Imagine what would happen without a language. It would be chaotic, frightening, and unexplainable. I have been wondering about it a couple of times before, so when we had the chance to dig deeper into the process of oral communication in one of our subjects having the same title code, I was so interested that it became one of my favorites.
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Introduction
Remembering the things we did, there are a lot of public speaking activities. I expected it, though. However, the feeling was different when we did it. I remember I was trembling one time before because of the on-the-spot impromptu speaking. The question was so out of the box, and I had a hard time thinking of a good answer back then.
What I love more about this subject is the other activities, such as speech choir, where all the sections in our grade level, regardless of the strand, performed a single piece. Every section did its best and performed well. At the culminating activity, we were hailed as the first runner-up. Of course, we jumped because of joy. Everything was all worth it, and just thinking of it makes me smile already.
Important Terms and Their Meanings
What is oral communication?
Oral communication is considered an act wherein we convey information, thoughts, and emotions through spoken words.
To explain its function and process, it is crucial to know first that it is the foundation of human interaction that allows us to connect with one another. By means of this, we can express ourselves and understand one another.
Be it casual conversation with someone close to us, like family and friends, or a formal presentation in a professional setting, oral communication plays a crucial role in our daily lives. Hence, it is of great necessity to sharpen our speaking skills and learn how to convey our thoughts and connect with others verbally and effectively.
What about communication?
Communication is a two-way process where participants convey and exchange information, ideas, and feelings. It is said to be two-way because it involves at least two individuals to communicate.
Essential Elements of Oral Communication
To better understand the process, here are the essential elements and how each of these things becomes so important in having communication.
Participants
It includes the sender and receiver. The sender is the one who delivers the message. On the other hand, the receiver is the one to whom the message was conveyed.
Message
It encompasses the information, ideas, and feelings being communicated by the speaker or sender.
Encoding
it means the act of converting the message in a way the receiver understands, such as through words or actions.
Decoding
This is the counterpart of encoding. It simply means the act of interpreting the message that was encoded.
Channel
To deliver the message, there should be a means or medium, and that's actually the channel. Through it, the message is transmitted.
Feedback
After sending the message and decoding the information, the receiver may make a reply or response. If the receiver does, then it means that he or she gave feedback.
Context
It means the setting where the communication takes place.
Barriers
These are the interferences that affect the flow of communication.
This is just normal in having communication. Most of the time, we cannot control it. It seems a simple term, but it comes in different types as well.
What are the types of barriers?
Physical noise
It is what we hear from our surroundings. A few good examples are the dogs' bark, noise pollution coming from loud engines, the sound of construction tools currently being used in a nearby construction site, and the like.
Psychological noise
This one is more on internal distractions or mental barriers. They originate from the mind. One example is when preparing for a report. You get nervous then your mind becomes pre-occupied.
Physiological noise
It arises from what we feel. An example is feeling ill because you didn't take breakfast. Thus, your stomach hurts and growls.
Semantic noise
Among these barriers, this one arises from having a misunderstanding due to varied interpretations of a thing or words. For example, a certain word in one place means good. But beware because in other places, that same word may mean different.
Conclusion
Before you go, here is a simple activity to test whether you have learned something.