COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY IN SPOKEN ENGLISH IN SELECTED SOCIAL

CONTEXTS

INTRODUCTION
When two people are talking to each other, we simply say that they are talking. They are
making conversation. People talk all the time, which also means that they make conversation
all the time too. However, how far does the conversation achieve the goal of the
communication? For example, if I want to ask for direction to a certain place which I am not
familiar of, I will ask a person. My part of asking a question requires that person to respond
so that I know how to go to that particular place. If that person answers my question right, I
will get to the place safely. However, if that person does not give me the correct or required
answer, I goal to reach that particular place is not working.
So, from the example that I have given above, I would say that communication is much more
than just talking. Communication is beyond asking questions and receiving answers. There
are many ways to make communicating more effective.
English in particular, is the second language in Malaysia. It is being spoken widely, being
taught at school, and in fact a compulsory subject in the government schools. Most
universities and private colleges choose English as the medium of instruction in order to
market their graduates. In some social environment or contexts, English is spoken more than
the first language which is Bahasa Malaysia. Having said that, we know that English is an
important language in this country.
In this essay, i will explain how oral communication works in social social context. I will also
explain about interpersonal communication, small group communication and public
communication. All the three types of communication said above are forms of
communicating in social context. Finally, i will draw conclusion to highlight the importance
of communicating effectively in the social context.

HOW ORAL COMMUNICATION WORKS

Rogers (1952) described communication as listening with understanding to what has been
said, and further to be interpreted by the listener of what message has been given. Devito
(2009) thinks that communication is sent through some noise (voice), expecting some effects
and feedback, and all happens in a particular context. In addition to this, Tierney (1998) gives
a certain steps for communication to take place, which involves sending the message,
receiving it and finally reacting or responding to it. All the three definitions share the same
processes which are sending, receiving and responding.

Speaker

Listener

It is logical to say that oral communication involves two parties. It is impossible to have oral
communication with only one person or one party exists. It could involve from two people
talking to each other, a person to a small group, a small group, a person to a number of
audiences, or a huge meeting with many people involve.
There are three famous model pertaining communication which are linear model, interactive
model and transactional model. Linear model of communication looks into a single way of
interaction. There will be a speaker, a channel to which the message is being sent and a
receiver. Laswells (1948) model of linear communication is based on 5 questions: Who said
it, What message, Using what channel, To whom and finally With what effect
The next model is called interactive model. As the name suggests, this model requires lots of
responding and giving feedback. This model is a healthy view of communication because it
is visible that both people acts as both listeners and speakers. This model also works better if
both speaker and listener have the same understanding of the message or the issue that they
are talking about. Obviously, they also need to have some kind of discipline where they need
to know when to change roles. They need to know when to stop talking and switch their role
as listener when the other person immediately takes the charge as the speaker. Interactive
model also shows active involvement of both parties.
The alst model is transactional model. It is more complicated as it involves more processes. It
is continuous and ever changing. It also takes into account the effect of noise, sound and time.
transactional model is best explained by Wood (2009) using the transactional communication

figure. This model too take into account the social and environment factors in communicating
which may make it the most suitable model to be practiced in a certain social context.

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
One of the forms of oral communication is the interpersonal communication. Interpersonal
suggests that this type of communication involves more than one person. Most of the time,
the effects of the communication are direct to the listener. Interpersonal communication
suggests that the messages conveyed can be either personal or impersonal depending on
situation. A talk between a mother and her daughter can be more personal as compared to a
conversation between an interviewer and interviewee. It can also be done using other forms
like video-conferencing, phone calls, phone messaging, emails and also chat rooms.

SMALL GROUP COMMUNICATION

Small group communication usually involves a number of people, not more than ten. In
family, the conversation at dinner table or at gathering is considered as small group
communication. At work, discussions with colleague regarding work matters also considered
as small group communication. In universities, students work in groups to study or to revise.
The conversations they have is small group communication. There are no personal issues
discussed in this type of conversation usually.
In some countries, there are support groups to help troubled people managing their health
issues, drug issue and other problems. This support group is responsible in sharing the
experience of the victims, the discussions and meeting are always held in small groups.
Although they might be talking about some personal issues, the help from the other group
members are crucial. This shows that small group communication also conveys good impact.

PUBLIC COMMUNICATION

Public communication involves one or two speakers at a time, and a whole room of audience.
It is common in lectures, motivational talks and campaigns. An emcee and a television host
are some people who have the capability to stand in front of others. The thing about public
speaking is it requires high level of confidence. Lack of confidence may cause difficulties
like slutter, mumbling and in some cases, a total silence. People who are not familiar with
standing in front of many people may not survive this. A teacher, a lecturer and a politician
are careers which requires people to be confidence being at the centre of attraction.

COMMUNICATING IN SPOKEN ENGLISH EFFECTIVELY

As mentioned before, English is a second language in this country. Thus, for most people,
they cannot reach the level of speaking like the natives. So, for people whose English is good,
communicating to people whose English is at lower proficiency, it can be very difficult. A
website called Wikihow gives a few tips on how to communicate effectively with the non
native speakers.
Firstly, we have to speak clearly and pronounce the words correctly. Exaggerated
pronunciations will not help the listener and may cause more confusion. However, it is
helpful to pronounce some words as the non-native speaker does. This will be especially true
if the proper pronunciation is very different from the non-native pronunciation.
Recognize that people wrongly think that turning up the volume somehow creates instant
understanding. Avoid this common mistake (however, do not speak too quietly).
Baby talk or incorrect English are never a good thing This does not make it easier to
understand. It will confuse the listener and may give the wrong impression about our own
level of competence. Running words all at once will also confuse the listener. One of the
biggest challenges for listeners is knowing where one word ends and the next one begins. A
small pause between words will give space for the listener to understand better.
When possible, opt for simple words instead of ones that are complex. The more basic a word
is, the better the chance is that it will be understood. "Big" is a better choice than "enormous"
for example. Simple words help the to digest easily and save time to think about the meaning.
As much as possible, avoid using filler and colloquialisms ('um...', 'like...','Yeah, totally.') as
non-native speakers, especially ones of lower proficiency levels, may get hung up on these

thinking the filler language is vocabulary that they don't possess. Colloquialisms are likely to
be unknown as well, especially if they are not easy to find in the dictionary.
If asked to repeat something, first repeat it as what we said it the first time. Then, repeat again
if it still does not clear. It could be that they simply didn't hear you. If the listener still does
not understand, however, change a few key words in the sentence. It may be that they could
not understand one or two of the words. Also repeat the whole sentence and not just the last
couple of words. It is time consuming, but it helps to prevent confusion.
Paraphrasing is another way to simplify your difficult intention. if you happen to know a
similar word to the word you are searching for then use it. As your knowledge of the foreign
language builds this becomes even easier.
Avoid using contractions or short forms. Use long forms. Cant is one word we must use
the long form with. It is difficult for a non-native speaker to understand the difference
between can and cant in a sentence. For example, I cant take you on Friday and I
can take you on Friday. Use the long form, cannot. I cannot take you on Friday.
Decrease the use of words that fill the sentences. The idea is to remove the noise from the
speech. Imagine trying to listen to the radio with two young children in the same room. They
are playing and screaming. What is the result? "Family of...car...on vacation...in Arizona." If
your oral communication is filled with "um", "like", "you know", or other fillers,
comprehension is more difficult. Right is a word that commonly fills conversations. Use
Yes, that is correct. A non-native speaker may not understand right and confuse it with its
opposite, left.
Use explicit words, words that exist. Say Yes or No. Do not say: Uh-huh or Uh-uh.
Not only that they are not in grammar books, they can appear annoying too for some people.
Listen and try not to form response while the other person is talking. Wait until the person is
done so that we can clarify if needed and give correct information based on all they have said.
Be aware that other cultures have different standards regarding touching, eye contact and
personal space. Someone standing too close or not looking you in the eye is merely following
their own cultural standard and not trying to offend. In Malaysia, a certain degree of body
language is acceptable in oral communication. A simple nodding and eye contact can be
crucial in making sure that the listener is engaged in the communication. However, things

like touching and rubbing may be inappropriate for some situation as it could invade personal
space and cause discomfort.
Be patient and smile. These are examples of contribution of body language to oral
communication. The more relaxed you are, the more you are in control of your
communication. Do not give a busy lifestyle or a meeting agenda permission to control the
speech. Think as we speak and do not speak as we think.
Provided below is some rules of how to communicate effectively.

We need to organize our words. The first step is to know what message we want the listener
to receive. Systematically organize the thoughts so that the message will be clear and easy to
understand. Unorganized thoughts can lead to misunderstandings and confuse the listener. If
we don't know what message you want to convey, how can we expect the recipient of the
message to know what we are trying to convey?

Practise to plan the conversation. Expect or imagine what will happen.

Important

conversations should be planned ahead of time. Think of several scenarios with different
reactions and plan where we will go with each reaction. Think about the person with whom
we will be communicating, taking into consideration that person's personality and behavior.
Prepare a solution for each reaction so that we know beforehand how to respond. This
particular

rule

is

very

useful

for

people

who

are

sitting

for

interviews.

As mentioned above, body language is a crucial form in oral communication. Nonverbal signals are a large part of the communication factor. Facial expressions and gestures
will play a role in determining the response that we will receive. The body language must
match the words for the communication to be clear. Sending mixed signals is one of the most
frequent of miscommunication.

Make the conversation simple and concise. The goal is to convey a certain message
that creates a response. Keep the key points simple and easy to understand. If we state our
point in a clear and concise manner without repeating over and over again, the message will
be easier for the recipient to understand.

We also need to give respond appropriately. Often times, it is hard to separate facts from
feelings. You should always respond to the person you are communicating with rather than
reacting to the person emotionally. Be sure to clearly answer any questions or concerns that
the person may have, and again - keep it simple.
Try to find a common ground with the person we are communicating with. Do not place
focus on differences of opinion, but work together to find a common ground that all parties
can be comfortable with. Staying positive will decrease the chance that the person we are
communicating with will react to us rather than respond. Negative statements more often
elicit a negative reaction. Positive statements will more often elicit a positive response.
The goal of effective communication is for all parties involved to come to an understanding
about the topic of the conversation. It is very important that we listen to what the other person
has to say and address any concerns that either of us may have. Many times, whether the
person likes a change or not, they are more willing to make the change if they feel that the
person

communicating

with

them

actually

listens

to

their

point

of

view.

CONCLUSION
In this essay, i have discussed some definitions of communication and the form in which
communication comes in. I have also discussed in detail about interpersonal communication,
small group communication and public communication, all in detailed examples. Towards the
end, I also explain how these types of communication could possible contribute in making
conversation more effective especially in a certain social context. It is hoped that this essay
has achieved its goal to discuss on how spoken English can be made more effective in a
certain social context. However, there are always extension and addition to enlarge the ideas
in this essay.