Top tips for teaching speaking

When you ask English language learners what they want to improve, the answer is very often 'speaking'. But what does that actually mean, and how can you be confident that your lessons are truly helping learners develop this valuable skill? Here are six essential tips to help you maximise the development of your learners' speaking skills.

1. Give learners lots of opportunities to speak

To get better at anything, you need to actually do it, whether it's learning the piano, playing tennis or becoming a competent English speaker. Therefore, make sure there are multiple opportunities for speaking in every lesson. They don't have to be lengthy speaking tasks, but regular opportunities to speak boost confidence and help learners feel more comfortable using spoken English. 

You may be thinking 'How? We already have so much to get through!' But even in a very language-focused course you can find opportunities. For example, after completing a grammar activity, ask learners to compare and justify their answers, and give them the phrases they need – What did you put for number 1? Why did you write …? I put this because… You can also ask learners to reflect on their learning – I found ... difficult because…, I enjoyed…, Next time I'd like to do more … Make a few small shifts like this and your learners will be speaking more in class. 

2. Use a variety of interaction patterns

Using pair work gives learners more opportunities to speak, which is especially useful if you have a large class. Speaking to a partner also feels safer than speaking in front of the whole class. Lower-risk opportunities to practise are good for all learners but particularly those who feel shy or less confident. Of course, you still want learners to feel able to speak in front of the class, so pair work can be a 'rehearsal'. They talk with their partner first so that when they have to feed back to the group, they feel more confident about what they want to say and how. 

Using a mix of pairs, groups and mingle activities (where learners walk around and interact with multiple people) helps make sure learners speak to different people. This helps them form relationships as they get to know their classmates better. The more learners they work with, the better the rapport within the group, and this, in turn, builds confidence. 

3. Give learners preparation and thinking time

Speaking is a complex process in which your brain is making many choices and decisions in a very short space of time:  

• what is your message? – this is your opinion and ideas  

• how to express that message – the words, grammar and syntax you need

• how to deliver that message accurately – pronunciation and body language.

At the same time you're also listening to and monitoring yourself to ensure you're doing these things well and that the listener is receiving your message accurately. It's a lot! 

Added to that, often the best discussion questions are those which you haven't really thought about or that don't have obvious answers. Hypothetical conditionals are a classic example: What would you do if you were politician for a day? But if you asked me that right now, I'd have to think very carefully because it's a complex question and I don't want to sound silly. And that's before I even think about the most appropriate choice of words! 

In a second language, these pressures are increased, so to reduce the stress on learners, you can use tasks that include some preparation time. 'Think-pair-share' can be used with almost any speaking task. First, learners think about what they want to say on their own. This means their ideas as well as how to express them. Then, they pair up and do the task with a partner. The final stage is to share the outcome – this can be with another pair or the whole class. 

Another idea that works particularly well with young learners is to imagine the task first. If you want learners to compare their favourite toy, for example, first ask the whole class to close their eyes, then ask questions that make them picture and think about their toy – What type of toy is it? What is it called? What colour is it? Why do you like it? Then learners are ready with some ideas to complete the task. 

4. Give learners a reason to communicate

Compare the instructions for two different speaking tasks. Which task do you think is more motivating? 

• Talk to your partner about sports or activities you like. 

• Find someone in the class who likes the same sports or activities as you. 

The second instruction gives learners a reason to ask people questions and give their opinion. The task has a purpose and a clear outcome, and is probably more motivating. Other tasks like this include ranking and ordering, choosing the top three or finding something in common. 

Tasks with instructions like 'share' or 'talk about' can be completed in a sentence or two by learners who don't feel motivated. Try to avoid these and make sure you give learners a reason to use English to communicate. 

What about these two instructions? 

• Complete these sentences using the present perfect. Compare with your partner. 

• Complete these sentences using the present perfect so that two are true for you and one is a lie. Talk to your partner to find out which is the lie. 

In the first task, learners use the target language, but they're unlikely to have much of a conversation. The second task, however, has a clear outcome and gets the learners talking about themselves. Personalised tasks are more motivating and give learners an authentic reason to use English. 

5. Develop speaking skills, not just speaking in English

What does it mean to be an effective English speaker? Accurate grammar and clear pronunciation are essential, but they are only part of the picture. Effective oral communication (oracy) goes beyond choosing the correct tense. It involves knowing how to take turns, use fillers strategically, interrupt appropriately and respond to others in real time.  

Think about the speaking activities you regularly use in class. What are they developing? Are they mainly giving learners oral practice of target language, or are they helping them develop oracy? Both are important, but oral practice of grammar and vocabulary is often prioritised over the development of broader speaking skills. Luckily, developing oracy does not necessarily need entirely new speaking tasks. Small shifts – for example, pre-teaching a few phrases for polite disagreement or modelling effective turn-taking – can make a big difference. These simple adjustments help learners develop a wider range of speaking skills, not just grammar and pronunciation.  

6. Give feedback learners can use

If being an effective speaker involves more than grammatical accuracy, then the feedback teachers provide should reflect this. Feedback should help learners improve a range of speaking functions, not just how accurately they use language. 

Crucially, feedback also needs to be usable. One way to ensure this is to build a clear feedback cycle into speaking activities.

• Set the focus in advance: Tell learners what you will be giving feedback on (for example, turn-taking, use of key phrases or justifying ideas). This helps them focus during the task and increases their chances of success. 

• Balance positive and constructive feedback: Learners need to know what they are doing well as well as what they can improve. Make a note of any errors and encourage learners to correct them together, but also write positive examples of language use on the board and celebrate good communication. 

• Create opportunities to act on feedback: Allow learners to repeat the task, perhaps with a new topic or a different partner, so that they can immediately apply what they have learned. 

Developing learners' speaking skills is not about doing more but about doing things more deliberately. Start by focusing on one or two of these tips and reflect on their impact over time. With small, consistent adjustments, you'll see your learners' speaking skills, and their confidence, begin to flourish. 

Sangeeta Sathe has worked in ELT since 2011 as a teacher, trainer, writer, academic manager and examiner. Sangeeta currently specialises in preparing learners for Cambridge exams. Her work as a writer includes materials for the EU’s Erasmus+ programme, the British Council and Cambridge University Press and Assessment.