Speaking

Aims
 define important terms connected with the
speaking skill
 discuss problems with speaking activities
and suggest solutions
 discuss speaking techniques and activities
 evaluate speaking activities
 Speaking
 intuitively the most important skill
 the most difficult skill of language use,
because:
 complex processes are involved in speaking
 they happen fast, i.e. simultaneously
 successful speaking depends on automation
 speech is produced “on line”: no time to
check over the message
 The main processes involved in
speaking
 conceptualisation:
 planning the message content
 draws on background knowledge, knowledge
about the topic, about the speech situation and on
patterns of discourse
 formulation
 finding
words and phrases to express the meaning,
sequencing them and putting in appropriate
grammatical markers
 The main processes involved in
speaking
 articulation
 motor control of the articulatory organs
 self-monitoring
 identifying and self-correcting mistakes
 Two important terms
 FLUENCY
(top down; negotiated communication; SS are
using any and all the language at their
command to perform some kind of oral task)
 ACCURACY
(bottom up; building blocks, controlled,
structured language practice, Ss practice
using a particular piece of grammar or a
particular function)
 Two important terms
 FLUENCY or ACCURACY ?
 focus on accuracy: encourages a less exploratory
or fluent use of the language
 focus on fluency: encourages greater use of
formulaic chunks and discourages attention to
accuracy
 the communicative approach: Ls should use
language in order to communicate meaning
without focusing on accuracy
 both necessary; T should make it clear which is
important in a given activity
 The key term in the communicative
approach to language learning
What is the characteristic of natural
communication?
 INFORMATION GAP
a situation where information is known by
only some of those present
 necessary if we are to promote real
communication between students
 Problems with speaking activities:
summary
1. Inhibition / lack of confidence / fear of
making mistakes.
2. Nothing to say (not interested; topic too
“serious”)
3. Low or uneven participation.
4. Mother tongue use.
5. Lack of appropriate language.
 Problems with speaking activities
1. Inhibition / lack of confidence / fear of
making mistakes.

 use pair/group work:

 increases the amount of learner talk
 lowers the inhibition
Problems with speaking activities
2. Nothing to say (not interested; topic too
“serious”)

 careful choice of topic and task

 must be interesting and motivating and have a clear
purpose
 good topic: one to which learners can relate using
their own experience and knowledge;
 What do people like talking about?
 Themselves!
Problems with speaking activities
3. Low or uneven participation

 pair/group work
 Do not let talkative Ls take over!
 Problems with speaking activities:
summary
4. Mother tongue use.

 monitoring
 give tasks with a clear outcome which
must be delivered in English

TASK-BASED ACTIVITIES
 TOPIC-BASED vs. TASK-BASED
ACTIVITIES
 TOPIC-based activities:
 participants are asked to talk about a (controversial) subject =
provocative statements are often better than questions;
 the main object: discussion process itself
 TASK-based activities:
 learners are asked to actually perform something;
 the discussion process is a means to an end;
 the result should be attainable only by interaction between Ls;
 within the definition of the task you often find instructions such
as ‘reach a consensus’, or ‘find out everyone’s opinion’.
 it is probably advisable to base most oral fluency
activities on task.
Problems with speaking activities
5. Lack of appropriate language.
 lower than that used in other language-
learning activities (i -1)
 scaffolding
 text, video, or similar as a starting point
 language (vocabulary, grammar)
 lines of thought
 can help to stimulate discussion (but not too
many arguments should be ‘fed’ to the class in
advance)
 Characteristics of a successful
speaking activity
 Learners talk a lot (actual learner talk, not
teacher talk or pauses)
 Participation is even (not just talkative
students)
 Motivation is high
 Language is of an acceptable level
 The purpose of the activity is speaking in the
first place (fluency vs. accuracy)
 It has a purpose and an outcome
 Mother tongue use is kept to a minimum
Speaking activities
 Types of spoken discourse
 interactional talk
 primary purpose for communication: social
 emphasis on creating harmonious interactions
between participants rather than
communicating information
 learning conventional formulae of courtesy
cultural conventions
 e.g. greetings, apologising, telling jokes,
giving compliments, making small talk, etc.
 Types of spoken discourse
 transactional talk:
 primary purpose: communicating information
 important: message needs to be understood
 examples: news broadcasts, lectures,
descriptions, instructions
 Types of spoken discourse
 short turns
 only one or two utterances
 long turns
 a coherently structured string of utterances
 more demanding
 suitable for advanced learners
 training in short turns does not guarantee success in
long turn production
 examples: telling jokes, anecdotes, explaining how
sth works, justifying a position, describing
 Examples of speaking activities
 discussions
 describing people, places, pictures; picture differences
 recounting (retelling) the plot of a film/play/book
 giving a short lecture/talk
 arguing a case for/against a proposal
 dialogues
 solving a problem
 telling stories/jokes/anecdotes
 roleplay
 simulations
 Roleplay
 activities where learners imagine themselves in a
situation outside the classroom, sometimes
playing the role of someone other than
themselves, and using language appropriate to
this new context
 offers a great number of possibilities for
communication practice:
 great variety of roles (profession, status, personality,
attitude, mood)  variety of physical settings 
variety of communicative functions and purposes 
varied language
 Roleplay
 make sure the Ls understand the idea of
‘roleplay’
 make sure the context or situation is clear
 allow reading time, dictionary time, thinking time
 give time to prepare ideas before speaking
(possibly allow note-making)
 during activity:
 encourage improvisation
 do not allow Ls to rely on notes
 Role play: related activities
 dialogues
 plays
 simulations
 simulation vs. role play

Ls speak and react as Ls are given a situation

themselves, but the plus problem or task,
group role, situation and but they are also
task is imaginary allotted individual roles
 Evaluating speaking activities
Imagine you are going to teach a speaking activity. First you need
to evaluate it.
Answer the questions in Task 1 by writing a brief comment.
Task 1
 What language (grammar, vocabulary, functions) does the activity
aim to produce?
 How effectively will the activity generate the language that it aims
to produce?
 What preparation will the class need to do it?
 How much will everyone participate in the activity?
 Is there an information gap in the activity?
 How much English will the learners speak?
 How interesting and enjoyable is the activity for the learners?
 Do the learners have short or long speaking turns?
 What problems can you foresee with this activity?
 Evaluating speaking activities
Task 2
Write a short lesson plan for teaching the activity. Discuss the following
questions to help you decide how to teach the activity.
 What grammar and/or vocabulary will the Ss need to know before doing the
activity?
 What do you need to prepare in advance?
 What will you do to prepare and motivate your class for the activity?
 How exactly will you divide your class up and at what stage?
 What examples will you give to your learners?
 What instructions will you give your class to help them understand what to
do? State exactly what you will say.
 What will you do during the activity? (e.g. correct them, listen in, sit at the
front)
 How long will the learners need for the activity?
 What will you do when everyone has finished?
 What will you do as a follow-on from the activity to help the learners
consolidate what they have been learning?
 Evaluating speaking activities
 task selection affects Ls’ language and language
processing
 linguistic complexity is affected by the cognitive
complexity of the task
 different task types have different impact:
 more accurate and fluent but less complex language
 more complex and accurate but less fluent language
 more complex but less accurate language
 Evaluating speaking activities:
conclusions
 use a range of different types of speaking
activities focusing on different interaction
types
 integrate accuracy, fluency and complexity
with varied emphasis
 the speaking skill can only be developed
by speaking