What you say has an effect on others. Whether you want to hone your speaking skills or be a better listener, learning about verbal communication will help you improve. Once you have the basics down, use your knowledge of communication techniques to adapt your style to your audience. For example, if you find that people often misunderstand your instructions, learn some ways to simplify and clarify your meaning.
Language
A language is a system of words, their meanings and grammar rules for sentence structuring. Distant geographic regions often have very different languages, especially if they are physically isolated. Within a region's language, variants occur, often with noticeably different characteristics. For example, in the United States, people in the South and West often have a different dialect than people from the Northeast. Within a region, further variants occur. Within the Northeast, people raised in Boston often have slightly different dialects from those raised in New York City. More than 3,000 languages and major dialects exist, according to the University of Louisville.
Idioms
Idioms are words or phrases that have culture-specific meanings that a strict translation of the language cannot reveal. For example, "letting the cat out of the bag" refers to a situation where a secret is revealed accidentally or intentionally. Its origin is a medieval con-artist trick in which a victim is fooled into buying a bag that ostensibly contains an expensive pig but actually contains a less valuable cat. In modern times, the phrase refers only to the revelation of a secret, not to an actual cat or bag.
Speaking Situations
Two major types of speaking exist, according to the University of Louisville. Interpersonal speaking makes up the majority of verbal communication. It includes relating spoken messages to families, friends and co-workers. It requires a knowledge of etiquette and an ability to relate both as a listener and a speaker. Public speaking is the other major type. A public speaker relies on a complex delivery of words, physical cues and non-verbal messages to persuade an audience or to relate a message in an audience-specific way.
Volume And Timbre
Although verbal communication refers to words, the way you deliver those words also has an effect. For example, an elevated voice can indicate excitement, anger, surprise, fear or many other emotions. A hushed voice can indicate shyness, intimacy or a desire to avoid notice. Other factors, such as timbre, also affect the meaning of spoken words. For instance, a guttural tone connotes violence or danger, while a lilting tone relates peaceful intent. If you find that people frequently misunderstand your intentions when you speak, try varying your loudness and timbre to adapt the message to your audience.
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