• What is oral communication?
• Characteristics of oral communication
• Elements of oral communication
• Types of oral communication
• Examples of oral communication
• Oral and written communication

We explain what oral communication is, its characteristics, types, elements and examples. Also, what is written communication.

Today we take it for granted, but oral communication was central to our survival.

What is oral communication?

Oral communication is the transmission of information between two or more individuals through speaks and from code contemplated in a idiom. It is generally opposed to written communication, in which the information is inscribed on some material support to resist the passage of time.

Oral communication is probably the earliest form of information exchange of our species, having its origin in the very invention of the language verbal.

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 sounds articulated at different points along the air outward, 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, in recognizable information. Thus, together, language and speech, make up an enunciation or speech act, that is, the materialization of a portion of information encoded according to the norms of the language.

Many philosophers and historians agree that the great oral communication capacity of our species was a determining factor in its biological success and in the beginning of our civilization, since it allows us to reach more vast, complex and profound levels of organization than any other species. known. In addition, it allows the transfer and conservation of information very efficiently, from one generation to another.

Characteristics of oral communication

Oral communication is characterized by the following:

• It uses sound waves, that is, 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 sound waves pass through and are not preserved in the air. What has been said, as the proverb says, "is carried away by the wind."
• It is face-to-face 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 artifact or technology), or with someone who existed in the 15th century.
• It is of a social nature, that is, it links the interlocutors and allows them to create different types of social ties. All community Human has its own communication mechanisms and a code that responds to its way of thinking and seeing the world.
• It has supporting elements, which are not part of the language, such as gestures or context. This contributes to the fact that it cannot be thought outside of 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 the contrary, such as when giving a lecture.
• 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.
• It allows rectification, since when the interlocutors are present, the terms of the communication can always be clarified, misunderstandings explained, add necessary information 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 carry sounds.
• The message containing the transmitted information.
• The code or idiom 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 communication challenges or hinder the understanding of the message.
• The pragmatic gestures and elements, which do not have to do with what is said but with how it is said, what face does it put on, what is done with the hands, how close it is said to the other, and a whole set of information that does not form part of the language, but significantly modifying the information transmitted.
• The personal capacities 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 has been said can be organized in a more or less chaotic way. This is what happens, for example, in a conversation at the bar.
• Oral communication planned, formal, organized, prepared and that takes place according to pre-designed, more strict and demanding mandates, which requires a 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 between several friends in a restaurant.
• A lecture by a researcher at an institute.
• A master class by 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 argument between two people on the street.
• A routine of stand up comedy live in a bar.
• A play in which the actors recite their speeches to the audience.

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 imperishable material, carried out 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 retrieve 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:

• Preserve information so that it can be visually retrieved (read) at another time or place.
• Direct the information to a much broader and more dispersed audience than what would be allowed by face-to-face oral communication, as allowed by public messages, newspapers, etc.
• 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 the humanity, so much so that his invention is considered the end of the Prehistory, since from that moment on it was possible to have lasting sources that narrated the events that took place.