November 8 2025

What Is Oral and Non-Verbal Communication with Effective Listening?

LU Notes Admin BUSINESS COMMUNICATION BBA Notes, Body Language, Business Communication, Effective Listening, Facial Expressions, Kinesics, Listening Skills, lucknow university, MBA notes, Non-Verbal Communication, Oral Communication, Proxemics, Public Speaking 0

What is Oral Communication?

Oral communication is the process of verbally transmitting information and ideas from one person or group to another. It’s a two-way street that involves both a speaker and a listener.

Formal Oral Communication: This is planned and structured.
- Examples: Presentations at business meetings, classroom lectures, or a formal speech.
Informal Oral Communication: This is casual and conversational.
- Examples: Face-to-face conversations, telephone calls, or informal discussions at meetings.

Today, technology has created new forms of oral communication, like video conferences, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) (e.g., Skype), and podcasts.

✅ Merits (Advantages) of Oral Communication

Saves Time and Money: It’s economical. There is no cost for paper or printing, and the message is sent and received instantly, saving time.
Immediate Feedback: The speaker can see the listener’s reaction (their mood and response) right away.
Saves Paperwork: It’s the most efficient way to communicate without creating a paper trail.
Effective for Persuasion: It’s easier to persuade someone and clear up their doubts in a live conversation.
Builds a Healthy Climate: It’s less formal and more friendly, which helps build good relationships.
Best for Emergencies: When an immediate response is critical, oral communication is the fastest method.

❌ Demerits (Disadvantages) of Oral Communication

Greater Chance of Misunderstanding: Unless it’s recorded, you can’t refer back to it. A message can be easily misunderstood or misinterpreted.
Depends on a “Good Speaker”: A bad speaker (who has a bad tone or disharmonious body language) can send the wrong message.
Ineffective for Lengthy Communication: It’s hard for people to remember long, detailed messages given orally.
Low Retention Rate: People tend to forget oral messages quickly. The listener’s attention span may vary.
No Legal Validity: It has little legal value because there is no permanent record or proof of what was said.
Difficult to Fix Responsibility: Since it’s not in writing, people can easily deny that they said or heard something.

Principles of Effective Oral Communication

To be a good oral communicator, you must be clear, concise, and engaging.

Well-Planned: Prepare what you’re going to say. Know your audience, your topic, and your timing.
Clarity and Precision: Use simple, common, and familiar words. Pronounce them clearly and correctly.
Brevity (Conciseness): Be brief. A long, rambling speech will lose the listener’s attention.
Natural Voice and Right Tone: Be courteous and use a natural voice. Too much emotion can distract from the main subject.
Logical Sequence: Organize your ideas so they flow in a logical order.
Attractive Presentation: Make your speech interesting. Emphasis on important points helps draw audience attention.
Control Gesticulation: Be aware of your habits (like tapping a pen or fidgeting). Too many unconscious gestures can be distracting.

What is Effective Listening?

Speaking is only half of communication. Effective listening is the key to good relationships and real understanding. It is a skill that saves jobs, marriages, and teams from breaking down.

7 Steps to Effective Listening

Look the Speaker in the Eyes: This shows you are attentive and that you care about what they are saying. Put your phone away.
Avoid Interrupting: Let the speaker finish their point. Wait for a natural pause to ask for clarity. Interrupting can make the speaker lose their train of thought.
Be Prepared to Listen: Relax your mind and body. Sit up straight and turn toward the speaker. This physical engagement sends a message to your brain to focus.
Keep Your Mind from Wandering: An untrained mind is easily distracted. If you find yourself thinking about what you need to do later, you are not focused.
Be Open-Minded (The 3 J’s):
- No Judging: Don’t be critical of the person.
- No Justifying: Don’t just listen to find a way to justify your own beliefs.
- No Jumping In: Be patient. Don’t finish their sentences or blurt out solutions before they’re done.
Practice Mirroring: A good listener mirrors the speaker’s energy. If they smile, you smile. If they are serious, you show a serious, engaged expression.
Give Positive Non-Verbal Feedback: Your face is a clear indicator of your mood. Use nods and smiles to show you are engaged. Avoid rolling your eyes, slumping, or fidgeting.

8 Guidelines for Good Listening

Preparation: Stop talking and remove all physical distractions (like a noisy fan).
Listen to Understand, Not to Refute: Even if you disagree, your first goal is to fully understand their message.
Focus Your Attention: Actively follow where the speaker is going with their speech.
Concentrate on Context: Keep the background and theme of the speech in mind.
Take Notes: Jot down key ideas and themes, not full sentences.
Curb the Impulse to Interrupt: Let the speaker finish their thoughts.
Ask Questions: Asking a clarifying question at the right time is different from interrupting and shows you are engaged.
Summarize & Evaluate: Do this after the speaker is finished, not while they are still talking.

What is Non-Verbal Communication?

Non-verbal communication is the process of sending and receiving messages through means other than spoken or written words. You can refuse to speak, but it’s impossible to avoid behaving non-verbally.

These messages come from your gestures, posture, facial expressions, and even your personal appearance.

14 Types of Non-Verbal Communication

Non-verbal cues can be grouped into several categories:

Kinesics (Body Movements)

Facial Expressions: The face is the “index of the mind.” It can express joy, sorrow, anger, confusion, and interest. A smile is a powerful cue that transmits happiness, warmth, and friendliness.
Eye Contact: This is an important channel that regulates the flow of conversation. It signals interest in the other person and increases a speaker’s credibility.
Gestures: These are movements of the arms, hands, and head. A wave means “hello,” and a head nod communicates positive reinforcement and shows you are listening.
Posture and Body Orientation: How you walk, stand, and sit. Standing erect (but not rigid) and leaning slightly forward communicates that you are approachable and receptive. Speaking with your back turned shows disinterest.
Body Language: This includes both conscious and unconscious movements. A person leaning forward shows (conscious) interest. A person biting their nails may show (unconscious) nervousness.

Proxemics (Space and Distance)

Space and Distance: This is a significant tool in organizations. A large, spacious, and well-decorated office sends a message about a person’s importance and authority.
Proximity: This is the physical distance between people in an interaction. Cultural norms are very important here. Invading someone’s “personal space” can make them uncomfortable (signaled by rocking, tapping, or avoiding eye contact).

Paralanguage (Vocal Cues)

Para-linguistics: This is not what you say, but how you say it. It includes all the vocal elements that are not words:
- Tone
- Pitch
- Rhythm
- Loudness
- Inflection A major criticism of poor speakers is a monotone (unchanging) voice, which listeners perceive as boring and dull.

Other Key Types

Humor: Laughter is a non-verbal tool that releases stress and tension. It fosters a friendly environment that helps people learn.
Touch (Haptics): A widely used tool to express emotions. The meaning of touch (like a handshake vs. a pat on the back) varies greatly depending on gender, age, status, and culture.
Silence: This can be a powerful communication tool.
- Positive: Can indicate that students are listening attentively.
- Negative: Can communicate a lack of interest, confusion, or disagreement.
Personal Appearance: This includes your dress, hair, jewelry, and makeup. It indicates the importance you give to an occasion. A uniform, for example, instantly identifies a student, doctor, or police officer.
Symbols: A symbol is something that represents an idea. A red octagon symbolizes “STOP.” A red rose symbolizes “love.”
Visual Communication: This is communication through visual aids. It includes all symbols, as well as charts, graphs, maps, posters, and diagrams.

10 Reasons Why Non-Verbal Communication is Important

Expresses True Attitude: Non-verbal cues (like facial expressions) often show the inner meaning and true attitude of the speaker, even if their words say something else.
Shows Listener’s Attitude: The listener’s non-verbal cues (nodding, smiling, or looking away) show their feelings about the message.
Conveys Status: It helps people understand the status of a person in an organization (e.g., room size, location, and furnishings).
Identifies People: Appearance and uniforms help us gain knowledge about a person’s class, occupation, or nationality.
Communicates to All People: It is the only way to communicate a common message to everyone, regardless of language (e.g., traffic lights).
Helps with Handicapped People: It is essential for communicating with people who are deaf (sign language).
Conveys Messages to Illiterate People: Pictures, colors, and graphs are used when written communication is not possible.
Quick Expression: A sign or symbol can communicate a message (like “DANGER”) much faster than a written or spoken message.
Presents Information Precisely: Complex quantitative data can be presented much more easily and precisely in tables, graphs, and charts.
Gives Info About the Sender (Even in Writing): The format, neatness, and quality of a written letter send a non-verbal message about the writer’s taste and education level.

Effective Listening