verbal communication — communication by speaking
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutraloccasional
The act of sharing information or ideas by speaking, rather than writing or using gestures.
Say it like a native
Textbook She excels at the oral transmission of ideas.
Native She's great at verbal communication — talking things through.
In everyday speech people say 'talking to people'; 'oral transmission of ideas' is absurd.
Pattern: verbal communication (noun, uncountable)
In use
- Good verbal communication is important when working in a team.communication
- In my opinion, verbal communication skills are essential for success in most jobs, because they help people share ideas and solve problems together.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Verbal communication means writing clearly.
✓ Verbal communication means speaking clearly.
In this pairing 'verbal' = spoken, the opposite of 'written'.
Common collocations
verbal communication— skills, non-verbal, clear, effective
Don't confuse it
Contrast with 'non-verbal communication', which includes gestures, facial expressions, and body language.