Oral Communication in Context Handout No.

Functions of Communication
INTRODUCTION
We are in a very busy world where we cannot resist but to communicate. We always engage in
communication either face-to-face, using a telephone, cell phone or electronic mail. In whatever means
we use in communicating with our loved ones, friends, colleagues and superiors we certainly have a
purpose in doing so. Our intention for communicating may vary such as to control someone to do
something, to socialize with peers, to motivate a classmate to perform better, to inform a friend about
future plans, to express how we feel about the situation, to share information about an article we read,
to give instructions on how to operate a gadget, to ask for advice on handling an avid admirer or to
persuade someone to participate in a worthy endeavor.
To positively attain our objective for communicating, we utilize verbal and nonverbal cues as well
as varied strategies to convey our message effectively to the target listener or audience.

I. REGULATION OR CONTROL FUNCTION

When we employ communication to regulate or control someone or something, there are two
elements to consider: first, we want to meet our own needs or desires, and second, we try to control the
actions of others to help us meet our needs and desires or to help us keep ourselves in our personal
comfort zones.
Regulatory communication refers to giving orders or directions, making requests or attempting
influence the actions of others and accepting or refusing directions. When regulatory is utilized, the person
wants to control the behavior of other people or make them do what he wants them to do. Regulatory
language may include giving orders in a more indirect way of controlling and manipulating others. This
type of language is usually used in competitive games in which the show follows rules regarding the right
answer, like “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” This type of show uses positive regulatory language.
Language when used as a means to control may have positive, neutral or negative connotations. In oral
communication, it can be utilized as a form of giving a reward or punishment. Positively, we can praise
someone or give reinforcement; whereas negatively, we can give a destructive criticism or an
unfavorable remark.
According to S. Hayakawa and A. Hayakawa (1990, p.67), directives are utterances that try to
get another person to do something. They can range from a rather polite ask or request to a more forceful
command or insist. Context informs when and how we express directives and how people respond to
them. Promises are often paired with directives in order to persuade people to comply, and those
promises, whether implied or stated, should be kept in order to be an ethical communicator. Keep this in
mind to avoid arousing false expectations on the part of the other person.
The list below specifies the communicative acts that can be found under regulation function.
. Making suggestions in which the speaker is included
. Making requests, making suggestions
. Refusing to accept a suggestion or a request but offering an alternative
. Persuading someone to change his point of view
. Requesting and granting permission
. Asking for help and responding to a plea for help
. Forbidding someone to do something; issuing a command
. Giving and responding to instructions
. Warning someone
. Discouraging someone from pursuing a course of action
. Establishing guideline and deadlines for the completion of actions
. Asking for directions or instructions

Giving Orders and Instructions

1. Use the imperative form. (e.g. Be silent! Be careful. Listen to me attentively!)
2. Because it can sound rude to give direct orders (especially if you are talking to an adult), we
"soften" the imperative form with "let's" or "please"
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 Let's go to the auditorium now.
Please take note of what I'm saying.

3. Use a modal verb to turn the order into a request. For example. ‘You should accompany him." is
more polite than "Accompany him."
Other modal verbs you can use to make requests are:
Could: Could you make me some juice?
Can: Can you go there please?
Will: Will you open the windows please?
Could: Would you wait here until the dentist is ready for you?

4. Use an Introductory phrase to soften the order

Instead of using an imperative, you can use a phrase instead. Here are some common ways of
phrasing an order, in order of the most indirect to the most direct:
- Would you mind possibly... (+ ing) (Most indirect)
- Would you mind possibly moving your chair? It’s right in front of mine.

Asking for Attention (formal): Asking for Attention (Informal):

. Excuse me, I wonder If I could trouble you. . Look at me!
. May I have your attention, please? . Look what I’ve got here.
. Excuse me . Look here.
. Sorry to trouble you. . Look!
. Sorry to bother you. . Hey!
. Attention, please! Permission?
. Excuse me!

Asking for Clarification/More Information Asking Someone to Stop or Avoid Doing

. I didn’t understand what you said about ____. Something
. I m sorry, I didn’t catch what you said about___. . Please, don’t do it.
. I’m sorry, could you repeat what you said about . Will you stop doing___?
_______ . . Will you stop it?
. Sorry, but I’m not quite clear on _____. . Will you stop ____-ing?
. I’d like to ask you about ________. . Please stop it!
. Please avoid that _________.
. Will you avoid _____-Ing?
. Stop it, please?
. Stop that!

Making Suggestions Giving Warnings

. Why don’t you go to a museum? . Don’t push so hard on that box, or you might / will
. We could go to a museum? suffer from back pain!
. Let’s go to a museum. . Watch out! Be careful!
. What about going to a museum? . Work hard otherwise you’ll fail your exam.
. How about going to a museum? . Be careful, or you’ll …
. I suggest we go to a museum. . Watch out, you might be ________ .
. I think you should go to a museum. . Do not _______ .
. I don’t think you should go to a museum. . Please see to it that you or else it _________ .
. Perhaps we could go to a museum. . Don’t you ever do that again!
. Maybe we should go to a museum.

Aside from using these formulas and grammatical structures in doing these particular
communicative functions, there are nonverbal cues that can also be used as regulators. These include
movements of the head, neck and eyes including hand gestures and posture. For examples, nodding of
the head indicates we are listening or understanding something and we are encouraging the speaker to

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continue. Another is moving away that signals we want communication to stop or we may raise a finger
or lift our head to mean we want to speak or perhaps show our palm to indicate we don’t want to speak.
These regulators support the interaction between the sender and the receiver. Regulators are cues that
help control verbal interaction, such as the turn-taking signals in conversation. We use nonverbal behavior
to influence others to satisfy our wants and desires. Examples of nonverbal behavior are looking directly
at someone, wearing high-status clothes, and using touch.

II. SOCIAL INTERACTION

In the second function of communication which is social interaction or shared attention with
others, the individual is communicating not only to meet his own desires and needs but also to socially
interact with the people around him. The interaction may start from any individual who is engaged in
communication.
The opportunity for social] interactions with others is very important for the development of all
individuals. Through social interactions an individual begins to establish a sense of "seIf" and to learn what
others expect of him. At a very young age, we learn how to interact with our family members, but as we
grow old we become more interested in meeting and interacting with others. Through this social
interaction, we learn appropriate social behaviors, such as respecting, greeting, sharing and refusing
politely. Furthermore, when we interact with others we learn how to communicate well. With the
technology such as the internet and cell phones invading almost all human endeavors across the globe,
communication has become vita] to everyone. It allows people to stay in touch with relatives and friends
and even creates relationships with people they have not met. Building relationships becomes easier and
faster.
Some communicative functions that fall under social interaction include the following:
. Greetings and leavetakings
. Introducing people to others
. Identifying oneself to others
. Expressing joy at another’s success
. Expressing concern for other people’s welfare
. Extending and accepting invitations
. Refusing invitations politely o making alternative arrangements
. Making appointments for meetings
. Breaking appointments politely and arranging another mutually convenient time
. Apologizing
. Excusing oneself and accepting excuses for not meeting commitments
. Indicating agreement or disagreement
. Interrupting another speaker politely
. Changing an embarrassing subject
. Receiving visitors and paying visits to others
. Offering food or drinks and accepting or declining politely
. Sharing wishes, hopes, desires, problems
. Making promises and committing oneself to some action
. Complimenting someone
. Making excuses

Social interactions may be realized by using phrases, vocabulary and grammatical structures
aside from the nonverbal symbols. The list of expressions below may help you perform some of the
communicative acts under this function. Using the different expressions or phrases depends on the
situation and the people involved in the communication activity their social status and personal
relationship.
Formal Greetings Informal Greetings
. Hello or Hello (Person’s Name)! Hey’ or Hey (Person’s Name)’
. How are you? What’s up?
. How are you doing? How’s it going?

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Greeting Someone You Haven't Seen for a Long Greeting Someone You Haven't Seen for a Long
Time (Formal) Time (Informal)
Nice to see you! How come I never see you?
Nice to see you again! Where have you been hiding?
I haven’t seen you in a long time. It’s been such a long time.
I haven’t seen you in forever! It’s been ages since we last met.
It has been a long time. Long time no see.
It’s been too long.
Very Informal Greetings Leave Taking or Saying Goodbye
Yo! All right, everyone, it’s time to head off.
Howdy? Anyway, guys I’m going to make a move.
Hiya! Ok, everyone, it’s time to leave you.
What’s crackin’? See you later / tomorrow / soon.
Sup? (Short for What’s up?) Talk to you later!
Saying Goodbye Politely After Meeting Someone Slang Goodbyes
Nice to see you. Catch you later.
Good to see you. I’m out!
It’s been lovely to see you. Peace! / Peace out!
Have a lovely/ nice evening. Smell you later.
It was great to see you.
Have a good day.
Introducing Yourself Introducing Others
My name is... Randy, please meet Claro.
I’m.... Lardy, have you met John?
Nice to meet you; I’m ... I’d like you to meet Cheenie.
Useful Responses When Introducing Yourself or Inviting
Other People Do you want to go to the concert tonight?
Nice to meet you. Would you like to go to the theater on Friday evening?
Happy to meet you. Would you be interested in going to the mall next
Sunday?
Pleased to meet you.
How about going to the concert?
How do you do? Care to come over for dinner?
I was just wondering if you would like to come over for
dinner.
We’d be delighted to have you over for his birthday
celebration.
Accepting Invitations Declining Invitations
Sure. What time? I can’t. I have to work.
I’d love to, thanks. This evening is no good. I have an appointment.
That’s very kind of you, thanks. I’m busy tomorrow. Can I take a rain check’ on that?
That’s very kind of you, but actually I’m doing something
That sounds lovely, thank you.
else this afternoon.
What a great idea, thank you.
Well, I’d love to, but I’m already going out to the
Sure. When should I be there? restaurant.
I’m really sorry, but I’ve got something else on.
I really don’t think I can - I’m supposed to be doing
something else.
Making an Appointment Apologizing
Are you available on.../ next...? I do apologize for...
Are you free on I must apologize for…
Can we meet on…/ next...? I apologize for...
How does the ... sound to you? I’d like to apologize for...
What about this … / next...? I am so sorry for...
Agreeing Disagreeing
There is no doubt about it that... I don’t agree with you.
I agree with you entirely. I’m sorry, but I disagree.
I totally agree with you. I’m afraid. I can’t agree with you.
The problem is that...
I simply must agree with that.
This is in complete contradiction to...
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III. MOTIVATION FUNCTION

Motivation is derived from the word motive which means needs, wants, desires or drives within the
individual, k is the process of stimulating people to actions to accomplish the desired goals.
Communication fulfills this function by clarifying to the individual what is to be done, how well he is doing
and what can be done to improve performance. An individual who is highly motivated can bring about
positive outcomes such as the achievement of ‘the individual’s or group’s goals, increase productivity,
excellent performance, good grades, impressive research or even success in any task at hand. The
formation of explicit goals, feedback on progress toward the goals and strengthening of desired behavior
all stimulate a person’s motivation and require communication.
We motivate or encourage an individual to do something or to make something more likely to
happen by showing him his strength, praising, recognizing his effort, believing in him, showing appreciation
and being a positive role model. In doing this, we use appropriate verbal communication as well as
nonverbal communication.
Motivation is beneficial to both the individual or to any organization because it puts human
resources into action, increases the level of performance, leads to the attainment of goals and objectives
and builds friendly relationship.
In order to realize this communicative function, just like in regulation or control and social
interaction, there are also suitable expressions, phrases or forms that can be used in motivating people.
Here are some of them.
. You’re coming along well.
. That’s a good effort.
. That’s a real improvement.
. You’re on the right lines.
. Keep going.
. If at first you don’t succeed...
. You can do it!
. You are doing very well.
. You have my support.
. (You’re) nearly there/ almost there/ getting there/ getting closer.
. (You’re) getting better.
. (This/ that is/ was) much better than last time/ last week/ yesterday.
. No pain, no gain.

IV. INFORMATION FUNCTION

Information as one of the functions of communication is the fundamental requirement of being able to
adapt and adjust oneself to the environment. Being informed helps one to understand what is going on
in his or her country and in the global community. Communication is a source of information to ail
individuals. Having enough information is very important in helping one or the organization to arrive at a
sound decision and take the right course of action. For example, in a school setting, a guidance counselor
before making a decision whether to suspend or not a student for misbehavior in the classroom has to
conduct an investigation first to get the needed information which will serve as the basis for their action.
It also uses communication for imparting facts or knowledge about everything and anything that a person
needs to know. A very good example of this is the actual teaching-learning situation in the classroom
where the teacher discusses a short story, asks questions to gauge the comprehension of students and
gives additional information to help them answer the questions. Another example is when the teacher
gives the students a project for presentation next week. For the students to accomplish this, the teacher
has to give the instructions clearly and the details of the project. In the business setting, this information
function plays a vital role in creating a trusting relationship with the customers by providing them with the
accurate information about the company’s services or products. For instance, you are a sales
representative of a first class condominium and your prospective buyer inquires about the down payment
and monthly amortization and you give him a quotation stipulating the amount to be paid per month,
etc. Providing your customer right information results to an improved customer service. According to
Halliday, when language is used to convey facts and information, it is called representational.

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 Asking for information can be as simple as asking for the time the teacher will arrive in school,
inquiring from the saleslady the colors that are available for the shirt you want to buy, asking the service
crew if hot chocolate is still served, inquiring from the librarian if the book that you need is still out or asking
if your friend will be in school tomorrow. It can also be as complicated as asking for details about a project
in English, asking the doctor the causes of losing weight continuously, inquiring from the witnesses what
really happened and why it happened or asking for an explanation on the various parts of a research
paper. In both cases, it is necessary to use appropriate expressions and forms to the situation. For example,
when asking for information from a friend, use a more informal form. When asking a teacher, use a slightly
more formal form. Finally, when asking for information from a stranger, use an appropriately formal
construction.
Here are some expressions and structures that can be used when asking for and replying to a
request for information.

Very Informal - for Friends and Family

Simple Question: Wb? + Helping Verb + Subject + Verb
If you are asking a friend or family member for information, use a direct question.
How much was it?
Where does Ann spend her summer vacation?

More Formal for Everyday Simple Questions

Use these forms for simple, everyday questions in stores, with colleagues at work, and in other
informal situations.

(Pardon me, Excuse me) Can / could you tell me + wh? + S + verb?
Can you tell me when Robert is coming back?
Pardon me, could you tell me how many borrowed the book?

Formal for More Complicated Questions and Asking Important People Questions
Use these forms when asking complicated questions that require a lot of information, as well as
asking information questions of important people such as your dean, boss, on a job interview, etc.

I wonder if you could + tell me / explain / provide information on ...

I wonder If you could explain how to make a digital presentation.
I wonder if you could provide information on selection and retention program of the company.

Would you mind+verb + ing...?

Would you mind telling us the current status of your business?
Would you mind giving me how your research data were gathered?

Replying to a Request for Information

If you would like to provide information when asked for information, start your reply with one of the
following phrases.
Informal More Formal
Sure. I’d be happy to answer that.
No problem. It’d be a pleasure to help you.
Let me see…

Other Useful Expressions in Asking for

. Excuse me. . Can you help me...?
. Could you tell me how to ...? . Could you tell me...?
. What happens if...? . I’d like to know...
. Where can l...?
. When can I...?
. How can l...?
. Something else I’d like to know is...
. Can you tell me...?

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 Giving Background Information Giving Further Information
. As we know, … . A similar point is....
. As we have already seen,… . In addition...,.
. As we have all read,… . Moreover.
. It’s clear that… . Similarly.
. It goes without saying, .... . Apart from…
. We all understand,… . Not only ., but also....
. It is understood,… . We can add,...
. You’ll remember, ... . As well as
. Besides

Just like in the previous communication functions, the information function of communication also
employs nonverbal communication to make the verbal expressions more effective and comprehensible
to the listeners or receivers of the message. For example, the use of open palm signifies that the speaker
is explaining or giving additional information. When the transmitter of the information establishes eye
contact with his listener, this simply means that the transmitter is sincere and truthful in his message. In
addition, when the speaker leans his body forward, this implies that the speaker is interested to listen to
the response or feedback of the listener.

V. EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION FUNCTION

Have you ever been at a concert and let out a very loud shout only to realize that you are the
only one shouting? Have you ever felt uncomfortable when someone yells in excitement in the school
corridor? Human emotions are evidently personal because they show what we feel inside whether we
want it to be noticed by the people around us or not. Emotions are also interpersonal because when we
make our feelings toward someone or something visible to others these usually cause positive or negative
reactions from them. In an interpersonal relationship, emotions are essential in recognizing what triggers
that emotion so we can better understand our own emotions and in turn better respond to others when
they show off their emotions.
Communication within a group of people is an important mechanism by which all members show
their feelings of satisfaction and dismay. It serves as an avenue for expression of emotions and attainment
of social needs. When communication is employed to accomplish these, then this is the emotional
expression function of oral communication.
According to Gross (1998b. 1999), emotional expression refers to how one conveys emotional
experience through both verbal and nonverbal behavior. Emotional expression should be distinguished
from emotional experience in that it is possible to experience emotions without expressing them.
Emotional expression is an important part of emotion regulation and can affect health outcomes, He
added that emotional expression is embedded in the broader domain of emotion regulation, which is
defined as how individuals, either consciously or unconsciously, influence, experience, and express
emotions (1999). Emotion regulation unfolds over time in a given situation either before emotional
experience, during emotional experience, or in response to emotional experience (Gross,1998a).
Researcher and emotion expert Paul Eckman has found that, for the most part. Facial expressions
are used to convey the basic human emotions and tend to be the same across cultures. While he has
found that the face is capable of creating an astonishing variety of expressions (more than 7.000!), there
are six key basic emotions: happiness, surprise, sadness, anger, disgust and fear.
When we express feelings, we communicate our emotions. Expressing feelings is a difficult aspect
of verbal communication, because there are many social norms about how, why, when, where, and to
whom we express our emotions. Standards for emotional expression also differ with regard to nationality
and other cultural identities and characteristics such as age and gender. In terms of age, young children
are able to express openly their positive and negative emotions in public. Gendered elements intersect
with age as boys grow older and are socialized into a norm of emotional restraint. Although men vary in
the intensity to which they are emotionally expressive, there is still a predominant social norm that
encourages and even expects women to be more expressive than men when it comes to emotions.

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 Expressing one’s feelings can be uncomfortable for those who are listening. Other people are
generally not good at or comfortable with receiving and processing other people’s feelings. Even those
with good empathetic listening skills can be positively or negatively affected by others’ emotions.
Expressions of anger can be especially difficult to handle because they represent a threat to the face
and self-esteem of others. Despite the fact that expressing feelings or emotions is more complicated than
other forms of expression, emotion sharing is an important part of how we build social connections and
empathize with others, and it can be improved.
According to Owen Hargie (2011.166), to verbally express our emotions, it is important that we
develop an emotional vocabulary. The more specific we can be when we are verbally communicating
our emotions, the less ambiguous our emotions will be for the person decoding our message. He further
stated that as we expand our emotional vocabulary, we are able to convey the intensity of the emotion
we’re feeling whether it is mild, moderate, or intense. For examples, happy is mild, delighted is moderate,
and ecstatic is intense; ignored is mild, rejected is moderate, and abandoned is intense. To some extent,
we express a feeling any time and our behavior is influenced by that feeling; but the way we express that
feeling and the intensity of that expression can vary widely.
The ability to express and interpret emotions plays a remarkable role in our daily lives. While many
expressions of emotion are inherent, there are many other factors that influence how we disclose our
inner feelings, Social pressures, cultural influences, and past experiences can all help form the expression
of emotion.
As mentioned in the previous lesson, there are diverse nonverbal cues that can be used to
demonstrate how we feel ranging from eye contact, posture, gesture, artifacts, etc. But aside from these
nonverbal cues, we also use specific expressions and phrases to let people know our feelings.

EXPRESSIONS TO SHOW HAPPINESS Other Ways of Expressing Happiness

. That’s wonderful! . Squee - used to show that you are excited or happy
. Good job! . Hooray - a word that you shout to show that you are
. That’s fantastic! excited and happy about something
. Great! . Yippee - an expression of happiness and excitement. This
. That’s good! word is used mainly by children.
. What a great idea! . Aah - used for showing that you are happy. satisfied, or
. I find it very exciting. surprised
. It sounds like fun. . Excellent- used for showing that you are very pleased
about something
. Lovely - used for saying you are pleased about
something
. Good for someone - used for saying that you are happy
about something good that someone has done or that
has happened to them
. Gotcha - used for showing that you are pleased at
catching or beating someone
. Good - used for saying that you are pleased with
someone, or are pleased about something
. Thank God/ goodness/ heaven(s) - used for saying that
you are happy that something unpleasant has stopped or
has not happened
Structures to Express Sadness
I’m feeling down about school work lately.
He’s feeling down about his grade in Math.
Cheenie is upset about her relatives.
I’m sad about what happened last night.
I’m sorry. I’m out of sorts today. I’ll be better
tomorrow.
The CEO doesn’t feel well today.
Jason is feeling blue about his relationship
with his stepmother.
We’re in the dumps about our research.

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 How to Respond to Someone Who Is Sad If you see that someone is sad, but that person is not
When someone tells you he/she is sad, It is telling you, you can use the following phrases to get the
important to express your concern. Here person to open up about his/her feelings.
are some common phrases to show It. Make sure to ask lots of helpful questions when
Informal helping a friend or a colleague who is feeling sad.
Bummer.
I can’t believe that. That’s horrible/ What’s the matter?
disgusting / not fair. You seem sad. Tell me all about it.
I feel you. Why the long face?
Tough luck.

More Formal
I’m sorry to hear that.
Is there anything I can do for you?
That’s too bad. . Would you like to talk
about it?
What can I do to help?
Expressions Used to Show Surprise Expressions to Express Anger
Really? . I don’t believe it!
What? . What a pain!
What a surprise! . It’s driving me up the wall.
Well, I never! . I’ve had it up to here with...
That’s the last thing I expected! . I’ve had all l can take of...
You’re kidding! . It really gets on my nerves.
I don’t believe it! / Are you serious? . I’m sick and tired of...
I’m speechless! . I’m fed up with it.
I’d never have guessed. . I could really do without it.
You don’t say! . Is it possible?
Oh my God!
0MG!
Oh my gosh/ goodness!
Wow!
That’s crazy!
Whoa!
That’s very surprising.
My goodness!
I find that very surprising.
I must say it surprises me.
I find It extraordinary.
Indeed!

While verbal communication is our primary tool for solving problems and providing detailed
instructions, nonverbal communication is our primary tool for communicating emotions. This makes sense
when we remember that nonverbal communication emerged before verbal communication and was
the channel through which we expressed anger, fear, and love for thousands of years of human history
(Andersen,1999. p.27). For examples, we nonverbally communicate the feeling of surprise with eyebrows
up and curved, upper eyelids raised to open our eyes wider, quick breath (not always), open mouth; jaw
drops (not always) and horizontal wrinkles appear on forehead. When we are angry our neck and/or
face becomes red or flushed, bares our teeth and snarls with clenched fists; while when we are
experiencing fear we sweat, lips tremble and mouth becomes dry which may be indicated by licking the
11ps, drinking water or rubbing the throat- Sadness may be communicated nonverbally with drooping of
the body, trembling lip, flat speech tone and tears. Lastly, happiness may be characterized by smiling
including the eyes, genera) relaxation of muscles and open body language.

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