A task is essentially goal-oriented: it requires the group, or pair, to achieve an objective that is

usually expressed by an observable result

Against such a scenario, there is an urgent need for acquiring speaking skills for everyone who
looks for all kinds of success in life. Indeed English communication needs to be accorded top
priority for inclusion in syllabuses at the plus two and undergraduate levels, and also for all kinds
of self-enrichment programmes for national development and reconstruction. Its effective
implementation will also go a long way in realizing our Vedic dream, Vasudeva Kutubam (the
world is a family) by bringing different countries of the world closer through strong cultural and
trade and commerce relationships. Undoubtedly, effective speaking skills will prove to be a great
unifying force in the world which is now divided and broken due to all kinds of rivalries and cutthroat competitions. Most of the problems causing various clashes and confrontations between
countries these days can be sorted out with the right kind of communication, and at times
miscommunication. So what Shakespeare said in his play, King Lear centuries ago Mend your
speech a little? Lest you may mar your fortune- is much more relevant in todays context than
what it was in his time. The complexity of human life and mans materialistic approach to
everything has made the acquisition of effective speaking skills to dire necessity for one and all
in his body conscious world.

Problems Involved in acquiring effective speaking skills:

Of the four language skills Listening, speaking, reading and writing- speaking is considered the
easiest to acquire as it comes naturally to an individual from his/her childhood. However,
mastery over speech is difficult for the following main reasons:
1. Acquiring effective speaking skills is often difficult because of the multiplicity of
listeners. Sometimes, it involves conversing with high level corporate, school or college
students, erudite scholars and even at times with illiterate people. Thus, interaction with
people of different levels may not be interesting all the time, the speech becomes rather
dull and boring difficult to carry on for longer period.
2. Often, speaking and listening go hand-in- hand, supplementing each other in carrying on
the communication to a logical conclusion. A conversation keeps going as the listener

continues to show interest in what the speaker says a responds to it intelligently. But, no
sooner does the listener indicate a lack of interest in what the speaker is talking about
than the interaction gets terminated immediately.
3. Most of the time, we communicate orally for a variety of reasons-from serious purposes
like asking some favors for fulfillment of some daily needs-physical, mental, emotional
and spiritual-to not so serious purposes such as sharing some moments of joy and
happiness with others.
4. Most importantly, with the explosion of knowledge and proliferation of technology in our
day-to-day life, oral communication in various forms has become the need of the hour,
without ensuring the corresponding ability to serve the desired purpose. And so, the
results are disastrous and frustrating.

Long(1985) & Nunan (1989) define table as an activity that necessarily involves
language.

Enhancing Effective Speaking Skills through Role Play and Tongue Twisters
ABSTRACT
It is in fact that in India effective oral communication, especially in English, is somewhat rare or
at least not so common. That is to say, English speaking is not part of the daily lives of the
majority of Indians. The English that is spoken is standard, with poor pronunciation and regional
intonation. The purpose of this study mainly focuses on enhancing effective speaking skills
among undergraduate students by using the effective tools of language learning though activities
like role play and tongue twisters. The deficient in communicative ability among the students is
identified due to the students lack of interest, inadequate practice in learning language and
inappropriate environment for teaching EFL learning. Role play and tongue twisters can be quite
simple and brief technique to organize. It is highly flexible, develops the initiative, imagination
and differentiates the individuality. The role play would train students to deal with the
unpredictable nature of language. The English language teacher should focus on the factors that
can contribute to a role-play and tongue twisters success is: making sure that the language
demanded is well with in learners capacity, their own enthusiasm, careful and clear presentation
and instructions.
INTRODCTION:
We must teach language through speech, to give each individual a personally fitted instrument
which he can use and develop as part of himself. Our awareness of each pupil as an individual
entity, our concern for him as a person, can only be developed through personal speech. Any
attempt at a greater uniformity or economy which withholds responsibility from the teacher or
denies him his position as an individual with a duty to have direct, personal, unique and
unrehearsed relations with individuals through spoken language produces results that are less
than human, that stultify instead of enlightening, and that close the mind instead of opening it.
We learnt our first language through speech; anyone who learns a second language through
speech finds that he has much of the experience and skill, and the same quality of mind, to help
him learn a second language in the same way. It is true that the mind loses the resilience or
plasticity which makes the learning of the essentials of a language childs play before the age of
ten, but the mind does not change its character entirely, and even an adult finds that he learns a
second language in a foreign country, through speech arising out of his daily life and work,
almost without noticing how he learns it. All the children in school have been successful in
learning at least one language in this way; they are still fresh from the process and have not yet
become too slavishly dependent on books. It is difficult to achieve the atmosphere of a foreign

country in a class room; there may be fifty pupils to one teacher, whereas at home, learning the
first language, there were perhaps fifty teachers-all the family and neighbors, passers-by and
people in shops-to one learner; but in practice in the classroom the teacher can achieve a very
intensive use of language; he can supplement his own speech by radio, tape-recorder and
gramophone to achieve even greater intensity, and to compensate for any inadequacies in his
pronunciation or fluency. The teacher must use the language for every purpose and tolerate no
lapses into the home language; he must teach it through activity, and allow no use of language to
become unreal, remote from his pupils interests, or vague.
Task based Language Learning:
Task requires participating to function primarily as language users in the sense that they must
employ the same kinds of communicative process as those involved in real world activities.
Thus, any learning that takes place is incidental. In contrast, an exercise requires the
participants to function primarily as learners, here learning is intentional. in short , as
Widdowson (1998) notes, there is a fundamental difference between task and exercise
according to whether linguistic skills are varied as developing through communicative activity or
as a prerequisite for engaging in it. However, when learners engage in tasks they do not always
focus on meaning and act as language users.
Crookes (1986) definition, there seems little sense in extending the team to include language free
activities
Nunan (1989) A Communicative task is a piece of classroom work which involves learners in
comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target language while their
attention is principally focused on meaning rather than form. the task should also have a sense of
completeness, being able to stand alone as a communicative act in its own right.
Crookes and Gass (1993a and 1993b), Bygate, Skehan and Swain (2001), assumes that tasks are
directed at oral skills, particularly speaking.
Constructing Effective Communication strategy:
To improve communication in the classroom, to add interest, relieve boredom and increase the
motivation of the students and to create an effective learning situation in the English language
learning, the study focuses on the benefits of using Role play and tongue twisters, how it give the
learners the opportunity to practice improving a range of real life spoken language in the class
room, and is extremely effective technique if the student are confident and cooperative.
The English language teacher should focus on the factors that can contribute to a role play and

tongue twisters successes are: making sure that the language demanded is well with in the
learners capacity; on their own enthusiasm; careful and clear presentation and instructions.
Role Play:
Role play is one of a whole gamut of communicative techniques which develops fluency in
language students, which promotes interaction in the class room, and which increases
motivation. Not only is peer learning encouraged by it, but also the sharing between teacher and
student of the responsibility for learning process.
Darroch and steiner (1970) considered role plays would be more successful if role players only
played themselves, hence avoiding difficulty of taking on another character.
Tongue Twisters:
Tongue Twisters are the perfect warm-up vehicle for the individuals to practice. English language
teachers and speech therapists have been using simple spoken tongue twisters to help students
improve pronunciation for decades. It is an excellent way for both English language teachers and
students to practice clear pronunciation and speech habits. When students work together to
successfully master a difficult twister, the result is a strong class room community and superior
vocal habits.
Benefits of Role play & Tongue Twisters:

Role play develops participatory skills

It helps them to develop their decision making power
It allows the students to overcome their fear and make them comfort zones
Feed back system facilitate the students to retrieve their mistakes immediately and also
lend a hand to them to improve their knowledge in language learning
Tongue twisters helps the students to learn the simple phrases and phonetic structure of
the language
Repetitive drills allow the students to differentiate the similar sound structure of variety
words
It would also create enthusiasm among learners
It allows the students to maintain clarity in their language.
The exercise allows the students to develop their vocal agility flexible
The use of tongue twisters as a fast, fun and effective vocal warm up challenges vocalists
to improve pronunciation and technique in speaking skills.