ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT

LESSON 4: UNIVERSITY OF MAKATI

VERBAL AND NONVERBAL HIGHER SCHOOL NG UMAK
COMMUNICATION

Time Started : ___________

Time Ended : ___________

LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this lesson, the students must be able to:
• distinguish between verbal and nonverbal communication;
• identify ways in which we communicate verbally and nonverbally; and
• examine sample communication activities featuring verbal and nonverbal communication skills.

INTRODUCTION

“Actions speak louder than words.”

Take a minute to think about this famous saying. Do you agree or disagree with it? Why?

It is known that we communicate with much more than words. Whenever we engage in any form of
interaction; it is not just our oral facilities at work, even our body has a language of its own. All of us are receptive
to these forms of communication. More often than not, both of these modes of communication are used hand in hand
to promote better understanding. And in most cases, one does not exist without the other— they go side by side.
A combination of verbal and nonverbal communication will make communication more effective.

CORE CONTENT

Verbal Communication
Perhaps the most obvious, common, and most understood mode of
communication, verbal communication simply refers to an interaction in which
words are used to relay a message. The message is mostly relayed through
speech or with the use of voice.

Verbal communication or spoken communication can be a simple

conversation between friends, a meeting with your colleagues, or a speech
delivered by the president. It can be formal and informal. It is a powerful tool
that allows input from every element of the social communication model and
makes an immediate impact.

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VERBAL AND NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Verbal communication also makes it easier to ensure understanding between communicators as they can
easily address objections and clear up any form of misunderstanding. You can also adjust the message as you
communicate based on the feedback you’re getting from your listeners. Spoken communication allows great
opportunities for interaction.

There are also disadvantages to engaging in verbal communication. Impact may be short-lived and spoken
words can be forgotten easily. It is important to remember that once words are uttered, there’s no way to take
them back. Therefore, whenever we use our voices and engage in verbal communication, there are certain aspects
we have to consider.

ASPECT OF VOICE USAGE DESCRIPTION

Volume Loudness or softness of voice

Pitch How high or low the voice is

How fast or slow words are coming

Rate out of one’s mouth

Quality How well voice is projected

Small necessary breaks in between

Pauses phrases and sentences

Emphasis Stress on important words or phrases

Words and phrases used are varying

Variety (not using the same words and
phrases over and over again)

An effective voice must also be audible, pleasant, fluent, and flexible. Voice audibility refers to the quality
of being heard or understood. For example, a teacher uses a louder than normal voice inside the classroom during
discussions so students who are seated at the back could still hear him/her. What makes a voice pleasant, however,
is subject to the listeners’ taste and personal preferences. It is an important part of speaking effectively and can
have a significant impact on how your listeners perceive you.

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VERBAL AND NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Fluency refers to the ability to deliver speech quickly or easily in a particular language with accuracy and
proper expression. It is usually the impression that you can speak and understand a language very well or at an
advanced level. However, effective communicators know when and how to adapt their voices and communication
skills to any verbal communicative situation. This characteristic of effective voice usage is what we refer to as
flexibility.

Nevertheless, there are still instances wherein certain factors may affect or influence how we use and
project our voices. These factors include differences in the physical make-up of our oral facilities (mouth, tongue,
voice box, etc.), psychological factors (fear, anxiety, emotions, etc.), changes in environment (moving from one
place to another), having regional dialects, and even our reactions to particular communication situations (fear of
public speaking, unscheduled class recitations, etc.).

When engaging in verbal communication, you also need to

consider the following:
• Appropriateness of the language used to the environment or
occasion (i.e. formal or informal)
• Brevity or being more direct with words used. An effective speaker
avoids fillers and unnecessary expressions (e.g. “uhm”, “you know”,
“like”, etc.)
• Clarity or the ability to clearly state you message and express
your ideas and feelings
• Ethics or carefully choosing words in consideration of gender, roles,
ethnicity, preferences, and status of the person or people you are
talking to
• Vividness or using words that vividly or creatively describe things
or feelings to add color and spice to communication
• Pronunciation or the ability to combine vowels, consonants,
syllables, and accents to emphasize a specific word
• Articulation or the process of forming meaningful oral symbols
through the manipulation of articulators— the tongue, soft and
hard palates, teeth, gums, lips, and jaws
• Dialects or differences in language

Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal communication refers to an interaction where behavior is
used to convey and represent meanings. It is also described as the transfer of
meaningful information from one person to another by means other than written
or spoken language. (Vaughan and Hogg, 1998)

The verbal message is an essential part of communication, but the way

we communicate nonverbally is equally, and sometimes more, important. It is
not what we say, but how we say it that often matters most, especially when
we communicate feelings and attitudes. If someone’s words do not match their
nonverbal behaviors, it’s not very convincing. We often mistrust the words and
tend to believe nonverbal cues instead. For example, when we usually tend to
say we’re “okay” but then we avoid contact or interaction with other people.

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There are three main categories of nonverbal

communication. The first one is what we refer to as Sign
Language. This includes all codes in which numbers, words, and
punctuation signs have been replaced by gestures. Examples
include the American Sign Language and the Filipino Sign
Language.

Action Language includes all movements that are not

used exclusively as signals (e.g. walking and drinking). For
example, when you scratch you head when you feel confused
or when you cover your face when you feel embarrassed or
ashamed. Another category of nonverbal communication
involves all intentional and non-intentional display of materials
things. This is what we refer to as Object Language. Case in
point, when people tend to buy and wear branded apparel
to express affluence.

Other types of nonverbal communication include kinesics, haptics, proxemics, chronemics, and vocalics.

TYPE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLES

An employee straightens up his back
Refers to the study of hand, arm, whenever his supervisor passes by his
body, and face movements as a workstation
Kinesics form of communication; the most
well-known type of nonverbal The eye contact you make and your
communication facial expressions while talking to
someone

Giving your friend a tap on the back

Refers to the study of when he/she is feeling lonely
Haptics communication through touch
Holding hands, hugging, kissing, etc.

Refers to the study of how space Giving up personal space in crowded

Proxemics and distance influence public transportation just to get to school
communication on time

Refers to the study of how time The CEO of the company can be late for
Chronemics affects communication a meeting but not the employees

Refers to the vocalized but not

Girls tend to use a higher-than-normal
Vocalics verbal aspects of nonverbal
pitch when speaking with their crushes
communication (paralanguage)

Other examples of nonverbal cues include stares, smiles, manners of walking, standing and sitting, physical
appearance, style or attire, attitudes toward time and space, personality, movements, and gestures. These
nonverbal cues complement a verbal message by adding to its meaning. They can also be used to substitute for
verbal messages or emphasize whatever is being said.

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For one to be considered an effective communicator, a person needs to boost his/her verbal expressions
with nonverbal ones. Nonverbal communication can clarify even the most difficult message. Sometimes, nonverbal
cues can be more meaningful than the words themselves. Although verbal communication is easier to understand,
nonverbal communication is important not only to comprehend the message itself but also the feelings behind it.
More importantly, a good command of nonverbal cues reveals a lot about you as a communicator and how you
relate to other people.

Mastery of nonverbal communication also allows you to sustain the attention of listeners and keep them
engaged in the speech. Using nonverbal cues also makes you appear more dynamic and animated and may serve
as a channel to release tension and nervousness.

ACTIVITY
A. Compare the verbal skills of two men who changed the
course of technology— Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Watch the
videos of their speeches at the following links:

• Bill Gate’s Harvard Commencement Speech (2007)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPx5N6Lh3sw
• Steve Job’s Stanford Commencement Speech (2005)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

Which of these men had a better overall delivery? Which of

them connected better with their audience? How would you
rate these men in terms of their use of volume, enunciation,
pronunciation, pitch, stress, phrasing, and speed?

B. Watch Cesar Millan, star of the hit show “Dog Whisperer,”

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ihXq_WwiWM).
Observe how Millan uses nonverbal communication to
complement his verbal skills. Which nonverbal strategies did
Millan use to get his message across?

SELF-CHECK
Write five (5) examples each of verbal and nonverbal communication.

VERBAL COMMUNICATION NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

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ASSIGNMENT
Create a collage of pictures (digital images or cutouts) creatively depicting either verbal or nonverbal
communication. Write a one-paragraph description of your work. See samples below for your reference.

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.
What makes a voice 'pleasant' to hear? (n.d.). Retrieved from Quora: https://www.quora.com/What-makes-a-
voice-pleasant-to-hear
Aficial, A. (2016, July 27). Verbal and Nonverbal Communication. Retrieved from SlideShare:
https://www.slideshare.net/judyanntulao/verbal-and-nonverbal-communication-64423160
Verbal versus Non-verbal Communication. (2018, January 7). Retrieved from businesstopia:
https://www.businesstopia.net/communication/verbal-vs-non-verbal-communication
Managing Mental Health Matters. (n.d.). Retrieved from Workplace Strategies for Mental Health:
https://www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com/mmhm/pdf/full_communicating_0.pdf
Verbal and Nonverbal Communication. (n.d.). Retrieved from Lumen Learning:
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-businesscommunicationmgrs/chapter/verbal-and-nonverbal-
communication/
Types of Nonverbal Communication. (n.d.) Retrieved from Communication in the Real World:
https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/4-2-types-of-nonverbal-communication/

Images courtesy of Google Image Search

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