Oral Communication - Meaning, Advantages and Limitations

Corporate Meetings are very crucial part of business activities. They are a significant means of formal communication. Meetings are a venue for generation of new and innovative ideas. These meetings are multipurpose in nature actually. They aim at discussing feedback and receiving feedback on the spot. The information of prior importance is given during meetings.…

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Communication is a process of exchanging verbal and non verbal messages. It is a continuous process. Pre-requisite of communication is a message. This message must be conveyed through some medium to the recipient. It is essential that this message must be understood by the recipient in same terms as intended by the sender. He must…

Communication Barriers – Reasons for Communication Breakdown

Communication is a process beginning with a sender who encodes the message and passes it through some channel to the receiver who decodes the message. Communication is fruitful if and only if the messages sent by the sender is interpreted with same meaning by the receiver. If any kind of disturbance blocks any step of…

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Oral communication implies communication through mouth. It includes individuals conversing with each other, be it direct conversation or telephonic conversation. Speeches, presentations, discussions are all forms of oral communication.

Oral communication is generally recommended when the communication matter is of temporary kind or where a direct interaction is required. Face to face communication (meetings, lectures, conferences, interviews, etc.) is significant so as to build a rapport and trust.

Advantages of Oral Communication

There is high level of understanding and transparency in oral communication as it is interpersonal.
There is no element of rigidity in oral communication. There is flexibility for allowing changes in the decisions previously taken.
The feedback is spontaneous in case of oral communication. Thus, decisions can be made quickly without any delay.
Oral communication is not only time saving, but it also saves upon money and efforts.
Oral communication is best in case of problem resolution. The conflicts, disputes and many issues/differences can be put to an end by talking them over.
Oral communication is an essential for teamwork and group energy.
Oral communication promotes a receptive and encouraging morale among organizational employees.
Oral communication can be best used to transfer private and confidential information/matter.

Disadvantages/Limitations of Oral Communication

Relying only on oral communication may not be sufficient as business communication is formal and very organized.
Oral communication is less authentic than written communication as they are informal and not as organized as written communication.
Oral communication is time-saving as far as daily interactions are concerned, but in case of meetings, long speeches consume lot of time and are unproductive at times.
Oral communications are not easy to maintain and thus they are unsteady.
There may be misunderstandings as the information is not complete and may lack essentials.
It requires attentiveness and great receptivity on part of the receivers/audience.
Oral communication (such as speeches) is not frequently used as legal records except in investigation work.

Article Written by

Himanshu Juneja

Himanshu Juneja, the founder of Management Study Guide (MSG), is a commerce graduate from Delhi University and an MBA holder from the esteemed Institute of Management Technology (IMT). He has always been someone deeply rooted in academic excellence and driven by a relentless desire to create value. Recently, he was honored with the “Most Aspiring Entrepreneur and Management Coach of 2025 (Blindwink Awards 2025)” award, a testament to his hard work, vision, and the value MSG continues to deliver to the global community.