Speaking Skills 3: Developing Confidence

INTRODUCTION

We will discuss a few more speaking skills in this topic. The first part of the topic will deal with the skills that we need when expressing agreement and disagreement, or approval and disapproval, managing a discussion and in public speaking such as in debates. The second and third parts will explore specific classroom language such as giving instructions, directing learning activities, giving explanations, asking questions, accepting answers and giving encouragement or advice. It is worth remembering that the skills discussed in this topic form only a part of conversational skills that we need to possess in order to be an effective speaker. Nevertheless, it is our hope that whatever is presented in this topic can motivate you to go deeper in your quest to master speaking and more importantly, to help your students develop good speaking habits.

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Speaking Skills 3: Developing Confidence

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

1. Express agreement and disagreement effectively;

2. Manage discussions;

3. Explain the skills needed in debating;

4. Incorporate the teaching of speaking skills in the classroom; and

5. Use appropriate language when giving encouragement and advice or in preparing a speech and speaking.

TOPIC 6 SPEAKING SKILLS 3: DEVELOPING CONFIDENCE 98

DEVELOPING INTERACTIVE SKILLS (4)

For this part of the topic, we are going to continue with a few more speaking skills that can help students become better English speakers. We are going to look at some skills needed to express agreement and disagreement, or approval or disapproval and also skills to manage a discussion. After discussing these two, we are going to explore debating skills and see how we can exploit this as an activity that can be used to further enhance and develop speaking skills.

EXPRESSING AGREEMENT/DISAGREEMENT

In order to teach the methods of expressing agreement and disagreement, we must be equipped with the skills ourselves. This section intends to either introduce the skills to new teachers or enhance their current skills. In our daily contact with people, there are times when we do not agree with what other people say. Do not feel bad about this. It is normal. Nevertheless, be careful with the way you express your disapproval because it might hurt the speaker and cause friction between the two of you. Even close friends can become distant because of this. If you cannot avoid disagreements, then develop a flair for handling them. To do this, you need to know the right expressions to use and more importantly the right way to say them. The key is again to be tactful and doing it without hurting the person you disagree with. Expressing disapproval is not as hard as expressing disagreement. However, you still need to know certain good expressions to use, particularly those which would help you to sound sincere. Sometimes, we may express partial agreement or indirect disagreement with the points raised by fellow speakers. The following is a dialogue between a few staff members of a secondary school. Look at some of the expressions they use, particularly when expressing approval and disapproval (see Table 6.1).

6.2

6.1

TOPIC 6 SPEAKING SKILLS 3: DEVELOPING CONFIDENCE

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Table 6.1: An Example of a Dialogue

Dialogue Note

Principal: Mr. Chung: Mr. Ravi: Madam Intan: Mr. Chung:

Of late, IÊve received many complaints from parents saying that their children do not study much at home. As a result, the PTA has suggested we keep the students back after school hours so that they will study a bit. Emm ... I think thatÊs going to cause a problem, Mr Principal. Personally I donÊt agree because if we keep the students back, it means some of us have to stay back too. We have families to attend to. Our life doesnÊt just revolve around students. Yes, I feel the same way too. WhoÊs going to pick up our children from school if weÊre asked to stay back? YouÊve got a point there Mr. Ravi but isnÊt it our duty to ensure that our students would always study regardless of the place and time? Oh, IÊm not so sure about that Madam. I feel parents shouldnÊt be leaving that responsibility on the shoulders of the teachers alone. We do our job in school; itÊs their turn when the children are at home.

The key issue Direct disagreement Complete agreement Partial Agreement Indirect disagreement

Here are some more expressions that can be used when expressing agreement (approval) or disagreement (disapproval), as shown in Table 6.2. These are also useful to impart to students when you are teaching them the art of agreement and disagreement. Students can be paired to practise dialogues which require them to agree and disagree, or express approval and disapproval in a socially acceptable manner. These are common social behaviours that are manifested in language use.


Table 6.2: Expressions of Agreement and Disagreement

Agreement Disagreement

Complete Agreement

I totally agree with you

I see your point of view

ThatÊs true/right/brilliant

ThatÊs a good/splendid idea

I couldnÊt agree more

Yes, IÊm sure youÊre right

I agree

Absolutely/Definitely

Yes

No doubt that youÊre right, etc

Direct Disagreement

I beg to differ

I absolutely disagree with you

IÊm sorry but I have to disagree

I disagree

I donÊt agree

I donÊt think so

I fail to see your point

I donÊt get it

IÊm sorry but youÊre wrong

Sorry but I cannot agree with you, etc

Partial Agreement

I agree with you to a certain point

I think youÊre right but ...

I suppose youÊre right

Well, may be. Perhaps youÊre right

I suppose thatÊs true

You could be right ...

I agree with that but ...

That may be so but ...

It sounds good. However ...

Theoretically speaking, you are right but...

Indirect Disagreement

Are you sure?

I could be wrong but ...

Really?

Oh, I donÊt know

I think it would be better if ...

IÊm not yet convinced with ...

Well, youÊre entitled to your opinion but ...

I appreciate what youÊve said but ...

Even though thereÊs some truth in that, I feel ...

Source: Ng Keat Siew, et al. (2001)


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1. Fill in the blanks with expressions of agreement or disagreementusing the cues given in parentheses.

(a) Yusmiza: The age of driving should be increased to 21.

Noriza: ____________ (complete agreement). At 18, theyÊretoo young to drive.

Wong: ____________ (partial agreement) but I feel thatÊsnot the real issue. For me, itÊs the awareness thatÊsmore important.

(b) Wan: Government servants shouldnÊt be doing part-timejobs.

Sudha: ____________ (complete agreement). ItÊs going toaffect their job performance.

Sudha Low: ___________ (direct disagreement). You needto consider the number of children they have.

(c) Aida: Schools should provide cyber cafes to students.

Foo: ___________ (complete agreement). Then studentsdonÊt have to frequent cyber cafes outside.

Roger: ___________ (indirect disagreement) but donÊt youthink it would encourage students to play gamesinstead of studying?

2. Complete the conversations below.

(a) Boy A: Did you see the fight between Mike Tyson andHashim Rahman last night?

Boy B: Yes, I did.

Boy A: It was good, wasnÊt it?

Boy B: _______________________ (disagrees; gives reason)

(b) Mat: I think extra classes are putting too much pressureon students.

Deng: _________________________ (agrees; gives reason)

(c) Saidi: Have you read the novel I gave you?

Chan: Yes.

Saidi: ItÊs interesting, isnÊt it?

Chan: _______________________ (partial agreement; givesreason)

ACTIVITY 6.1


MANAGING A DISCUSSION

A discussion is a session where a few people sit and exchange views and opinions on certain issues. Since it involves more than one or two people, someone is normally appointed as the chairperson. This ensures the smoothness of the discussion as well as makes sure that the discussion does not go out of order. When managing a discussion, there are certain social conventions you need to follow. The following are some of them (Ng Keat Siew, et al., 2001):

(a) Greeting;

(b) Thanking people for coming;

(c) Starting the discussion;

(d) Introducing the subject or topic or problem;

(e) Inviting and encouraging people to speak (e.g., by practising turn-taking);

(f) Making sure everyone has a fair opportunity to speak (e.g., by practising interruption and turns);

(g) Summarising the main points; and

(h) Concluding the discussion. It is not an exaggeration if we say that managing a discussion requires you to use almost all (or even more) skills and expressions that you have learned in the previous topics. All the participants of the discussion, including the chairperson, will have, at some point, exercised some of the skills as follows (Mok Mee Yoke, 2006):

(a) Greeting;

(b) Inviting and turn-taking (e.g. Basic turn-taking and passing of turns);

(c) Interrupting (to get a turn to speak);

(d) Expressing approval/disapproval (agreement/disagreement);

(e) Making suggestions/recommendations;

(f) Stating or justifying opinions;

(g) Giving reasons for actions taken;

(h) Giving opinions;

(i) Persuading; and

(j) Making conclusion.

6.3


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If you are asked to manage a discussion, here is an example of how the discussion may look like. Observe the expressions used, as highlighted in Table 6.3.

Table 6.3: Example of a Discussion

Character Discussion Note

Mr Feen Mr Rosli Mr Adnan Mr Feen Mr Raju Mr Feen Mr Rosli

Good morning, everyone. Thank you very much for coming. I really appreciate it. The reason I called you today is to discuss the rise in the number of disciplinary cases in our school for the past few months. Maybe Mr. Rosli, our Discipline Master, would like to shed some light on this? Thank you, Mr Principal. Dear colleagues, let me get straight to the point. The number of disciplinary cases in our school has risen quite sharply for the past few months. In January, there were 5 cases, February 12 cases, March 18 cases and this month, it has so far gone up to 25 cases. Most of the cases were committed by upper secondary students. Mr Adnan, would you like to give the details? Yeah ... Ok. Out of the 60 cases mentioned by Mr Rosli, only 5 were committed by lower secondary students. 12 cases by Lower Six, 10 by Upper Six, only 3 by Form Five students and the rest, 30 cases were reportedly done by Form Four students. Interestingly enough, half the cases happened in the classrooms. I think the teachers must have been absent. Otherwise, these wouldnÊt have happened. The teachers ... Excuse me, sorry to interrupt, do you mean to say that some teachers didnÊt go to class? Mr. Raju, starting from tomorrow, make sure you check every class every hour. Mr Principal, I donÊt mean to show disrespect but wouldnÊt it better if we investigate the matter first? ThatÊs true. Okay then. Make your normal round tomorrow and take the attendance of the teachers. Mr Principal, can I suggest something? Perhaps we can have a teacherÊs class attendance book which they have to sign every time they come in. What do you think, Mr Principal?

Greeting, thanking, stating the problem, inviting a speaker Tabling a report Turn-taking Giving opinion Interrupting Indirect disagreement Complete agreement


Mr Raju Mr Feen

I think thatÊs a very good idea. If you agree, IÊll do it right away. Okay, if everyone else agrees, weÊll accept Mr RosliÊs suggestion. Once again, thank you for coming. I hope this meeting is beneficial for all of us in handling the disciplinary cases in our school. Thank you once again.

Making suggestion Complete agreement, Concluding the discussion, Thanking

There are a lot of other skills and expressions that can be used in a discussion. The nature of the topic discussed, the number of participants, the assertiveness of the participants, the length of the discussion and the way the discussion is managed by the chairperson would influence the skills and expressions used during the discussion. Complete the following text of discussion between a school principal and some parents; then, practise the discussion.

Character Discussion Note

Principal

Mr Ali

Mr Sabri

Principal

Mr Bala

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all for coming to this meeting. Today we will be discussing an important issue. We have a proposal from the PTA to build an overhead bridge for the school children in our area. What do you think?

_____________________________________

_____________________________________ I agree completely with you, Mr Ali. How are we going to get the money for this project?

_____________________________________

_____________________________________ Yes. We could make a written request to City Hall to build the bridge.

Greet and thank

Agree completely and explain, Agree and ask question Suggest

Agree and suggest

ACTIVITY 6.2


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Source: Ng Keat Siew, et al. (2001)

DEBATING SKILLS

A debate is a speech event that involves the participation of a minimum of two teams. In this event, a topic is given to both teams with each taking an opposing side, to elicit the argument between the two teams. It is the aim of both teams to try to convince the adjudicators and the audience that their viewpoints are better, more reasonable, logical and justifiable than the opposing team. They do this by providing sufficient support for their arguments. In Malaysia, there are two kinds of debate: conventional debate and parliamentary debate. A conventional debate is a kind of debate that allows the debaters to speak without being interrupted. The other type, a parliamentary style debate, allows the opposition members to interrupt and ask questions as the debaters

6.4

ACTIVITY 6.2 Character Discussion Note

Mr Sabri Principal Mr Siew Mr Roger Principal Mr Siew Principal

What if City Hall does not agree? _____________________________________ __________________ We could get signatures from every parent. We could .... ----------------------------------------------------------Is this legal? Yes it is. I donÊt think weÊre doing anything wrong. Does anyone have any views on this matter? Why donÊt we write a letter to City Hall and wait for the response? After that we can decide what our next move will be. Okay then. If thereÊs nothing more to discuss, weÊll stop here. I do hope that City Hall will agree to our proposal. Thank you all for coming.

Ask a question Suggest Agree completely and suggest Interrupt and ask Clarify and invite opinions Suggest Close and thank


present their case, just like in parliament. Nonetheless, a skilful speaker may deflect the interruptions and questions and at the same, convey the message that the interruptions are not relevant to the point of discussion, thus shutting down the opposition. The second style is more challenging than the first. Looking at its nature, debating is a good way to train our students to speak confidently. So, do not hesitate to try it with your students. It is great in building teamwork and camaraderie amongst the students and encourages further communication. Let us look at some important factors that we need to know about debates, which may be useful in the classroom should you opt to conduct debates to encourage speaking in the classroom (Lutrin, et al., 2006). (a) The Teams

There are the chairperson, timekeeper and two competing teams. Each team comprises three members. The task of each team is to prove its own argument and disprove that of the opposing team. Thus, the strength of content, style of presentation or manner as well as rebuttal would be the key elements in debate. There will be one affirmative team that proposes a motion and supports the topic by giving facts and examples. The other team, a negative team, opposes the motion and tries to disprove the argument of the affirmative team by putting forward valid arguments.

(b) Preparation of the Debate

Teamwork is very important to ensure a good, forceful and effective debate.

This includes brainstorming the topic, pooling of ideas, defining the topic, determining the points and specific examples and also allocating several aspects of the argument to each speaker.

(c) The AdjudicatorÊs Criteria

To help you plan and structure your argument, you need to know the adjudicatorÊs criteria. Normally, the adjudicator(s) will look at these aspects as shown in Figure 6.1:


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Figure 6.1: The adjudicator(s) criteria

(d) The Debate Speech

(i) Formally greet the chairperson, the audience and the opposing team.

(ii) In the introduction, clearly refer to the definition and topic of debate.

(iii) In the body, provide approximately three points in support of this definition. Give facts or examples to support your viewpoint.

(iv) Refute your oppositionÊs arguments forcefully.

(v) Conclude with a brief summary of the argument and appeal for support from the audience.

(e) Typical Debate Format Table 6.4 shows the format of a typical debate.


Table 6.4: Debate Format

Role Function

Chairperson Introduces the topic under discussion and the various team members

Introduces each person when it is his/her turn to speak

Timekeeper Ensures correct timing – under or over-timing may be penalised

First affirmative speaker

Defines the topic

Introduces the basic line of argument of the team by supplying concrete examples

Prepares the way for his team members and re-affirms the teamÊs standpoints

First negative

speaker

Briefly attacks the affirmativeÊs case and definition

Accepts or amends the definition accordingly

Presents the basic line of arguments of his team and summarises its standpoints

Second affirmative speaker

Debates the definition and may amend it

Briefly rebuts the argument of the opposition team by focusing on its flaws

Restates and develops the argument of the affirmative team

Second negative speaker

Briefly attacks the line of argument of the opposition team

Develops and completes the argument of the negative team

Third affirmative speaker

Reviews both sides of the argument by comparing and contrasting them

Rebuts the argument of the second negative speaker

Sums up or rounds off his teamÊs position with a strong conclusion

Third negative speaker

Cannot bring in any new arguments or materials

Refutes the argument of the third affirmative speaker

Reviews both sides of the argument

Attacks the argument of the opposing team

Defends and sums up the position of the negative team

Adjudicators Gives an overall judgment and feedback to each team

Announces the winning team


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Note: For parliamentary style debate, besides the rules above, the opposing team is allowed to interrupt the speaker who is speaking by asking those questions and the speaker needs to answer these on the spot. The speaker who has the floor has the prerogative to reject a member of the opposing team for interrupting, as mentioned earlier, especially if she or he has the skills to do so.

CLASSROOM LANGUAGE (1)

This section emphasises the use of language in the classroom, particularly by the teacher. As an English teacher, we need to make sure that we are giving good instructions to our students in the classroom. Poor instructions may lead to confusion and studentsÊ misunderstanding, and this later would lead to failure in achieving the objectives of the lesson. These two parts, Classroom Language 1 and 2 are designed specially with this in mind. It is our hope that some of the skills shown below would make you think of other ways of improving your own classroom language skills.

6.5.1 Giving Instructions

No doubt this is one of the most important skills to master as an English teacher. Most of our classroom time is spent on giving instructions to students. The students rely on us to guide them to complete certain tasks or activities. For this reason, our instructions must be clear and systematic. In turn, students will use the teacherÊs way of giving instructions as a model to develop their own skills in instructing and organising their points. In the second language context, the teacher is probably one of a few persons who speak English to the students, and therefore may become models for their students to emulate. Let us look at some factors that we need to consider when giving instructions in the classroom: (a) When are Instructions Given?

Normally, for activities, instructions are given before and during the activities. The „pre‰ activity instructions are given to ensure students are clear about the objectives or the nature of the activities. This would help

6.5

Organise a debate between two teams in your class. You may decide onthe motion of the debate yourself. Choose a chairperson and atimekeeper. Divide the two teams equally in terms of speaking abilityso that the debate would not be one-sided.

ACTIVITY 6.3


them to be more focused and to develop a sense of purpose in their work. When they see the purpose of the activities they are about to engage in, they would be more motivated and therefore would be able to give more concentration on the activities.

The „while‰ activity instructions are given as the activity is in progress. The main reason for doing this is to give them extra guidance to ensure they are on the right track. Sometimes students might be „lost‰ after a few steps in the activity and they need reminders on what they should do. At other times, some students might just lose interest and need to be brought back on track with fresh instructions.

(b) How are Instructions Given?

Instructions for an activity can be given in two ways. Firstly, it can be given „en bloc‰ or all at once. This method can help you to save time and helps the students to have a clear idea of what is expected of them. However, there is a high probability that you may need to repeat the instructions again as the activity progresses. Instructions can also be given in stages. This on-going guidance will help weaker students to focus on just one stage at a time. The disadvantage of this style is that students might not be able to visualise the end product of the activity before it is completed. Therefore a statement of aim at the start of the lesson might help them.

The following are some tips in giving instructions:

(i) Use imperative language. Start with a verb. This will help to direct the students on what they need to do. This is especially useful when there is a procedure that needs to be followed. E.g. Take the book and read the first paragraph.

(ii) Use markers like „First, Second, Next, While doing that, After that, Finally‰, etc. These words help to focus the attention on the stages of the lesson.

(iii) Do not clutter your instructions with redundant words.

(iv) Bear in mind the KISS principle (Keep It Short and Simple). Make it clear and concise. If an instruction is too long, break it up into shorter sentences or various stages.

(v) You may need to support your verbal instruction with a written version on other mediums if it is very complicated.


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6.5.2 Giving Explanations

When giving explanations in the classroom, the teacher must use language that is clear and concise to help maximise a learnerÊs understanding. Using active language is often easier for the students to relate and absorb than using passive language. At the same time, the students are exposed to the use of the active language which is more typical than passive language, and to be more aware of the function of each structure. This would eventually lead to their use of the appropriate forms in spoken language. For example, study the sentences in (a) and (b):

(a) You should focus on the verbs in the passage for the summary.

(b) The verbs in the passage for the summary should be focused on by you.

Which would be easier for the students to absorb, understand and ultimately used? When possible, the addressee should also be addressed to directly such as by using the words „you, your class, this class or Mohamad (the studentÊs name)‰; or other pronouns which give the sense of inclusion such as „we, us‰. This will help to get your studentsÊ attention and focus on the explanation that you are about to give.

Think of the expressions that you can use when giving instructions before or during the activities in your classroom.

Pre While

E.g. Before we start this lesson, I want you to...

E.g. I can see everyone has finished brainstorming for your essays. Now please arrange your ideas.

ACTIVITY 6.4


Explanations and guidance can also be done by: (a) Showing Connections

When a student can make a connection between the different parts of the lesson that they have to understand, then understanding would follow. For example:

(i) If you are teaching about subject-verb agreement in the sentence „He kicks the ball‰, you should explain the connection between what is acceptable (i.e. „kicks‰ and not „kick‰ or „kicked‰) with the situation involved (i.e. the simple present tense and the singular and plural pronouns involved). Just telling them, „This is the rule‰ or „He kick the ball is wrong‰ is not enough.

(ii) The relation between what is required in the rubric of an essay and the points that need to be lifted from the passage. What is the examiner looking for when the word „describe‰ as opposed to „compare‰ is used?

(b) Giving Examples Examples are great in helping a teacher explain the concepts or ideas of what they are teaching. They help to demonstrate directly what the teacher is saying.

Students would also find them helpful as they have a bank of words or situations where they can refer to at a later stage of their learning. Teachers need not be the only ones providing the examples. The students themselves should be encouraged to think about the lesson in hand and try to come out with their own examples which might be better for them as they are able to relate to the examples on a personal basis.

(c) Comparing Getting your students to start comparing or contrasting two related or different matters is a good way of explaining things and can even help in getting students to evaluate the idea or situation so they might even come up with their own understanding of whatever that you are teaching. Learning by discovery can be the best way for your students to remember facts as humans often remember what they do better than what they just see and listen to.


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(d) Providing Feedback and Corrections Explanations can also be given by way of providing feedback or correcting the studentsÊ work. Care should be exercised not to downgrade what has been done but by carefully suggesting improvements on the present work. Tell them not to feel bad if error occurs as errors can help them improve.

If all else fails, the procedure or lesson could be repeated again with the extra information and guidance given at each stage of the activity. This will help reduce the studentsÊ ability to reinforce what they have just learned but may not have fully understood the first time around. If possible and time permits, you may do a face-to-face tutorial with the weaker ones. Personalised coaching would ensure better understanding on the part of the students. Taking all the poor ones aside is not only useful but may also help the good ones to move on so that they are free to explore their creativity.

CLASSROOM LANGUAGE (2)

This subtopic will discuss further language use in the classroom.

6.6

1. Find a video or a tape of a classroom conversation. Identify parts ofthe lesson where the teacher is giving an explanation of the subjectmatter at hand. Can they be improved using other ways? Makesuggestions.

2. In your groups, make a list of ways or phrases that you can use

when you are:

(a) Showing connections;

(b) Giving examples;

(c) Comparing; and

(d) Providing feedback and corrections.

ACTIVITY 6.5


6.6.1 Asking Questions

Why do we ask questions? Why do we need to teach the skills of asking questions? There are many reasons for this, such as it being part of a social convention or to get extra information. However, in the classroom, we mainly ask questions because we are seeking clarification, confirmation and information on certain matters. The questions that we ask are often formulated to get two types of responses: general answers and specific answers. There are many ways of asking questions, such as: (a) WH-Questions

Teachers in school often remind students of 1H6W: How, Who, What, When, Why, Where and Which. Table 6.5 shows some ways of constructing „Wh-questions‰.

Table 6.5: Ways of Constructing „Wh-questions‰

WH-Question Word + Verb + Expansion/Object

Who is that?

What happened just now?

WH-Question Word

+ Helping Verb + Subject + Verb

Who did he marry?

What does Haziq want?

How much does the baby weigh?

WH-Question Word

+ Helping Verb + Subject + Verb + Expansion/Object

When will Sarah go to school?

Where did Lutfi play yesterday?

Why did she create the gossip?

How long does it take to write the module?

Which book belongs to Intan?

Source: Ng Keat Siew, et al., (2001)


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(b) Polite Requests You can also ask questions using polite forms. For this part, please refer to Topic 5 under Making Requests.

(c) Yes/No Questions

Using Yes/ No question forms is another way of asking questions. The following are some of the structures that may be used (refer to Table 6.6).

Table 6.6: Structures in Yes/No Questions

Be/Helping Verb + Subject + Verb/Complement

Are you ill?

Will the students come?

Were the examinations difficult?

Source: Ng Keat Siew, et al., (2001:40)

(d) Question Tags

Question tags are „mini questions‰ which are added at the end of the sentence. The words that are often used are auxiliary (helping) verbs such as „can, have and might‰. We normally use a positive question tag with a negative sentence and a negative question tag with a positive sentence. Table 6.7 states some examples of question tags.

Table 6.7: Examples of Question Tags

Negative Sentence + Tag

Chong wonÊt be coming, will he? (positive)

Hey, that isnÊt a tortoise, is it? (positive)

Kim has finished her work, hasnÊt she? (negative)

You will go and see him, wonÊt you? (negative)

Be careful with the meaning of your „yes‰ or „no‰ answer to question tags. E.g. Hannah is not coming to school today, is she?

Answer : Yes. ( = She is coming/you are right, she is not coming. )

: No. ( = She is not coming.)

Source: Murphy (1987)


6.6.2 Accepting and Rejecting Answers

This part is more or less the same with „Agreement/Disagreement‰ in heading 1.1 except that we are looking at it from a different angle. Due to this, the expressions in 1.1 can also be used for this reason. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that when we accept or reject an answer, there are varying degrees of acceptance and rejection. Students should be taught these explicitly so that they can develop their skills or flair in accepting or rejecting.

Table 6.8: Varying Degrees of Acceptance and Rejection Answers

Agree Strongly Half-Agree Disagree Politely Disagree Strongly

I couldnÊt agree more.

That is exactly what I was looking for.

Marvellous!

How interesting!

That is great, etc

I see what you mean but ...

Yes, I quite agree.

In a way, yes, that is true, etc

Do you really think so?

I am not so sure...

Well, I feel that ...

For me, I think ...

It depends.

Have you considered other angles/factors? etc

I donÊt think so.

I really canÊt agree.

I disagree with your point.

I must take exception to that comment.

I wouldnÊt say that, etc

Asking students to repeat what they have said is another way to clarify their stand and you can confirm it by repeating the answer again. It is also useful to teach students to accept what is being commented and not be offended by it. They should also realise that they have the right to ask the other parties to justify or explain their opinions/disagreement.


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GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT AND ADVICE

„One of the major obstacles learners have to overcome in learning to speak is the anxiety generated over risks of blurting things out that are wrong, stupid or incomprehensible. Therefore it is our job as teachers to provide the kind of warm, embracing climate that encourages students to speak, however halting or broken their attempts may be‰ (Brown, 2001). Based on the quotation above, I think it is clear why we need to give our students encouragement and advice throughout our classroom encounter. Do it the right way, students may respond positively; do it wrong and they will turn their back on you. Please take note that we are only referring to encouraging and advising students in the classroom concerning their learning, not their personal problems (though we may sometimes handle that too!). If the problem persists, you may refer them to the councillors.

(a) Giving Encouragement Non-native learners of English like our students would always need

encouragement as they plough through their lessons. This is because learning something new is always full of uncertainty. Encouragement would give them hope to push on despite the little achievements they have made. Basically, there are three situations where we need to encourage them; when they are successful, when they are in doubt and when they failed. Giving encouragement must be done with sincerity and make sure it is reflected on your face. Let us look at some expressions to use when giving encouragement (refer to Table 6.9).

6.7

1. Where would these expressions fit in the table above?

– True. – Right ... – Right! – You think so?

– Uh-huh. – Really? – Fine – Are you sure? 2. Divide the class into groups and think of situations where people

have given their answers / opinions and you have to react to them.For example: „Men are much better than women‰ or „My groupfeels that children are not obliged to take care of their parents‰. Goaround the class and ask the others about it. Note the varyingdegrees of acceptance and disagreement.

ACTIVITY 6.6


Table 6.9: Expressions to Use When Giving Encouragement

Situation Expression Note

When successful Excellent, well done. I know you can do it.

Now you know your real ability. Keep up the good work.

This is great! The sky is the only limit for you!

To express excitement, to praise, to motivate even further

When in doubt DonÊt worry. I can show you how to do it.

If youÊre not sure, please call me, okay?

Please donÊt hesitate to ask when youÊre stuck, okay?

Have you tried looking at it from another angle? YouÊre usually good at that.

To give assurance, to give confidence

When failed Well, the only way now is up!

DonÊt lose hope. LetÊs look at it one more time.

ItÊs okay. Everybody makes mistakes. LetÊs do it together.

To give them hope, to tell them not to give up

(b) Giving Advice

Advice is normally given when there is a problem or to guide students for improvement. Teachers do this very often in or out of the classroom. Students sometimes look for it too. Again, sincerity and the reflection of it on the teacherÊs face would give confidence to the students to believe what the teacher says. Since this part deals with classroom language, let us concentrate on advice that a teacher normally gives during teaching learning activities. This can be done directly or indirectly. Here are some useful expressions to use (see Table 6.10).


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Table 6.10: Expression to Use When Giving Advice

Situation Expression Reason

Advising on a problem

Indirect

Are you giving up? I hope not. IÊm sure youÊre not that type, are you?

Which part is giving you problems? Why donÊt you go through it one more time?

Can you tell me what is stopping you from trying to finish this work?

Is there anything that is bothering you? Remember, thereÊs no problem that canÊt be solved. Why donÊt you tell me about it?

Direct

This matter can be solved using ...

Let me show you the right way to do it.

There is an easier to do it. We can start by ... etc

To help solve problem, to motivate, to show the way

To guide for improvement

Indirect

I see you have finished the main part. Why donÊt you add more details to your work to make it even clearer?

I think it would be better if you add examples. What do you think?

Have you noted down all your observations?

DonÊt you feel that this is a rather one-sided view? What about the other characters? Can we look at it from another personÊs viewpoint?

Direct

Your answer is good but I think we can still improve on it. What we can do is ...

This is good. I like it. If you want to make it even better, we can ...

There are many ways to improve your answer. One of them is ....

To improve quality of work, to give ideas, to remind


PREPARING AND SPEAKING

The best speech is one that is planned. Even the best speakers plan what and how to best deliver their speeches. The endpoint determines the content and tone of the speech in terms of the aims and objectives. For example, if you are going to sell something, you would definitely plan a variety of speeches to suit the different audience; one for students, one for workers, one for women, one for housewives and so on and so forth.

6.8

1. Give an example for each of the following:

(a) Partial agreement;

(b) Complete agreement;

(c) Direct disagreement; and

(d) Indirect disagreement. 2. List five social conventions that we need to follow when managing a

discussion. 3. What would an adjudicator look for in a debate? 4. Give reasons why we need to give „pre‰ and „during‰ activity

instructions. 5. Write a dialogue where you have to include at least five speaking

skills. 6. Referring to your own classroom experience, explain how you

would explain a difficult lesson to your students.

SELF-CHECK 6.1


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When helping students to develop their speaking skills, teachers need to emphasise the importance of planning. Students should be made aware that all of them could become good speakers if they follow the simple habit of planning their speeches. The following pointers can be followed during the preparation stage of the speech:

(a) Read for information so that the audience will feel that the speech is not given in a vacuum, i.e., the speaker knows what he is talking about.

(b) Prepare drafts. Even an excellent speaker like former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad prepared two or three drafts, perhaps more, when he had to deliver a key speech. So you need to tell your student to write those drafts.

(c) Read the final draft many times so that the speaker can add in the appropriate tones in certain places. This is important so that the speech sounds natural and sincere.

(d) Add humour to the speeches where necessary.

(e) Add witty and wise quotations from famous figures where necessary. Be sure that the quotation is relevant to the topic, content and context of the speech.

(f) Add illustrations to support the points in the draft.

(g) Add personal experience, to give it a personal touch, and provide more confidence to the speaker, especially students starting out as novice speakers.

(h) Smile!

These are only some suggestions to delivering a good speech. Many people have adopted and adapted different styles of delivery, particularly those who have to give speeches occasionally.


As a teacher, you need to be on your toes in the classroom. Keep prompting the students to encourage them to go on with their work. Look out for any learning crisis before it develops to a stage where you have to regress and start the lesson all over again.

We have just completed Topic 6 where we have explored a few more

speaking skills like expressing agreement/disagreement, managing a discussion and debating skills.

Besides exploring general speaking skills, we also managed to focus on some classroom language skills like giving instructions, directing learning activities, giving explanations, asking questions, accepting/rejecting answers and also giving encouragement and advice.

These skills are very important for us, English teachers, to master as they can help improve our communication and speaking skills in the classroom.

Our competence in English would raise our confidence and also help boost the studentsÊ confidence in us.

There are more speaking skills out there that simply cannot be included in this short topic. If you wish to continue improving your speaking skills, you have to continue exploring other possibilities beyond the pages of this module.

1. Get your students to prepare three kinds of speeches: to explain, todemonstrate and to persuade.

2. After each presentation, allow other students to comment, criticise

or compliment their classmatesÊ speeches.

ACTIVITY 6.7


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Advice

Agreement

Debate

Disagreement

Encouragement

Explaining

Managing Discussion

Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language

pedagogy. London: Longman.

Lutrin, B. et al. (2006). English handbook & study guide: A comprehensive English language reference book. London: Heinemann.

Mok Mee Yoke. (2006). MUET Speaking Skills And Activities, A Paper Presented For MUET Course For Kelantan Teachers, The Grand Continental Hotel Kuantan, 11–14 March.

Murphy, R. (1987). English grammar in use: A self-study reference and practice book for intermediate students. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Ng Keat Siew, et al. (2001). Study skills for the Malaysian University English test. Kuala Lumpur: Federal Publications.

Speaking Skills 3: Developing Confidence

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