Communicating effectively may depend on which medium you choose. Verbal communication may be more valuable in circumstances where there are language barriers, time constraints or issues of conflict. Your tone of voice and the words you choose when you're communicating orally may be beneficial to the outcome of your interaction.
Immediate Response
Replacing written communication with verbal interaction may be advantageous because you allow for an immediate response or discussion, and you can explain what you mean if there's any misinterpretation. Reading a letter may permit the writer's meaning or intentions to be misconstrued, and the reader doesn't have an opportunity to request an explanation. Columbia University psychology professor Robert Krauss expresses the valuable nature of the immediacy of verbal communication by saying, "The participant who at a given moment occupies the role of speaker can determine virtually instantaneously whether the addressee has identified communicative intentions correctly. Simultaneously the addressee can reveal the nature of his or her understanding as it develops, and in this manner guide the future production of the speaker."
Determination of Mood
Communicating verbally allows you to gauge the mood of the person to whom you're speaking. Expressing your thoughts in a face-to-face conversation or talking on the phone may help you to express your emotions more efficiently. Because all individuals have distinct characteristics, beliefs, and emotions, your present attitude may obscure or permit you to receive the intended message, says performance speaker and trainer, Della Menechella. Voice intonation, word stress, pauses in speech and nonverbal gestures can all be gauges of the mood of the exchange; these cues may foster more explicit understanding of the issues that's being discussed.
Choice of Time
Choosing the proper time to address an issue can improve the likelihood that you're going to be able to relay your thoughts effectively. Speaking immediately allows you to express what's on your mind presently, eliminating the chance of forgetting the points you need to make.Communicating directly, as concerns surface, gives you more control over when to engage in conversation and you decide the length of the discussion. On the other hand, written communication takes away your control of the time or situation in which the other reads your message. Krauss states that verbal communication may enhance your ability to produce and maintain control over making time-sensitive decisions, and he says that people are more satisfied leaving a verbal conversation because they believe that "they have communicated successfully."
Member Comments