Oral Communication Advantages and Disadvantages

Speaking is a powerful skill, Do you know? The information-sharing process through speech is what oral communication refers to. Through spoken words, this can take place face-to-face or via telephone calls even video chats among other forms which are verbal. Such interactions allow for quicker exchanges of thoughts, feelings and opinions. How about having an impromptu discussion with your friend about something pressing; giving away an elaborate talk or even discussing work-related matters amongst yourselves? Oral communication includes all of these. It’s important in our social lives every day as it enables us to bond with others better by helping us iron out issues amicably and pass information well so that no time is wasted unnecessarily. So let’s know about it benefits and drawbacks.

Advantages of Oral Communication

1. Immediate Feedback

One big advantage of talking directly is that you get instant feedback. If you are talking to someone, you can immediately see how they react and then change your message accordingly. This way, such a situation quickly clears up any misunderstandings that might come in the process as well as ensures effective communication. This happens mostly when there is a need for instant decision-making, thereby enabling one to save the time they would have spent on writing or waiting for responses.

• Also Read: Formal Communication Benefits and Drawbacks

2. Time-Saving

Speaking is faster than writing. This is because you will not do any drafting, editing or sending of a written message. Rather speech is almost instantaneously delivered and heard. Such speed is essential in environments that are teeming with activities as it enhances faster communication which leads to increased productivity and streamlined roles. For instance, in a customer service context, when compared to an email dialogue a phone call can resolve an issue within a very short time.

3. Economical

Face-to-face communication is also cheaply priced. Unlike written communication which calls for paper, ink and several other materials, the required ones are minimal under face-to-face communication. It is worth noting that postage and courier expenses which are incurred by sending letters and documents are higher than costs incurred in having conversations over the phone or physically. This is because convening meetings online saves time and travel costs making it very cost effective.

4. Personal Touch

When you speak to someone face to face, the tone of your voice, facial expressions, and body language all add layers of significance to your words. They will enable you to communicate personally, thereby enhancing engagement and relational value. Understanding each other is more straightforward during actual contact. For instance, in a conversation nodding or smiling would generally make a person feel more appreciated and understood than it would through text.

5. Flexibility

Speaking will make you appear adaptable, as a result of which you can alter your message at any given time depending on reactions from those who are listening to you. For instance, when they look puzzled, you can clarify straight away or develop further your argument. This flexibility is very important for successful communication, especially during a conversation or dialogue that is always changing rapidly between the two sides.

6. Secrecy

Verbal discussions are better for confidential information. If you need to talk about private matters with someone, it is necessary to use private conversation that keeps secret everything between the two parties. It is difficult to achieve this high level of privacy through writing because one may easily duplicate or forward such sensitive messages. This ensures that the information does not go past those involved in any private business dealings when they are discussing sensitive business strategies.

Disadvantages of Oral Communication

1. Lack of a Permanent Record

Whenever people talk, an important setback is that there isn’t any written evidence, in contrast to writing, which one can store and later refer to whenever such need arises; instead what is uttered evaporates directly what has been spoken These absent words make maintenance and validation difficult at a subsequent time. In a project meeting for instance where decisions are taken orally; in case nobody recalls exactly what was agreed upon, such gatherings often lead to confusion later on.

2. Misunderstandings

When we talk things may get mixed up as well. This means that the listener has to rely on his or her memory to understand what has been said. Being a recipient of verbal information and comprehending it properly can sometimes be quite challenging because some ideas are often lost in translation due to their length or complexity hence leading people into confusion and even errors. For example, if a complicated project’s guideline is provided vocally there is a likelihood of not capturing all the bits correctly.

3. Poor Retention

People often tend to forget what they are told. In the absence of any written information people who listen may lack memory for important facts. It tends to lead to loss of data and leads to repeated discussions to ensure that everybody understands each other. In a training session, employees might also lose some crucial information thus requiring another training session if they do not take down notes.

4. No Legal Validity

Oral communication can’t stand or stand in court hence verbal agreements or utterances cannot be used to prove legal points unless documented. This inability becomes crucial, particularly in formal contexts or rather those requiring court evidence of communication. In other words, a spoken agreement is difficult to see as true as one that is on paper during some legal conflict.

5. Assigning Responsibility

It is hard to say who is to blame when ideas are shared verbally because no one can prove what they said later. Consequently, arguments sometimes come up because people fail to understand each other well enough while talking orally. Whenever you must be accurate about something either promised or told to you, forget about spoken words; go back to the drawing board and do it in writing.

Comparison Between Advantages and Disadvantages of Oral Communication