Oral Communication

Ron Mader. (December 8, 2011). Let's Talk. (Flickr Image).
Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2fDfwOf

Speaking...one of the most important ways individuals communicate daily, whether it be over the phone, face-to-face, through video chat, acting, or on the field. Communicating is how individuals are able to express how their feeling, what their thinking, their knowledge about a concept etc. Individuals may have different communication skills based on the audience they are speaking to. For example, kids communicating to other kids is different from a child communicating to an adult. The same applies for university students talking amongst their peers opposed to talking to their boss. We create these environments where language can be more relaxed, and use slang or where theres environments that are more professional, and where slang is frowned upon. Knowing how to communicate respectfully within these different environments is important for individuals to realize when they need to be professional when it comes to getting a job.


Knowing basic communication skills when you first see someone, "Good morning, how are you?" Also knowing how individuals are expressing their thoughts, are they happy? sad? frustrated? The use of non-verbal actions while people talk are usually a good indicator. Do people receive information you are saying the wrong way? Or...lets say you went away on vacation to Italy but cannot speak Italian, how can you communicate to others? Let's just say it would be hard.

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Communication as you can see if a very complex thing, but we do it daily, so realistically we are getting more practice than we think. Building our vocabulary while talking to others, learning how to express ourselves better to avoid giving off the wrong impression, and most importantly listening to others enhances not only your ability to speak but also how you are going to respond to what they said. I would have to say out of all the strands in language and literacy, oral communication is the most practiced, and is not only tested through presentations and speeches. Oh speeches... I do not miss those days, I would have to say that was the most terrifying thing as a kid.

I personally did not enjoy speaking in front of a crowd, which majority of students can relate to so I think that although I got through them I never gained any confidence after. Every year I would get stage freight, nothing ever changed until I got to university and was in my fourth year when we had to participate in debates. Now this is where I gained that confidence to speak in front of my peers, because lets face it, its WAY less intimidating. Debating is a fun way for students, like myself, to gain confidence in speaking in front of their peers. Students are not centred out, they are allowed their material they have prepared and with the support of their partner (which I would recommend for students just learning how to debate) could be very comforting knowing you aren't alone through it.

An activity that you can use in the classroom (preferably the gym) would be:

Blind-fold game:

• Students need to get into partners 
• One partner will volunteer to be blind folded, the other partner will be the instructor 
• Partners will then stand on opposite sides of the gym
• As the teacher, you will set up the area in the middle of the gym with bean bags, rubber discs, or cups scattered throughout this particular section
• The instructional partner will then have to guide their blind folded partner from one side of the gym to the other without stepping on any of the objects 
• If the blind folded partner steps on an object they must start over 
• COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS ! 

Here is a video to get an idea, however they do not perform it in pairs, they have a group focusing on only one blind-folded individual. This is another approach if students are finding it difficult to communicate 1 on 1.