How to Mix Oral and Written Communication to Win People

Communication is an important aspect of our life and is the basic feature of human co-existence. Be it at workplace or in a public gathering, communication helps us to get along with people well. There are many types of communication and knowing how to interlink the various communication types is important to effectively convey the message. This article describes in detail about the ways in which oral communication can be mixed with written communication to effectively communicate and win over people.

What is oral and written communication?

Communication, as we described, can be of many types depending on the type and level of people. Oral and written are two of the most important, simplest and frequently used types of communication.

Oral communication is simple one-to-one communication which allows the sender and the receiver to be in close contact and vision. Communication in conversations, meetings, team discussions, interviews, etc. can be classified as oral communication. The two main advantage of this communication type is that instant feedback can be provided by the receiver and the sender can ensure effective communication of the message through needed body language.

Written communication is defined as the form of communication that uses reports, minutes of meetings, memos, notices, etc., to convey the message. This form of communication is detailed in nature and is a form of documentary evidence. The message is not conveyed directly and hence requires being accurate in nature so as to satisfy all the clarifications of the receiver.

Why should oral communication be mixed with written communication?

Oral communication is a very effective first person communication which is also one of the simplest types of communication. In this method, the sender can ensure that his message is properly received by the receiver. The receiver can also clarify all doubts and explanations that he requires on the message from the sender directly.

Such kind of communication also provides the facility to the sender to vary his body language to convey the message in a right way. But this kind of communication cannot be used as a form of evidence and hence is mixed with written communication to obtain desirable results.

How to effectively mix both the communication forms?

A proper mix of both oral and written forms is a must to establish a successful communication methodology. A basic balance is required to be maintained in both the communication forms. Whether your communication form starts with written or oral form, ensure that you complete the communication cycle with the other form.

If your communication starts with oral communication like a discussion or a meeting, remember to pay attention to the details and to note them down accurately. You can also note down any clarifications or doubts that you might have with regards to the message conveyed.

Make sure that you get all necessary details required to document the communicated message. Once your oral communication is complete, prepare a written version of it and ensure that you have included all required details. If possible you can also get the details confirmed from the sender of the message to verify the accuracy of the written document.

In case the written communication precedes the oral communication, you can use the oral form to clarify on any details or confirmation required on the details mentioned in the written document. Thus both the forms of communication can be used to complement each other to ensure an effective communication process.

A mix of both the communication forms can result in combining the advantages while eliminating the disadvantages. The disadvantages of written methods being without feedback and comparatively less personal are overridden by implementing a mixture of both the forms. Thus a mixture of both the forms not only helps convey the message better but also helps you to win over people.