1. Handout 4: Oral communications skills
PowerPoint presentation
Unit 222 (B&A 34): Communication in a business environment
Handout 4: Oral communications skills

2. Oral communication methods
This is a main method of communication for us all.
Face to face – generally, meetings, discussions, negotiations.
Telephone and answerphones.
Any oral communication must be clear with both speaker and listener understanding the message.

3. Face-to-face communication
Eye contact and active listening
Be aware of body language.
Be aware of tone.
Listen actively and respond to what is heard.
Use questions to establish and confirm understanding.
We must be clear and concise but also be aware of our body language, which can convey as strong a message as the words we use.
Use questions – open or probing (beginning what, how, why, when, which) to find out information, and closed questions (resulting in a yes or no) to confirm understanding.

4. Effective communication means
there is understanding between both listener and speaker in the briefest time
misunderstanding is avoided
both parties feel respected.

5. Must be clear and polite Be concise with your words.
Communication skills
How you look and sound – your body language, the words you choose and the way you say them.
Must be clear and polite
Be concise with your words.
Avoid using long words for the sake of it: using plain English is more likely to result in understanding.
All your communications must be clear and polite to ensure you convey the right impression.
Concise: this means just using the words that are necessary for understanding without waffling or padding out the sentences. Don’t be tempted to slip in extra words: phrases such as ‘true facts’, ‘advance planning’, ‘honest truth’ are all twice the length they need to be! All facts are true, all planning is done in advance and the truth is honest by definition!

6. Telephone communication
You must be able to operate the equipment efficiently and effectively.
Ensure customers are kept informed.
Speak clearly and slowly.
Prepare for the call you are going to make or take.
Be polite and friendly and smile.
Messages left on an answerphone need to be clear.
Ensure customers are kept informed
Eg when you are accessing information to provide responses, or if they are going to be on hold, etc.
Speak clearly and slowly
To allow for the possibility that reception on the telephone line may not be perfect, adapting speech to meet individual needs of customer.
Be polite and friendly and smile
When you smile on the phone the smile comes across in the way you speak. You sound positive, alert and happy but when you don’t smile you can sound monotonous and depressed.
Messages left on an answerphone need to be clear
The message should state who is phoning, what our message is and how we can be contacted again.
Repeat your name and contact number at the end of the message .

7. Avoid using regional expressions that may not be understood.
Language problems
Avoid using regional expressions that may not be understood.
Speak clearly and slowly.
Be diplomatic – make sure you apologise and take the blame for not understanding the first time.
This is even more important when communicating with customers who are foreign-language speakers or have dialects or accents that are different from yours.
Where the speaker’s accent is very strong, you will have to be diplomatic in asking them to repeat sentences.

8. About how we deliver our message.
Tone
About how we deliver our message.
It conveys the attitude and feelings of the speaker, eg:
Confidence
Fear
Boredom
Sarcasm.
It is affected by the words we stress or emphasise and the inflection in our voice.
Whilst it is important to focus on the content of our message, the tone of voice used is also important.
Tone is sometimes more important than content – try saying ‘Excuse me!’ in a sarcastic way: it means just the opposite.
When speaking and thinking about the key points you want to emphasise, make sure the inflections of your voice do just that. Inflection is the rise and fall of your voice and can change the meaning of a sentence. Some people use a questioning tone even when they are not asking a question that suggests they lack confidence.

9. Choose positive expressions
If you do not return your form before 1 August, you will be too late to attend the conference. 
Please return your form by 31 July so that we can register your name in time for the conference. 
I regret to inform you that we cannot make delivery until next Friday.
You will be pleased to know that we will be able to deliver before next Saturday.
You can also make a better impression by choosing positive statements rather than negative ones. The meaning may be essentially the same, but the impression will be better. Politicians do this all the time and it is sometimes known as ‘spin’. Consider the following.
Which would you prefer to hear?

10. Use positive body language to express your continued concentration.
How to listen actively
Make eye contact.
Pay attention to the words, expressions and body language of the speaker.
Use positive body language to express your continued concentration.
Use encouraging phrases such as 'I see' or 'Go on'.
Do not interrupt – allow the speaker to finish.
Give the person your complete attention.
Summarise the discussion to bring the conversation to a close.
The second part of communication is your understanding.
Being a good or active listener ensures the exchange of information between the speaker and the listener is correctly understood.

11. Confirming understanding
Paraphrasing
Clarifying
Probing
Verifying
Summarising
Paraphrasing: this means that the listener restates the message in his/her own words, eg ‘If I understand correctly, you mean …’
Clarifying: this means the listener reviews their understanding by asking for clarity, eg ‘What do you mean by …?’
Probing: in order that the listener may obtain more information by asking open and closed questions such as ‘Could you be more specific about …?’
Verifying: this means checking for understanding, eg ‘Do you mean …? Is this correct?’
Summarising: briefly stating the key points of the discussion at its close.
You should also ask brief questions and paraphrase the speaker's statements to test for understanding

12. Closed questions are likely to get the response of yes or no.
Open questions begin with who, what, where, when, why and encourage a response giving a lot of information.
Closed questions are likely to get the response of yes or no.
Probing questions are used when you need specific information.
Use a combination of questioning and active listening to clarify any points you are not sure about: it is better to ask what might seem a silly question now than to guess at what is required and make a costly mistake later.

13. Discussions
There are many different types of discussion that you might be involved in at work. For example:
Informal chat with colleagues.
Team discussions on problems or progress.
Meetings.
Feedback on performance.
Fact finding.

14. Making a positive contribution to a discussion
Prepare in advance by reading any relevant material and jotting down possible questions you may have.
Be courteous and sympathetic to others’ views, even if you do not agree.
Allow others the chance to talk and to finish speaking.
Be aware your tone and body language so that you do not appear negative.
Question points you do not understand.
Take notes of important points.
Make sure you carry out any task you promise to do afterwards.
How you participate in these discussions will depend on the sort of personality you have: some people like to make their opinions known, whilst others hold back.
It is important to remember, that everyone is an individual and will react differently to the same circumstances and sometimes you will have to work with those that are argumentative, dominating or inhibited.
The important thing is to try to remain calm and in control and not allow others’ behaviour to negatively impact on your own.