Understanding the Importance of a Hazard-Free Voice Communication

In a vastly populated country like India, strikes, rallies, and protests are most common. Often people from different walks of life gather together and raise their voice to protest against a common goal which they think are against the common interests of the people. This technique of voice communication has been practiced from the age-old times. When you want to speak out something, to convey a message or protest against something it can be done through voice communication. Whenever we want to convey something, we need to communicate the same. For communication purpose, we can either do nonvoice or voice communication.

Voice communication includes phone calls, radio, television, pc to pc calls, video conferencing, audio conferencing, face to face verbal communications, etc. This type of communication system is also known as the oral communication systems. Voice communication systems can further be categorized into two ways – one-way communication system and two-way communication system. One way communication system includes television, radio, voice messages, etc in which the message is only conveyed, but no feedback is received.  On the other hand, two-way communication systems include mobile phone calls, pc to pc calls, video conferencing, face to face communications etc, in which interactions happen both ways by word of mouth. Two-way voice communications are only successful when there is a feedback received in response to a message conveyed.

Thanks to the invention of new technologies, these modern methods of communication have made lives easier for us. The world has become a smaller place to live in.  Thanks to the technological advancements, it has become a lot easier to communicate across the globe with the people from different aspects of life. In every aspect of life, proper communication should be done in order to avoid confusion and misunderstandings amongst people. We interact with a lot of people in our daily lives. The context and the type of communications vary from person to person. Even in the professional arena, communication systems vary a lot. This method of communication in the corporate world plays a very vital role in the success of a company. Interpersonal skills, the tone of speaking communicate a lot of things. Sometimes the message is misinterpreted and misunderstood by our tone of speaking. Communications between the management and its employees and its clients play an integral part in the development of the company and its success.

Voice communication can be very effective if we are clear and tactful, use relevant and precise words while maintaining a proper tone for the message to be communicated. These are the hallmarks of effective communication if you want your business to flourish and prosper. Inaccurate and unclear information can create confusion among the employees, thus hampering your business. It can waste time and energy, dissatisfy your employees, who can thereby turn their back on the company, thereby enhancing the attrition rate. You may also, in turn, lose your customers, which will affect the goodwill of the company in the long run.

In the corporate arena, voice communications play an important role. If are going for an interview, presenting yourself properly and convincing him regarding your skills before the interviewer can make or break the interview. It can get you selected or rejected through this interview process. Also during corporate meetings, public speaking and presentations are very common. Your verbal communications skills should be effective enough to determine the success of any presentation. The listeners should be convinced regarding the goal or the purpose of the presentation. Even when you are speaking over the phone or calling up any client regarding any business discussion, your voice clarity, the tonality of the conversation matters the most. Your client will be more than convinced if you have effective voice communication skills to convince him over the phone. Then comes the face to face interactions with the clients. If your approach to the client over the meeting is appropriate and your verbal communication skills are effective, it’s more than enough to persuade the client and convince him to close the deal with your company. There are also a number of nonverbal elements which may be beneficial to develop oral communication skills such as gestures and postures, facial expressions etc. Words and phrases like ‘um’, ‘uh’, ‘you know’, ‘like’, etc. should be avoided for effective oral communication. We should clearly and confidently pronounce words, mumbling between sentences should be avoided. The most important thing in case of voice communication is to take the audience into account. Your way, speed, tonality, loudness all depends on it. These things can hold the audience attention and attract them to a great extent.

There are a lot of major barriers to voice communication.  Firstly language acts as the most crucial barrier. Often badly expressed message can create confusion resulting in assumptions which, not clear enough might hamper effective communication. Secondly psychological or emotional barriers such as lack of attention to what the other person is saying, premature evaluation of the subject matter which is being discussed leaves unclear understanding of the message which is trying to be communicated. Poor retention and distrust may place a crucial role in hampering effective communication process. Thirdly, organizational barriers such as company policies, the hierarchy in levels of management, rules and regulations, status quo, and other complexities in the organizational structure create a formidable effect in effective communications.  Last but not the least, personal barriers also affect proper communication such as fear to challenge authority, fear of losing trust and confidence in the subordinates, unwillingness to communicate, or fear of the lack of proper incentives and so on. Often it is advised and various rules are made for safety purpose not talk on the phone or text while driving. This is surely a necessity for our safety. But in the long run, we might miss out on an important call which could have been beneficial to us. Effective communication can make or break the entire situation, provided we are good enough to handle it. We should take care of it.