1. Unit-2
Forms of
communication

2. Means of Communication
Media/means of Communication
Verbal Non-verbal
Oral Written Sign Language Body Language
Visuals signs Audio signs

3. Verbal Communication- Oral, Written
The word Verbal means ‘connected
with words and use of words’. All
serious or formal communication is
usually in words. Words, as we all
know, can be written or spoken.
Oral Communication: In oral
communication, words should be
chosen very carefully so that what they
connote has the precise shade of
meaning.

4. Merits of oral communication
1. Saving of time and money: It saves money
as well as time. No money needs to be
spent for producing oral communication
since it involves only the spoken words. The
words are received and understood as they
are spoken. So it saves time too.
2. Immediate feedback: The receiver can give
his feedback immediately. The speaker can
judge the mood of the speaker.

5. Cont.
3. Builds a healthy climate: A friendly
climate is created when you
communicate orally since there is less
formality.
4. Best medium during emergency: Oral
communication is the best tool during
the emergency. It is the best method
of communication when an immediate
and fast feedback is critical.

6. Demerits of oral communication
1. Greater chances of misunderstanding:
Unless it is, recorded, you cannot refer to
an oral message again. There are,
therefore, greater chances of a message
being misunderstood or misinterpreted.
2. Ineffective for lengthy communication: Oral
communication is not useful for lengthy
communication. Because of human
limitations, it is obvious that something
important will be missed out.

7. Cont.
3. Lower retention rate: It is its drawback. A
listener may absorb only some part of an oral
message since the attention span differs from
person to person.
4. No legal validity: Oral communication lacks
proof of record. There is no permanent record
or proof of what has been said. Hence, oral
communication has very little value from legal
point of view.

8. Written Communication
A message constitutes written
communication when it is put in “black
and white”. It is a formal type of
communication. It is usually considered
binding on business communications
and it is often used as evidence.
Technological advancement has
enlarged the gamut of written
communication through email and other
such facilities.

9. Merits of written communication
1. Precise and accurate: It is generally
prepared with great care and
precision. You have to be very serious
and organized while communicating in
the written form, because it is open to
verification.
2. Permanent record: It constitutes a
permanent record. It proves very
useful for future reference

10. Cont.
3. Suitable for lengthy and complicated
messages: Complicated messages can be
understood better when they are in the
written form rather than in the oral. There is
less chance for misinterpretation and
misunderstanding.
4. Responsibility can be easily fixed: In it.
Responsibilities of sender and receiver can
be fixed easily. People have the tendency of
shifting responsibilities for mistakes, but this
is difficult if the onus is in black and white.

11. Cont.
5. Has legal validity: It is acceptable as a
legal document and has been used as
evidence.

12. Demerits of written communication
1. Costly in terms of money and man-hours:
Writing letters is a costly process not only
because you need to spend money on
postage, but also because several persons
are involved in the process of sending out a
letter from an organization.
2. Slower method of communication: It can be
time consuming since it may take even two
or three days to reach the receiver.
3. No flexibility: The written word is not subject
to subject to instant change after
communication. Therefore, conveying an

13. Cont.
afterthought may prove very lengthy,
and, at times, even impossible.
4. Literacy essential: For written
communication, the sender as well as
the receiver should be literate. In any
country where literacy is low, a written
message will be meaningless for large
masses of illiterate persons. Literacy
also means literacy in the language of
the message.

14. Silence
Silence speaks louder than
words. We communicate with the help
of silence. It lays down the relationship
between the communicators and their
attitude towards each other. And it also
shows the inability to converse further.
A student who has not done his work
will stay mum when the teacher asks
him for it.

15. Functions of silence
• To allow a speaker time to think
• To isolate oneself
• To hurt
• To prevent communication
• To communicate emotional responses
• To say nothing

16. Face-to-Face communication
Face-to-face communication may,
at the first thought, appear to be
identical with oral communication.
However, it is possible to visualise the
difference between the two. Telephonic
conversation is oral communication but
we cannot call it face-to-face
communication.

17. Merits of Face-to-face communication
• Facial expressions and gestures help to
communicate better : As already
explained, oral communication is better
than the written one in one respect: the
message being communicated also
gets the assistance of facial expression
and gestures. Thus the communication
is almost perfect.

18. • Particularly suitable for discussion : It is
suitable for discussions, for there is
immediate feedback from the listener. It
provides the speaker with a much better
opportunity for adjustment. A puzzled
look indicates lack of understanding:
explain yourself better. A blank face
with head turned sideways suggests
lack of interest: either make

19. your listener interested in what you are
saying or stop. These adjustments are
possible only in face-to-face
communication.

20. Demerits
• Difficult to practise in large-sized
organization : It is extremely difficult to
practise in modern large-sized
organization, particularly if their various
units or departments are situated at
different places.
• Not effective in large gatherings : It is
very difficult to get a message across to
large gatherings. In the absence of a

21. satisfactory feedback, his speech
lapses into a monologue.
• Ineffective if the listener is not attentive :
A limitation which the face-to-face
communication shares with oral
communication is that its effectiveness
is closely linked with the listener’s
attentiveness. The message can easily
get diverted, thus making
communication ineffective.