Modified Self Learning Materials in Oral Communication

Quarter 2 – Week 1: Types of Communicative Strategy

Prenciss M. Ochia
Competency Statement:
Employs various communicative strategies in different situations

In today’s global environment, communication plays a crucial role since

everyone cannot be separated with communication activity. Being able to
communicate effectively is regarded as the most important of all life skills. Many
people believe that the significance of communication is like the importance of
breathing. Indeed, communication facilitates the spread of knowledge and forms
relationship between people.
Good communication strengthens relationship. It builds trust, suggests
individual’s manner, and may also resolve certain issue. Since we are addressed as
“social being” where it is not easy for us to live without interaction to one another,
there are ways on how people may communicate effectively and meaningfully.
Everyone must know the importance of establishing good communication in
order to avoid confusion, misunderstanding and to gain more others’ ideas, and
experiences and to resolve problems in every situation.
Types of Communicative Strategy
Strategies must be used to start and maintain a conversation (Cohen, 1990).
The strategy may vary according to the need, situation, or speaker. Below are some
strategies that a people use in communication:
1. Nomination
This is a speaker’s strategy in establishing a collaborative conversation by
opening a subject. Commonly, to employ this strategy without prior conversation, the
speaker frequently asks questions, tell some current news or announcements that
would require his/her listener to respond and have a good start for conversation.
2. Restriction
Restriction in communication refers to any limitation you have as a speaker
(Sipacio and Balgos, 2016). This strategy limits the speaker’s content of what to say
– mostly only those that are relevant to the topic presented.
If a teacher gives a topic to collaborate, everyone in the group are expected to
bring out ideas that would only be concerned with the given topic. Speakers are
restricted to sideswipe to avoid communication breakdown.
3. Turn-taking
To make communication be organized and all ideas are well-facilitated,
people in the circle must be given equal opportunities to present their ideas during
the conversation.
4. Topic Control
Topic control is a communicative strategy used to control and prevent
unnecessary interruptions and topic shifts in a certain conversation. Topic control is
considered a procedural formality or informality that affects the development of
certain topics in particular discussion or conversation.
Moreover, topic control works along the concept of turn-taking, where
everyone can express related ideas to the ongoing topic without the need to interrupt
others.
5. Topic Shifting
Topic shifting is a diversionary tactic in which one person in a discussion (the
shifter) manages to subtly change the discussion's topic to another, related but

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different topic, without explicitly announcing the change of subject or reaching any
kind of mutual agreement that such a change is appropriate.

6. Repair
Repair refers to how speakers address problems in speaking, listening, and
comprehending that they may encounter in a conversation. Repair is self-righting
mechanism in any social interaction. Once a problem in communication is not
repaired right away, surely, it would lead into misunderstanding or confusion.

7. Termination
Termination refers to the conversation participants' close-initiating
expressions that end a topic in a conversation. Most of the time, the topic initiator
takes responsibility to signal the end of the discussion as well.

Guided Activity
Each strategy that was tackled are better to be considered before, during and
after a conversation. Minding the strategies will make the communication organized,
equal and meaningful.
Match the Column A to Column B to connect the Communicative Strategy to
its meaning.
Column A Column B
1. Nomination a. The speaker will always try to address and correct the
problem 2. Turn Taking in understanding the conversation.
3. Topic Shifting b. The speaker has to end the conversation with no confusion.
4. Termination c. Each member in a group must share their idea.
5. Repair d. A sudden change of topic which has connection from the
previous conversation.
e. The speaker leads the start of conversation.

To check whether the strategies are well-understood, here is a short activity.

Identify what strategy is used in each of the following statements.
1. Class report on a certain topic, and you are the presenter.
2. "What did you like about today's activity?"
3. "We need to work together for this project. William, you are good in making good
visuals, yes? Are you interested to do it for us? "
4. "Speaking of summer, do you even feel how hot it is outside?"
5. "Please hear me out, I need to tell you something"
6. "That's it for today's topic, I'll see you next week."
7. "We should take this moment as learning opportunity. Let's take a note regarding
this matter."
8. "I'm sorry, could you repeat your question please? I didn't hear it quite clearly.
Thanks"
9. Group presentation with topic presentation divided among members.
10. "How were you able to bring the cat out?"

Answer Key
1. e 2. c 3. d 4. a b 5.
1. Restriction 2. Nomination 3. Topic Control 4. Topic Shifting 5. Turn
Taking

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6. Termination 7. Repair 8. Repair 9. Turn Taking 10. Nomination
Note: write your answer here in Oral Communication Quarter 2 - Week 1
Name: ______________________________ Grade 11 Section:______
Score:____

Independent Activity
This lesson must be applied in real-life. With that, provide at least 1 situation
wherein you can apply the communicative strategies you just had learned. Make
sure to also provide its importance and benefit into the communication process.

1. Nomination
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2. Restriction
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3. Turn-taking
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4. Topic Control
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5. Topic Shifting
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6. Repair
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7. Termination
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