Oral Com Reviewer
Communication-According to Shawn Grimsley (2003),
communication is sending and receiving information
between two or more people.
- The communication theorist, Frank Dance (1970),
counted over a hundred definitions of the word
―communication.
-Theodore Clevenger attributes (1991) ―the continuing
problem in defining communication to the fact that
―the verb ‘to communicate’ is well established in the
common lexicon and therefore is not easily captured for
scientific use.
-According to Julia Wood (2004), communication is ―a
systemic process in which individuals interact with and
through symbols to create and interpret meanings.
1 Communication is a process-ongoing and always
changing
2 Communication is systematic-occurs within systems
of interrelated and interacting parts.
3 Communication is symbolic- Symbols are the basis of
language
4 Communication involves meanings
a Content level meanings are the literal meaning of
messages.
b Relationship level meanings are what are expressed
about the relationship between communicators in
messages they send and receive.
Intercultural communication: The branch of
communication field that studies communication
among people from different cultures
Interpersonal communication: Communication
between people.
Intrapersonal communication: Communication with
oneself
Variables Affecting Communication Process
1 Speaker- the source of information or message
2 Message/Idea- 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 non-verbal, 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
Five Elements of Communication
1 Sender-plays the specific role of initiating
communication.
-uses effective verbal as well as nonverbal techniques.
2 Receiver-means the party to whom the sender
transmits the message.
3 Message-may be the most crucial element of effective
communication.
4 Channel-message travels from one point to another
via a channel of communication.
5 Receiver-describes the receiver's response or reaction
to the sender's message.
Verbal Communication-According to Buffalo State
University of New York (…) all forms of communication
can be categorized as either verbal or nonverbal.
 Vocal Verbal Com.- includes spoken language.
 Non-vocal Verbal Com.-involves written
communication as well as communication that
are transmitted through sign language, finger
spelling, Braille, or other similar alternatives to
verbal language.
Elements that codify meaning are called signs.
Semiotics-study of signs
Syntax-word order and phrasing
Semantics-word choice and meaning
Non-Verbal Communication-human beings
communicate more through nonverbal means.(Buffalo
State U. of N.Y.)
-is bound to culture.
-may be vocal or non-vocal
Paralaguage-refers to a range of nonlinguistic elements
of speech, such as facial expressions, gestures, the use
of time and space, and so on.
Study of Non-verbal Communication
1 Kinesics/body language-deals with physical
movement, sometimes called affective displays.
2 Occulesics-deals with eye behavior as an element of
communication.
3 Proxemics-involves the social use of space in a
communication situation.
 intimate space (0-18 inches)
  personal space or informal distance (18 inches
to 4 feet)
 social space or formal distance (4-12 feet)
 public space or distance (beyond 12 feet)
4 Haptics-focuses on touching as an element of
communication, indicating both the type of touch as
well as its frequency and intensity.
5 Vocalics-deals with vocal cues, more accurately
referred to as the non-phonemic qualities of language.
6 Chronemics-deals with the use of time as an element
of communication.
7 Appearance-deals with the communication role
played by a person’s look or physical appearance.
8 Environment-involves the communicative value of the
physical space, such as room size, color, accessibility
and location.
9 Artifacts-similarly deals with the communicative
aspect of apparent objects visible in the room
10 Olfactics-is an aspect of nonverbal communication
dealing with smells.
11 Synchrony-focuses on the amount of coordination in
people’s behavior when their non-verbal cues are in
sync with one another.
Uses of Verbal Communication
 To create impressions beyond the verbal
element of communication.
 To repeat and reinforce what is said verbally.
 To manage and regulate the interaction among
participants in the communication exchange.
Uses of Non-verbal Communication
 To express emotion beyond the verbal element.
 To convey relational messages of affection,
power, dominance, respect, and so on.
 To promote honest communication by
detecting deception or conveying suspicion.
 To provide group or social leadership by
sending messages of power and persuasion.
Models of Communication-A graphical representation
of communication.
Aristotle’s Model of Communication
Classical Model of Communication- developed by
Aristotle
-first and earliest model
Setting-most important part of his model
-where the audience is situated
Types of setting
1 Legal- the courts where ordinary people defended
themselves
2 Deliberative- political assemblies, the highest of
which was the Roman Senate
3 Ceremonial- celebrations held when they won a war,
when they lost a leader or had a new one and when
they welcomed a visiting leader from another kingdom
or country.
Aristotle’s Model of Proof
1 Logos- inheres in the content or the message itself
2 Pathos- inheres in the audience
3 Ethos- inheres in the speaker
Linear Models
1 Shannon-Weaver Model-They gave us the concept of
noise. Often called “Telephone Model”. By Claude
Shannon and Warren Weaver
2 Schramm’s Model-is the concept that explains why
communication breakdown occurs.
Wilbur Schramm- Father of Mass Communication
Field of Experience-It is everything that makes a person
unique. everything a person has ever experienced or
not experienced.
3 White’s Model-Eugene White tells us that
communication is circular and continuous, without
beginning or end.
-cyclical model
-White contributed the concept of Feedback to the
field of communication.
Non-linear Communication
1 Helical Model-in 1967, Frank Dance proposed the
com. model called Dance’s Helix Model for better
communication process
Helix-an object having a three-dimensional shape
-the process is evolutionary. It is dependent in its past
2 Westley and MacLean’s Model-Bruce Westley and
Malcolm S. MacLean Jr.
-communication does not begin when one person starts
to talk, but rather when a person responds selectively
to his/her physical surroundings.
3 Johari Widow Model-a convenient model used to
achieve this task of understanding and enhancing com.
between the members in a group.
 Open/self-area or Arena-information about
the person will be known by the person as well
as by others
 Blind self/blind spot-information about you
that others know but you don’t.
 Hidden area/Façade-information that only you
know and others don’t
 Unknown area-information that you or others
don’t know.
Cues-prompts that people use to indicate that they
expect a response or reaction.
Verbal Cues-are commonly used in giving instruction,
asking questions or delivering speech since they are
clearly articulated in words.
 Direct Cues-clearly articulated statements of
instructions
 Indirect Cues-prompts that tends to be less
obvious about what is expected and might
come out in a form of question.
Non-verbal Cues-are perceptual information
communicated in social exchange by sign accompanying
the words in speech.
-refers to the process of sending information through
ways that do not require the use of language.
Effective Communication is a two way process –
sending the right message and to the right person.
-is the communication which produces intended or
desired result
Uses of effective Communication
1. helps to understand a person or situation in a
better way.
2. enables us to solve the differences, build trust
and respect in the organization.
3. helps us to resolve problems with both’s point
of view.
4. helps us to connect well with kids, spouse, boss,
colleagues, etc.
5. helps us in decision making.
7C’s of Effective Communication
1. Completeness
2. Conciseness
3. Consideration
4. Clarity
5. Concreteness
6. Courtesy
7. Correctness
Completeness-The information conveyed in the
message should be complete for the communication to
be effective
-enhances the reputation of the organization
-always gives additional information
-helps in better decision making
-persuades the audience
Conciseness-means communicating what you want to
convey in least possible words.
-provides short and essential message in limited words.
-non repetitive in nature.
Consideration-must take audience into consideration
by knowing the viewpoints, back ground, mindset,
educational level, etc.
-implies ‘stepping into the shoes of others’.
Clarity-implies emphasizing on a specific goal or
objective at a time, rather than trying to move away
from track
-comes with the use of exact, appropriate and concrete
words.
Concreteness-implies being particular and clear rather
being fuzzy and general.
-cannot be misinterpreted.
Courtesy-means being polite, kind, judicious,
enthusiastic and convincing.
-an important element of effective communication.
Correctness-implies that the correct information is
conveyed through message.
-includes the precision and accurateness of facts and
figures used in the message.
Barriers of Effective Communication
Encoding Barriers
1 Lack of Sensitivity to Receiver
2 Lack of Basic Communication Skills
3 Insufficient Knowledge of the Subject
4 Emotional Interference
5 Lacking confidence
Transmitting Barriers
1 Physical Distractions
2 Channel Barriers.
3 Long Communication Chain.
Decoding Barriers.
1 Lack of Interest.
2 Lack of Knowledge.
3 Lack of Communication Skills
4 Emotional
Responding Barriers
1 No Provision for Feedback
2 Inadequate Feedback.
Communication Breakdown-are the ones who break
down and destroy a conversation.
Causes:
1 Perceptual and Language Differences-Perception is
generally how each individual interprets the world
around him. Any message which is against their values
is not accepted.
2 Information Overload-It is essential to control this
information flow else the information is likely to be
misinterpreted or forgotten or overlooked. As a result
communication is less effective.
3 Inattention-At times we just not listen, but only hear.
4 Time Pressure-the targets have to be achieved within
a specified time period, the failure of which has adverse
consequences.
5 Distraction/Noise-Communication is also affected a
lot by noise to distractions. Physical distractions are also
there such as, poor lightning, uncomfortable sitting,
unhygienic room also affects communication in a
meeting.
6 Emotions-Emotional state at a particular point of time
also affects communication. If the receiver feels that
communicator is angry he interprets that the
information being sent is very bad.
7 Poor Retention-Human memory cannot function
beyond a limit. One cannot always retain what is being
told specially if he is not interested or not attentive.
8 Use of Jargons-jargons refers to the set of specialized
vocabulary in a certain field.
9 Lack of Confidence-Develop self-confidence by joining
organizations where you can share and develop your
interests
Strategies to avoid Communication Breakdown
Mark Williams (March 2011) explained seven (7) ways
to overcome barriers to communication.
 Understand others see things differently to you.
 Get feedback from the receiver.
 As often as possible, speak face-to-face.
 Use language that fits the audience.
 Use the right communication channel.
 Have integrity and honesty in your
communications.
 Make it easy for others to listen to you.
Intercultural Communication-According to Michael
Uyanne (October 2012), intercultural communication
occurs when members of two or more cultures or co-
cultures exchange messages in a manner that is
influenced by their different cultural perceptions and
symbol systems, both verbal and non-verbal.
Homophily-the term used to describe the overlap of
common cultural experiences.
Distiction of Cultures
Culture is the language, values, beliefs, traditions, and
customs people share and learn‘.
Gender-Social and cultural norms can significantly
influence both the expression of gender identity, and
the nature of the interactions between genders.
Age-In such socio-rhetorical accounts of professional
communication, age became a hidden dimension of
power. Here, too, the imagery of center and periphery
worked towards prioritization of the rights of the
“older”.
Social Status-Min-Sun Kim, Katsuya Tasaki, In-Duk Kim
and Hye-ryeon Lee (2007) explained the effect of social
status of the communicator on communication
predispositions of people with different cultural
orientations. Based upon independent and
interdependent self-construal as individual-level
cultural dimensions, people’s degrees of two distinct
communication orientations were assessed in a dyad
with different status of communicators.
Religion-religion is so important to any culture structure
and it is the main engine in a lot of conflicts and also the
opposite, different cultures with the same religion
always find a lot of common share.
Speaker’s Purpose
1 To Inform- a speaker informs his/her listeners by
giving lectures, demonstrations, briefings, and trainings.
2 To Persuade-A speaker tends to persuade and outline or script. Also includes group presentations or
convince his/her listeners to listen to him/her impromptu speaking.
attentively and agree with what he/she is saying. 5 Oral Examinations-Can take place in the instructor’s
3 To Entertain-This purpose aims to amuse its listeners office, in small groups, or before a whole class.
by letting them enjoy and lose their boredom.
4 To Inspire-Speakers let listeners to be inspired by
motivating them to achieve noble goals or
ideals.

Functions of Communication
1 Regulation/Control-This function is has the function
of managing the behavior of others.
2 Social Interaction-Social interaction always allow
people to be connected with one another
-The most familiar and the primary reason why people
communicate
3 Motivation-The speaker’ purpose here is to persuade
or try to persuade another person to change his/her
opinion, attitude, or behavior.
-The most purposive function of communication.
4 Information-This function is used when the speaker
wants to make others aware of certain data, concepts,
and processes or knowledge that may be useful to the
audience.
-The most basic function of communication.
5 Emotional Expression-The speaker appeals to the
listener’s feelings and emotions to encourage them to
act in a particular direction.

Oral Communication Activities-There are numerous

samples of oral communication activities. According to
the University of Pittsburgh (August 2008), there are six
broad types of oral communication activities that might
be incorporated into curricula in many fields of study.

Types Of Oral Com. Activities

1 One-to-one Speaking-Can range from moments
punctuating a lecture, where students are asked to
discuss or explain some question or problem with the
person next to them, to formal student conferences
with their instructor.
2 Small Group or Team-Based Oral Work-Smaller-scale
settings for discussion, deliberation, and problem
solving.
3 In-Class Debates and Deliberations-A structured
consideration of some issue from two or more points of
view.
4 Speeches and Presentations-Classically, the stand-up,
podium speech delivered by an individual from an