Q.N.6. What
is oral communication?
Ans: Oral communication means communication
through words spoken i.e. by speech. In oral Communication, Both the
parties to the process, i.e. sender and receiver, exchange their ideas through
oral words either in face to face communication or through any mechanical or
electrical device, such as telephone etc. in this system person can exchange
their feelings fully and clarification regarding any doubt or ambiguity may be
sought. Oral communication is preferred by rank and file employees as well as
supervisors and managers, as they enjoy the opportunity to ask questions and to
participate.
Advantage:
I.
Economical: Oral communication is relatively less expensive. It saves the
money spent on stationary in an organization.
II.
Time sever: Oral communication is fast. It saves the time involved in
writing the message.
III.
Flexible: Oral communication is very flexible in sense it provides an
opportunity to the speaker to correct himself and make himself clear by
changing his voice, pitch, tone etc.
IV.
Quick response: Oral communication is also helpful in getting quicker
response from the receiver. The speaker gets immediate response from the
receiver. It thus provides immediate feedback to both sender and receiver.
V.
Personal touch: Oral communication is personal in nature. It is this nature
that brings superiors and subordinates closer. It is also an effective tool of
persuasion.
VI.
Maintains
secrecy: Oral communication has an added advantage of
maintaining secrecy. Oral messages can be more easily kept confidential than
written messages.
VII.
Group
communication: Oral communication is an effective tool for
communicating with the groups at large. Group reactions can also be interpreted
immediately to arrive at reasonable conclusions.
Disadvantages/Limitation:
I.
Time Consuming: Oral communication may not be time saver always. Many a times
it is seen that meetings continue for a long time without arriving at any
satisfactory conclusion.
II.
Poor retention: Oral communication is more likely to be forgotten. The
listener cannot always retain oral messages in his memory for long. Sometimes
even the speaker may not remember what he actually said.
III.
Not suitable for
lengthy messages: Very often oral communication gets distorted.
This is more so in case of lengthy messages when communicated through various
level of hierarchy.
IV.
No Record: No permanent record is kept in case of oral communication. In
the absence of record, oral messages have no legal validity.
V.
Misunderstood: In oral communication, much depends upon the tone, pitch,
voice etc. the speaker, due to his poor vocal expression, may not be able to
make himself clear and the listener may also be in attentive. Thus the message
may be misunderstood.
VI.
Not precise: Oral communication is not precise and to the point. People
are more precise when they write rather when they speak. Very often, the exact
message to be conveyed is lost in a mass of words.
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