ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT

LESSON 3: UNIVERSITY OF MAKATI

FUNCTIONS AND FEATURES OF HIGHER SCHOOL NG UMAK
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Time Started : ___________

Time Ended : ___________

LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this lesson, the students must be able to:
• recognize different functions and features of effective communication;
• identify and explain barriers to communication;
• use various strategies in order to avoid communication breakdown; and
• examine sample oral communication activities.

INTRODUCTION
People communicate in many different ways. But every time we communicate, it always serves a specific
function. These functions highlight how humans use language for different purposes. Each function stresses on how
language is utilized and how it is affected and influenced by time, place, and situation.

FUNCTION OF COMMUNICATION DESCRIPTION EXAMPLES

To manage or regulate human “Wash the dishes!”
Control behavior and the things we
engage in “Please take your seats.”
“It’s nice to meet you!”
Social To develop bonds, relations,
associations, and even intimacy
Interaction with the help of language
“Will you go on a date with
me?
To power up preferences, “You can do this!”
Motivation desires, needs, wants, decisions,
goals, and strengths “You’ll get through this”
“_______ is our lesson for
Information To give, share, circulate, and the day.”
Dissemination get information
“Did you know…?”

Emotional “I love you.”

To express emotions
Expression “I don’t feel well.”

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 ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT
FUNCTIONS AND FEATURES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

CORE CONTENT
Now that we know what purposes communication serves and its importance to our everyday lives, the
question remains: How can we communicate effectively? A society will not function properly without communication.
Its effectiveness can only be measured when communicators develop a shared understanding. Therefore, as
communicators, it is our task to make sure that messages are composed and delivered efficiently.

In Effective Public Relations (1952), professors Scott M. Cutlip and Allen H. Center defined a set of principles
now widely known as the 7 C’s of Communication.

FEATURE DESCRIPTION
Communication should include everything that the receiver needs to hear
from the source in order to respond, react, or evaluate properly. A complete
Completeness message reduces the need for follow-up questions and smoothens the
communication process.

This is about keeping your messages, not necessarily short, but rather
straight to a point. This enables the receiver to focus on what’s important and
Conciseness to speed up the decoding of the information for improved understanding
between communicators.

As a speaker, you have to take into account relevant information about the
receiver such as mood, background, race, preference, education, status, needs,
Consideration etc. A receiver’s emotional reaction might affect the understanding of your
message. Making your message fit your audience also makes it easier for them
to process its contents.

Effective communication happens when the message is supported by facts,

figures, and real-life examples and situations for enhanced credibility. It helps
Concreteness your audience gain an overview of the broader picture. It also lets you avoid
the risk of misunderstanding by fostering trust.

This is simply showing respect to the receiver’s culture, values, and beliefs.
Courtesy An effective message must be genuinely polite and unbiased.

Always start with a clear communication goal. Use simple and specific
Clearness words to express thoughts and ideas to reduce ambiguities and confusion.

Using correct grammar and syntax eliminates negative impact on the

Correctness audience. Language errors and mistakes would often affect the clarity and
overall perception of the message.

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FUNCTIONS AND FEATURES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

However, it is important to note that there is no such thing as perfect communication. More often than not,
there are certain factors that limit, disrupt, or hinder the communication process. These factors are what we call
barriers. There are many barriers to communication and these may occur at any stage in the communication process.
These may lead to distorted messages and may cause confusion and misunderstanding.

CLASSIFICATION DESCRIPTION EXAMPLES

Faulty organization structure (large working
Physical Environmental and natural conditions areas, closed office doors, etc.), noises
Barriers that affect communication (outside disturbances, loud chewing, etc.), time
and distance, information overload

Similar sounding words (homophones), words

Meaning of words, signs, and having multiple pronunciations (homographs),
Semantic symbols might be different from one words having multiple meanings (homonyms),
Barriers person to another and may be literal meanings (denotations), and
interpreted incorrectly associations connected to a word
(connotations)

Language The inability to communicate using a

Language differences, accents, no clarity in
language; most common
Barriers communication barrier
speech, use of jargons and slangs

Socio- The influence of the societal and

Attitudes and opinions, emotions, inattention,
Psychological psychological (mental) state of the
close-mindedness, self-image, poor retention
Barriers communicators

Cross-cultural Cultural distinctions that cause

Values, social relations, concepts of time and
behavior and personality differences
Barriers space, gestures
leading to miscommunication

Effective communication also involves overcoming these barriers. There are many ways in which you can do
this and it is essential that we deal and cope up with these barriers to ensure smooth and successful communication.

BARRIER EXAMPLE SOLUTION

Recognize these kinds of emotions, and politely ask the
Emotional You are having a bad day or
other person to give you a moment so you can relax or
Barriers you feel frustrated.
calm yourself.
You are a scientist discussing a
Jargon refers to the set of specialized vocabulary in a
certain weather phenomenon
Use of certain field. To avoid communication breakdown due to
with your neighbor who does
jargon lack of clarity, adjust your language; use layman’s terms or
not know much about the
simple words.
topic.
You are asked to share Develop self-confidence by joining organizations where you
Lack of something about your day or can share and develop your interests. Look for opportunities
Confidence weekend, but you are hesitant in your school or community that will help you find your
because you are shy. strengths and improve your abilities.

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 ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT
FUNCTIONS AND FEATURES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

ACTIVITY
Watch this Youtube video showing miscommunication (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhe0KSGoUgc)
and answer the following questions:

1. What barriers are present in this communicative situation?

2. What was the result of the miscommunication?
3. Was the communication issue resolved? If yes, how? If not, how could the communicators solve the issue?

SELF-CHECK
A. Identify which feature/s of effective communication is practiced for each given situation.

FEATURE OF EFFECTIVE
SITUATION
COMMUNICATION
The teacher gave out the format and all the
1 details of the midterm project to her students COMPLETENESS
ahead of time.
The writers and the editors of the student paper
2 review and check their write-ups for grammatical
errors before publication.
Instead of shaking his Japanese business
3 partner’s hand, Mr. Garcia bowed his head as a
form of greeting.
As a preschool teacher, Ms. Kim always uses
4
simple and basic words in teaching her lessons.
Lisa needed money for her school works.
However, she didn’t attempt to ask any from her
5
mother because her mom was too exhausted
from work.
Bench was accused of stealing his classmate’s
cellphone. When asked by his homeroom adviser
about it, Bench shared in detail where he has
6
been and what he’s been doing during the time
the phone went missing. He even asked one
classmate to testify for him and verify his claim.
Since there was no more time left, the speaker of
7 the seminar went straight to his last lecture and
provided examples right away.
Nica makes sure to talk loudly every time she
8 speaks with her grandmother who has a hearing
impairment.

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B. Identify the function of communication in each of the following situation.

SITUATION FUNCTION OF COMMUNICATION

Phoebe shares her insights on how to live
1
peacefully despite a complicated life. MOTIVATION
The teacher reads and discusses classroom
2
policies to her students.
The geometry teacher lectures about
3
mathematical concepts.
Ross greets Rachel; then, they start talking
4
about their plans for the holidays.
The city mayor presents her strategies to
5
execute the plans in a public forum.
Monica shares her personal frustrations with
6
Chandler.
A tourist guide orients a group of tourists about
7
a heritage site.

8 Sheila delivers her valedictory speech.

The President delivers his last State of the

9
Nation Address.
A television personality thanks the supportive
10
moviegoers during an interview.
Mark’s mother asks him to do the house chores
11
for the day because she is not feeling well.
Jasper finally had the courage to confess his
12
feelings for his long-time crush.
The pastor encourages everyone to do better
13
and be better to others.
Volunteers hold a seminar about family
14
planning to marginalized communities.
Sheila and her friends talk about their plans
15
after graduating from senior high school.

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FUNCTIONS AND FEATURES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

ASSIGNMENT
Using the table and sample below as your guide, identify different situations showing different barriers
to communication and propose ways on how to overcome them.

BARRIER EXAMPLE SOLUTION

Recognize that noise is a common barrier.
You are having a conversation with Make some adjustments by asking someone
Noisy environment some friends when a song was to minimize the volume or by looking for a
played loudly. quiet area where you can resume the
conversation.

REFERENCES
Bulan, C. T. (2002). Comm 3: Practical Speech Fundamentals (Experimental Edition). Quezon City: College of Arts and
Letters, University of the Philippines.
Oral Communication in Context. (2017). C&E Publishing, Inc.
Rey, M. V. (2019, July 26). Functions Of Communication – The Four Major Functions. Retrieved from Philippine News:
https://philnews.ph/2019/07/26/four-major-functions-of-communication/
Remoral, G. B. (2017, July 2). Functions of Communication. Retrieved from SlideShare:
https://www.slideshare.net/gilremoral/functions-of-communication-77440503
Martelli, A. (n.d.). 7 Characteristics of Effective Communication. Retrieved from
https://alessandramartelli.com/en/freebies/characteristics-effective-communication/
Overcoming Communication Barriers. (n.d.). Retrieved from MSG: https://www.managementstudyguide.com/overcoming-
communication-barriers.htm
Cultural Barriers to Communication. (n.d.). Retrieved from businesstopia:
https://www.businesstopia.net/communication/cultural-barriers-communication
Psychological Barriers to Communication. (2018, January 6). Retrieved from businesstopia:
https://www.businesstopia.net/communication/psychological-barriers
Language Barriers to Communication. (2018, January 6). Retrieved from businesstopia:
https://www.businesstopia.net/communication/language-barriers
Semantic Barriers of Communication. (2018, January 10). Retrieved from businesstopia:
https://www.businesstopia.net/communication/semantic-barriers-communication
Physical Barriers to Communication. (2018, January 6). Retrieved from businesstopia:
https://www.businesstopia.net/communication/physical-barriers

Images courtesy of Google Image Search

LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT 19