Oral communication

There are many ways to communicate with others, however, the most important of them is oral communication.  We know that communication is the process by which we can express our ideas and thoughts to another person. In every moment in which we communicate with others, we make use of language and the exchange of information through writings, signs or words. Oral communication is the type of communication that is established between two or more people, whose transmission medium is the air through which the messages traveland that also has an important code called language .

Characteristics of oral communication

The main characteristics of oral communication are the following:

• Oral communication uses the voice to convey messages.
• For it to exist, there must be at least two people , one of them will be the sender and the other will have the role of receiver .
• The information that is transmitted through oral communication is known by the name of message .
• The transmission of messages in oral communication is done through a physical medium that can be air , although there are also several methods or devices to transmit the message.
• The communication process is framed within a context .
• It is a type of spontaneous , direct and simple communication .
• He uses body language to reject or emphasize a message.
• It is dynamic and it is immediate .
• It is typical of the human being .

What is it for

Oral communication is a means that helps us to express our emotions and our feelings to others. It is a means of expressing different ideas and opinions through the voice . It serves then, to be able to communicate adequately in a context.

History

For more than 35,000 million years, language has been used as an instrument for development , cooperation and communication among the inhabitants of the planet. The evolution of communication arises in the prehistoric stage when cultures developed methods to communicate with others. The first petroglyphs were carved in stone and the alphabet gave way to written linguistic codes . The development of the alphabet was undoubtedly one of the most important acts that took place to achieve oral communication that we have today.

Elements of oral communication

The elements necessary for the oral communication process to take place are the following:

• Sender : this is the person or group of people who are responsible for transmitting the message.
• Receiver : is the recipient of the message and the person in charge of interpreting its meaning.
• Message : it is the main object of communication, it is the information, opinion, data or thoughts that you want to transmit.
• Channel : it is the means through which the information is transmitted correctly, it can be the voice and the air that the messages carry.
• Code : they are a set of symbols or signs that are used to express the message, these can be gestures, words, Morse code, etc. The most used code is the verbal, oral and written language .
• Context : it is the situation in which the sender and the receiver find themselves when the communication process begins, and that allows to understand the meaning of the message.
• Feedback : it is the part that allows the sender to determine if the receiver has received and properly understood his message.

Types

The types of oral communication that exist are the following:

Spontaneous oral communication

Spontaneous oral communication is the type of oral communication that is not attached to a plan , it is not a theme or a structure that they have previously established , but it takes place in the form of dialogue between people.

Planned oral communication

It is the type of communication that follows a previously drawn plan , with guidelines , themes or structures that have been designed in advance . This plan allows the person to guide the communication process to be carried out within defined limits . This type of communication can be multidirectional and unidirectional .

• Multidirectional : occurs when in their interaction guidelines the intervention of different speakers is established who give different opinions and focus on a certain topic that has already been defined previously.
• Unidirectional : in this type only one sender intervenes who speaks to an audience with the aim of exposing a topic. For example speeches and conferences.

Media

In addition to oral communication through words , there are also other types of means by which this type of communication can be carried out. Among them we mentioned the Radio and phone that are capable of transmitting the message so effective , but they need at the same time, established naturally, friendly attitude and confidence among others.

Techniques

Some of the techniques that can be applied to achieve correct oral communication are:

• Use all forms of expression suitable for communication from movements , displacements and distances; gestures , tones of voice, visual support and technological elements .
• The channel must be chosen well .
• Be careful with the tone of voice .
• Encourage feedback , in other words, promote interaction and feedback between participants.
• Use appropriate language .
• You must take care of the most appropriate posture , reflecting serenity and dynamism .
• Be careful with your gaze, which is one of the most important components of oral communication. It is important to look at the recipient.

Objective of oral communication

The basic objective of communication is summarized in satisfying three of the basic needs that human beings have , being informed , being in groups in order to achieve common goals and establish positive interpersonal relationships .

Process

The communication process begins with the source , in other words, a person or a group of them who have an objective and reason to establish a communication . The source needs to be expressed by means of the message , which is the translation of the source that needs encoding functions that are assumed by the issuer . After this the message is transmitted through different channels that can be physical or technological. From this moment on, the message reaches the receiver who mustdecode and interpret the message you have received.

Advantage

The advantages of oral communication are as follows:

• It is a better medium to be able to convey emotions and feelings .
• It is a more personal type of communication .
• It allows individuals to socialize with others.
• Better feedback is given and it is given immediately.
• It has the ability to have a greater impact on the person receiving the information.
• It allows making corrections and adjustments to the way of communicating the message according to the reaction that people have.
• There is the interaction between the sender and the receiver .

Disadvantages

Among the disadvantages of oral communication we mention:

• It is a short and ephemeral type of communication .
• You cannot erase what has already been said so you must be very careful when expressing the words.
• It cannot be archived so no records of what has been said can be kept.
• The use of incomplete sentences , mispronunciation , meaningless repetitions , and redundancies may occur .
• There is a high level of information distortion .
• Personal interpretation can be submitted .

Skills

The development of skills to achieve correct oral communication and be competitive requires skills that must be learned , although some of them are innate . The development of these skills is what allows us to easily adapt to the different situations that may arise when oral communication occurs. You must have the ability to properly tone the voice , have grace in the movements , an adequate expression of gestures, which can be learned.

How it differs from written communication

The differences that occur between these two types of communication are the following:

• In oral language the message is captured by hearing , in writing by sight .
• In oral language there is a more personal interaction between the sender and receiver, while in writing this same interaction does not occur.
• In written communication , corrections can be made as many times as necessary, but in oral communication , what is said cannot be eliminated . Oral language also uses imprecise vocabulary , while written uses a very specific type of vocabulary .
• In oral communication there can be omission of words , use of idioms , fillers and interjections . In written communication, the order of the sentences is more important and there are no omissions .

Importance of oral communication

Oral communication is of the utmost importance for the human being because it is the way one has to be able to communicate and express ideas before other people, it is for this reason that it is considered as a basic instrument to survive , since through her, we can obtain goods and services that are of vital importance for the life of man. Also, it is important because it represents a means to satisfy the needs and to obtain information .

Examples

Some examples of oral communication are as follows:

• A conversation between two people
  • Hi Luis, How are you?
  • Well, this morning I was at the dentist.
• A conference
  • We are gathered today in this place to expose the consequences of environmental pollution …
• the Radio
• the television
• Talk on the phone