In this unit, you’ll learn how to improve your speaking skills in different settings. You will be shown what specific communication skills are needed in certain situations.
In a nutshell
There are three main skills that will help you with your speaking:
- Structuring arguments and thoughts
- Practising pronunciation
- Emphasising important information
How to master monologues, dialogues and group discussions
Effective conversation skills can vary depending on the setting. You can use different techniques in specific situations. However, there are also some universal tips that will help you with your speech, such as structuring your thoughts or being aware of your body language. In this overview, we will show you the most useful skills for different monologues, dialogues, or group discussions.
Types of conversations:
Tools, techniques, material, exercises for speaking skills
A Structuring arguments and thoughts
No matter whether in a monologue, dialogue or group discussion, you will always need to structure your arguments clearly so your listeners can follow your train of thought, and so that you can convince others of your arguments. One helpful technique might be thinking of a sandwich when presenting an argument. The main claim is the base of the sandwich, the filling the sentence or sentences supporting your argument and the top piece your conclusion or summary.
Example:
Conclusion and summary: All in all, it’s an important part of theater history.
Supporting arguments and evidence / examples: Because some of Shakespeare’s plays were performed there for the first time.
Main claim: Visiting the Globe Theater when in London is a must.
B Practising pronunciation and intonation
For clear communication pronunciation how we say words and intonation, how we make our voice rise and fall is essential. Listen to all kinds of recordings with English speakers like podcasts/ videos/ eBooks and try to mimic them. You can practice watching the movement of your mouth in front of a mirror, you can even record yourself or you can use apps or AI tutors. Just listening doesn’t help, speaking aloud is the key!
C Emphasising and highlighting important information
To give more weight to certain aspects in a speech or a conversation you can use different techniques to emphasize or highlight something. To achieve this, you can either invert your sentence structure or use the do-emphasis. Want to find out more? Watch our video on the topic to learn how to emphasise something in English.