Verbal communication includes both oral and written communication using spoken or written words. Oral communication can take place face-to-face or over the phone, and may be informal or formal such as in a meeting, presentation, or speech. Effective oral communication requires knowing your objective, audience, subject matter, voice, and length of message. It allows for immediate feedback but lacks legal validity and accountability. Speaking skills are important for conveying information clearly and engaging an audience.

1. Unit 2
Verbal
Communication

2. Verbal Communication
Verbal Communication uses language to
communicate messages. Language uses
spoken and written words; therefore verbal
communication includes oral and written
communication.

3. Oral communication
• Oral communication is communication by
means of the spoken word. It can take place as
a face-to face meeting or over the telephone.
It could be a personal and informal
communication or a formal interview,
business meeting, a conference or a speech
before an audience.

4. Principles of effective oral communication
• Know your objective:
You must know what you want your message to do you may
need to inform, to entertain, to convince, to express an opinion
or to explain.
• Know your audience:
Consider carefully the nature of your audience – their age,
level of understanding, their occupations and their level of
interest in your message.
• Know your subject:
Prepare your message thoroughly. See that you know your
main ideas and key points. You must also know your facts and
figures.

5. • Know (how to use) your voice:
Attention must be paid to volume, pitch, speed of speaking and
correct pronunciation of words. Voice must be clear, pleasing;
and varied in volume, pitch and speed, to be interesting.
• Know when to stop:
The length of the oral message has a lot to do with its success.
The message must aim for just the right length, neither too
short nor too long. All points must be covered and yet there
should be no repetitions or unnecessary elaboration.

6. Advantages of oral communication
1. It is direct and time-saving. The listener understands the words
as soon as they are spoken.
2. It saves money. It is economical as it does not require costly
equipment or stationery.
3. It conveys the exact meaning of words. A great advantage of oral
communication is its use of nonverbal elements like body
language and paralanguage. Body language includes facial
expressions and posture. Paralanguage includes features like
voice volume, pitch and speed of speaking; it also includes the
sounds we make while speaking, like sighing or clearing the
throat. These non-verbal elements allow the speaker to express
his/her meaning more accurately.

7. 4. It provides immediate feedback from the
receiver. The sender gets the receiver‘s response
immediately, even on the telephone. This also
explains why oral communication is so effective in
teaching and coaching.
5. It is more persuasive in nature. Oral
communication is more useful when arguments
and reasons have to be given to convince
someone, as in sales and marketing, or in a court
of law.

8. 6. On-the-spot additions and corrections are
possible. The speaker has the scope to change,
improve and add to her/his message as s/he is
speaking.
7. Confidential messages can be communicated.
When subjects of a delicate and confidential
nature cannot be written, one can take recourse
to oral communication.
8. It is informal and friendlier. It can build friendly
relations with people and develop social contacts.

9. Disadvantages of oral communication
1. It lacks legal validity. Oral messages have no
legal proof.
2. It lacks accountability. In oral messages, we
cannot fix responsibility. The speaker can deny
that he said something.
3. Possibility of misunderstanding. This happens
when the listener is not attentive to the
message.

10. 4. Problem of retention. People do not
remember oral messages for a long time. Or
they may retain only a part of the message.
5. Not always effective. Oral communication is
not effective when the distances are great or
when the message is very lengthy.
6. The need for good speaking skills. Oral
communication cannot be effective, if the
speaker does not have the necessary skills

11. Essentials of effective oral communication
1. Think before you speak
2. Speak with confidence
3. Be clear and concise
4. Be aware of your non-verbal communication cues
5. Be a good listener
6. Think about the perspective of your audience
7. Vary your vocal tone

12. Types of Oral Communication
• Face to Face communication
• Using of Mechanical devices for oral
communication

13. Face to Face Communication
A. Presentations
B. Meetings
C. Group Discussions
D. Interviews

14. Using of Mechanical devices
A. Telephone
B. Radiophones
C. Computer

15. Speaking skills
Speaking is an act of making vocal sounds. We can say that
speaking means to converse, or expressing one's thoughts and
feelings in spoken language. To speak often implies conveying
information. It may be from an informal remark to a scholarly
presentation to a formal address.

16. Speaking skills are the skills that give us the ability to
communicate effectively.
These skills allow the speaker, to convey his message in a
passionate, thoughtful, and convincing manner.
Speaking skills also help to assure that one won't be
misunderstood by those who are listening.

17. Speaking is the productive skill in the oral mode. It, like the other skills,
is more complicated than it seems at first and involves more than just
pronouncing words.
There are three kinds of speaking situations in which we find ourselves:
1. Interactive
2. Partially interactive
3. Non-interactive.

18.  Interactive speaking :-
Interactive speaking situations include face-to-face conversations and
telephone calls, in which we are alternately listening and speaking, and in
which we have a chance to ask for clarification, repetition, or slower speech
from our conversation partner.
 Partially interactive:-
Some speaking situations are partially interactive, such as when giving a
speech to a live audience, where the convention is that the audience does
not interrupt the speech. The speaker nevertheless can see the audience
and judge from the expressions on their faces and body language whether
or not he or she is being understood.

19.  Non-interactive
Few speaking situations may be totally non-interactive, such
as when recording a speech for a radio broadcast.

20. Pre-requisites of Speaking Skills
Be an active listener
Be a quick organizer of thoughts
Structure your speech in your mind
a. Opening
b. Body
c. Conclusion

21. Some Speaking Skills
1. Be prepared and practice
2. Know your audience
3. Pay attention to the old KISS principle that is Keep It
Short and Simple
4. Interact with your audience
5. Speak with sincerity and passion
6. Close your speech in a memorable way
7. Fluency

22. Speaking skills required in meeting
1. Talk to the entire group
When speaking in groups moves your eyes around and
talk to anyone who's listening to what you have to say.
"When responding to a question, address the entire
group, not just the person who asked the question.”
2. Reach out and encourage feedback
Actively encourage comment and feedback based on
what you have to contribute.

23. 3. Mirror the tenor of the meeting
Another business meeting basic is establishing a comfortable
atmosphere where everyone feels at ease. One effective way
to achieve that is to establish a consistency in
communication. If, for instance, most participants are keeping
their remarks short, do the same. If their tone is low and
reserved, follow their lead.
4. Don’t be a time hog
Be thorough, but don't take much time to get your message
across that you lose others' attention.