Oral Communication

Oral communication means being able to speak clearly. This skill is important in many workplaces, especially when you need to work on a team or interact with customers or clients. Good oral communication skills will help you build relationships with other people. These skills can also help you create clear, effective interactions with coworkers. Another benefit is that you will be able to ask better questions about what you need to do and when you need to do it.

Explore Lessons

Listen and Understand
Speak Clearly and Effectively
Speak in Public

Practice

Sometimes you will need to explain work-related information to your supervisor or even your coworkers. This may include stating whether a specific task has been completed or describing the status of the task if it is still in progress. You may also need to analyze issues that affect your work and be able to find solutions to those problems.

With a partner, use this employee task chart to practice explaining which tasks you completed and any problems you had. One partner should pretend to be Sarah, and the other partner will be Alex. Practice talking clearly about the tasks without giving too much extra information.

Here are some questions that you might need to consider while you are talking about the information.

  • Were there any tasks you could not complete?
  • What problem did you have?
  • How many tasks did you complete today?


Explore for more

The chart for this activity is based on typical responsibilities of a Certified Nursing Assistant, or CNA. A CNA helps nursing staff care for patients in hospitals or nursing homes. CNAs can also work in a patient’s home . To learn more about a career as a Certified Nursing Assistant, read this Nursing Assistants profile from My Next Move.