The Three "C's" of Successful Oral Communication

COMPREHENSION

For beginning-level ESL learners, I might try to note the frequency of "deer in the headlights" expressions, blank looks, or non-responses when I'm speaking or asking questions.  (And of course I correspondingly slow down, simplify, and rephrase.)  The teaching of simple clarification phrases ("Excuse me..?") naturally come in here.

For more advanced learners, I stop and ask for a "recap" of what was just heard---calling on whole class, individuals, etc.  Likewise, it's telling if these recaps are accurate or totally off-mark.  I also provide a more complex list of clarification phrases ("Would you mind repeating that?  I didn't quite catch that," etc.) and explicitly practice those phrases.

COMPLEXITY

At the lower levels, I'm mostly paying attention to content---Is the learner on-topic?  Do we understand the gist of what he/she is trying to say?  Are basic vocabulary words at his/her disposal?  Is there a growing development of "Subject + Verb" sentence structure?

At the upper levels, I expect not only appropriate content but more complexity.  Can the learner go into more detail?  Explain or paraphrase if we don't understand?  Is it a jumble of speech, or is there a clear idea that emerges?

COMMUNICATION

The beginners often struggle with basic pronunciation issues - T/TH, SH/CH, M/N etc., depending upon L1.  I also teach intonation very explicitly at this level: "I'm fine.  How are YOU??" Over time, I am looking for "retention" of these patterns.

More advanced learners may have some fossilized pronunciation or intonation patterns which I try to address in a deliberate way.  When my upper-level students give oral presentations, the audience always has a note-taking task (to ensure active listening) and a question/answer session afterward; these activities really put the presenter's communication skills to the test---as peers are our best critics!

 

Comments

Kathryn,

Thank you for this insightful post! When I read the word "oral" in the title of your post my mind skipped to the word "aural." I thought how your excellent teaching strategies would fit right in for teaching speaking and listening combined. You described your interactions with students in a very real way - I could "hear" your classroom interaction clearly and "feel" how energetic and engaged your students must be in your class! You gave a good picture of how the "teaching mind" is a "questioning mind" with your explanation of the types of questions you ask your students. Very inspiring! Thank you!

Phil 

Hello Kathryn, Thank you for sharing this succinct guide for supporting oral communication for both lower and higher level learners. I love the way you build communication strategies and explicitly teach the questions and phrases we use to clarify when communication breaks down. I also value the way you integrate pronunciation instruction, including intonation patterns. When students present, it's great to have the audience take notes and provide feedback to one another. 

Sometimes, I ask presenters to pose a set of questions that they want the audience to listen for during the presentation. After everyone has presented, we've even used some of these questions on a quiz covering the unit.

I'd love to hear other teachers' perspectives on these techniques for teaching oral skills. Please share your own ideas, too!

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, English Language Acquisition CoP