Communicative

Strategies
Subtitle
What is Communication Strategy?
• Communication strategies are blueprints for
how the information will be exchanged.
• These strategies are used by learners to
overcome problems of conveying intended
meaning.
• Effective use of these strategies results to
communicative competence.
• Strategies must be used to start and maintain a
conversation. (Cohen, 1990)
• Communicative strategies are plans, ways, or
means of sharing information that are adopted to
achieve particular social, political, psychological,
or linguistic purpose.
Seven Types of Communicative Strategies
• Nomination
• Restriction
• Turn-taking
• Topic-control
• Topic-shifting
• Repair
• Termination
Check on this short online class conversation…

Teacher: Welcome to our Oral Communication Class. Yes,

how are you? I miss you!
Teacher: You have to write one paragraph about how you
managed your communication effectively with your friends
online. No other situation.
Teacher: We have talked about the function of
communication. Yes, you are raising your hand. You are
acknowledged. Do you have anything to say?
Teacher: Thank you for your question, Carl but we are
focusing on the functions first. Your question is on the
models of communication.
Teacher: By the way, I think we have a new love team
in the class. Isn’t it exciting?
Teacher: Oh, I’m sorry if I mispronounced your name.
Teacher: Thank you for listening, hope to see you next
week.
1. Nomination
• It is the ability of taking attention of the hearers and
trying to commence, or to begin or nominate or
propose speaker’s ideas in a conversation.
• In nomination, you are opening a topic with the
people you're talking with.
• You may start with the news inquiries or news
announcements.
Example:

• Hi, how are you?

• How’s the weather there?
• What’s the latest news?
In our example conversation awhile ago, this is an
example of nomination.
(Welcome to our Oral Communication Class. Yes,
how are you? I miss you!)
2. Restriction
• A strategy that constrains or restricts the Response of the
other person involved in the communication situation.
• Listener is forced to respond only within a set of categories
that is made by the speaker.
• It is a communication where a person speaks, and others
listen without any chances for the listeners to be heard.
Example:

• Homily of a priest in a mass

• Commencement speaker during graduation
• A politician talking during a proclamation rally
In our example conversation, this is an example of
nomination:

(You have to write one paragraph about how you

managed your communication effectively with your
friends online. No other situation.)
3. Turn-taking
• A process by which people in a conversation decide who is
to speak next.
• Others should be given the opportunity to talk.
Example:

• Meetings (“May I have the floor, please.”)

• Debate
• Class Discussion
In the example conversation, this is an example of turn-
taking:

(We have talked about the function of communication. Yes,

you are raising your hand. You are acknowledged. Do you
have anything to say?)
4. Topic-control
• An instances when a conversation is bound only to given
issues.
• Keeping the interaction going by asking questions and
eliciting a response.
Example:

• Oh, I think let’s go back to the topic.

• Classroom reporting
In the example conversation, this is an example of topic-
control:

(Thank you for your question, Carl but we are focusing on

the functions first. Your question is on the models of
communication.)
5. Topic-shifting

• We shift a topic when we want to avoid a conversation or

topic.
• Introducing a new topic followed by the continuation of
that topic.
Example:

In discussion, you say:

(This pandemic crisis is not just a battle about health. It
is a battle on how we manage our emotions.)
In the example conversation, this is an example of topic-
control:

(By the way, I think we have a new love team in the class.
Isn’t it exciting?)
6. Repair
• When something is being repaired, something is damaged
or broken.
• One can apply repair communicative strategy that includes
asking for a clarification. One requests clarification by
asking questions or raising eyebrows, eyes, head or
shoulders to show that the message could not be
understood.
Example:

• Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. That’s not what
I mean.
• In discussion you said (I think you mean feel or fill?)
In the example conversation, this is an example of repair.

(Oh, I’m sorry if I mispronounced your name.)

7. Termination

• You end the conversation.

• It refers to practices of closing down a topic.
• Sometimes you used nonverbal cues to end a topic.