information what the sender wants to communicate, the message is actually of no use. Thus, encoding and decoding are two most important factors of an effective communication without which information can never flow between two individuals. To conclude, according to this model of communication when a sender passes on the information to the receiver, the receiver must interpret it in the desired form the sender wants and give him the feedback or respond accordingly. Any communication where the sender does not get the feedback, the communication is not complete and thus ineffective. REFERENCES Redoblado, et al. (2016). Exploring Literature and Grammar. Oral Communication in Context. Pages 2-20 Sipacio, et al. (n.d) Oral communication in context. Pg 4-14