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Verbal Communication: Understanding the Power of Words

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As human beings, we rely on communication to express our thoughts, feelings, and intentions. Verbal communication, in particular, involves using words to convey a message to another person. It is a fundamental aspect of human interaction and is crucial in our daily lives and relationships.

In this article, we will explore the importance of verbal communication, the different types of verbal communication, and some tips on improving your verbal communication skills.

Table of Contents

Importance of Verbal Communication

Verbal communication is essential because it is the primary means of interacting with others. It lets us express our thoughts and feelings, convey information, and build relationships. It is a powerful tool for connecting with others and forming social bonds.

By communicating meaning verbally, others are able to understand your needs, interests, and beliefs.

Effective verbal communication is essential in many contexts, including personal relationships, social interactions, and professional settings. In personal relationships, it can help build trust, foster intimacy, and resolve conflicts. Lack of communication can lead to serious problems, including conflicts and the breakdown of relationships.

Social interactions can help establish common ground, build rapport, and create a sense of community. For example, discussions can help people with different needs understand one another and find ways to ensure each person achieves their goals.

In the workplace, it can help to convey ideas, influence others, and achieve goals.

Types of Verbal Communication

There are two main forms of verbal communication: spoken and written communication.

• Spoken Communication : Spoken communication is the most common form of verbal communication. It involves using words, tone of voice, and body language to convey a message. Spoken communication can take many different forms, including conversations, speeches, and presentations.
• Written Communication : Written communication is using written words to convey a message. It includes emails, letters, memos, and reports. Written communication is often used in professional settings to document information and convey messages to others.

There are four main types of verbal communication, each with its own unique characteristics and purposes:

• Intrapersonal communication : Intrapersonal communication is the process of talking to oneself, either out loud or internally. This type of communication is often used for self-reflection, problem-solving, and decision-making. Intrapersonal communication can help us better understand our own thoughts and feelings, and can be a valuable tool for personal growth and development.
• Interpersonal communication : Interpersonal communication is the process of communication between two or more people. This type of communication is often used for social interaction, relationship-building, and collaboration. Interpersonal communication can involve a range of verbal communication modes, such as face-to-face communication, telephone communication, and video conferencing.
• Small group communication : Small group communication involves communication between three to ten people, typically in a group setting such as a meeting or a discussion. This type of communication is often used for decision-making, problem-solving, and brainstorming. Small group communication requires effective listening and speaking skills, as well as the ability to work collaboratively with others.
• Public communication : Public communication is communicating to a large audience, typically through a speech or a presentation. This type of communication is often used for persuasive purposes, such as advocating for a cause or presenting information to an audience. Public communication requires effective public speaking skills, including the ability to engage and connect with the audience, use effective visual aids, and communicate ideas clearly and persuasively.

Other Types of Communication

In addition to verbal communication, other important forms of communication can convey meaning, including:

Nonverbal communication : Nonverbal communication is the use of body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice to convey a message. It can be used to emphasize a point, show emotion, or convey meaning. Nonverbal communication can be just as powerful as spoken communication and can often convey a message more effectively than words alone.

Visual communication : Visual communication is the use of images, charts, and graphs to convey a message. It is often used in professional settings to present data and information in a way that is easy to understand.

Components of Verbal Communication

Verbal communication is a complex process that involves not only the words we use, but also how we say them. Tone of voice, inflection, and other vocal cues can greatly impact the meaning of our message. Here are some important aspects of verbal communication and how they convey meaning:

• Tone of voice : Tone of voice refers to the way we use our voice to convey meaning. It can be described as the emotional quality of our voice. For example, a sarcastic tone of voice can convey that the speaker is not being sincere, while a warm and friendly tone can convey that the speaker is approachable and trustworthy.
• Inflection : Inflection refers to the rise and fall of our voice as we speak. It can convey emphasis and emotion. For example, a rising inflection at the end of a sentence can indicate a question, while a falling inflection can indicate a statement.
• Volume : Volume refers to how loudly or softly we speak. It can convey confidence, authority, and assertiveness. For example, speaking loudly can convey confidence and authority, while speaking softly can convey intimacy and vulnerability.
• Pace : Pace refers to the speed at which we speak. It can convey excitement, urgency, and impatience. For example, speaking quickly can convey excitement and urgency, while speaking slowly can convey thoughtfulness and deliberation.
• Intensity : Intensity refers to the level of emotional energy that we put into our words. It can convey passion, enthusiasm, and conviction. For example, speaking with intensity can convey a strong belief in something, while speaking with low intensity can convey ambivalence or lack of interest.
• Pitch : Pitch refers to the highness or lowness of our voice. It can convey age, gender, and emotion. For example, a high-pitched voice can convey youthfulness or excitement, while a low-pitched voice can convey authority or seriousness.

It’s important to note that these aspects of verbal communication can vary greatly depending on context, culture, and personal preference. What may be considered a confident tone of voice in one culture may be perceived as aggressive in another. 

Understanding these nuances is essential for effective verbal communication. By paying attention to these aspects of verbal communication, we can convey our message more effectively and avoid misunderstandings.

Modes of Verbal Communication

Verbal communication can occur through different modes, each with their own unique features and advantages. Here are some of the different ways verbal communication may occur:

Face-to-Face Verbal Communication

Face-to-face communication occurs when two or more people are in the same physical space and communicate verbally. This mode of communication allows for the use of nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions and body language, which can help convey meaning and emotion. It also allows for immediate feedback and clarification of misunderstandings.

Telephone Communication

Telephone communication occurs when two or more people communicate verbally over a telephone line. This mode of communication allows for immediate verbal communication over long distances but does not allow for the use of nonverbal cues, which can sometimes make it difficult to convey meaning and emotion.

Video Conferencing

Video conferencing occurs when two or more people communicate verbally over a video conferencing platform, such as Zoom or Skype. This mode of communication combines the benefits of face-to-face and telephone communication, allowing for the use of nonverbal cues and immediate verbal communication over long distances.

Public Speaking

Public speaking occurs when one person communicates verbally to a large audience. This mode of communication requires careful planning and preparation, as well as the ability to engage and connect with the audience through the use of tone of voice, inflection, and other vocal cues.

Group Discussion

Group discussion occurs when a group of people communicate verbally to exchange ideas, solve problems, or make decisions. This mode of communication requires active listening skills and the ability to work collaboratively with others to achieve a common goal.

Written Communication

Written communication occurs when ideas, thoughts, and information are conveyed through written words, such as emails, letters, or memos. This mode of communication allows for careful consideration and editing of the message, but can sometimes lack the immediacy and personal connection of verbal communication.

It’s important to note that each mode of verbal communication has its own strengths and weaknesses. Some modes may be more appropriate for certain contexts than others. 

For example, face-to-face communication may be more effective for resolving conflicts, while written communication may be more appropriate for conveying complex information or instructions.

Tips for Improving Verbal Communication Skills

Effective verbal communication requires more than just speaking clearly and articulately. It involves listening actively, empathizing with others, and adapting your communication style to different situations. Here are some tips for improving your verbal communication skills:

• Listen actively : Effective communication requires active listening. This means paying attention to what the other person is saying, asking questions, and clarifying misunderstandings.
• Use appropriate body language : Your body language can convey as much meaning as your words. Use appropriate gestures and facial expressions to emphasize your message and convey your emotions.
• Speak clearly and confidently : Speak clearly and confidently to ensure that your message is understood.
• Empathize with others : Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It is an important communication skill because it helps build trust and understanding.
• Be adaptable : Adapt your communication style to different situations and audiences. Use appropriate language for the context and audience, and be mindful of cultural differences.

Verbal Communication: From Words to Impact

• By PsychNewsDaily
• November 21, 2023

Understanding Verbal Communication

Before you dive into the intricacies of effective verbal communication, it’s important to first grasp the basic concept of what it entails.

What is Verbal Communication?

In simple terms, verbal communication refers to the exchange of information using words.

This can be done both orally, through spoken language, and in writing via written texts.

Verbal communication is a crucial aspect of human interaction, allowing us to express our thoughts, feelings, and ideas in a clear and meaningful way.

This form of communication doesn’t solely depend on the words you use; it’s also about how you use them.

The tone, pitch, speed, and volume of your voice can greatly affect the message you’re trying to convey.

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Even the pauses and silences between words can carry significant meaning.

A good understanding of these elements can greatly improve your emotional awareness and your ability to communicate effectively.

Components of Effective Verbal Communication

There are several key components that contribute to effective verbal communication.

Here are a few:

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• Clarity: Your message should be clear and easily understandable. Avoid using complex language or jargon that your listener might not understand.
• Conciseness: Keep your message brief and to the point. Avoid unnecessary details or repetitions.
• Relevance: Ensure your message is relevant to the conversation or situation at hand. Irrelevant information can confuse or distract your listener.
• Tone: The tone of your voice can convey emotions and attitudes. Be aware of how your tone might be perceived by others.
• Non-verbal cues: Body language, facial expressions, and gestures can complement or contradict your verbal message. Be conscious of your non-verbal cues to ensure they align with your words.

Understanding these components can help you hone your verbal communication skills and make your interactions more effective and meaningful.

Remember, good communication is about more than just exchanging information; it’s about understanding the emotion and intentions behind the information.

As you continue to explore the fascinating world of psychology, you’ll discover how integral verbal communication is to our relationships, our professional lives, and our overall well-being.

To dive deeper into this topic, consider checking out our article on introduction to psychology .

The Importance of Verbal Communication

Verbal communication holds a crucial role in our daily interactions.

Whether it’s in personal relationships or professional settings, the ability to express thoughts, ideas, and emotions effectively through words can greatly impact the quality of our interactions and relationships.

In Personal Relationships

In personal relationships, verbal communication acts as a bridge connecting hearts and minds.

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It allows for the expression of emotions, sharing of thoughts, and discussion of ideas, contributing significantly to the depth and quality of relationships.

For instance, if you are experiencing a conflict with a loved one, the ability to articulate your feelings and thoughts clearly can lead to resolution and understanding.

On the other hand, poor verbal communication might lead to misunderstandings and disagreement, causing strain in the relationship.

Effective verbal communication also fosters a sense of trust and intimacy.

By openly expressing your thoughts and emotions, you demonstrate vulnerability, which can strengthen the bond between you and your loved ones.

In Professional Settings

In professional settings, verbal communication is equally, if not more, important.

It facilitates the sharing of information, fosters teamwork, and promotes understanding among team members.

Whether it’s articulating your ideas during a meeting, giving feedback to your subordinates, or discussing a project plan with your team, effective verbal communication is crucial.

Poor verbal communication in a professional setting can lead to confusion, misunderstandings, and errors, which can impact productivity and work relationships.

On the other hand, clear and concise verbal communication can enhance teamwork, increase productivity, and foster a positive work environment.

Moreover, as a professional, your verbal communication skills can greatly impact your career progression.

Effective communicators are often perceived as confident and competent, attributes that are highly valued in the workplace.

In conclusion, mastering the art of verbal communication can greatly enhance your personal and professional life.

It allows you to express your thoughts and emotions effectively, understand and be understood by others, and form deep and meaningful connections.

For tips on improving your verbal communication skills, refer to our section on Improving Your Verbal Communication Skills .

The Art of Verbal Communication

Mastering verbal communication is not just about speaking.

It’s an art that involves combining several key elements such as clarity, empathy, and active listening.

Each of these components plays a vital role in making your communication more effective and impactful.

Clarity and Conciseness

Clear and concise communication is essential in conveying your thoughts and ideas effectively.

Clarity involves making sure your message is easily understood.

This means avoiding jargon, ambiguity, or complex language that could confuse the listener.

On the other hand, conciseness is about expressing your thoughts in the most efficient way, without unnecessary repetition or lengthy explanations.

To improve clarity and conciseness, you should:

• Plan your communication : Think about the main points you want to convey before you start speaking.
• Use simple and direct language : Avoid complex words or phrases that may confuse the listener.
• Be brief and to the point : Stick to the essential information and avoid unnecessary details.

Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

Empathy and emotional intelligence go hand in hand when it comes to effective verbal communication.

Empathy allows you to understand and share the feelings of others, which can help in building strong relationships and trust.

Emotional intelligence, on the other hand, is your ability to recognize, understand, and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others.

To enhance your empathy and emotional intelligence, you should:

• Practice active listening : Listen to understand, not just to respond.
• Show genuine interest : Show interest in the other person’s thoughts and feelings.
• Be aware of your emotions and those of others : Recognize and manage your emotions, and be sensitive to the emotions of others.

Find more about emotional awareness here.

Active Listening

Active listening is a crucial aspect of effective verbal communication.

It involves fully focusing on the speaker, understanding their message, responding thoughtfully, and refraining from interrupting when the other person is speaking.

Active listening not only helps you understand the other person’s viewpoint but also shows respect and encourages open dialogue.

To improve active listening, you should:

• Demonstrate attention : Show that you are engaged and interested in what the speaker has to say.
• Avoid distractions : Stay focused on the conversation and avoid distractions, such as checking your phone.
• Provide feedback : Respond to the speaker’s points and ask clarifying questions if necessary.

The art of verbal communication is a skill that can be developed and improved over time.

By focusing on clarity and conciseness, empathy and emotional intelligence, and active listening, you can become a more effective communicator in both your personal and professional life.

Remember, communication is not just about speaking.

It’s about understanding and being understood.

Barriers to Effective Verbal Communication

Even with the best intentions and effort, effective verbal communication can be hindered by several barriers.

Understanding these obstacles is the first step to improving your communication skills.

Misinterpretation and Misunderstanding

Misinterpretation and misunderstanding are common barriers in verbal communication.

They occur when the receiver of the message interprets it in a way that was not intended by the sender.

Misinterpretation can be due to unclear language, use of jargon, or not fully understanding the context.

To minimize misinterpretation, it’s beneficial to clarify your thoughts before expressing them.

Remember, what makes sense in your mind might not be as clear to others.

Moreover, asking for feedback to ensure your message has been understood correctly can help prevent misunderstandings.

Cultural Differences

Cultural differences play a significant role in verbal communication.

The same words or phrases can have different meanings in different cultures.

Moreover, non-verbal cues such as gestures, eye contact, and body language also vary across cultures and can significantly impact verbal communication.

Being aware of cultural nuances and respecting them in your communication can help bridge cultural gaps.

It’s also helpful to educate yourself about different cultures, especially if you frequently interact with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Emotional Barriers

Emotions can significantly affect how you communicate and interpret messages.

If you’re emotionally upset, you may not be able to effectively transmit or receive messages.

Similarly, if the person you’re communicating with is emotionally disturbed, they may not interpret your message as you intended.

Emotional awareness can help manage these barriers.

By recognizing your emotions and how they influence your communication, you can adjust your approach accordingly.

Also, being sensitive to the emotional state of the person you’re communicating with can lead to more effective communication.

In conclusion, verbal communication is not just about what you say, but how you say it, to whom, and in what context.

By understanding the barriers to effective communication, you can take steps to improve your communication skills and enhance your relationships, both personal and professional.

For more insights into the fascinating world of psychology, visit our introduction to psychology page.

Improving Your Verbal Communication Skills

Enhancing your verbal communication skills can have a significant impact on both your personal and professional life.

It can help you build stronger relationships, improve your problem-solving abilities, and increase your overall confidence.

Here are three key areas to focus on.

Practice Active Listening

Active listening is an essential part of effective verbal communication.

It involves fully focusing on the speaker, understanding their message, responding thoughtfully, and then remembering the information.

When you practice active listening, you’re not just waiting for your turn to speak.

Instead, you’re fully engaged in the conversation, demonstrating respect for the speaker and showing that you value their thoughts and opinions.

You can improve your active listening skills by avoiding distractions during conversations, asking open-ended questions, and providing feedback.

For more detailed strategies, check out our article on active listening .

Enhance Your Vocabulary

A rich vocabulary allows you to express yourself more effectively and accurately.

By learning new words and understanding their usage, you can convey your thoughts and emotions clearly and succinctly.

This can enhance your conversations and make your interactions more engaging and meaningful.

One way to enhance your vocabulary is by reading regularly.

Books, articles, and even conversations can introduce you to new words and phrases.

You can also use a thesaurus to find synonyms for common words, helping to diversify your language usage.

Our character traits list might be a good starting point for expanding your vocabulary, especially when describing people and personalities.

Be Aware of Non-Verbal Cues

While verbal communication is key, non-verbal cues also play a significant role in how your message is perceived.

Non-verbal cues include facial expressions, body language, gestures, and tone of voice.

These cues can often convey more information than words alone.

For instance, maintaining eye contact can show engagement and interest, while crossed arms might indicate defensiveness or disagreement.

By being aware of these cues, you can ensure that your non-verbal behavior aligns with your verbal messages, enhancing the overall effectiveness of your communication.

Understanding the impact of non-verbal cues can be crucial in various professional scenarios, such as during job interviews.

Our article on jobs with a bachelor’s in psychology discusses some jobs where these skills can be particularly useful.

By focusing on these three areas – active listening, vocabulary enhancement, and non-verbal cues – you can significantly improve your verbal communication skills.

This will not only help you in your personal relationships but can also boost your professional performance and prospects.

Verbal Communication in the Digital Age

As we navigate the digital age, the way we communicate verbally has seen significant changes.

With the rise of digital platforms and technologies, new challenges and opportunities have emerged.

The New Challenges

The digital age presents a unique set of challenges to verbal communication .

The most notable challenge is the lack of non-verbal cues.

When you are communicating face-to-face, you can pick up on subtle cues like body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice.

These cues often help in conveying the true meaning behind the words.

However, in digital communication, these cues are often absent, which can lead to misinterpretation and misunderstanding.

Another challenge is the temptation to multitask.

With multiple tabs open and notifications popping up, it’s easy to get distracted during a digital conversation.

This can lead to ineffective communication, as you might miss out on important details or fail to respond appropriately.

Finally, the digital age has brought with it the challenge of managing communication overload.

With emails, messages, and notifications coming in from various platforms, it can be overwhelming to keep up and respond effectively.

This can lead to stress and can impact your ability to communicate effectively.

Tips for Effective Digital Verbal Communication

Despite these challenges, there are several strategies you can use to enhance your verbal communication in the digital age.

• Clarity and Conciseness: Keep your messages clear and concise. This will ensure that your message is understood correctly and reduces the chances of misinterpretation.
• Use of Emojis: Emojis can be used to express emotions and provide context, helping to supplement the lack of non-verbal cues in digital communication.
• Active Listening: Even in digital communication, active listening is crucial. Pay full attention to the conversation and avoid multitasking.
• Managing Communication Overload: Prioritize your communication. Not all messages need immediate attention. Use tools and features like ‘do not disturb’ or ‘priority inbox’ to manage your communication better.
• Respect for Time Zones: When communicating with people in different time zones, be mindful of their work hours. Respect their time and avoid sending messages outside of their working hours.
• Emotional Intelligence: Understand the emotional context of your messages. Be sensitive to how your words might be received and adjust your communication accordingly.

In conclusion, the digital age has redefined verbal communication.

Understanding these new dynamics, keeping an open mind, and adapting your communication strategies will help you communicate effectively in this digital era.

For more insights into the evolving world of communication, explore our articles on introduction to psychology .

Further reading

• Verbal Communication: Definition, Importance and Examples – Indeed
• Verbal Communication Skills List and Examples – The Balance Careers
• Verbal Communication: 20 Tips for Effective Communication – LinkedIn
• Verbal Communication: Definition, Types, Importance (Explained) – WiseStep
• 36 Verbal Communication Examples (2023) – Helpful Professor

What Is Verbal Communication?

“Man is by nature a social animal,” the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote more than 2,000 years ago. And communication…

“Man is by nature a social animal,” the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote more than 2,000 years ago.

And communication lies at the heart of all social relationships.

From the time you enter this world, you start communicating. Your first cry is your first attempt at verbal communication. And as you start growing, you find newer ways of communication. You learn to form words and sentences to communicate.

This is the beginning of verbal communication.

What Is Verbal Communication? 

Characteristics of verbal communication, types of verbal communication, advantages of verbal communication.

Verbal communication means effectively presenting your thoughts in verbal format i.e., by talking. Verbal communication skills are essential in the world of business. Be it a weekly meeting or presentation to stakeholders, the importance of verbal communication is unparalleled. People always remember a person who speaks clearly, effectively, confidently, and charismatically.

For instance, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’s speech launching the iPhone is a classic example of brilliant verbal communication that people remember even today. Similarly, many speeches made by former US President Barack Obama are also unforgettable.

A powerful speaker is also able to connect with their audience easily. Like Oprah Winfrey says, “Great communication begins with a connection.”

You too can be a great speaker with practice. Most of us possess the means of verbal communication, what’s important is to recognize how to maximize them. Read on to learn more about its distinct characteristics.

Before we explore the various defining features of verbal communication, let’s look at its primary form. Verbal communication is oral in nature. Oral communication encompasses various activities such as talking, laughing or listening. We often navigate different emotional situations through oral forms of communication.

We also have written communication that includes script, alphabets, acronyms, logos and graphics. To interpret written messages, everyone involved must understand the code (e.g., the language). This is different from verbal or spoken communication.

There are several characteristics that are specific to verbal communication, namely:

The message being communicated is directly or indirectly related to an object

We use concepts to communicate messages

The content should be understood by both the sender and receiver

Cultural factors influence the content of messages

While communicating emotions and feelings, a sender’s state of mind influences the content of messages

Even though we talk to our friends, family and coworkers on a regular basis, we may not always be aware of how we’re communicating. Mastering the art of verbal communication will help you in more ways than one. Let’s explore different types of verbal communication and how your audience factors into it.

Verbal communication goes beyond words, sounds and languages. You need to know your audience to talk to them better. Remember that you can follow the Pyramid Principle and start with your main argument and then follow up with supporting statements. You can classify verbal communication into four types based on your audience.

Intrapersonal Communication

This is your private verbal communication channel. You talk to yourself and articulate your thoughts. Communicating with yourself will give you more confidence and clarity in your thoughts. It’ll help you make up your mind, form your sentences, find suitable words and effective ways to connect with other people. This will help you gain your colleagues’ trust in the workplace.

Interpersonal Communication

You can also call this one-to-one verbal communication. This type of communication happens between two individuals. It helps you understand if you’re getting your thoughts across clearly. Reactions, responses and verbal and nonverbal cues from the other person will help you understand whether you’re being understood or not. Make sure that you listen to the other person intently. Communication doesn’t just mean to talk to someone. It’s also about listening. So, listen, think and then respond. Take time to think and make sure you don’t offend people with your response.

Small Group Communication 

The number of people increases in small group communication. You move from communicating with a single participant to a few more. These small groups could be team meetings, board meetings or sales meetings. The number of participants is small enough for everyone to communicate with each other. When you attend small group meetings, be prepared with a topic to make sure you stay on track. Stay on topic and allow enough time for everyone to present their thoughts.

Public Communication 

You may also know this type as ‘ public speaking ’. Here, an individual addresses a large number of people at once. Speeches, election campaigns and presentations are a few examples of public communication. Since the number of people in the audience is larger in this type of communication, be sure to use words and phrases they’ll understand easily and structure your thoughts before addressing the audience. The more prepared you are, the more confident you’ll feel like a public speaker.

Verbal communication is a broad topic. There are various elements that help us organize our thoughts around it. They are:

When you express yourself your tone determines the message to be interpreted. For example, you can be saying something nice but if your tone is a sarcastic tone, the message will be conveyed differently. Your tone makes a huge difference to your speech.

The pace at which you speak is important as it determines the reaction of your audience. You may have attended lectures or webinars where people speaking slowly and softly can get boring. Similarly, it may be difficult to understand someone speaking at a rapid pace.

Volume ranges from a whisper to a scream. The volume at which you talk can convey various meanings. For example, if you whisper into someone’s ears in the presence of multiple people, it can be misconstrued as something negative. On the other hand, screaming while someone is talking is rude. Always monitor your volume depending on the social context you’re in.

Additionally, language, grammar and vocabulary are critical aspects of verbal communication. An erroneous message to a hiring manager, for example, can make or break your career opportunity. This is why verbal communication is a critical skill for success in professional settings as well. Effective communication helps with decision-making and increases collaboration in teams. Let’s look at the benefits of different types of verbal communication.

Verbal communication is one of the most important mediums of communication. The stronger your communication skills are, the easier it is for you to establish trust and build lasting relationships with others. Here are some benefits of strong verbal communication skills:

It provides complete understanding and there’s room to clarify any messages that may have been misunderstood

It’s one of the fastest modes of communication and is time-efficient

There is space for providing feedback, which allows two or more people to engage in a conversation at the same time

It allows speakers to exercise influence and persuade listeners to agree with ideas, thoughts and opinions

It’s flexible, that is, you can change your language and tone depending on the situation you’re in or the relationship you share with an individual

In short, verbal communication is one of the most reliable methods of communication. Its benefits apply to the world of work as well. Let’s look at the various ways in which strong verbal communication skills can be beneficial for professionals:

Building Relationships

Verbal communication allows you to build strong interpersonal relationships. It’s easier when you find like-minded people who share similar interests, ideas and outlooks. This further encourages you to cooperate, collaborate and engage in teamwork.

Persuading Someone

In professional settings, you need to exert a certain amount of influence to get things going. For example, if you want your coworkers to join your project, you need to be able to convince them first. Even in brainstorming sessions, you need to be able to convince others of your ideas and perspectives.

Bringing Clarity

As verbal communication enables feedback, you can provide clarity to your message by repeating yourself. For example, in conflicts or arguments, you can repeat your message so that there’s no room for ambiguity.

Improving Productivity

With proper communication in place, you can communicate effectively with team members and people across the organization. Well-established relationships enhance the process, allowing you to cooperate and collaborate quickly. Group discussions and teamwork maximize output, therefore increasing productivity.

Increasing Motivation

Verbal communication plays a crucial role in providing feedback and recognizing individual effort. Whether it’s a congratulatory speech or email, words of support and appreciation boosts confidence levels. If you’re a manager, don’t miss the opportunity to celebrate your team’s success and efforts. Not only will they get encouraged to do better, but it also cements your relationship with them.

Therefore, effective verbal communication opens up a two-way street that allows individuals to interact, engage and collaborate with each other, improving organizational efficiency and productivity. On an individual level, it helps you become more confident and a well-rounded professional.

Harappa offers two courses to build your communication skills— Writing Proficiently and Speaking Effectively . They’ll help you break the barriers and connect with your colleagues and the people around you. With key frameworks like the Pyramid Principle and PAM (Purpose-Audience-Message), you’ll learn how to communicate with impact.

Explore blogs on topics such as effective communication , the 7 barriers of communication ,  types of nonverbal communication , the different types of communication , and verbal and nonverbal communication on Harappa Diaries to make your world of work better.

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How to Develop Effective Verbal Communication Skills

March 3, 2021 - Dom Barnard

Verbal communication skills are more important than ever. Countless meetings, presentations, code reviews, conferences and networking events mean that clear and assertive verbal communication are essential for current and  future jobs .

Good communication skills can be the difference between getting a promotion or moving laterally, selling your product or struggling with slow growth, influencing colleagues with your idea or doing what you are told.

Article contents

Why is verbal communication important, characteristics of an effective communicator, the power of the mind, keep your audience in mind, actively listen, be empathetic, body language and posture, using the full range of your voice, watch videos from experts.

• 5 ways to practice communication skills

Communication skills are important to many aspects of your life and career, including:

• Managerial role  – how do you command respect from your colleagues while building a strong culture and team spirit? How do you deal with an unexpected crisis and communicate your action plan to your team? Oral  communication skills are essential  for many areas of management.
• Workplace success  – you’ll frequently be talking to clients, customers, talking in team meetings, requesting information, giving feedback and discussing problems. All require strong communication skills so that you are understood clearly without any misinterpretation.
• Secure a new job  – in employer surveys, oral communication skills consistently rank amongst the top soft skills companies look for. They want new employees to be able to speak clearly, concisely and confidently.
• Advance your career  – it’s important to be able to communicate your thoughts on how the processes, products or services can be improved. Business value these skills in management positions.

An effective communicator’s attributes include:

• Active listening
• Adaptability – adapting your communication styles to support the situation
• Confidence and assertiveness
• Constructive feedback – giving and receiving it
• Emotional intelligence – identifying and managing your emotions, as well as other people’s emotions
• Interpersonal skills – social skills which are especially useful in building strong rapports
• Interpretation of body language – this will help you understand how someone is feeling
• Open-mindedness
• Simplifying the complex
• Storytelling

Techniques for improving verbal communication

Communication is a skill which means that you can develop and improve it. Here are some techniques which can refine your skills.

Often we talk while we think but this can reduce our credibility because what we’re saying is usually meaningless and we come across as nervous. Much of presence is about stillness, listening and providing thoughtful response.

When answering questions and whilst engaging in conversation keep the following formula in mind and reply in a short, clear and concise way:

So don’t just say the first thing that comes to mind, instead be thoughtful and concentrate on the meaning of what you wish to communicate. When speaking, understand exactly what message you’re trying to get across. If you are unclear about your message then your audience won’t understand either.

Positive visualisation

This tactic is employed by  athletes before a race , they visualise themselves winning and focus on this idea intensely. This gives them a mental boost which translates into a physical one.

You can use this technique before a big presentation – imagine standing on a podium in front of hundreds of people, imagine delivering your speech and the audience looking engaged, imagine finishing up your speech and the audience applause.

Repeating this several times and immersing yourself in the event and the emotions will build effective communication skills.

Exercise – Positive Visualisation

• Find a quiet place to sit down and relax
• Close your eyes
• Think back to an experience you have had that made you feel really good. It can be anything – a personal accomplishment, a youthful memory, a successful project at work
• Take yourself back there and replay the sequence of events
• Be as detailed as you can in reliving the moment for yourself
• Hear the sounds, see the sights and feel the emotions
• Replay this a few times until you are immersed in this event
• Now open your eyes

This is a great technique to do before a presentation as it will help you control your nerves and it will increase your confidence for the event.

You must understand your audience to communicate effectively. By having this understanding you can tailor your communication to suit them so your message has the most impact.

To develop this skill you must imagine yourself in the audience’s position – think of their demographic and shared characteristics. Ask: why are they attending? What do they want to find out? What level are they in terms of knowledge and experience?

Active listening is when you listen beyond the words being spoken – you understand the message being communicated. During conversations, a lot of the time the “listener” is thinking about how they’re going to respond rather than concentrating on what the speaker is saying.

• Course on Active Listening with Online Practice

By really listening you can provide a more thoughtful answer that takes the speaker’s thoughts and opinions into account. Like Richard Branson said, “Listen more than you talk.”

To develop active listening you should practice the following:

1. Pay attention

Give the speaker your complete attention:

• Look at them directly and maintain eye contact.
• Don’t think about your reply whilst they’re speaking.
• Interpret their body language.
• Try to avoid being distracted by what’s happening around you.

2. Show the speaker that you’re interested

• Use your body language to highlight your engagement, such as, nodding, smiling, maintaining an open posture etc.
• Use prompts, such as, “uh huh”, “yep” etc.
• Clarify your understanding…

3. Clarify your understanding

You need to ensure that you understand what the speaker is saying without your judgments and beliefs getting in the way:

• Reflect on what you have heard by summarising and paraphrasing, for example, “Sounds like you’re saying…”. Ensure you do this periodically in a conversation as it helps with your understanding and it’s also another way to show the speaker than you’re listening.
• Ask questions to ensure that you understand everything, such as, “What do you mean when you say…” Ensure that these questions are non-judgemental.
• Ask whether you’ve got it right and accept if you need to be corrected.
• Ask for specific examples.
• Admit if you’re unsure about what the speaker means.
• Ask the speaker to repeat something if you think it will help.

4. Don’t interrupt or redirect the conversation

Interrupting is not helpful as it’s irritating for the speaker and it reduces the time for you to understand the message:

• Before saying anything ensure that the speaker has finished a point.

5. Provide a suitable response

• Be honest when you respond but avoid attacking or making the speaker feel bad because this is unhelpful.
• Provide your opinions politely.

These are the most common obstacles to active listening:

• Losing concentration.
• Jumping to conclusions which subsequently leads to false assumptions.
• Hastily forming a response before the speaker is finished.

To be empathetic means that you are able to identify and understand others’ emotions i.e. imagining yourself in someone else’s position.

Understanding how people feel will help you communicate your thoughts and ideas in a way that makes sense to others and it helps you understand others when they communicate.

To develop empathy:

• Imagine yourself in someone else’s position. Even if you have not experienced a similar situation, remember a situation where you have felt the same emotion your colleague/employee is experiencing.
• Practice listening to your colleagues without interrupting them.
• Observe your colleagues and try to gauge how they’re feeling.
• Never ignore your colleagues’ emotions, for example, if someone looks upset don’t disregard this – address it.
• Try to understand first rather than form a judgement. For example, you may initially feel annoyed at a colleague who seems cold and disinterested. However, after discovering they suffer from social anxiety you may feel more sympathetic.
• To communicate your empathy, keep your body language open and regulate your voice to show your sincerity.

Your  posture has the greatest impact  on your communication. The impression you have on others is split approximately:

• Body (visuals) 55%
• Voice (sound) 38%
• Words (content) 7%

Folded arms, crossed legs, hunched shoulders, hands in pockets, looking down – these are just some of the protective measures that make us feel safer, and should be avoided when giving a presentation or speech. Appearing relaxed makes us exert dominance and authority.

If you watch politicians speak, notice how relaxed and confident they appear, talking slowly and making positive body movements. Use your arms to emphasis a point and illustrate the message.

Read our  8 Elements of Confident Body Language .

Exercise – Posture

• Place your feet the same width apart as your hips.
• Feel your weight at the heel of your foot on the floor
• Think of your shoulders expanding out from one another.
• Do not hunch forward or pull your shoulders back – allow them to rest centrally.
• Hold your head level.
• Let your arms hang relaxed by your side.
• Spend a moment getting used to this position.
• Do a mental check around your body and make any adjustments you need to get comfortable.
• Try moving to another spot, regaining this relaxed position.

When a person is centred, they are balanced and relaxed. Getting used to placing your attention in your centre of gravity will help you achieve an open, relaxed posture, and make room for deeper, freer breath.

Think about the place halfway between the front and back of your body, and just above your waist. Stand with your feet a shoulder length apart and let your arms hang loosely by your side. Try and put all your attention at this centre before an important meeting or presentation, it will increase your presence and bring you into the moment.

Visual rapport – things to consider

From top down: head, eyes, expressions, shoulders, posture, breathing, energy, arms, hands, gestures, movements, stance, legs and feet.

The human voice is capable of 24 notes on a musical scale. We use about three of these in everyday speech. Think about this next time you speak, as using a wider range will allow you to quickly develop effective communication skills. This will help enthuse, persuade and excite the person or people you are talking to.

Sound resonates  in the mouth once your breath has delivered air to the vocal cords. Your tongue manipulates and shapes the sound, giving us speech, pitch and tone.

The more air in your lungs, the better the sounds resonate, giving us a wider range of audible voice. Most of us use less than a third of our vocal capacity and the reason is usually because we do not use our breath as well as we could.

To further understand how to use your voice, read the  Toastmasters Speaking Voice Guide .

Breathe deeply to communicate effectively

Every time you think, you breathe. Every time you speak, you breathe. The fact that we breathe subconsciously, means we often don’t think about it when speaking. When we get nervous our  breathing becomes shallow . Combine this with overlong sentences, which usually accompany speaking in public, and words begin to trail away at the end.

Maximising your breath and filling your lungs when speaking is very important for building effective communication skills. It makes you sound influential.

Remember to pause for emphasis, pause to take in a breath and pause to allow your message to sink in.

Exercise – Breathing

• Stand in the Neutral Position and put your hands on your stomach.
• Breathe deeply.
• Try to push your hands out as you breathe in by filling your ribs.
• Increase your awareness of this happening as you breathe – the movement and expansion of the ribs.

You can do this one in the comfort of your own home as there are lots of videos online from motivational speakers and communication experts. Watch how these people present themselves – where they look, their tone of voice, the speed at which they speak etc.

Make a list of things they do that you want to replicate in your own speaking and then imitate what the speakers do when you’re talking.

Start small and scale up to a larger audience as you become more comfortable and confident in your ability to deliver your message effectively.

This isn’t an overnight quick-fix (unfortunately, there isn’t one) and you’ll have to practice mastering speaking techniques and eliminate any bad linguistic habits you’ve picked up. If you persevere, you’ll improve your verbal communication skills quickly.

Here are two more videos to get you started:

• ‘ How great leaders inspire action ‘ – Simon Sinek presents a simple but powerful model for how leaders inspire action, starting with a golden circle and the question “Why?”
• ‘ Why We Do What We Do ‘ – Tony Robbins, motivational speaker. You can use this video to show you techniques such as pausing after important points, varying your pitch and using hand gestures to emphasise your message.

5 ways to practice verbal communication skills

Studies on the benefits of practice.

Many studies have taken place on the benefits of practice. We’ve summarised three key benefits for you.

Benefits of practicing oral communication skills:

• Practice greatly increases the likelihood that you’ll remember new information (Anderson, 2008).
• Practice increases your ability to apply knowledge automatically, without reflection. This is usually only achieved through  extensive rehearsal and repetition , and frees up your cognitive resources to handle other tasks. (Brown & Bennett, 2002; Moors & De Houwer, 2006).
• Receive feedback on your communication skills so you know where and how to improve

You should think of practice not as rote repetition, but as deliberate, goal-directed rehearsal paired with reflection on communication skills.

• Practice for Knowledge Acquisition (Not Drill and Kill)

Learning vs. practicing

You may be accustomed to being good at what you do. Learning something new is hard, especially at the beginning when we’re likely to struggle and make mistakes. The reality is, the only way to learn something new is to practice.

In his book,  Outliers , Malcolm Gladwell suggests that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become expert at something. Perhaps more of a realist, Josh Kaufman, author of  The Personal MBA , writes that to go from “knowing nothing to being pretty good” takes about 20 hours of practice. So whether you aspire to be “pretty good” or an “expert,” practice is essential.

Some people believe that intellectual understanding is enough for skill development. However, many studies have shown this is not that case – we need to practice, get feedback, refine our approach, practice again and generally apply the knowledge we learn. This is hard to do.

You can spend hours learning about communication skills, but without actually practicing what you learn, you’ll only have an intellectual understanding as opposed to skill development.

After learning how to communicate, you’ll need to practice what you’ve learnt in order to develop the skill. We’ve listed both traditional and new methods you can use to practice your communication skills.

1. Online simulator

More and more you may find yourself communicating over video conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Skype. These require a unique set of skills compared to in-person communication.

You can practice your oral communication skills in simulations which mimic video-conferencing software, as well as watch yourself back and receive automated feedback on your performance.

• How to Present over Video  – Practice how to deliver successful video-based presentations on Zoom, Skype, Webex, Teams and more.
• Ace your Video Interview  – Practice how to deliver successful video-based sales pitches on popular video conferencing platforms.
• Online Interview Training  – Learn how to ace your video-based interview with best practices and a mock interview simulator.

Practice your communication skills with  interactive online exercises .

2. Professional coaching

This can be in person or through a phone / Skype call. We’ve listed three examples of communication skills coaching.

• RADA Coaching  – RADA can enable you to transform all aspects of your leadership, help you to master communication skills such as personal impact, presence and authenticity, or support you on a specific workplace challenge or presentation.
• Public Speaking and Presentation Coaching  – get a tailored presentation skills coaching program to your skill level, over the phone or through Skype, so you achieve your goals as quickly as possible.
• Public Speaking and Communications Coaching  – personalised sessions of communication skills, presentation skills or public speaking coaching to help you to develop your self-confidence, focus on specific issues or prepare for a particular event.

3. Virtual reality environments

Virtual reality (VR) lets you practice verbal communication techniques in realistic environments from the comfort of your own home. It’s a great middle ground between an online course and in-person coaching. For a more detailed list of VR apps, read our article on  top public speaking apps .

• VirtualSpeech platform  – practice communication skills, interview preparation, business networking, language learning, sales, and more with interactive exercises. Speech analysis technology provides instant  feedback on your speech  or conversation.
• Speech Trainer  – this Steam based app provides a virtual auditorium where you can learn to  overcome your fear of public speaking  by addressing a virtual audience.

VR being used to practice a presentation.

4. Friends or colleagues

This is a great way to get detailed feedback on how you are performing. Set yourself a task and ask your colleague or friend to observe you and then give you feedback.

Giving and receiving feedback  is a powerful process but needs to be handled sensitively and should follow these guidelines:

• Be specific on what needs to improve
• Provide evidence on where they can change
• Give feedback on any emotional impact you felt
• Be constructive, provide 3 positives and 2 areas to improve
• Listen and don’t interrupt
• Act on the feedback straight away if possible

5. Solo with a video camera or voice recorder

By using a video camera or voice recorder, you can work on your oral communication style. Work with short sections – for example if you need to make a presentation, start by working on your opening.

Perform and watch / listen back a number of times until you feel you have developed what you have done sufficiently to move on.

In this method of working, you alternate the role of subject and observer. When you are observing / listening to yourself, clarify any feedback by writing down what you are developing or changing. This will help you measure your progress as well as structuring your development.

• Free online voice recorder

Final thoughts

Communication is one of the most effective skills that you can cultivate for work so it’s worth the effort to develop it. It’s also helpful to keep in mind the following when working on your communication:

• What we hear last is remembered the easiest.
• We remember things that are presented with an impact, such as, using emotional appeals (pathos).
• We remember things that we have use for.
• We remember what we hear frequently so repetition is important.

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Effective Speaking

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Speaking effectively is defined as speaking in such a way that your message is clearly heard and, if possible, acted upon. There are two main elements to speaking effectively: what you say, and how you say it.

What you say means your choice of words. The words you might use when chatting to a friend are likely to be quite different from those used in a formal presentation or interview.

Similarly, the way that you speak will also vary in different situations. However, there are also likely to be some common factors: for example, whether you naturally talk quietly or loudly, and how you use body language.

This page discusses aspects of effective speaking. It also suggests ways in which you can become a more effective speaker.

Aspects of Effective Speaking

Effective speaking means being able to say what you want to say in such a way that it is heard and acted upon.

Whether you are talking to a major conference about a new scientific discovery, your children about their behaviour, or your boss about a pay rise, you need to be able to speak effectively. This means considering every possible tool and aspect to ensure that nothing distracts or detracts from your message.

There are three main elements of effective speaking

• The words you use.
• Your voice.
• Your other non-verbal communication, particularly body language.

Choosing Your Words

What you say—the words you choose—matters.

If in doubt about your meaning, your audience will come back to the words that you used and double-check what you might have meant. It is therefore important to choose carefully, especially when you are saying something important. Things to consider include:

Your audience . The words you choose will be different if you are talking to 200 people at a conference, a trusted colleague, your boss, or your children. You need to think about your audience’s overall level of understanding of the subject, and also the type of language that you use.

Shorter sentences are easier to process and understand. Using shorter sentences also creates urgency.

Simpler words are also easier to understand. If you cannot explain something in simple terms, you have probably not understood it yourself. This is particularly important if your audience are not all native speakers of the language.

Regional and ethnic accents are part of individual personality and add a unique element to the way that you speak.

They may also, however, in some situations, create potential barriers to communication. For example, if you have a very strong accent, people from another area or country may find it harder to understand what you are saying. You may therefore need to slow down your speech to ensure that they have time to process what you are saying.

It is worth remembering, however, that words are only a part of your overall communication and message. The tone of voice and your body language also send strong messages.

Your voice can reveal as much about your personal history as your appearance. The sound of a voice and the content of speech can provide clues to an individual's emotional state.

For instance, if self-esteem is low, it may be reflected by hesitancy in the voice. A shy person may speak quietly, but someone who is confident in themselves will be more likely to have command of their voice and clarity of speech.

It is worth taking time to improve your command over your voice, especially if you find it hard to speak in public. It can even help to boost your confidence!

It is important to get used to the sound of your own voice. Most people are more relaxed in a private situation, particularly at home, where there are no pressures to conform to any other social rules and expectations. This is not the case in public situations when there are all sorts of influences exerted upon the way people speak.

An exercise to improve public speaking

Try recording your own voice in an informal setting, such as at home.

Listen carefully to how you sound. This will help you become accustomed to your own voice.

You might also note any aspects of your speech which reduce the overall effectiveness of your message. This might include a tendency to say ‘um’ or ‘er’ a lot, to slur one or more letters together, or stammer slightly.

Often people don’t like the sound of their own recorded voice - in the same way that some people don't like photographs of themselves - they can feel embarrassed.

Most of us are not used to hearing our own voices and these feelings are totally normal. Get past the initial, ‘ Do I really sound like that? ’ stage and develop a better understanding of your voice.

The more you get used to the sound of your voice functioning in a slightly more formal way, the easier it is when doing it 'for real'. In conversational mode, individuals tend to speak in short phrases, a few at a time. Speaking or reading aloud helps you to become used to the more fluent sound of your voice.

An exercise to help develop your effective speaking skills:

Find a document to read, something about two pages in length - the first few pages of a book would work well.

Read your document through silently first, then read it aloud in your normal speaking voice.  Don't worry if you stumble or falter, just pick up and continue to the end.

Now read it a third time, recording your voice if possible and remember:

• Slow down: It is a natural reaction to want to get it over as fast as possible and this often causes people to stumble over their words. Speeding up also occurs when you are nervous and usually makes you more difficult to understand.
• Keep your head up:  Try not to tuck your chin into the book as your voice is then addressing the floor. Hold your book higher and project your voice.
• Pause occasionally: Let the end of a sentence or the end of a paragraph give you a chance of a small, two or three second rest. Pauses can be useful for emphasis.

Practise this exercise as often as you can.

Anyone can improve the sound of their voice and the way they speak in a matter of days through a few simple exercises, like the one above. To improve you will need to maintain a certain commitment and practice regularly for a few minutes.

The Effect of Breath on Voice and Speech

The voice is responsive to emotions and sometimes gets ' blocked ', which can prevent or hinder the expression of a range of feelings.

When under stress an individual's breathing pattern will change. When your muscles are tense you cannot use your lungs to their full capacity. When someone is frightened or nervous, a common symptom is tension in the neck and shoulders. This occurs because, when under pressure, we tend to breath faster. This means we inhale plenty of air, but there is not enough time to exhale fully and relax, so we do not get the full benefit.

Good breathing is essential for two reasons:

By using full lung capacity the breath will support the voice and the voice will become richer, fuller and stronger.

This will benefit individuals who have a small voice and who worry that they cannot be heard when speaking to a group of people. Volume is controlled in the abdomen not in the throat, so breathing to full strength will allow for greater control of the voice.

Breathing deeply and rhythmically has a calming and therapeutic effect as it releases tension and promotes relaxation. People who are relaxed are more balanced, receptive and confident.

It is no coincidence that many religions use rhythmic breathing techniques such as meditation, yoga and silent contemplation, and vocal release in the form of chants, mantras or hymn singing as aids to their devotions. By easing physical tension, mental stress decreases and the mind is effectively freed to follow creative pursuits.

Breathing Exercise

Stand in an easy position with your feet one pace apart, with the knees ‘unlocked’ and not rigidly pushed back. Keep your spine straight, head balanced and face muscles relaxed.

Breathe in to a slow count of three, then out to a slow count of three.

Try not to raise your shoulders as you breathe. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Consciously think of your breath 'filling down' to the bottom of your lungs.

Put the palm of your hand flat against your abdomen and feel the movement. Push slightly against your hand as you breathe in and out.

Repeat this exercise ten times.

Depending on how you feel after several days of doing this exercise, extend the count of the out-going breath from three to four, five and six gradually building up to ten before you need to take another breath. Then count out loud on the out-going breath from one to ten. Repeat five times.

By building up your control of out-going breath, you will never sound ‘breathy’ or feel you are 'running out of breath’ when you speak to a group or a meeting.

See our Relaxation Techniques section for more on breathing and relaxing.

Further Reading from Skills You Need

Our Communication Skills eBooks

Learn more about the key communication skills you need to be a more effective communicator.

Our eBooks are ideal for anyone who wants to learn about or develop their interpersonal skills and are full of easy-to-follow, practical information.

Vocal Production

The following three core elements of vocal production need to be understood for anyone wishing to become an effective speaker:

• Volume   -  to be heard.
• Clarity  - to be understood.
• Variety  - to add interest.

This is not a question of treating the voice like the volume control on the TV remote. Some people have naturally soft voices and physically cannot bellow. Additionally, if the voice is raised too much, tonal quality is lost. Instead of raising the voice, it should be ' projected out '. Support the voice with lots of breath - the further you want to project the voice out, the more breath you need. It also needs to come from the diaphragm, not the throat.

When talking to a group or meeting, it is important not to aim your talk to the front row or just to the people nearest you. Instead, you need to consciously project what you have to say to those furthest away. By developing a  strong voice,  as opposed to a loud voice, you will be seen as someone positive.

Some people tend to speak through clenched teeth and with little movement of their lips. It is this inability to open mouths and failure to make speech sounds with precision that is the root cause of inaudibility. The sound is locked into the mouth and not let out.

To have good articulation it is important to unclench the jaw, open the mouth and give full benefit to each sound you make, paying particular attention to the ends of words. This will also help your audience as a certain amount of lip-reading will be possible.

To make speech effective and interesting, certain techniques can be applied. However, it is important not to sound false or as if you are giving a performance. Words convey meaning, but the way that they are said reflects feelings and emotions. Vocal variety can be achieved by variations in:

Pace: This is the speed at which you talk. If speech is too fast, then listeners will not have time to assimilate what is being said. It is also a good idea to vary the pace - quickening up at times and then slowing down – because this will help to maintain interest.

Volume:  By raising or lowering volume occasionally, you can create emphasis. If you drop your voice to almost a whisper (as long as it is projected) for a sentence or two, it will make your audience suddenly alert. Be careful not to overuse this technique, though, or it will lose its impact.

Pitch - Inflection - Emphasis:  When speaking in public, try to convey the information with as much vocal energy and enthusiasm as possible. This does not mean your voice has to swoop and dive all over the place in an uncontrolled manner. Try to make the talk interesting. Remember that when you are nervous or excited, your vocal chords tense and shorten, causing the voice to get higher. Emphasise certain words and phrases within the talk to convey their importance and help to add variety.

Pause:  Pauses are powerful. They can be used for effect to highlight the preceding statement or to gain attention before an important message. Pauses mean silence for a few seconds. Listeners interpret meaning during pauses so have the courage to stay silent for up to five seconds – dramatic pauses like this convey authority and confidence.

Warm up your voice

Before any important speaking situation, whether it is an appointment, meeting or talk, it is beneficial to have a voice warm-up.

The voice is an instrument - no musician arrives at a concert hall and launches into Beethoven without first tuning up.  The length of time and frequency of a warm-up is up to you and will depend on how much speaking you need to do.

There is more about using your voice effectively on our page non-verbal communication: face and voice .

A considerably amount of communication—some estimates suggest over 50%—is non-verbal. Tone of voice, pace and emphasis are all part of non-verbal communication.

However, your body language is also important. This includes how you stand, your facial expressions, the way you use your hands to emphasise your speech, and even whether and with whom you make eye contact.

There is more about how to use body language to communicate effectively in our page on Body Language . This includes considering how far away you are from your audience, and therefore whether you need to exaggerate your gestures to make them clearer.

The importance of congruence

Perhaps the most important aspect of effective communication is congruence .

For communication to be effective, your non-verbal communication needs to reinforce your words: the two must say the same thing. Non-verbal communication is much harder to disguise than verbal—if you see that someone’s body language is giving a different message from their words, it pays to listen to the non-verbal communication first as it is more likely to reflect their real views.

You may therefore need to put some thought into how you want to use body language and other non-verbal cues. This is particularly important if you are trying to get across a difficult or unwelcome message.

Continue to: Conversational Skills Verbal Communication Skills

See also: Networking Skills The Art of Tact and Diplomacy 7 Qualities of Good Speakers That Can Help You Be More Successful

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

10.3 Vocal Delivery

Learning objectives.

• Identify elements of vocal delivery that make a speech more engaging.
• Identify elements of vocal delivery that make a speech clearer.
• Discuss the relationship between vocal delivery and speaker credibility.

Vocal delivery includes components of speech delivery that relate to your voice. These include rate, volume, pitch, articulation, pronunciation, and fluency. Our voice is important to consider when delivering our speech for two main reasons. First, vocal delivery can help us engage and interest the audience. Second, vocal delivery helps ensure that our ideas are communicated clearly.

Speaking for Engagement

We have all had the displeasure of listening to an unengaging speaker. Even though the person may care about his or her topic, an unengaging delivery that doesn’t communicate enthusiasm will translate into a lack of interest for most audience members. Although a speaker can be visually engaging by incorporating movement and gestures, which we will discuss more later, a flat or monotone vocal delivery can be sedating or even annoying. Incorporating vocal variety in terms of rate, volume, and pitch is key to being a successful speaker.

Rate of speaking refers to how fast or slow you speak. If you speak too fast, your audience will not be able to absorb the information you present. If you speak too slowly, the audience may lose interest. The key is to vary your rate of speaking in a middle range, staying away from either extreme, in order to keep your audience engaged. In general, a higher rate of speaking signals that a speaker is enthusiastic about his or her topic. Speaking slowly may lead the audience to infer that the speaker is uninterested, uninformed, or unprepared to present his or her own topic. These negative assumptions, whether they are true or not, are likely to hurt the credibility of the speaker. Having evaluated thousands of speeches, I can say that, in terms of rate, the issue speakers face is speaking too fast. The goal is to speak at a rate that will interest the audience and will effectively convey your information. Speaking at a slow rate throughout a speech would likely bore an audience, but that is not a common occurrence.

Some people naturally speak faster than others, which is fine, but we can all alter our rate of speaking with practice. If you find that you are a naturally fast speaker, make sure that you do not “speed talk” through your speech when practicing it. Even if you try to hold back when actually delivering your speech, you may fall back into your practice routine and speak too fast. You can also include reminders to “slow down” on your speaking outline.

Volume refers to how loud or soft your voice is. As with speaking rate, you want to avoid the extremes of being too loud or too soft, but still vary your volume within an acceptable middle range. When speaking in a typically sized classroom or office setting that seats about twenty-five people, using a volume a few steps above a typical conversational volume is usually sufficient. When speaking in larger rooms, you will need to project your voice. You may want to look for nonverbal cues from people in the back rows or corners, like leaning forward or straining to hear, to see if you need to adjust your volume more. Obviously, in some settings, a microphone will be necessary to be heard by the entire audience. Like rate, audiences use volume to make a variety of judgments about a speaker. Softer speakers are sometimes judged as meek, which may lead to lowered expectations for the speech or less perceived credibility. Loud speakers may be seen as overbearing or annoying, which can lead audience members to disengage from the speaker and message. Be aware of the volume of your voice and, when in doubt, increase your volume a notch, since beginning speakers are more likely to have an issue of speaking too softly rather than too loudly.

Speak a couple steps above your regular volume for speeches that occur in typically sized classrooms or meeting rooms that seat twenty to forty people. A microphone may be necessary for larger groups or rooms.

Speaker at Podium – CC BY 2.0.

Pitch refers to how high or low a speaker’s voice is. As with other vocal qualities, there are natural variations among people’s vocal pitch. Unlike rate and volume, there are more physiological limitations on the control we have over pitch. For example, males generally have lower pitched voices than females. Despite these limitations, each person still has the capability to intentionally change their pitch across a range large enough to engage an audience. Changing pitch is a good way to communicate enthusiasm and indicate emphasis or closure. In general, our pitch goes up when we are discussing something exciting. Our pitch goes down slightly when we emphasize a serious or important point. Lowering pitch is also an effective way to signal transitions between sections of your speech or the end of your speech, which cues your audience to applaud and avoids an awkward ending.

Of the vocal components of delivery discussed so far, pitch seems to give beginning speakers the most difficulty. There is a stark difference between the way I hear students speak before and after class and the way they speak when they get in front of the class. It’s like giving a speech temporarily numbs their ability to vary their pitch. Record yourself practicing your speech to help determine if the amount of pitch variety and enthusiasm you think you convey while speaking actually comes through. Speakers often assume that their pitch is more varied and their delivery more enthusiastic than the audience actually perceives it to be. Many of my students note this on the self-evaluations they write after viewing their recorded speech.

Vocal Variety

Overall, the lesson to take away from this section on vocal delivery is that variety is key. Vocal variety includes changes in your rate, volume, and pitch that can make you look more prepared, seem more credible, and be able to engage your audience better. Employing vocal variety is not something that takes natural ability or advanced skills training. It is something that beginning speakers can start working on immediately and everyone can accomplish. The key is to become aware of how you use your voice when you speak, and the best way to do this is to record yourself. We all use vocal variety naturally without thinking about it during our regular conversations, and many of us think that this tendency will translate over to our speaking voices. This is definitely not the case for most beginning speakers. Unlike in your regular conversations, it will take some awareness and practice to use vocal variety in speeches. I encourage students to make this a delivery priority early on. Since it’s something anyone can do, improving in this area will add to your speaking confidence, which usually translates into better speeches and better grades further on.

Speaking for Clarity

In order to be an effective speaker, your audience should be able to understand your message and digest the information you present. Audience members will make assumptions about our competence and credibility based on how we speak. As with other aspects of speech delivery, many people are not aware that they have habits of speech that interfere with their message clarity. Since most of our conversations are informal and take place with people we know, many people don’t make a concerted effort to articulate every word clearly and pronounce every word correctly, and most of the people we talk to either don’t notice our errors or don’t correct us if they do notice. Since public speaking is generally more formal than our conversations, we should be more concerned with the clarity of our speech.

Articulation

Articulation refers to the clarity of sounds and words we produce. If someone is articulate, they speak words clearly, and speakers should strive to speak clearly. Poor articulation results when speakers do not speak clearly. For example, a person may say dinnt instead of didn’t , gonna instead of going to , wanna instead of want to , or hunnerd instead of hundred . Unawareness and laziness are two common challenges to articulation. As with other aspects of our voice, many people are unaware that they regularly have errors in articulation. Recording yourself speak and then becoming a higher self-monitor are effective ways to improve your articulation. Laziness, on the other hand, requires a little more motivation to address. Some people just get in the habit of not articulating their words well. I’m sure we all know someone who mumbles when they speak or slurs their words together. From my experience, this is a problem that I’ve noticed more among men than women. Both mumbling and slurring are examples of poor articulation. In more informal settings, this type of speaking may be acceptable, but in formal settings, it will be negatively evaluated, which will hurt a speaker’s credibility. Perhaps the promise of being judged more favorably, which may help a person become more successful, is enough to motivate a mumbler to speak more clearly.

When combined with a low volume, poor articulation becomes an even greater problem. Doing vocal warm-ups like the ones listed in Section 10.1 “Managing Public Speaking Anxiety” or tongue twisters can help prime your mouth, lips, and tongue to articulate words more clearly. When you notice that you have trouble articulating a particular word, you can either choose a different word to include in your speech or you can repeat it a few times in a row in the days leading up to your speech to get used to saying it.

Pronunciation

Unlike articulation, which focuses on the clarity of words, pronunciation refers to speaking words correctly, including the proper sounds of the letters and the proper emphasis. Mispronouncing words can damage a speaker’s credibility, especially when the correct pronunciation of a word is commonly known. I have actually heard someone, presenting on the topic of pronunciation, mispronounce the word pronunciation , saying “pro-NOUN-ciation” instead of “pro-NUN-ciation.” In such a case, it would not be unwarranted for the audience to question the speaker’s expertise on the subject.

We all commonly run into words that we are unfamiliar with and therefore may not know how to pronounce. I offer my students three suggestions when faced with this problem. The first is to look the word up in an online dictionary. Many dictionaries have a speaker icon with their definitions, and when you click on it, you can hear the correct pronunciation of a word. Some words have more than one pronunciation—for example, Caribbean —so choosing either of the accepted pronunciations is fine. Just remember to consistently use that pronunciation to avoid confusing your audience. If a word doesn’t include an audio pronunciation, you can usually find the phonetic spelling of a word, which is the word spelled out the way it sounds. There will occasionally be words that you can’t locate in a dictionary. These are typically proper nouns or foreign words. In this case, I suggest the “phone-a-friend” strategy. Call up the people you know who have large vocabularies or are generally smart when it comes to words, and ask them if they know how to pronounce it. If they do, and you find them credible, you’re probably safe to take their suggestion. The third option is to “fake it ‘til you make it” and should only be used as a last resort. If you can’t find the word in a dictionary and your smart friends don’t know how to pronounce it, it’s likely that your audience will also be unfamiliar with the word. In that case, using your knowledge of how things are typically pronounced, decide on a pronunciation that makes sense and confidently use it during your speech. Most people will not question it. In the event that someone does correct you on your pronunciation, thank him or her for correcting you and adjust your pronunciation.

Fluency refers to the flow of your speaking. To speak with fluency means that your speech flows well and that there are not many interruptions to that flow. There are two main disfluencies, or problems that affect the flow of a speech. Fluency hiccups are unintended pauses in a speech that usually result from forgetting what you were saying, being distracted, or losing your place in your speaking notes. Fluency hiccups are not the same as intended pauses, which are useful for adding emphasis or transitioning between parts of a speech. While speakers should try to minimize fluency hiccups, even experienced speakers need to take an unintended pause sometimes to get their bearings or to recover from an unexpected distraction. Fluency hiccups become a problem when they happen regularly enough to detract from the speaker’s message.

Verbal fillers are words that speakers use to fill in a gap between what they were saying and what they’re saying next. Common verbal fillers include um , uh , ah , er , you know , and like . The best way to minimize verbal fillers is to become a higher self-monitor and realize that you use them. Many students are surprised when they watch the video of their first speech and realize they said “um” thirty times in three minutes. Gaining that awareness is the first step in eliminating verbal fillers, and students make noticeable progress with this between their first and second speeches. If you do lose your train of thought, having a brief fluency hiccup is better than injecting a verbal filler, because the audience may not even notice the pause or may think it was intentional.

Common Causes of Fluency Hiccups

• Lack of preparation. Effective practice sessions are the best way to prevent fluency hiccups.
• Not writing for speaking. If you write your speech the way you’ve been taught to write papers, you will have fluency hiccups. You must translate the written words into something easier for you to present orally. To do this, read your speech aloud and edit as you write to make sure your speech is easy for you to speak.
• A poorly prepared speaking outline. Whether it is on paper or note cards, sloppy writing, unorganized bullet points, or incomplete/insufficient information on a speaking outline leads to fluency hiccups.
• Distractions. Audience members and the external environment are unpredictable. Hopefully audience members will be polite and will silence their phones, avoid talking while the speaker is presenting, and avoid moving excessively. There could also be external noise that comes through a door or window. A speaker can also be distracted by internal noise such as thinking about other things.

“Getting Plugged In”

Delivering Presentations Online

As many people and organizations are trying to do more with smaller budgets, and new software becomes available, online presentations are becoming more common. Whether using a Webinar format, a WebEx, Skype, FaceTime, Elluminate Live, or some other program, the live, face-to-face audience is now mediated through a computer screen. Despite this change in format, many of the same basic principles of public speaking apply when speaking to people virtually. Yet many business professionals seem to forget the best practices of public speaking when presenting online or don’t get that they apply in both settings. The website TheVirtualPresenter.com offers many tips for presenting online that we’ve covered in this book, including be audience focused, have engaging delivery, and use visual aids effectively (Courville, 2012). Yet speakers need to think about some of these things differently when presenting online. We have natural ways to engage an audience when presenting face-to-face, but since many online presentations are only one-way in terms of video, speakers have to rely on technology like audience polls, live chat, or options for audience members to virtually raise their hand when they have a question to get feedback while speaking. Also, in some formats, the audience can only see the presenter’s computer desktop or slide show, which pulls attention away from physical delivery and makes vocal delivery and visual aids more important. Extemporaneous delivery and vocal variety are still key when presenting online. Reading from your slides or having a monotone voice will likely not make a favorable impression on your audience. The lesson to take away is that presenting online requires the same skills as presenting in person, so don’t let the change in format lead you to make mistakes that will make you a less effective speaker.

• Have you ever presented online or been an audience member for an online presentation? If so, describe your experience and compare it to face-to-face speaking.
• What are some of the key differences between presenting online and presenting in person that a speaker should consider?
• How might online presentations play into your future career goals? What types of presentations do you think you would give? What could you do to ensure the presentations are effective?

Key Takeaways

• Speakers should use vocal variety, which is changes in rate, volume, and pitch, to make a speech more engaging.
• Speakers should use proper articulation and pronunciation to make their message clear.
• Interruptions to the fluency of a speech, including fluency hiccups and verbal fillers, detract from the speaker’s message and can lessen a speaker’s credibility.
• Record yourself practicing your speech. How does your speech sound in terms of vocal variety? Cite specific examples.
• Listen to your recorded speech again. How would you evaluate your articulation and pronunciation? Cite specific examples.
• Over the course of a day, take note of verbal fillers that you tend to use. List them here so you can be a higher self-monitor and begin to notice and lessen your use of them.

Courville, R., “Delivery,” TheVirtualPresenter.com, accessed November 5, 2012, http://thevirtualpresenter.com/category/delivery .

Communication in the Real World Copyright © 2016 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Public Speaking: Verbal

Criteria for success.

• The words you say are clear and can be understood.
• Your vocal elements, such as tone, inflections, pace, and pauses, keep your audience engaged.

Identify your purpose

Verbal communication is used to share information. Speech can supplement a presentation (see Slideshows and Posters ) or may be the entire talk (see  Elevator Pitch ). Independent of content, how you speak influences how your message is received.

Poorly delivered speech is a barrier to information transfer. Working on the verbal aspects of your public speaking will help you lower that barrier and more effectively communicate with your audience.

Analyze your audience

Your audience is hearing and processing what you say at the same time. Sometimes they’re also looking at your slides, your poster, or their phone. Tailor your delivery—volume, rate, and vocal inflection—to make it easy for them to follow along. Limit distractions like filler words or mumbling that interrupt and detract from your message. This will help your audience stay engaged with your presentation despite the distractions surrounding them.

Not all audiences need the same delivery to stay engaged. Just as you vary the technical vocabulary you use for an expert versus lay audience, you can similarly adjust your rate and use of pauses, giving ae less familiar audience more time to process and understand your content. The formality of your presentation will affect how tone and vocal inflections are received. For example, playful or interactive vocal inflections are better received in an informal setting compared to a formal presentation. When preparing for a presentation, think about the needs and expectations of your audience.

Speak at an appropriate volume for your environment

Speaking too quietly or loudly can distract your audience and prevent them from understanding your message. You should speak so that you can be heard clearly by anyone in your audience. There is no one-size-fits-all volume that accomplishes this goal: you should speak differently when giving your elevator pitch to someone in front of you than you would when presenting in a lecture hall.

Practice with your friends or colleagues and ask them if you’re too quiet or loud. Before a presentation, they can go to different locations in a room and help you find the volume that allows everyone to hear you.

If you have a soft or quieter voice, you can ask the organizers at your event to give you a microphone . Be sure to test your volume with the microphone and be aware of it during your presentation so you maintain a consistent sound. To prepare for future presentations, you can also train your vocal cords through practice to help you speak louder and project better.

Speak clearly, at a rate comfortable for your audience

Being able to hear your presentation isn’t enough: your audience also needs to understand it. Clearly enunciated words spoken at a digestible rate will allow your audience to follow along, while mumbling and speaking too fast will leave your audience struggling to keep up. All words should be pronounced clearly, completely, and at a pace that makes them intelligible. If you have a strong accent or are speaking to an international audience, careful pronunciation will help your message reach your audience.

Practice saying difficult words so you’re prepared to say them confidently and correctly. Techniques from music and theater are useful practice tools:

• Try biting a pencil while saying a difficult word, as this forces your tongue and throat to enunciate, rather than just your lips and jaw.
• If you struggle with a complex sentence, repeat the sentence each time emphasizing a different word to get more comfortable with pronouncing each part.

Your pace also affects enunciation: it’s easier to say “flux balance analysis” when you’re speaking slowly than when you’re speaking too fast. It’s hard to self-assess what rate you’re speaking at. Practice with someone or record yourself in order to find the right pace.

Strategically alter your delivery to keep your audience engaged

Keeping audience members interested in a 60-second pitch or 60-minute keynote requires more than just audible, intelligible speech: it requires storytelling. By varying the rate and pitch of your delivery—and by including timely pauses—you can use your voice to keep your audience engaged.

Altering delivery comes naturally when telling jokes or stories to friends, and you can use the same strategies when presenting. As an example, think about how you would tell this joke:

“Have you seen the new microbiologist? Man, is he small!”

• The first sentence is the set-up. It must be clear, otherwise the joke won’t make sense. Delivering it slowly and firmly draws attention to it while allowing your audience time to process what you’re saying.
• Ending with a rise in pitch signals that it is a question, and tells your audience that they should try to think of the answer.
• Pausing before the punchline gives them time to predict what the answer is, creating expectation.
• When the punchline is finally delivered as a statement or exclamation, the difference between their expectation and the answer provides humor.

When used correctly, rate and pitch help communicate information such as importance and emotion. However, it’s easy for delivery quirks to become distracting to an audience. Try recording yourself and only listening to the audio to identify distracting habits. You can also try transcribing your recording to identify repetitive vocal patterns such as filler words. Practice will help you build new habits and enhance your storytelling abilities.

Additional Resources

• Guide to vocal exercises to improve projection
• Common Challenges and Fixes for Verbal and Nonverbal Communication – an extensive reference table

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Chapter 1: The Speech Communication Process

The Speech Communication Process

• Listener(s)

Interference

As you might imagine, the speaker is the crucial first element within the speech communication process. Without a speaker, there is no process.  The  speaker  is simply the person who is delivering, or presenting, the speech.  A speaker might be someone who is training employees in your workplace. Your professor is another example of a public speaker as s/he gives a lecture. Even a stand-up comedian can be considered a public speaker. After all, each of these people is presenting an oral message to an audience in a public setting. Most speakers, however, would agree that the listener is one of the primary reasons that they speak.

The listener is just as important as the speaker; neither one is effective without the other.  The  listener  is the person or persons who have assembled to hear the oral message.  Some texts might even call several listeners an “audience. ” The listener generally forms an opinion as to the effectiveness of the speaker and the validity of the speaker’s message based on what they see and hear during the presentation. The listener’s job sometimes includes critiquing, or evaluating, the speaker’s style and message. You might be asked to critique your classmates as they speak or to complete an evaluation of a public speaker in another setting. That makes the job of the listener extremely important. Providing constructive feedback to speakers often helps the speaker improve her/his speech tremendously.

Another crucial element in the speech process is the message.  The  message  is what the speaker is discussing or the ideas that s/he is presenting to you as s/he covers a particular topic.  The important chapter concepts presented by your professor become the message during a lecture. The commands and steps you need to use, the new software at work, are the message of the trainer as s/he presents the information to your department. The message might be lengthy, such as the President’s State of the Union address, or fairly brief, as in a five-minute presentation given in class.

The  channel  is the means by which the message is sent or transmitted.  Different channels are used to deliver the message, depending on the communication type or context. For instance, in mass communication, the channel utilized might be a television or radio broadcast. The use of a cell phone is an example of a channel that you might use to send a friend a message in interpersonal communication. However, the channel typically used within public speaking is the speaker’s voice, or more specifically, the sound waves used to carry the voice to those listening. You could watch a prerecorded speech or one accessible on YouTube, and you might now say the channel is the television or your computer. This is partially true. However, the speech would still have no value if the speaker’s voice was not present, so in reality, the channel is now a combination of the two -the speaker’s voice broadcast through an electronic source.

The context is a bit more complicated than the other elements we have discussed so far. The context is more than one specific component. For example, when you give a speech in your classroom, the classroom, or  the physical location of your speech, is part of the context  . That’s probably the easiest part of context to grasp.

But you should also consider that the  people in your audience expect you to behave in a certain manner, depending on the physical location or the occasion of the presentation  . If you gave a toast at a wedding, the audience wouldn’t be surprised if you told a funny story about the couple or used informal gestures such as a high-five or a slap on the groom’s back. That would be acceptable within the expectations of your audience, given the occasion. However, what if the reason for your speech was the presentation of a eulogy at a loved one’s funeral? Would the audience still find a high-five or humor as acceptable in that setting? Probably not. So the expectations of your audience must be factored into context as well.

The cultural rules -often unwritten and sometimes never formally communicated to us -are also a part of the context. Depending on your culture, you would probably agree that there are some “rules ” typically adhered to by those attending a funeral. In some cultures, mourners wear dark colors and are somber and quiet. In other cultures, grieving out loud or beating one’s chest to show extreme grief is traditional. Therefore,  the rules from our culture  -no matter what they are -play a part in the context as well.

Every speaker hopes that her/his speech is clearly understood by the audience. However, there are times when some obstacle gets in the way of the message and interferes with the listener’s ability to hear what’s being said.  This is  interference  , or you might have heard it referred to as “noise. ”  Every speaker must prepare and present with the assumption that interference is likely to be present in the speaking environment.

Interference can be mental, physical, or physiological.  Mental interference  occurs when the listener is not fully focused on what s/he is hearing due to her/his own thoughts.  If you’ve ever caught yourself daydreaming in class during a lecture, you’re experiencing mental interference. Your own thoughts are getting in the way of the message.

A second form of interference is  physical interference  . This is noise in the literal sense -someone coughing behind you during a speech or the sound of a mower outside the classroom window. You may be unable to hear the speaker because of the surrounding environmental noises.

The last form of interference is  physiological  . This type of interference occurs when your body is responsible for the blocked signals. A deaf person, for example, has the truest form of physiological interference; s/he may have varying degrees of difficulty hearing the message. If you’ve ever been in a room that was too cold or too hot and found yourself not paying attention, you’re experiencing physiological interference. Your bodily discomfort distracts from what is happening around you.

The final component within the speech process is feedback. While some might assume that the speaker is the only one who sends a message during a speech, the reality is that the  listeners in the audience are sending a message of their own, called  feedback  .  Often this is how the speaker knows if s/he is sending an effective message. Occasionally the feedback from listeners comes in verbal form – questions from the audience or an angry response from a listener about a key point presented. However, in general, feedback during a presentation is typically non-verbal -a student nodding her/his head in agreement or a confused look from an audience member. An observant speaker will scan the audience for these forms of feedback, but keep in mind that non-verbal feedback is often more difficult to spot and to decipher. For example, is a yawn a sign of boredom, or is it simply a tired audience member?

Generally, all of the above elements are present during a speech. However, you might wonder what the process would look like if we used a diagram to illustrate it. Initially, some students think of public speaking as a linear process -the speaker sending a message to the listener -a simple, straight line. But if you’ll think about the components we’ve just covered, you begin to see that a straight line cannot adequately represent the process, when we add listener feedback into the process. The listener is sending her/his own message back to the speaker, so perhaps the process might better be represented as circular. Add in some interference and place the example in context, and you have a more complete idea of the speech process.

Fundamentals of Public Speaking Copyright © by Lumen Learning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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The importance of grammar, speed and pronunciation for verbal communication

Verbal communication can be useful for quick information transfer and feedback. However, when using verbal communication it is important to understand the influence that grammar, speed and pronunciation will have on the intended message.

Below is an explanation of pronunciation, grammar and speed of speech.

CHCCOM005 Release 2, Aspire v1.1 © 2015 Aspire Training & Consulting Ltd trading as Aspire Learning Resources

Why the Tone of Your Voice Makes Such a Difference

Shifting your tone doesn't mean being phony; it's about being grounded..

Posted September 14, 2021 | Reviewed by Chloe Williams

• People are more sensitive to tone than to the explicit content of spoken or written language, and a sharp tone can hurt others.
• Shifting one's tone doesn’t mean becoming sugary or phony. In fact, paying attention to tone can make people stronger communicators.
• When one is already in a critical frame of mind, taking a break or dealing with feelings directly can help people avoid a harsh tone.

Feeling a little sour?

The Practice:

The tone of your voice is important.

Tone matters.

I remember times I felt frazzled or aggravated and then said something with an edge to it that just wasn't necessary or useful. Sometimes it was the words themselves: such as absolutes like "never" or always," or over-the-top phrases like "you're such a flake" or "that was stupid." More often, it was the intonation in my voice, a harsh vibe or look, interrupting, or a certain intensity in my body. However, I did it, and the people on the receiving end usually looked like they'd just sucked a lemon. This is what I mean by tart tone.

People are more sensitive to tone than to the explicit content of spoken or written language. To paraphrase the poet Maya Angelou, people will forget what you said, but they'll remember how you made them feel. And we are particularly reactive to negative tones due to the negativity bias in the brain (written about in previous posts).

Consequently, a tart tone hurts others. This is bad enough, but it also often triggers others to react in ways that harm you and others.

On the other hand, paying attention to tone puts you more in touch with yourself because you have to be aware of what's building inside—promoting mindfulness and builds up its neural substrates. Containing negative tones prompts you to open to and deal with any underlying stress , hurt, anger . It reduces the chance that the other person will avoid dealing with what you say by shifting attention to how you say it. Cleaning up your style of expression puts you in a stronger position to ask people to do the same or act better toward you in other ways.

As a proverb says, "Getting angry with others is like throwing hot coals with bare hands: both people get burned." Much the same could be said about throwing tart tone.

Shifting your tone doesn't mean becoming sugary, saccharine, or phony. Nor does it mean walking on eggshells, becoming a doormat, or muzzling yourself. Actually, when people shift away from being snippy, curt, snarky, derisive, or contentious, they usually become stronger communicators. They're now more grounded, more dignified when they bring up something. They haven't squandered interpersonal capital on the short-term gratifications of harsh tone.

Sometimes people are tart with each other in playful ways, and that's OK. But keep watching to see how it's landing on the other person.

Be mindful of what's called " priming ": feeling already mistreated, annoyed, irritated—or already in a critical frame of mind. Little things can land on this priming like a match on a pile of firecrackers, setting them off. Maybe simply take a break (e.g., bathroom, meal, shower, run, gardening, TV) to clear away some or all of the priming. And/or try to deal with hurt, anger, or stress in a straightforward way (if possible), rather than blowing off steam with your tone.

Then, if you do, in fact, get triggered, notice what comes up to say. If it's critical, acerbic, cutting , etc., then slow down, say nothing, or say something truly useful. Watch those eye rolls or the sharp sigh that means "Duh-oh, that was kind of dumb" (my wife has called me on both of these). Give a little thought to your choice of words: Could there be a way to say what you want to say without pouring gasoline on the fire? Look for words that are accurate, constructive, self-respecting, and get to the heart of the matter. Be especially careful with an email; once you push the "send" button, there is no getting it back, and the receiver can read your message over and over again, plus share it with others.

If you do slip, clean it up as soon as possible—which could be a minute after you say it. Sometimes it works to explain—not justify or defend—the underlying reasons for your tart tone (e.g., you're fried and hungry, and it's been a tough day) to put it in context. Take responsibility for your tone and its impacts, and recommit to a clearer, cleaner, more direct way of expressing yourself.

At the end of an interaction, you may not get the result you want from the other person—but you can get the result of self-respect and feeling that you did the best you could.

Facebook image: Mangostar/Shutterstock

LinkedIn image: Josep Suria/Shutterstock

Rick Hanson, Ph.D. , is a senior fellow of the Greater Good Center at UC Berkeley.

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Where can I find additional information about speech and language developmental milestones?

The first 3 years of life, when the brain is developing and maturing, is the most intensive period for acquiring speech and language skills. These skills develop best in a world that is rich with sounds, sights, and consistent exposure to the speech and language of others.

There appear to be critical periods for speech and language development in infants and young children when the brain is best able to absorb language. If these critical periods are allowed to pass without exposure to language, it will be more difficult to learn.

The first signs of communication occur when an infant learns that a cry will bring food, comfort, and companionship. Newborns also begin to recognize important sounds in their environment, such as the voice of their mother or primary caretaker. As they grow, babies begin to sort out the speech sounds that compose the words of their language. By 6 months of age, most babies recognize the basic sounds of their native language.

Children vary in their development of speech and language skills. However, they follow a natural progression or timetable for mastering the skills of language. A checklist of milestones for the normal development of speech and language skills in children from birth to 5 years of age is included below. These milestones help doctors and other health professionals determine if a child is on track or if he or she may need extra help. Sometimes a delay may be caused by hearing loss, while other times it may be due to a speech or language disorder.

Children who have trouble understanding what others say (receptive language) or difficulty sharing their thoughts (expressive language) may have a language disorder. Developmental language disorder  (DLD) is a language disorder that delays the mastery of language skills. Some children with DLD may not begin to talk until their third or fourth year.

Children who have trouble producing speech sounds correctly or who hesitate or stutter when talking may have a speech disorder. Apraxia of speech is a speech disorder that makes it difficult to put sounds and syllables together in the correct order to form words.

Talk to your child’s doctor if you have any concerns. Your doctor may refer you to a speech-language pathologist, who is a health professional trained to evaluate and treat people with speech or language disorders. The speech-language pathologist will talk to you about your child’s communication and general development. He or she will also use special spoken tests to evaluate your child. A hearing test is often included in the evaluation because a hearing problem can affect speech and language development. Depending on the result of the evaluation, the speech-language pathologist may suggest activities you can do at home to stimulate your child’s development. They might also recommend group or individual therapy or suggest further evaluation by an audiologist (a health care professional trained to identify and measure hearing loss), or a developmental psychologist (a health care professional with special expertise in the psychological development of infants and children).

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) sponsors a broad range of research to better understand the development of speech and language disorders, improve diagnostic capabilities, and fine-tune more effective treatments. An ongoing area of study is the search for better ways to diagnose and differentiate among the various types of speech delay. A large study following approximately 4,000 children is gathering data as the children grow to establish reliable signs and symptoms for specific speech disorders, which can then be used to develop accurate diagnostic tests. Additional genetic studies are looking for matches between different genetic variations and specific speech deficits.

Researchers sponsored by the NIDCD have discovered one genetic variant, in particular, that is linked to developmental language disorder (DLD), a disorder that delays children’s use of words and slows their mastery of language skills throughout their school years. The finding is the first to tie the presence of a distinct genetic mutation to any kind of inherited language impairment. Further research is exploring the role this genetic variant may also play in dyslexia, autism, and speech-sound disorders.

A long-term study looking at how deafness impacts the brain is exploring how the brain “rewires” itself to accommodate deafness. So far, the research has shown that adults who are deaf react faster and more accurately than hearing adults when they observe objects in motion. This ongoing research continues to explore the concept of “brain plasticity”—the ways in which the brain is influenced by health conditions or life experiences—and how it can be used to develop learning strategies that encourage healthy language and speech development in early childhood.

A recent workshop convened by the NIDCD drew together a group of experts to explore issues related to a subgroup of children with autism spectrum disorders who do not have functional verbal language by the age of 5. Because these children are so different from one another, with no set of defining characteristics or patterns of cognitive strengths or weaknesses, development of standard assessment tests or effective treatments has been difficult. The workshop featured a series of presentations to familiarize participants with the challenges facing these children and helped them to identify a number of research gaps and opportunities that could be addressed in future research studies.

What are voice, speech, and language?

Voice, speech, and language are the tools we use to communicate with each other.

Voice is the sound we make as air from our lungs is pushed between vocal folds in our larynx, causing them to vibrate.

Speech is talking, which is one way to express language. It involves the precisely coordinated muscle actions of the tongue, lips, jaw, and vocal tract to produce the recognizable sounds that make up language.

Language is a set of shared rules that allow people to express their ideas in a meaningful way. Language may be expressed verbally or by writing, signing, or making other gestures, such as eye blinking or mouth movements.

Your baby’s hearing and communicative development checklist

Birth to 3 months, 4 to 6 months, 7 months to 1 year, 1 to 2 years, 2 to 3 years, 3 to 4 years, 4 to 5 years.

This checklist is based upon How Does Your Child Hear and Talk ?, courtesy of the American Speech–Language–Hearing Association.

The NIDCD maintains a directory of organizations that provide information on the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language.

Use the following keywords to help you find organizations that can answer questions and provide information on speech and language development:

• Early identification of hearing loss in children
• Speech-language pathologists

For more information, contact us at:

NIDCD Information Clearinghouse 1 Communication Avenue Bethesda, MD 20892-3456 Toll-free voice: (800) 241-1044 Toll-free TTY: (800) 241-1055 Email: [email protected]

NIH Publication No. 00-4781 September 2010

*Note: PDF files require a viewer such as the free Adobe Reader .

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Quality communication can improve patient-centred health outcomes among older patients: a rapid review

Samer h. sharkiya.

Faculty of Graduate Studies, Arab American University, 13 Zababdeh, P.O Box 240, Jenin, Palestine

Associated Data

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article [and its supplementary information files].

Effective communication is a cornerstone of quality healthcare. Communication helps providers bond with patients, forming therapeutic relationships that benefit patient-centred outcomes. The information exchanged between the provider and patient can help in medical decision-making, such as better self-management. This rapid review investigated the effects of quality and effective communication on patient-centred outcomes among older patients.

Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched using keywords like “effective communication,“ “elderly,“ and “well-being.“ Studies published between 2000 and 2023 describing or investigating communication strategies between older patients (65 years and above) and providers in various healthcare settings were considered for selection. The quality of selected studies was assessed using the GRADE Tool.

The search strategy yielded seven studies. Five studies were qualitative (two phenomenological study, one ethnography, and two grounded theory studies), one was a cross-sectional observational study, and one was an experimental study. The studies investigated the effects of verbal and nonverbal communication strategies between patients and providers on various patient-centred outcomes, such as patient satisfaction, quality of care, quality of life, and physical and mental health. All the studies reported that various verbal and non-verbal communication strategies positively impacted all patient-centred outcomes.

Although the selected studies supported the positive impact of effective communication with older adults on patient-centred outcomes, they had various methodological setbacks that need to be bridged in the future. Future studies should utilize experimental approaches, generalizable samples, and specific effect size estimates.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-023-09869-8.

Introduction

Excellent communication is critical for all health professionals [ 1 , 2 ]. It affects the quality of healthcare output, impacts the patient’s health and satisfaction, and benefits both patients and providers [ 3 ]. Communication is a critical clinical competence because it establishes trust between providers and patients, creating a therapeutic relationship [ 4 ]. Physician-patient communication plays several functions, including making decisions, exchanging information, improving the physician-patient relationship, managing the patient’s doubts, addressing emotions, and enhancing self-management [ 5 ]. Features of effective or quality communication include involving patients in decisions, allowing patients to speak without interruptions, encouraging a patient to ask questions and answering the questions, using a language that the patient understands, paying attention to the patient and discussing the next steps [ 5 ]. This communication also includes listening, developing a good interpersonal relationship, and making patient-centred management plans.

The quality of patient-physician communication influences various patient-centred outcomes [ 6 ]. In this review, patient-centred outcomes refer to all the outcomes that contribute to the recovery or indicate the recovery of patients, as well as suggest positive experiences with the care process. For instance, effective communication is associated with enhanced patient satisfaction, regulating emotions, and increasing compliance, leading to improved health and better outcomes [ 7 , 8 ]. According to [ 9 ], quality communication enhances patients’ trust in their providers, making patients more satisfied with the treatment. A trusting provider-patient relationship causes individuals to believe they receive better care [ 10 ]. For instance, [ 11 ] report that effective provider-patient communication improves social, somatic, and psychological health. During communication, the provider may enhance positive motivations and involve the individual in treatment decisions. Communication helps patients to acknowledge their illnesses, the associated risks, and the advantages of consistent treatment [ 5 ]. note that mutual communication between providers and patients stimulates or strengthens patients’ perception of control over their health, the knowledge to discern symptoms and self-care and identify changes in their condition. Effective communication leads to improved perceived quality of health care [ 12 ]. report that physician-patient communication influences the perceived quality of healthcare services. All these outcomes that suggest or contribute to patient’s positive experiences or imply a positive recovery journey, such as shorter hospital stays, are considered patient-centred outcomes.

This rapid review aims to review studies that have previously investigated the influence of quality communication on patient-centred outcomes among older adults, such as psychological well-being, quality of health care, emotional well-being, cognitive well-being, individualised care, health status, patient satisfaction, and quality of life. The specific objectives include (a) exploring the strategies used to ensure quality and effective communication with older patients in various healthcare settings, (b) exploring the patient-centred health outcomes reported by previous studies investigating quality communication between providers and older patients, and (c) to link quality communication strategies with older patients to patient-centred health outcomes among older patients.

The primary rationale for conducting this rapid review is that although many studies have examined the relationship between quality communication and various patient-centred outcomes, few studies have used older patients as their participants. It is a significant research gap because older adults have unique communication needs, which, if not considered, their communication with healthcare providers could be ineffective [ 13 ]. For example, older adults experience age-related changes in cognition, perception, and sensation, which can interfere with the communication process [ 14 ]. As a result, more research is needed to the specific quality communication strategies that could improve patient-centred outcomes among older adults. To my knowledge, no systematic review has focused on this topic. Therefore, this is the first rapid review to explore quality communication and its impact on patient-centred health outcomes among older patients in various healthcare settings.

This rapid review’s findings could inform practitioners of the quality communication strategies they can use to improve patient-reported outcomes. Besides, the rapid review evaluates the quality of studies investigating this matter and makes informed recommendations for future research to advance knowledge on this subject.

This rapid review was conducted in conformity with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines [ 15 ]. The main difference between a systematic review and a rapid review is that the former strictly conforms to the PRISMA protocol, whereas the latter can miss a few elements of a typical systematic review. A rapid review was suitable because a single reviewer was involved in the study selection process, whereas at least two independent reviewers are recommended in typical systematic reviews [ 16 ].

Eligibility criteria

Table  1 below summarises the inclusion and exclusion criteria used to guide study selection in this rapid review. Also, justification is provided for each inclusion/exclusion criteria. The inclusion/exclusion criteria were drafted based on the target population, the intervention, the outcomes, year of publication, article language, and geographical location. This approach corresponds with the PICO (P – population, I – intervention, C – comparison, and O – outcomes) framework [ 17 ].

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Information sources

Four academic databases were searched: PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. These databases were used as sources of information because they publish studies in healthcare sciences on a wide range of topics, including communication and the health outcomes of various interventions. Additionally, Google Scholar was searched to supplement the databases because it indexes academic journal articles in all disciplines, including healthcare. Combining Google Scholar with these databases has been recommended for an optimal search strategy [ 18 ].

Search strategy

Various search terms related to the critical variables of this rapid review, namely quality communication, patient-centred health outcomes, and older patients, were combined using Boolean connectors (AND & OR). Regarding quality communication, some of the keywords that were used include “quality communication,“ “effective communication,“ “doctor-patient communication,“ and “patient-centred communication.“ The keywords that were used for patient-centred outcomes included “well-being,“ “patient satisfaction,“ “quality of care,“ “health status,“ and “quality of life.“ The search terms related to older patients included “nursing home residents,“ “older,“ and “elderly.“ Additionally, since most older patients are institutionalised, search terms like “nursing homes” and “assisted living facilities” were used in the search strategy. Table  2 below presents a sample search strategy executed on PubMed between September 2022 and July 2023. As shown in Table  2 , Mesh terms were used alongside regular keywords. Truncations on the three keywords, namely elderly, nursing homes, and geriatric were used to allow more of their variations to be captured in the search. The use of Mesh terms was only performed on PubMed – Mesh terms are only supported on PubMed and MEDLINE. The rest of the sources of information were searched using the search terms without specifying whether they are Mesh terms or not.

Study selection process

One reviewer (the author) was involved in screening the studies. The reviewer screened each record at least twice for confirmation purposes. Afterwards, an automation tool called ASReview which relies on machine learning to screen textual data was used as a second confirmation [ 19 ]. Research has shown that combining a machine learning tool and a single reviewer can significantly reduce the risk of missing relevant records [ 20 ]. This decision was reached based on previous research that has also demonstrated the good sensitivity of ASReview as a study selection tool in systematic reviews [ 19 ]. The software was trained on the eligibility criteria and the broader context of this study before it was used to screen the studies and confirm the reviewer’s decision. Therefore, if a record were retrieved, the author would screen for its eligibility the first time and confirm it the second time. For the third time confirmation, ASReview was employed. In case of disagreement between the author’s first and second attempts, a third attempt could be made to resolve it. In case of disagreement between the author’s first/second/third attempts and ASReview, a fourth attempt was made to resolve it.

Data collection process

One reviewer (the author) extracted data from the qualifying records. The reviewer could collect data from a given study in the first round, record them, and confirm them in the second round. In case of disagreement between the first and second rounds, the author would extract data from the record for the third time to resolve it. The data points on which data extraction was based include the country where the study was conducted, the study’s research design (if reported), the population and setting of the study, the characteristics of the intervention (communication), and outcomes. Also, the author remained keen to identify ways the studies defined quality or effective communication in the context of older patient care. Regarding the characteristics of the intervention, some of the data sought included the type of communication (e.g., verbal or non-verbal) and the specific communicative strategies, such as touch and active listening.

Regarding outcomes, ‘patient-centred outcomes’ was used as an umbrella term for several variables that relate to the patient’s subjective well-being. Such variables include perceptions of quality of care, quality of life, symptom management, physical health, mental health, health literacy, patient satisfaction, individualised care, and overall well-being, including social processes, self-actualisation, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and psychosocial well-being. If studies reported on the acceptance and usability of communicative strategies, it was also included as a patient-centred outcome because the patient accepts a specific intervention and acknowledges its usability.

Study quality assessment

The study quality assessment in this rapid review entailed the risk of bias and certainty assessments. Risk of bias assessment formed an essential aspect of certainty assessment. The risk of bias in qualitative studies was evaluated using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) Qualitative Checklist [ 21 ]; the Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB) tool was used for randomised studies [ 22 ]; and Risk of Bias in Non-Randomised Studies of Interventions (ROBINS-I) was used for cross-sectional observational studies [ 23 ]. The Grading for Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) tool was used to assess the certainty of the evidence for all study designs [ 24 ]. The risk of bias in each study design and its corresponding assessment tool was calculated as a percentage of the total points possible. For example, the CASP Qualitative Checklist has ten items; each awarded one point. If a study scored seven out of 10 possible points, its risk of bias would be rated as 70%. The GRADE Tool has five domains, namely risk of bias, inconsistency, indirectness, imprecision, and publication bias. The first domain, risk of bias, was populated using the findings of risk of bias assessment using the stated tools. The overall quality of a study was based upon all five domains of the GRADE Tool.

Synthesis methods

Both qualitative and quantitative studies were included in this review. The studies were highly heterogeneous in their research designs hence statistical methods like a meta-analysis synthesis were impossible [ 25 ]. Besides, the studies also had substantial heterogeneity in the study settings (some were conducted in primary care settings, but a majority were conducted in long-term care facilities/nursing homes) and outcomes. The studies measured different outcomes under the umbrella variable of patient-centred outcomes. As such, a narrative synthesis approach was considered the most suitable [ 26 ]. The narrative synthesis guidance by [ 27 ] was used. The first step based on the guidelines should be developing a theoretical model of how the interventions work, why, and for whom.

This rapid review’s explanation of how effective or quality communication leads to improved patient-centred outcomes in the introduction section formed the theoretical basis, that is, effective communication facilitates informational exchange between the patient and provider, leading to better decision-making, which positively influences patient outcomes The second step of a narrative synthesis entails organising findings from the included studies to describe patterns across the studies based on the direction of the effect size or effects [ 27 ]. The third step is to explore the relationship in the data by identifying the reasons for the direction of effects or effect size. This rapid review’s reasons were based on the theoretical notions outlined above in this paragraph. The final step is to provide insights into the generalizability of the findings to other populations, which, in the process, further research gaps can be outlined. The results are stated below.

Study selection

After running the search strategy, 40 articles were identified from PubMed, 13 from Google Scholar (records identified from websites (Fig.  1 )), 24 from Scopus, 18 from CINHAL, and 10 from PsycINFO based on the relevance of the titles. It was discovered that 26 were duplicated records between databases and Google Scholar, which reduced the number of identified records to 79. Further, the automation tool (ASReview) marked five records as ineligible based on their title considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria. These articles were excluded because the author confirmed in the fourth round that they were ineligible. After realising they did not focus on older adults, the author excluded three more records. Therefore, 71 records were screened using their abstracts with the help of ASReview (64 records from databases and 7 records from Google Scholar), whereby 44 were excluded (40 records from databases and 4 records from Google Scholar) for various reasons, such as being expert opinions and professional development based on field experiences (e.g., [ 28 ]) and did not have a methodology. The remaining 27 records (24 records from databases and 3 records from Google Scholar) were sought for retrieval, whereby one was excluded because its full text was inaccessible. The remaining 26 articles (23 records from databases and 3 records from Google Scholar) were assessed for eligibility with the help of ASReview, whereby eight records were excluded because they did not report their methodologies (e.g., [ 29 ]), another eight were secondary studies (e.g., [ 30 ]), and three were non-peer-reviewed preprints. Therefore, seven studies met the eligibility criteria for this rapid review.

PRISMA Flowchart summarising the study selection process

Study characteristics

Out of the seven studies, one was an experimental study [ 31 ], one was a cross-sectional observational study [ 32 ], and five were qualitative studies [ 33 – 37 ]. As shown in Table  3 , most of the studies (n = 4) were conducted in the United States. The following countries produced one study each: Australia, Cameroon, the Netherlands, and Hungary. Although all the studies utilised a sample of older patients, the characteristics of the patients differed from one study to another. The studies ranged from primary care settings [ 36 ] and adult medical wards [ 37 ] to long-term care facilities like nursing homes. Apart from [ 36 ], the rest of the studies investigated various non-verbal communication strategies with older adults and their impact on various types of patient-centred outcomes, ranging from health-related outcomes (e.g., smoking cessation) to patient-reported outcomes, such as patient satisfaction, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. These outcomes are within the broader umbrella category of patient-centred m outcomes.

Characteristics of included studies

Further, the studies used different types of communicative strategies that can be used to enhance or promote patient-centred outcomes. In this rapid review, they were categorised into seven, namely (a) touching, (b) smiling, (c) gaze, head nod, and eyebrow movement, (d) active listening, (e) close physical distance, and (f) use of visual aids, and (g) telephone communication. Table  4 summarises the various ways in which each study described its interventions.

Description of interventions used in studies

Quality assessment findings

All seven studies were of high quality based on the GRADE Tool-based Assessment. However, [ 31 ] conducted an experimental study, but they did not provide any details indicating whether there was concealment in participant allocation and blinding of participants and outcome assessors. Therefore, it has a high likelihood of risk of bias. However, they scored excellently in the other domains of the GRADE Tool. All five qualitative studies and the cross-sectional observational study also scored excellently in the domains of the GRADE Tool, apart from the imprecision domain where they could not be scored because none of them reported effect sizes (Table  5 ).

Quality assessment using the GRADE Tool

Results of individual studies

[ 31 ] was the only experimental study used in this rapid review investigating the effect of comfort touch on older patients’ perceptions of well-being, self-esteem, health status, social processes, life satisfaction, self-actualisation, and self-responsibility. The authors did not report the effect sizes but indicated that comforting touch had a statistically significant effect on each of the five variables. In summary, the authors suggested that comfort touch, characterised by a handshake or a pat on the shoulders, forearm, or hand, had a statistically significant positive impact on the various patient-centred outcomes reported in their study. For each variable, the authors used three groups, the first and second control groups and the third experimental group. After delivering the intervention, they investigated whether the scores of these variables changed between three-time points in each of the three groups. The first time point was the baseline data collected before intervention was initiated; the second was two weeks after baseline data; and the third was four weeks after baseline data. The authors found that in each of the five variables, the scores remained almost the same in the three-time points for the two control groups, but there were significant improvements in the experimental group (the one that received the intervention). For example, the self-esteem variable was measured using Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale, with the highest attainable score of 40. In the first control group, the score remained 27.00, 27.27, and 27.13 for Time 1 (baseline), Time 2 (after two weeks), and Time 3 (after four weeks), respectively. The same trend was observed in the second control group. However, in the experimental group, the score improved from 29.17 at baseline to 36.00 at Time 2 and 37.47 at Time 3. These findings suggest that comfort touch was highly effective in improving self-esteem among older patients. The same significant improvements were evident for all the other variables (p.184).

While all the other studies focused on nonverbal communication cues, [ 36 ] focused on telephone communication. They aimed to investigate the effect of a tailored intervention on health behaviour change in older adults delivered through telephone communication. Therefore, the primary rationale for selecting this study for review is that it used a specific communicative strategy (telephone) to deliver the intervention, which is the primary purpose of effective communication in most healthcare settings. The older patients used as participants in this study lived with COPD. The nurses trained to administer the intervention made regular phone calls over 12 months. The intervention was delivered to 90 participants. Of these, 65 were invited for interviews at the end of 12 months. One of the most important outcomes relevant to this rapid review is that the participants reported “being listened to by a caring health professional.“ It means that regular telephone communication improved the patient’s perceptions of the quality of care. Other critical patient-centred outcomes that improved due to this intervention include many participants quitting smoking and increased awareness of COPD effects.

[ 34 ] also conducted a qualitative study but needed to specify the specific research design, which was generally non-experimental. The authors used formative evaluation and a participatory approach to develop a communicative intervention for older adults with limited health literacy. In other words, apart from literature reviews, the authors involved the target population in developing a curated story to improve their health literacy. They developed photo and video-based stories by incorporating narrative and social learning theories. The most important finding of this study was that the authors found the developed communicative strategy appealing and understandable. Such observations imply that the participants’ health literacy also likely improved even though the authors did not evaluate it.

Further, using a sample of 155 older patients, [ 32 ] investigated the relationship between the communication characteristics between nursing practitioners and the older patients and patients’ proximal outcomes, namely patient satisfaction and intention to adhere to the NPs’ recommendations, and patients’ long-term outcomes (presenting problems and physical and mental health). The proximal outcomes (satisfaction and intention to adhere) were measured after visits, whereas the long-term outcomes (presenting problems, mental health, and physical health) were measured at four weeks. The communication and relationship components observed include various non-verbal communication strategies: smile, gaze, touch, eyebrow movement, head nod, and handshakes. The authors recorded videos during patient-provider interactions. These communicative strategies were measured using the Roter Interaction Analysis System (independent variable).

In contrast, the other outcomes (dependent variables) outlined above were each measured separately with a validated tool or single-item instruments [ 32 ]. For example, presenting problems were measured with a single-item instrument, whereas the physical and mental health changes at four weeks were measured using the SF-12 Version 2 Health Survey. The authors found that verbal and nonverbal communication strategies focused on providing patients with biomedical and psychosocial information and positive talk characterised by receptivity and trust were associated with better patient outcomes, such as significant improvements in mental and physical health at four weeks. Although the study did not report effect sizes, the findings agree that effective and quality communication can improve patient-centred outcomes like patient satisfaction.

[ 35 ] conducted a qualitative study with focus groups (eight focus groups with a range of three to nine participants) of 15 older adults in a nursing home. The study used an ethnographic qualitative design. The nonverbal communication strategies observed in this study included active listening (including verbal responses) and touching. The authors found that the characteristics of the communication strategies that make communication quality and effective include mutual respect, equity, and addressing conflict. The patients perceived that their nursing aides gave them better-individualised care if their relationship and communication were characterised by mutual respect. Portraying mutual respect includes showing the patients that they are being listened to and heard, which can include calling them by their names and showing signs of active listening. Some residents (older patients) complained that some nursing aides had favouritism, whereby they liked some patients and not others. When such a perception emerges, the patients could perceive the treatment as unjust, compromising individualised care quality. Also, nursing aides must equip themselves with communicative strategies to address conflict rather than avoid it. For example, knowing about the patient’s history can help nursing aides understand their behaviour in the facility, improving prospects of providing better personalised or individualised care.

[ 33 ] also conducted a qualitative study utilising a sample of 17 older adults in nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the United States. They aimed to identify the types and examples of nurse-aide-initiated communication with long-term care residents during mealtime assistance in the context of the residents’ responses. Using a naturalistic approach, the researchers observed communicative interactions between the nurse aides and the residents during mealtime assistance. Videos were recorded and transcribed and analysed using the grounded theory approach. They found that apart from emotional support, nonverbal communication strategies were used by nurse aides to address the residents, initiate and maintain personal conversations, and check-in. Although the authors did not provide statistical proof that these communication strategies improved well-being, their findings can inform future studies.

Finally, [ 37 ] conducted a qualitative, grounded theory study to develop a model for effective non-verbal communication between nurses and older patients. The authors conducted overt observations of patient-nurse interactions using a sample of eight older patients. They found that the nature of nonverbal communication to be employed depends on the context or environment, and certain external factors influence it. The factors influencing nonverbal communication include the nurses’ intrinsic factors, positive views of older adults, awareness of nonverbal communication, and possession of nonverbal communication skills. Patient factors that can also influence the effectiveness of nonverbal communication include positive moods, financial situations, and non-critical medical conditions. The model developed also emphasised that non-verbal communication, if carried out correctly considering context and environment, can lead to positive outcomes, such as increased adherence to providers’ recommendations, improved quality of care, and shorter hospital stays.

Results of syntheses

Four themes emerged from the narrative synthesis: nonverbal communication, verbal communication, communication strategies, and patient-centred outcomes. Table  6 summarises the subthemes that emerged under each theme. They are discussed below.

Nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication was a critical theme that emerged in several studies. Five out of the seven studies investigated the effectiveness of touch on various patient-centred outcomes [ 31 ]. found that nonverbal communication strategies such as comfort touch, characterised by a handshake or a pat on the shoulders, forearm, or hand, had a statistically significant positive impact on patient-centred outcomes, such as well-being, self-esteem, health status, social processes, life satisfaction, self-actualisation, and self-responsibility [ 31 ]. implemented comfort touch exclusively without combining it with other nonverbal communication strategies. It means that comfort touch on its own can be effective in improving various patient-centred outcomes. As such, it can be hypothesised that if comfort touch is combined with other nonverbal communication strategies, such as active listening, eye gazing, smiling, maintaining a close distance, eyebrow movement, and nodding/shaking of the head can lead to even better results regarding patient-centred outcomes [ 32 , 33 , 35 , 37 ]. [ 35 ] identified active listening and touching as important nonverbal communication strategies that make communication quality and effective [ 33 ]. found that nurse-aide-initiated communication during mealtime assistance using nonverbal communication strategies, such as emotional support, smiling, laughing, touching, eye gazing, shaking hands, head nodding, leaning forward, and a soft tone were crucial in addressing the residents, initiating (and maintaining) personal conversations, and checking in. Finally, [ 37 ] developed a model that emphasised the importance of effective nonverbal communication in forming effective therapeutic relationships, promoting patient satisfaction, and improving the quality of care. An exhaustive list of the nonverbal communication approaches is shown in Table  6 .

In general, most studies, especially the qualitative ones, supported the utilisation of multiple non-verbal communication strategies in a single communicative episode. The studies also implied that it is the responsibility of healthcare providers to initiate and maintain effective nonverbal communication cues, such as those detailed in Table  6 . Additionally, it is important to note that it is only one study [ 31 ] that investigated the effectiveness of comfort touch on patient-centred outcomes. Therefore, the notion implied in qualitative studies that combining various nonverbal strategies could lead to a better improvement in patient-centred outcomes is subject to further empirical investigation. It was noted that there is a lack of empirical studies investigating how the combination of various non-verbal communication techniques or strategies can influence patient-centred outcomes, such as patient satisfaction and perceptions of quality of care.

Verbal communication

Four out of the seven studies implied that verbal communication improved patient-centred outcomes [ 32 , 34 – 36 ]. Effective and quality verbal communication was found to impact patient satisfaction positively [ 32 ], increased awareness of COPD effects [ 36 ], improved health literacy [ 34 ], presented problems [ 32 ], and mental and physical health [ 32 ]. It is worth noting that [ 32 ] used a cross-sectional survey approach and used regression analyses to investigate the relationship between communication and various patient-centred outcomes, such as patient satisfaction and mental and physical health. Also, it is important noting that the authors combined both verbal (e.g., more positive talk, greater trust, and receptivity) and non-verbal (e.g., smile, gazing, eyebrow movements, and interpersonal touches) in their study. Therefore, it can be a bit challenging to directly conclude that effective verbal communication alone without non-verbal communication is effective on its own in improving patient-centred outcomes. Similarly, [ 34 ] combined both narrative-based and picture-based communication strategies to give patients education about health literacy. Therefore, it can be challenging to know whether narratives comprising of verbal communication (and often non-verbal communication) can improve patient-centred outcomes on their own. The rest of the studies were qualitative [ 35 , 36 ], which means that their findings generally reflected the subjective experiences or opinions of their participants. Therefore, it can be said that although all the four studies supported verbal communication can effectively improve patient-centred outcomes, there is a need for future research to experimentally test its effectiveness without being combined with non-verbal communication strategies.

Moreover, two of the four studies implied that some conditions must be met for verbal communication to be effective [ 32 , 35 ]. some communication strategies, such as higher lifestyle discussion and rapport-building rates, were perceived as patronising and associated with poor outcomes [ 32 ]. Instead, the authors found that communication strategies like seeking and giving biomedical and psychosocial information were more effective in improving patient outcomes [ 32 ]. It implies that healthcare providers should be attentive and intentional of the topics they discuss with patients. Further, in their qualitative study, [ 35 ] found that effective verbal communication also requires mutual respect, equity, and addressing conflict. Indeed, it appears that certain communication strategies like lifestyle discussions can undermine the process of establishing trust, which is why they were associated with adverse patient outcomes. Also, unlike nonverbal communication, the studies that highlighted the effect of verbal communication on patient-centred outcomes did not provide rich descriptions of the specific verbal communication strategies that can be used in a face-to-face healthcare setting. The described strategies like using phone calls to regularly communicate with the patient without having to visit a healthcare facility and things to ensure when communicating with the older patient, such as mutual respect and avoiding too many discussions on lifestyle do not offer rich insights into the specific nature of the verbal communication strategies.

Communication strategies

In 3.5.2 above, it was shown that the sample of participants that [ 32 ] used in their study did not prefer discussions related with healthy lifestyles, which compromised patient-centred outcomes. Therefore, it was also important to determine the best approaches to formulate communication strategies that work. Two out of the seven studies implied how communication strategies can be formulated [ 34 , 36 ] [ 36 ]. found that a tailored intervention delivered through telephone communication improved patient perceptions of the quality of care. In this regard, the authors first identified the needs of the patients to guide the development of the tailored intervention, from which they might have obtained insights into the patients’ communication preferences [ 34 ]. found a participatory approach to developing a curated story that improves health literacy appealing and understandable. The findings emphasised the need for participatory approaches when developing communication interventions for patients with varied health and social needs. Although the studies did not compare or contrast the effectiveness of participatory-based communication strategies and non-participatory-based communication strategies, their findings provide useful insights into the significance of involving patients when developing them. From their findings, it can be anticipated that a participatory approach is more likely to yield better patient-centred outcomes than non-participatory-based communication strategies.

Patient-centred outcomes

All studies reviewed highlighted patient-centred outcomes as the goal of effective communication in older patients. Patient-centred outcomes included well-being, self-esteem, health status, social processes, life satisfaction, self-actualisation, and self-responsibility (Butt, 2001), as well as patient satisfaction [ 32 , 36 ], increased awareness of COPD effects [ 36 ], and improved health literacy [ 34 ]. Others included presenting problems, mental health, and physical health [ 32 ], as well as adherence to providers’ recommendations, improved quality of care, and shorter hospital stays [ 37 ]. All seven studies indicated that the various verbal and nonverbal communication approaches could improve these patient-centred outcomes. The consistency observed between the experimental study by [ 31 ], the qualitative studies, and other quantitative study designs implies the need to pay greater attention to verbal and non-verbal communication strategies used by healthcare professionals as they can directly influence numerous patient-centred outcomes. This consistency further implies that effective communication is the anchor of high-quality care, and its absence will always compromise patient-centred outcomes, such as satisfaction and health outcomes.

Discussion and conclusion

Discussion of findings.

In agreement with various studies and reviews conducted in younger populations [ 1 – 3 ], all the seven studies selected in this rapid review supported that effective communication is a cornerstone of improved patient-centred outcomes. Like [ 5 , 11 , 12 ], the studies reviewed in this rapid review also supported the idea that effective communication with older adults involves the combination of verbal and nonverbal communication cues. However, this rapid review went a step ahead to identify the specific conditions that must be present for effective verbal and nonverbal communication to take place, such as perceptions of equity, mutual respect, and addressing conflict instead of avoiding it. The qualitative studies used in this rapid review also offered rich descriptions of how providers use nonverbal communication strategies.

However, the main shortcoming of the seven studies reviewed is that none aimed to define or describe what constitutes effective communication with older adults, apart from [ 37 ], who described a model of nonverbal communication with older adults. The study was qualitative and only formed a theoretical basis of how effective nonverbal communication with older adults could be shaped. The theory developed needs to be tested in an experimental setting so that its effect size in improving patient-centred outcomes, such as quality of care, quality of life, patient satisfaction, and emotional and cognitive well-being, can be documented unbiasedly and validly. Therefore, as much as the reviewed studies agreed with younger populations regarding the positive effect of effective and quality communication on patient-centred outcomes [ 9 , 10 ], the methodological rigour of studies with older patients needs to be improved.

Although the individual studies reviewed in this rapid review had low risk of bias apart from [ 31 ], the screening was based on the judgment of the individual research designs. Otherwise, if the assessment had been done from the perspective of the focus of this rapid review, the risk of bias in studies could have been high in predicting the influence of effective communication on patient-centred outcomes. First, apart from [ 31 ], none of the studies used a random sample. The qualitative studies used purposively obtained samples, which means the risk of bias from an interventional perspective was high. However, the studies provided in-depth insights into the characteristics and features of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies that can be used to form and maintain provider-patient relationships.

Recommendations for practice and future research

The main recommendation for practice is that nurses and providers serving older patients must be aware of their verbal and non-verbal communication strategies. Besides, they should engage in continuous professional development to enhance their verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Combining a wide range of nonverbal communication, such as touching the patient on the shoulder or arm or even handshaking can help create strong bonds and relationships, which are key in an effective therapeutic relationship. The qualitative studies reviewed showed that nurses and other providers combine a wide range of nonverbal communication in a single interaction instance, such as eye gazing, nodding, touching, and eyebrow movement. Although studies on verbal communication were rare in this rapid review, some lessons learned from the few studies included (e.g., [ 36 ]) is that using telephones to communicate with older patients regularly is potentially effective in improving patient-centred outcomes like better self-management. The information shared by the nurse should be tailored to serve the specific health needs of older patients. For example, for COPD patients, a nurse can make regular calls to old patients to educate them about the importance of quitting smoking and alcohol to improve their health condition and better self-management. However, as [ 32 ] indicated, the nurse should be cautious about how to present the information to the client and be able to detect patronising discussions quickly. For example, the sample of adults used by [ 32 ] found that many lifestyle and rapport-building discussions with the nurse were patronising in ways that may be detrimental to patient-centred outcomes. Some of the strategies providers can employ to ensure that communication is not perceived as patronising by older patients include ensuring mutual respect (e.g., active listening as a sign of mutual respect), creating perceptions of equity rather than favouritism when communicating with multiple patients at a time, and solving conflicts rather than avoiding them, which entails extra efforts, such as understanding the patient’s behaviour in the past and present. Overall, although studies have not provided specific estimates of the effect sizes of effective communication on patient-centred outcomes among older adults, there is a general trend and consensus in studies that effective communication, nonverbal and verbal, is the cornerstone of high-quality healthcare.

Further, future research needs to address various gaps identified in this study. The first gap is that although [ 37 ] tried to develop a model of nonverbal communication with older adults, their study had some drawbacks that limited the comprehensiveness of the model. First, the authors used a sample of only eight older adults in two medical wards in Cameroon. Besides the small sample, the study was conducted in medical wards, which means its findings may not be generalisable to long-term care settings like nursing homes. More older adults who encounter healthcare professionals are admitted in long-term care facilities, calling for developing a more robust communication strategy. Second, [ 37 ] only focused on nonverbal communication, thereby providing limited practical applicability of the model since verbal and nonverbal communication co-exists in a single interactional instance. Therefore, there is a need to develop a model that provides a complete picture into what effective communication is like with older adults.

After developing a valid, reliable, and generalisable model for effective communication with older adults in various healthcare settings, future research should also focus on investigating the impact of such a model on patient-centred outcomes, such as quality of care, quality of life, patient satisfaction, and physical and mental health. More particularly, the developed model can be used to derive communication interventions, which can be applied and tested in various healthcare settings with older adults. That way, research on this subject matter will mature as more and more studies test the effectiveness of such a communication model in various settings and countries. All that is known in the literature is that effective verbal and nonverbal communication can help promote patient-centred outcomes among older adults.

Limitations

Although this rapid review was conducted rigorously by adhering to the PRISMA guidelines, the use of a single reviewer in the study selection process can undermine the quality of the review. When a single reviewer is involved, the probability of missing out relevant studies increases immensely. However, this limitation was mitigated in this review by using an automation tool in the study selection process. In was assumed that combining the automation tool with one independent reviewer could significantly reduce the probability of missing relevant studies.

Another possible limitation is that few studies have been conducted between 2000 and 2023 investigating the effect of effective communication on various patient-centred outcomes. Although the literature recognises the importance of effective communication, and there is a unanimous agreement between studies of various research designs that it is the cornerstone of quality of care, more studies need to be conducted examining how various communication strategies influence patient outcomes, both subjective and objective. For example, [ 31 ] investigated the effect of comfort touch. Other studies using empirical means (e.g., experiments) can also test the other strategies identified, such as eye gazing, head nodding, eyebrow movement, et cetera. In this way, a more specific and structured approach to communication in healthcare settings can be developed using the evidence base.

Moreover, I initially intended to review studies published within the past five years (2018–2023) but later learned there were insufficient studies meeting the eligibility criteria. Consequently, I adjusted the publication date to the past ten years (2013–2023). I also learned insufficient studies published within that period. Consequently, I chose the period of 2000–2023, which yielded seven studies. Thus, some of the studies included may not capture contemporary realities in healthcare settings, raising the need for more empirical studies on this topic.

This rapid review selected seven studies whose narrative synthesis demonstrated that effective verbal and non-verbal communication could improve patient-centred outcomes. However, the studies were mostly qualitative, and hence they only provided rich descriptions of how nurses and older patients communicate in various clinical settings. It is only one study (Butts, 2001) that was experimental. Still, its risk of bias was high since patients were not concealed to allocation, and participants and outcome assessors were not blinded. Future research needs to focus on deriving a valid, reliable, and generalisable communication model with older adults using a larger and more representative sample size of older patients. Such a model should encompass both verbal and nonverbal communication. After developing a robust model, the next phase of future studies is to derive interventions based on the model and then, through experimental research, test their effectiveness. In that way, a standard approach to communicating effectively and in quality will be achieved, which is yet to be achieved in the current studies.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Acknowledgements

I thank my wife and children for their patience and the great opportunity to devote a lot of time to doing the article in the best possible way.

Authors’ contributions

I am the primary and sole author of this article. My contribution to this article is a full contribution.

Data Availability

Declarations.

The authors declare no competing interests.

‘Not applicable’ for that section. The article is a rapid review type.

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Delivering your speech: the power of nonverbal communication

When I say “public speaking” what comes to mind? Dread? Nervousness? Excitement? “Public speaking” often brings uneasy feelings to first year students, as standing in front of a classroom ranging from first year to fourth years may seem a lot more intimidating than one full of your long-time high school classmates. You have a well-written and researched speech and you have already sought out a peer review from the Writing and Communication Centre, but the easy part is over. Delivering your speech involves more than a professional tone and a confident voice; you will convey the real impact of your message through nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication is the communication we engage in that isn’t written or spoken language, but still creates meaning.

Eye contact, one of the most important nonverbal cues, keeps your audience engaged, makes you believable, and opens up communication. Looking at individual members of the audience establishes an interpersonal connection with them. While maintaining eye contact is important, gestures are useful when emphasizing certain points. Gestures are an excellent way to channel your nerves into movement, as long as you ensure they are not repetitive or taking away from your message.  Using immediacy behaviours, that is, literally or psychologically making your audience members feel closer to you, can establish more relationships as a speaker. Moving closer to your audience or smiling are simple ways to create a closer relationship between you and your listeners.

The audience sees your face before they are going to hear your voice and thus, you have the opportunity to set an emotional tone before you even start speaking. As a speaker, you can decide how your facial expression can alter the atmosphere of your speech in a meaningful way. In many instances, audience members will mimic your emotions, so if you want your audience to feel a certain emotion, its best to express that emotion yourself. Although your face and voice play a major role in communicating a specific emotion, your posture will communicate the intensity of that emotion.

You might be overwhelmed at the long list of unconscious habits to consider when delivering a speech. Delivering a hard hitting, persuasive or informative speech is not easy, but it is an important and useful skill for your post-secondary education and beyond. If you need ideas, feedback, or strategies in creating and delivering a speech, the Writing and Communication Centre is a hub for practice, development and collaboration that can work with you to help develop your individual voice in your academic work. With practice, knowledge and a bit of help, public speaking does not have to be a daunting task, but an opportunity to share your ideas and leave a memorable impression as a speaker.

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The power of nonverbal communication | Joe Navarro | TEDxManchester