Speaking and Listening: Skills and Techniques

Speaking well, and listening too

Speaking and listening is not only about giving a good talk. It is judged just as much on how well you listen to others and take part in a discussion. This module covers the three sides of it: - Presenting: putting your own ideas across clearly, in a well-structured way.\n- Discussing: listening to others, responding to them, and moving the talk forward.\n- Sustaining a role: holding a viewpoint or character through a task.\n\nRunning through all three is the need to speak in clear spoken Standard English when the setting is formal, and to adapt how you speak to your audience. The live task cannot be done on a screen, but the skills and preparation behind it are exactly what this module builds.

Words for speaking and listening

Five terms you need before you use them. Learn what each one means.

Match each speaking skill to what it means

A prepared talk against a group discussion

The two main speaking tasks reward different strengths, and knowing which you are in keeps you on track.

Which shows good listening?

In a group discussion, which action best shows active listening?

• Responding to a point someone made and building on it
• Talking over the others to make your own point
• Repeating your prepared speech regardless of what is said
• Staying silent and paying no attention to the others

Tap the two features of spoken Standard English

Tap the TWO features that belong to spoken Standard English in a formal task.

• Speaking in full, clearly formed sentences
• Leaving out slang and filler in a formal setting
• Using casual slang such as gonna and innit throughout
• Mumbling and trailing off in the middle of sentences

Listening is half the mark

Many students think speaking and listening is only about talking, and pour everything into their own turn. In fact the listening counts for just as much. In a discussion, show that you have really heard the others. Refer back to the points they have made, build on a good idea, or challenge one politely with a reason. Draw a quieter person in with a question. A discussion where everyone talks and no one listens goes nowhere and scores poorly. One where people listen, respond and shape the ideas together is where the real marks are found. Aim to make the whole group think better, not just to speak the most.

Pick the true speaking-and-listening facts

Select the TWO statements that are true.

• Responding to the points others make is part of what earns marks in a discussion
• Spoken Standard English suits a formal presentation
• Talking over everyone else shows strong interaction
• Listening skills are never assessed, only speaking

Order how to prepare and give a presentation

Put the stages of preparing and giving a spoken presentation in the order you would work through them.

• Work out your purpose and who your audience is
• Gather your points and put them in a clear order
• Rehearse aloud, checking your timing
• Deliver the talk in clear spoken Standard English
• Listen and respond calmly to any questions

One discussion, everyone heard

Follow a small group discussing whether their school day should start later, and see what good speaking and listening looks like in action. Getting started: Priya opened by stating the question clearly and inviting each person to give a first view, rather than rushing in with her own. Building together: when Tom made a point about the buses, Sam did not talk over him; she picked up his idea and added to it, so the talk moved forward. Bringing others in: noticing that one member had said very little, Priya gently asked what they thought, and a strong new point came out. Staying formal enough: all four kept their language clear and reasonably formal, suited to a class task, without slipping into slang. Nobody won by talking loudest. The best marks went to those who heard the others out, responded, and helped the whole group think better.

Complete the speaking and listening facts

The formal, widely accepted form of English used in a formal task is _____ English. How formal or informal your language is, is your _____. Paying attention and responding to others is active _____. Taking part by responding to and building on other people is _____.

Build a speaking-and-listening point

Choose the words that complete this statement about doing well.

The speaking and listening run

Five questions on speaking and listening. Three lives.

Handle the discussion

Read each moment in a speaking task and choose the best response, then think about why.

• In a group task, one member keeps talking over everyone else. What is the best way to respond?
• You strongly disagree with a point another student has just made. How should you respond?
• You are giving a formal presentation to the whole class. Which kind of language suits it best?

Explain how to do well in speaking and listening

A student in the year below is nervous about the speaking and listening tasks. Explain how to do well using what this module has covered.

• Explain how to plan and structure a spoken presentation
• Explain why spoken Standard English suits a formal task
• Explain what active listening looks like in a discussion
• Explain how to interact well, including how to disagree politely
• Finish by explaining how listening earns marks as much as speaking