We explain what oral communication is, its characteristics, types, elements and examples. Also, what is written communication.
What is oral communication?
oral communication is the transmission of information between two or more individuals through speech and the code contemplated in a language. It is generally contrasted with written communication, in which the information is inscribed in some material support to withstand the passage of time.
Oral communication is probably the earliest form of information exchange in our species, which It had its origin in the very invention of verbal language.
Its fundamental element is speech, which consists of the use of our speech apparatus (and part of the respiratory system) to produce a chain of articulated sounds at different points along the outward path of the air, through the participation of different parts of our anatomy. : the tongue, lips, teeth, etc.
However, speech could not exist without its counterpart, language, which contains the mental codes necessary to convert an articulated chain of sounds into linguistic signs, that is, into recognizable information. So, together, language and speech, make up an enunciation or speech act that is, the materialization of a portion of information encoded according to the rules of the language.
Many philosophers and historians agree that our species' great capacity for oral communication was a determining factor in its biological success and in the beginning of our civilization, since it allows us to reach vaster, more complex and deeper levels of organization than any other species. known. In addition, it allows the transfer and conservation of information very effectively, from one generation to another.
See also: Communication
Characteristics of oral communication
Oral communication is characterized by the following:
- Uses sound waves that is, the sound propagated in some physical medium (air, for example) to transmit information from one speaker to another.
- It is ephemeral and immediate that is, it fades in time, since the sound waves pass and are not preserved in the air. What has been said, as the proverb says, “is carried away by the wind.”
- It is in person and direct which is derived from the previous point, and means that it requires the simultaneous presence (spatial and temporal) of the interlocutors. It is impossible to talk to someone on the other side of the world (at least not without the help of some gadget or technology), or to someone who existed in the 15th century.
- It is social in nature that is, it links the interlocutors and allows them to create social ties of different types. Every human community has its own communication mechanisms and a code that responds to its way of thinking and seeing the world.
- It has support elements which are not part of the language, such as gestures or context. This contributes to the fact that it cannot be thought of outside the specific moment in which it occurs.
- It is usually improvised and also more colloquial, less formal and rigid, although there are also occasions when it tends to be the opposite, such as when giving a conference.
- It is usually bidirectional that is, the sender and receiver usually exchange their roles, which allows information to come and go between them at will.
- Allows rectification since when the interlocutors are present, the terms of the communication can always be clarified, misunderstandings explained, necessary information added and thus guarantee that the information has been understood. This does not happen, however, when reading a text, in which we are alone in front of what is written.
Elements of oral communication
Oral communication consists of two types of elements, which are:
Linguistic elements. Those that are typical of verbal language, such as:
- a channel which are the sound waves that transport sounds.
- The message that contains the transmitted information.
- The code or language that encodes and decodes them to create a common representation system between sender and receiver. If someone does not speak the same language, for example, communication is impossible.
- The interlocutors that is, a sender (who encodes the message) and a receiver (who decodes it) and who normally exchange their roles.
Extralinguistic elements.
- The context that is, the time and space in which the conversation takes place and which can pose certain communicative challenges or hinder the understanding of the message.
- Gestures and pragmatic elements which have nothing to do with what is said but with how you say it, what face you make, what you do with your hands, how close you say it to the other, and a whole set of information that is not part of the language, but that significantly modifies the information transmitted.
- Personal capabilities of each interlocutor, that is, their personal and particular capacity to communicate: the functioning of their anatomy, their linguistic competence, their linguistic training, etc.
Types of oral communication
In general, oral communication can be classified into:
- Spontaneous oral communication informal, casual, free and improvised, in which extralinguistic elements become more relevant and what is said can be organized in a more or less chaotic way. This is what happens, for example, in a conversation at the bar.
- Planned oral communication of a formal type, organized, prepared and that takes place according to pre-designed mandates, more strict and demanding, which is why it requires greater focus on the elements of language. This is what happens, for example, in a master class.
Examples of oral communication
The following situations are examples of oral communication:
- A conversation among several friends in a restaurant.
- A conference of a researcher at an institute.
- A master class of a teacher in a classroom.
- A romantic date in which two people try to get to know each other.
- A public debate between two presidential candidates.
- A heated discussion between two people on the street.
- A routine stand up comedy live in a bar.
- A play in which the actors recite their lines to the audience present.
Oral and written communication
Unlike oral communication, written communication is a technology invented by our species to satisfy the need to store information over time. It consists of some type of inscription on a physical or material support imperishable, made according to the representation code of a language.
That is, marks of some kind are made on a surface, so that another person (or oneself on another occasion) can review them and recover the information encoded in the graphic marks. This can be done in different ways, since there are different types of writing, but in general they all respond to the same thing:
- Preserve information so that it can be recovered visually (read) at another time or in another place.
- Direct information to a much broader audience and dispersed than face-to-face oral communication would allow, just as public messages, newspapers, etc. allowed.
- Plan and organize the message to ensure that the receiver captures the desired information in the desired way, since the sender will surely not be present when this occurs.
Writing is one of the most revolutionary technologies in the existence of humanity, so much so that its invention is considered the end of Prehistory, since from that moment on it was possible to have lasting sources that narrated the events that occurred.
References
- “Oral communication” at https://es.wikipedia.org/
- “The process of oral and written communication” (video) at the Educational Research and Services Center. https://www.youtube.com/
- “Oral communication” in McGraw Hill Education (Spain). https://www.mheducation.es/
- “Oral vs Written Communication” at http://www.educacion-integral.com/
- “Oral and written communication” by Dionne Valentina Santos García in Red Tercer Milenio. http://www.aliat.org.mx/
