CHAPTER 5 - MEDIA OF COMMUNICATION

5.1 ORAL COMMUNICATION

Oral communication is the communication where the
message or information exchanges by spoken words. It can
be done by both face to face and also through mechanical
devices. And definitely both will take place an important
position in the organization.
5.1.1 Advantages of Oral Communication
1. Speed: Once you make contact with your audience, there
is no time lag between the transmission and reception of
massage.
 Cont’d
2. Speaker is able to get personal attention of the
listener: You might spend hours drafting a
memorandum, letter or report only to have recipient
scan if superficially or not read it at all. In a personal
contact, however, you have much more command
over the receiver’s attention.
3. It saves time: Where action is required to be taken
immediately, it is advisable to communicate orally
5.1.2 Limitations of Oral Communication
Although it has many advantages, oral
communication is not always the best approach. It
suffers from the following disadvantages:
1.No evidence: There is no documentary proof
of oral communication and as such the
impact of oral communication is purely
temporary.
2.The lengthy messages are not suitable for
such type of communication, because of poor
retention power of human being.
.3. Expensive and time consuming when the communicator and
receiver are far removed from each other or when the people
who need to communicate are separated by longer distance,
personal contact is expensive and time consuming. Even a cross-
town trip for a half-hour meeting can take most of the morning
or afternoon, depending upon traffic or weather.
Not appropriate when the matter is controversial
5.2 NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
 Verbal communication refers to the communication which occurs
with the help of words. A verbal contact, therefore, suggests an oral
contact and a verbal evidence denotes oral evidence. Non-verbal
communication refers to the type of communication that does not use
words.
 Non-verbal communication is closely associated with the power of
observation. The receiver of the communication should be in a
position to see, hear and even feel the communicator.. Since it is
through observation, non-verbal communication may be both
intended and unintended..
 It is intended when the communicator tries to convey certain
messages to the target group through conscious gesture, postures and
other forms of body language.
 Non-verbal communication is unintended when the body language,
posture or appearance of the communicator is interpreted by the
receiver, even though it is not done consciously
Importance of Non-verbal Communication
1.For conveying ideas related to geography, maps,
charts, graphs etc. At a glance, the receiver can
understand the matter, because non-verbal methods
can present a large amount of data in a compact
form.
2.For traffic signs and signals, non-verbal
communication is absolutely essential because
there must be instant response from the drivers or
pedestrians.
3. Every human being normally
respond quickly to colors,
pictures or sounds than to any
language.
4. The only method to convey
illiterate people through non-
verbal symbols.
Body Language
 Body language means the changes that occur in
the body position and movements that shows what
the person is feeling or thinking. Much of it is
involuntary and unconscious most persons are not
aware of their body language.
 But it makes powerful impact on others
Body language can be divided into conscious and
unconscious: Unconscious movements are of
biological origin, acquired habit and cultural customs
are as follows:
1. Biological: Certain body shapes, skin color
and features cause persons to have some
kinds of gestures, expressions and postures.
2. Habitual: Some movements and
expressions are learnt as habit in the
process of adapting oneself to the
environment. They also arise from one’s
occupation which requires constant posture
or movement of certain kinds
2.Conscious movements, postures and voice modulations are
deliberately used. Actors are specially trained for this, skilled
communicators, especially good presenters also make
conscious use of body language.
APPEARANCE
 A person’s general appearance depends on several things.
Two of the important factors that contribute to appearance
are grooming and personal hygiene. Care of skin, nails, feet
and hair are expected standards.
 A person who neglects these aspects makes an unpleasant
impression
FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
It is said that the face is the index of the mind. The thoughts
of the mind and the feeling of the heart often find expression
on the face.
SMILE
 A smile is a very potent form of facial expression.
 It opens the door to communication. A natural, pleasant smile
carries great significance in establishing and sustaining human
relationships.
 The significance of smile is beautifully brought out in the saying,
“You are never fully dressed unless you wear a smile.”
 EYE CONTACT
 Eye movements is a key part of facial behavior, directing
other’s attention or showing surprise or happiness and
other emotional displays.
 Eye contact between speaker and listener is necessary for
indicating that both are interested in the communication.
 While making an oral presentation it is important to create
rapport with the audience with eye contact
Paragraph Language
 The non-verbal aspects of the spoken words are known as
paragraph language. It includes the qualities of the voice,
the way we use our voice, as well as the sounds we make
without uttering of the words.
 It is possible to control and use paragraph language
effectively, becoming aware of it and playing attention to
one’s voice and speech. The following are eg of
paragraph language
VOICE
Voice has characteristics like
• Tone is the quality of the voice.
• Volume is the loudness or softness, which can be consciously
adjusted to the number of the persons in the audience and the distance
between the speaker and the listener
SPEED
 Speed is factor of speech. Rapid speech indicates excitement.
 We increase speed of speaking to tell an interesting story and reduce
speed to explain a difficult idea.
PRONUNCIATION
 Pronunciation means the accepted standard of the way in which a
word is said.
 Correct and clear pronunciation is important and indicates that the
speaker is careful and has consideration for the audience.
ACCENT
 Accent is the way a person pronounces the sound of the language.
Every language has its own accent or way of forming the sounds, we
carry out mother tongue accent to other language.
 Good accent in a new language is learnt by listening to native speakers
of the language
STRESS
 Stress on a particular word in a sentence can change the
meaning and implication.
 Try reading the sentence, ‘what you did in last meeting?’
by stressing a different word each time and note the
difference in the implies meaning.
 Sometimes when the speaker hesitates to speak certain
word then they stress the word like Mmmmmm! Ouch!
Huh! etc.
SILENCE
 Silence can be very effective way of communication.
 Silence is a difficult method of communication to use as
it takes a good deal of self-control and self-confidence
to be able to hold one’s tongue.
Non-verbal Aspect of Written
Communication
Color
Pictures
Diagrams
Graphs and Charts
Maps
Flow Charts
Signs and Signals
5.3 WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
 Written communication is best suited when the
communicator and the receiver are beyond oral
communication medium.
 The executives in all organizations can maintain effective
inter departmental and intra departmental connection
through messages by written words.
 The process of communication involves sending message
by written words.
 Written communication covers all kinds of subject matter
like notices, memorandums, reports, financial statements,
business letters etc.
PURPOSE OF WRITING
 The systematic filing of written communication is one of the
important aspects of communication.
 Filing along with indexing is necessary because of the poor
retention power of human being.
 The purpose of preserving written messages is to provide necessary
information readily and without any delay and when it is needed.
PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE WRITING
1. Unity: Unity of writing implies a condition of being one.
The principle of unity applies on three levels. First, the
individual sentences must be unified. Second, the
individual paragraph must be unified. Third, the totality of
the message must be unified.
2. Coherence: To achieve clarity in a written communication
the principle of coherence should be there. Relation and
clarity are two important aspects of coherence..
3. Avoid jargon: As far as possible, the writer should avoid jargon. Jargon is a language
which is special to science, commerce, technology, trade or profession. In private
language with persons in the field, jargon may be incorporated. In other cases, jargon can
be used, but the only thing is that the words used must be clear to others as well.
4. Accuracy: The subject matter must be correct and accurate. The manner in which the
message is transmitted must be correct. Accuracy in writing can be achieved by careful
checking and editing.
5. Brevity: A writing should be shorter by using few words for many. Brevity not only
saves the time but also gives grace to the writing. Business communication must be brief
and direct.
6. 7 Cs of communication: Please refer to previous chapter.
Written Communication Merits
• Accurate
• Precise
• Permanent record
• Legal document
• Can reach a large number of people
simultaneously
• Helps to fix responsibility
Limitations
• Time consuming
• Expensive not in terms of postage but of the time
of so many people
• Quick clarification not possible.