ORAL COMMUNICATION

Oral Communication is a type of communication that involves transmission of message from

one person to another verbally, that is, by word of mouth. This includes face to face
conversations, telephonic conversations, speech, voice over internet, group discussions, role
play, etc. Since the receiver is expected to understand a topic or gain knowledge on a
particular subject by simple listening to the speaker, the sender of the message is expected to
keep the message short and simple in most cases.

1.1 IMPORTANCE OF ORAL COMMUNICATION

Mastering oral communication skills is importance in the sense that such skills can either help
or hinder interaction in the personal, social and professionallevels. People who can speak
well and convincingly are always in demand in corporate and government organisations. Oral
communication skills are used by teachers, doctors, politicians and others extensively as
mastering such skills play a vital role in helping aspirants to be successful.

1.2 ROLE OF LISTENING IN ORAL COMMUNICATION

If a person is not a good listener, he/she can never be a good speaker. Thus, in order to master
oral communication skills, one must pay close attention to the speaker. In this respect, most
people tend to believe that merely having ears makes one an attentive listener. However, in
reality what we end up doing most often is hearing to what the speaker is saying
(subconsciously) and not deciphering what the speaker is actually saying. The process of
listening begins with a sound reaches the receiver’s ears as stimuli. The meaning of the
message received has to be then deciphered by concentrating on the cues given by the
speaker. These include voice modulation, pitch, intonation, stress, rhythm, gestures, etc.
Then, the receiver is expected to remember the message deciphered and evaluate it to form a
judgement.

RECEIVING STIMULI DECIPHERING MESSAGE

REMEMBERING & EVALUATING RESPONDING
Process of listening

Listening can be of two kinds – passive and active. While the former involves low
concentration level, the latter calls for higher levels of attention and involvement from the
listener.
1.3 SPEAKING SKILLS

Listening alone is not enough in helping one master oral communication as the latter includes
developing both listening and speaking skills. For honing speaking skills special attention has
to be given to certain voice attributes such as volume, pitch, intonation, tone, stress, tempo,
enunciation and pronunciation.

VOLUME :The speaker should be clearly audible and to ensure this, he/she must have good
breath control.

PITCH :The voice of the speaker must neither be too shrill, nor too deep. Thus, the pitch
should be somewhere between ‘too high’ and ‘too low’.

INTONATION :This refers to the rise and fall of the speaker’s voice.

TONE :The tone of the speaker reflects the emotions and attitude of the speaker. The tone of
the speaker also depends on the subject matter that the speaker is dealing with.

STRESS :The keywords in a sentence are the words which are expected to be stressed by the
speaker to draw the attention of the listener to those words. Herein lies the importance of
voice modulation while speaking. Stressing each word equally would make the speaker sound
nothing less than a robot.

TEMPO :The tempo refers to the speed at which the speaker is uttering the words. If the
speed is too high, the audience might not be able to follow what the speaker is saying.
Similarly, if the speaker is too slow, then there are chances that the attention of the audience
might wander. The recommended speaking rate is about 125 words per minute.

ENUNCIATION :The clarity or distinctiveness with which the speaker articulates each
word is referred to as enunciation. Proper enunciation is key to ensure that the listener
understands the intended message.

PRONUNCIATION :Pronunciation refers to the reproduction of the sound of individual

letters or a group of letters that make up a word. Making sure that the words are uttered
keeping in mind the punctuation marks is also important to ensure proper understanding of
the listener.

1.4 INTERFERENCE IN ORAL COMMUNICATION

According to Devito (2009), there are several types of noise that act as barriers and interfere
with the communication process:
(a) Physical interference – external interference, outside the control of both the speaker and
the receiver.
(b) Physiological interference–any kind of physiological challenges on the part of the sender
or receiver.
(c)Psychological interference – emotional barriers, narrow-mindedness, prejudices on the
part of the speaker or the listener.
(d) Semantic interference – language, dialectical or cultural differences of the sender and/or
the receiver.

These interferences act as distractions, disallowing the receiver from paying full attention to
the speaker. This leads to distortion of message and creates difficulties for the receiver to hear
or interpret the message correctly. Moreover, in certain cases, the speaker might lose
concentration, leading to incomplete or erroneous communication on the part of the sender.
This results in the receiver interpreting the message wrongly as opposed to what was
originally intended by the speaker.

1.5 COMMON EVERYDAY SITUATIONS: CONVERSATIONS & DIALOGUES

A dialogue may be defined as the verbal and non-verbal interactions between two people (
the meaning of the word ‘dialogue’ can be derived by breaking it into its component roots-
‘di’ or two, and ‘logos’ which implies meaning). Conversation can therefore be defined as the
persistence of many dialogues. This is what is likely to happen when two people or many
people together are talking.

Like every aspect of communicative practices, there can be both informal and formal
conversations. For the purpose of our study, we will focus on the latter kind.

There are certain aspects which are common across all kinds of formal communicative
practices.
The most obvious of these include salutation, greeting and valediction.

SALUTATION refers to the formal way of greeting people. “Good morning”, “Good
afternoon”, “Good evening”, etc. are conventionally used. “Hello” and its equivalents (“Hi”
“Holla”) are strictly avoided in most cases of formal communication. The conventional
salutation gestures are usually accompanied by the surname of the concerned individual.
E.g.: “Good Morning, Mr. Birkenhead”, “ Good evening, Mrs. Paul”, “Good morning, Mr.
Joy”, “Good afternoon, Miss Jameson”, etc.

GREETING refers to the usual ways of starting a conversation based on an enquiry about
the other person’s state of being (usually).
E.g.: “How are you?” or “how are you doing?’ or “Hope you are doing fine”.

VALEDICTION usually implies bidding goodbye. It denotes the end of the conversation.
Some common valedictory indicators are as follows:
“Goodbye. Have a nice day”. Sometimes when conversations are drawing to a close with a
resolution between two people, a common valedictory indicator could be – “Thank You. It
was nice talking to you.” to which the other person responds “It was my pleasure. Thank
You.”

Let us look at two different conversations on two different themes to delve deeper into the
nitty-gritty of formal conversations.

THEME 1

Mr. Beyer , the Deputy Manager- HR of Weston Smith & Associates is interviewing a
prospective candidate, Mr. Khanna for the post of Senior Process Associate.

Beyer: Good Morning, Mr. Khanna. How are you doing?

Khanna: Good Morning, Sir. I am fine. Thank you.

Beyer: What makes you interested in our company?

Khanna (Bending forward): Sir, The rapid progress that your company has made in the area
of retail trade has pushed me towards applying for this post. Besides the working
environment here, I have been informed, is quite professional yet amiable. Added to this is
obviously my training in the area of Sales and Marketing which I can put to good use.

B: Can you speak of any recent progress of our company in particular?

K (straightens himself in his chair): Yes Sir. The various mergers and acquisitions that the
company has engaged in over the past few years have boosted the confidence of its major
shareholders. This is a big achievement in itself. (He cites examples of a few such mergers)

B: All right. It was nice talking to you. We’ll get back to you soon. Thank you.

K: Thank you, Sir. It was my pleasure. Have a nice day.

In the above conversation, the answers given are arranged in points and follow a logical
sequence. Besides the usual formal reference (‘Sir’) is attached to every reply. This shows
that the speaker in concern is attentive to both the address and the addressor.

What is also important is the body language. In performing the gestures indicated in brackets,
the addressee also shows a considerable amount of confidence.

THEME 2
The following includes a conversation where Mr. Hartford, a senior employee at Smith &
Cushion’s is conversing with his boss, Mr. Cousins about the problems being faced by the
concerned firm.

Mr. Hartford: Good morning, Mr. Cousins.

Mr. Cousins: Good Morning, Mr. Hartford. What is the matter?

H: I beg your pardon for not informing earlier but I think I should discuss certain urgent
issues concerning the health of the firm with you.

C: Oh, yes. Of course. There are issues related to the question of non-performing assets. I
hope you are aware of that.

H: In addition to that, Sir, I think new systems need to be brought in place to identify
accounts.

C: We are doing the best we can to harness new technological tools to identify customers and
recognize transactions. However there hasn’t been any proper speculations of late that could
lead to potentially rich investments.

H: There is an imminent need for quality Analysts at our firm. I think we should embark on a
rigorous recruitment drive.

C: Yes, I too believe that it’s high time that we do that. Anyway, thank you very much for
your suggestions. I shall sit down to discuss other points in detail with you very soon.

H: Thank you Sir. I am looking forward to these meetings.

Since the above conversation is related to what we might call ‘troubleshooting’, it has a
slightly different tone. Most of the extremely formal aspects of the preceding conversation is
eschewed although the general aspects of a formal conversation does prevail.

1.6 COMMUNICATION AT WORKPLACE

The world is slowly turning into a global village where, communication, like glue binds
various segments of workforce together. Thus, the need to master effective communication is
becoming more and more important with the passage of time. In this technical milieu, the
preponderance of communication in both the academic and the professional fields has made it
essential to learn the basics of communication, the barriers encountered while
communicating, the various levels at which communication can be carried out, the flow of
communication and the use of technology for the purpose of communication.

BASICS OF COMMUNICATION

Communication can be defined as the exchange of information, ideas, and knowledge

between a sender and a receiver through an accepted code of symbols.

Communication Cycle –the first step in the communication process is the formulation of the
message by the sender (ideation). This process is called encoding. The encoded message is
then transferred through a channel or a medium. This message is then received by the
receiver who decodes the message and deciphers it. This process is known as decoding.
Finally, the receiver acts on the decoded message by giving a feedback to the sender. If the
feedback received by the sender from the receiver is in accordance with the sent message,
then the communication is considered to be successful. If not, then, there must have been a
breakdown or interference in communication.

Good communication at the workplace is crucial for the smooth working of an organization.
You would be working with people from diverse backgrounds. These people may not
necessarily have the same thought processes as you. You will need to get over these hurdles
to communicate properly with your colleagues.

Workplace communication involves the exchange of ideas in oral, written or digital form
within an organization. It is vital that this exchange of ideas works smoothly. This will ensure
that the objectives of the organization as a whole are achieved. In the workplace,
communication occurs in various forms. You have direct oral communication in the form of
verbal instructions. Then there is written communication in the form of memos or circulars.
Finally, there is digital communication in the form of emails.
But since we are focusing only oral communication, let us concentrate on that. The language
you use for communication must be simple and precise. You must always keep in mind that
all the workers in an organization are not at the same level. Everyone will not absorb
information in the same way. Thus, whenever you are communicating you should be able to
disseminate information as precisely as possible.

When you supply information, you need to decide how much to supply and how much to
hold back. This has nothing to do with confidentiality. If you give very detailed information
to someone who will not be able to grasp it, you will be engaging in inefficient
communication. On the other hand, if you provide very little detail to someone who needs it
to do their work, you are committing the same mistake. Additionally, overuse of jargon also
constitutes ineffective communication.

Communication is a two way process. Thus, while it is important for the sender of the
message to possess good communication skills, it is also important for the receiver to possess
the same. If the person sending the message – verbally, digitally or in writing – sends a well
framed and coherent message, but the receiver is unable to decode this message that will also
prevent effective communication.

The most important form of communication in the workplace is the grapevine. This includes
all the informal communication that takes place between various members of the
organization. For example, when colleagues from different departments of the organization
meet in the cafeteria at lunch time and share information (gossip), it falls under the category
of grapevine communication. Why, you may ask, is gossiping the most important form of
communication in the workplace? The reason is informal sharing of information, gossip in
this case, helps to bring a number of employees together. However, it must be noted that
malicious gossip aimed at hurting others is never good. But, when it is healthy and done in
controlled amounts, it is perfectly fine.

Grapevine communication doesn’t only include gossip. It is every bit of informal information
shared in an organization. Perhaps your boss asks you to help him out with something
personal; or a colleague asks for your advice on something. Things like these will help build
morale and create a tighter knit workforce. The reason being, the grapevine has no specific
direction. It flows in all directions – from top to bottom and from side to side, i.e. through
administrative ranks as well as across departments. Anything that happens somewhere may
be disseminated to the entire organization in no time through the grapevine. The intricate
connections of the grapevine mean that formal information also travels through it at times.
This means that the supervisor may just inform one worker about a certain task. This worker,
who is part of the grapevine, will then disseminate the information provided to him to every
other person who needs to know about the task through the grapevine. Thus, no formal
communication from the supervisor will be necessary.
1.7 INTERVIEWS

Interviews can be really tricky things. A number of factors contribute towards a good
performance in an interview.

1. Good non-verbal communication

This includes how you look, stand, move and use gestures. Developing good posture is
extremely important. A straight back and wide shoulders are indicative of self-confidence.
Make eye contact and make sure your handshake is firm. At the same time, being properly
dressed is very important. All of these non-verbal cues will be picked up by the interviewer
and could determine exactly what he or she will think of you.

2. Listen carefully

The interviewer will constantly provide you with information. There will be a number of cues
which you can pick up. Listen attentively to everything the interviewer says. It is always
good to make your interviewer feel that you have heard what he or she had to say. Base your
answers on what you think the interviewer wants to hear. Do not ramble in your answers or
give information the interviewer has not asked for.

3. Do not ramble

Do not ramble in your answers or give information the interviewer has not asked for. Take
your time and understand the question properly. Do not hesitate to ask for an explanation.
Make sure that when you answer a question your answer is exactly what the interviewer
wants to hear. That doesn’t mean you should not be yourself and just flatter the interviewer.
What that means is, your answer should not be filled with information that the interviewer
doesn’t necessarily want.

4. Be professional

Do not be too familiar with the interviewer. It is a professional meeting. You do not need to
befriend the interviewer. Talk business as much as possible. Wait for a cue from the
interviewer before becoming informal and friendly.

5. Don’t be cocky nor desperate

While going into the room with swagger makes for a great appearance, it need not necessarily
impress the interviewer. If you give off an air of being too good, the interviewer may not
have any time for you. He or she may simply get irritated with your behaviour and even if
you perform well you may not be selected. The same goes for appearing desperate. You are
capable and qualified. That is why you have been called for the interview. It is you who will
be providing the service. Not the company. So do not go in there feeling and looking as if you
might die if the interview isn’t successful.

6. Ask questions

As mentioned in the above point, you will be providing the service. You have every right to
ask questions about it. You may enquire about the kind of work you will be required to do.
What perks do you get? What benefits do you get? What are the working hours like? And
most importantly, how much money will you get? There is no shame in asking this question.
Ultimately everyone is working towards being financially successful and independent.

Some frequently asked interview questions are listed below. The most important of them
have been answered.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO BE PREPARED FOR

The very basic goal of answering interview questions is to make the recruiters believe that
you are as close to perfect for the company as possible. Hence, you have to try your best to
not talk about your negatives. If you must, you have to be able to show your negatives in a
positive light – but we’ll talk about that later. Most importantly, treat the HR interview as a
chess game. Try and guide the interviewer towards subjects that you are most comfortable
talking about.
1. Why should we hire you?

This question can come in many different forms. The answer to this question will have to
show that you fit into the company. You can start with something as simple as “My
achievements match your requirements.” This will lead you to a follow-up question: What
are your achievements that you think matches with our requirements? Be careful how you
answer this one. Remember, they are waiting to pounce. To keep it simple, tie your
accomplishments in sports to leadership; in academics to project management; your
extracurricular activities to team work.
2. What are some of your weaknesses?

This question is designed to test your honesty and ability to assess yourself. Here, it is very
important to find a middle ground. Mention some of your character traits that you think are
weaknesses as honestly as possible. You are human. You are allowed to not be perfect.
However, do not say anything that would tell the recruiters that you may be detrimental to the
work process.
3. Which do you value most – goals or rules?

Here you have to address the debate of whether it is fair to say that the end justifies the
means, or the win at all costs mentality.This is very much a personal evaluation question.
You can answer honestly based on your own personality, or, if you can be a little clever,
answer exactly what the recruiter wants to hear. Depending on what kind of company they
represent, different recruiters want to hear different things. Expecting you to give a definitive
response to this question is a kind of test to check how well you think on your feet. Consider
these sorts of answers: “I’ve learned to score goals while playing by the rules”; “Are there
goals that can be scored when one doesn’t play by the rules?”; or “Would you consider a goal
scored if we don’t play by the rules?”Sports metaphors are always good with corporate
honchos. It also never hurts to bring in some humour in answers to serious questions.
4. Do you have any questions for us?

This is usually the last question in an interview. Thus, you get the chance to end the interview
on your terms. Try your best to always have some questions. Be honest. Be frank. Of course
you have questions about the company that is going to decide your career. Good preparation
is essential for this question. You must be aware of whether the company is in a “growth
phase” or a “downward slope” or “mature” in the market. Depending on this, frame your
questions.
You may ask, “What are my targets for the first year?” Or, “What do you expect me to
achieve within my first year as a new hire?”
“What other expectations do you have from me? Would I have to move to a different city?
Etc.” Ask these questions if these issues haven’t been discussed in the interview already. If
you do not understand exactly what your job description is, ask them to explain it to you in
detail: “What exactly are the things that I would have to do in my workspace? Could you
please elaborate?”
In fact, also ask about your work hours and other facilities like pool cars, night transport and
any kind of insurance the company is willing to provide.

OTHER QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT FACE

1. Tell us something about yourself.
2. What do your friends think about you?
3. Use 3 adjectives to define yourself.
4. Why do you wish to join this company?
5. What makes you different from the hundreds of others also applying for this job?
6. How would you motivate a team – shout at them and give them extra work or give
them time off and ask them to come back the next day with a refreshed mind?
Explain.
7. Do you see yourself as a leader or a team player?
8. Would you be comfortable switching between roles?
9. Describe a time when you were given a problem very little instruction. Describe how
you approached the problem and how you came to the final solution.
10. What is the difference between hard work and smart work?
11. Assuming that you are selected, what will be your strategy for next 60 days?
12. Why do you consider yourself a suitable candidate for this position?
13. If you were hiring for this position, what qualities would you look for in a potential
candidate?
14. What motivates you to work hard?
15. What do you like to do unwind after a hard day’s work?
16. How would you react if it was found that you made a silly mistake in a report?
17. What is your idea of an ideal company?
18. Tell us what you know about our company.
19. Are you planning to go for further studies?
20. What is more important to you money or success?
21. What are your greatest strengths?
22. How would you be an asset to our organization?
23. Where do you see yourself in five years?
24. What was the toughest decision you have ever had to make?
25. If there is anything that you would want to change about your life, what is it and
why?
26. What was the highest point of your college life?
27. Why did you choose to pursue your specific stream/discipline?
28. What excites you most about being an engineer?
29. Would you say that your parents would be proud if you got this job? Or how would
your parents react if you got this job?
30. Tell us some of the things you’re passionate about.
31. You must have something that you have always wanted to do but could never make
time for it. What is it and why are you so passionate about it?
32. What do you expect to achieve in this job/career?
33. Would you describe yourself as a career-oriented person or a family-oriented person?
34. Would you be willing to work long hours frequently?
35. Talk about a stressful situation that you endured when you were younger.
1.8 FORMAL PRESENTATIONS

In various stages of your professional life, you will be required to present before an audience.
Much like interviews, these skills can’t be learnt simply by reading. You need a fair bit of
practical experience to hone these skills. We shall go through the most significant ones here
regardless.

Having good presentation skills is crucial to being noticed in the corporate world. Indeed,
with good presentation skills you will be able to move up the corporate ladder quicker. There
are certain specific things you can do to perfect your presentation skills.

1. PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE!

No matter what situation you are in, your preparation must be complete before you make
your presentation. Research your topic thoroughly so that you know it inside out. Make sure
all your bases are covered. Know the audience you are targeting and what they are expecting
to hear and see.

If there is a limited amount of time, prepare your presentation accordingly. Going over your
allotted time can make a bad impression. Moreover, stick to your topic. Do not digress into
other things that you do not need to talk about.

Set it up like a story. It should have a clear beginning, middle and an end. Just like in an
essay, you give a brief summary of your presentation in its introduction, elaborate on the
summary in the middle and conclude with a bit of recapitulation.

Most importantly, put in the time and practice. Get your friends or colleagues to be your
practice audience. Ask them to point out your mistakes. If you do not want to practice in
public, force yourself to do so. This will help when facing a critical audience for the first
time. If you do not feel comfortable at all, practice by yourself. Speak into a mirror or the
front camera of your phone.

2. GET THE POWERPOINT RIGHT

Your slides should not be the centre of your presentation. They are just guides for the
audience to follow. They should only act as aids for your presentation. You need to be
properly prepared with enough practice and planning so that you do not need to rely on your
slides much. Simply reading directly from the slides will not impress anybody.

Do not put all the information you have researched on the slides. Only relevant and striking
information should be there. If you put in everything, the audience will simply read the slides
and not listen to you at all. Make sure that you are the one the audience is focusing on. Use
bullet points as much as possible to make your slides look neat. Do not use clashing colours
of fonts and backgrounds. They should clearly contrast each other. Use infographics to
compliment your information. These would include graphs, charts, diagrams and other
representative images.

3. ACTUALLY PRESENTING

 Be present. Do not zone out and drone on. Actually engage with the room.
 As soon as you get in position, start with a warm greeting. Let the audience know that
this actually means something to you. You are passionate about what you are about to
do.
 Do not rush. Take your time and speak at your normal speed. You are here to make
the presentation, not just get to the end of it.
 Maintaining eye contact is another big issue. For most of us, it is a difficult thing to
do. Sweep across the room. Do not focus on one side and definitely not on one
person. If it becomes difficult to look directly into people’s eyes then try looking at a
spot on the back wall just above the audience’s heads.
 Most importantly, stay calm and enjoy yourself.
 At the end of the presentation, recap all your main points to refresh the memory of
your audience. After your conclusion, invite questions.
 Now, this can be very tricky. Inviting questions would mean opening it up to the
room. These questions can come from anywhere and from anyone. If you do not know
the answer to a question, apologise and accept it. Do not “Ummm…” or “Errr…”
Quickly move on to the next question.
 If you can get through this, you job is done.