On this blog, we’ve frequently posted about the vital importance of students building and maintaining fluent L2 communication skills. But that’s not just about developing the four main language skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. Helping students to develop their oracy skills can also make a real difference to their confident and fluent use of language.
In this post, we’ll explain what oracy skills are, consider why they are important for language learners and link to a useful framework for their use. We’ll also provide some specific ideas for you to develop them in your language classroom. After all, speaking skills are the bridge that connects knowledge to application, understanding to expression, and ultimately, language learning to real-life communication.
Oracy skills? What does it even mean?
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, oracy is “the ability to speak clearly and grammatically correctly.”
It encompasses various skills and knowledge elements that work together to create meaningful and impactful communication. Oracy skills are not only about “talking” – they’re the building blocks of confident and impactful communication.
This includes:
- Articulating ideas and thoughts clearly: This means using the right vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation to express yourself accurately and understandably.
- Listening actively and engaging with others: It’s about paying close attention, understanding and responding thoughtfully to what others say.
- Adapting your communication to different contexts: Whether it’s a casual conversation with friends, a formal presentation or a heated debate, knowing how to adjust your language and style is crucial.
- Speaking with confidence and composure: Being able to present yourself effectively and manage your emotions while speaking adds power to your communication.
Why are oracy skills so important?
It is important to stress that oracy skills are universal. They are relevant to all learners, regardless of the language being learned and help open doors to diverse opportunities. They also last a lifetime, supporting academic success, personal growth and potentially career advancement, in a world that increasingly values effective communication.
Oracy skills also help to:
- Boost confidence and self-esteem: Speaking up empowers students, allowing them to participate actively in class and connect with peers.
- Enhance critical thinking and collaboration: Discussions spark deeper understanding, encourage analysis and foster teamwork.
- Develop fluency and accuracy: Speaking practice exposes students to real-time language use, improving their natural flow and accuracy.
- Prepare students for real-world scenarios: Effective communication is key in every aspect of life, from job interviews to everyday interactions.
An Oracy Skills Framework
The Cambridge Oracy Framework can be a useful guide to help students and educators “understand the physical, linguistic, cognitive, and social and emotional skills that enable successful discussion, inspiring speech and effective communication.”
Before we dive deeper into each of the key elements of each skill, it is important to stress that the framework should be seen as a flexible tool. Take the time to carefully adapt it to your specific context, students’ needs and desired learning objectives.
1. Physical skills
- Voice control includes aspects like volume, pace, pitch and clarity of pronunciation. Learning activities like choral speaking, tongue twisters and voice recording exercises can all help to develop this crucial element.
- Clear enunciation and proper pronunciation of sounds all contribute to intelligibility. Regular practice with minimal pairs and phoneme drills can improve this.
- Appropriate posture, gestures and eye contact enhance communication effectiveness. Role-playing and mirroring exercises can be helpful here.
2. Linguistic skills
- A wide vocabulary allows for precise and nuanced expression. Encourage vocabulary expansion through synonyms, antonyms and context clues.
- Understanding and using grammar correctly ensures clear and effective communication. Games and activities focused on specific grammatical structures can therefore be beneficial.
- Adapting language to different audiences and contexts is crucial. Round-table discussion activities, role-playing different scenarios and analysing formal and informal language use can help students master this skill.
3. Cognitive skills
- Organising thoughts and structuring information in a logical flow is essential for clear communication. Brainstorming, outlining and summarising activities can help develop this skill.
- Analysing information, evaluating arguments and forming opinions are crucial for students engaging in meaningful discussions. Running debates, group projects and handling open-ended questions can all foster critical thinking skills.
- Recalling relevant information and using it appropriately during conversation is important. Memory games and activities that require students to recall key details can be helpful in developing this.
4. Social and Emotional Skills
- Paying close attention to the speaker, asking clarifying questions and demonstrating understanding are key to effective communication. Role-playing listening scenarios and practising active listening techniques can improve this skill.
- Show students that respecting others’ contributions and waiting for one’s turn to speak are crucial for collaborative communication. Games and other activities that require turn-taking help to develop this skill.
- Controlling emotions and expressing them appropriately when communicating is obviously important. Working with students to build empathy and emotional awareness can therefore be really helpful here.
Practical tips for your language classroom
We’ve included specific suggestions above to develop the key framework skills. Some more general hints and tips follow below.
Start small. Begin with simple tasks like greetings or short introductions and then gradually build complexity. For example:
- Create a “greeting roulette” wheel with various greetings in their L2. Students spin the wheel and practice using the greeting correctly, introducing themselves in a fun and diverse way.
- Challenge students to craft a concise and engaging self-introduction they could deliver in an elevator ride. This helps them practise summarising key information confidently.
- Start with simple “would you rather” questions and gradually progress to more complex, opinion-based topics. This encourages language production in a low-pressure setting.
Make it fun and engaging: Use games, debates, simulations and drama activities to keep students motivated.
- Try improv games like “Yes, And…” or “Freeze Frame” to build spontaneity, collaboration and creative thinking while students are speaking.
- Assign debate roles and encourage students to create costumes or props that reflect their characters to add an element of fun.
- Create realistic simulations of real-world situations like job interviews, customer service interactions or historical events. This approach allows students to practise their communication skills in real and relevant environments.
Provide opportunities for diverse voices: Encourage pair work, group presentations and student-led discussions.
- Carefully pair students with different backgrounds, learning styles and skills levels to encourage them to adapt their communication and appreciate diverse perspectives.
- Assign different roles within group presentations, like narrator or fact-checker, so that each student can contribute and practise different communication styles.
- Choose topics of interest to the students and empower them to lead discussions, research and presentations. This helps foster ownership and responsibility for learning.
Prioritise feedback: Focus on students’ strengths and areas for improvement by providing specific and actionable guidance.
- Encourage students to record themselves speaking and offer self-reflection prompts to identify areas for improvement. You can then provide targeted feedback based on their self-assessment.
- Schedule individual conferences with students to discuss their specific strengths and weaknesses, setting personalised goals and providing actionable steps for progress.
- Train students to provide constructive and supportive feedback to their peers, focusing on specific examples and actionable suggestions for improvement. This fosters collaboration and self-reflection.
Above all, take the time to celebrate progress at all times. Acknowledge and reward those students, who have made exceptional progress or who have worked particularly hard. A key part of this can be providing opportunities for students to participate in public events or to showcase their skills / work by presenting their language skills portfolios.