Power of speech in ESL

Of all the four skills, speaking seems intuitively the most important: people who know a language are referred to as ‘speakers’ of that language, as if speaking included all other kinds of knowing and many if not most foreign language learners are primarily interested in learning to speak.

Classroom activities that develop learners’ ability to express themselves through speech would therefore seem an important component of a language course. Yet it is difficult to teach speaking according to some Filipino teachers. I have one famous teacher who told me that his dilemma is how to make his students speak but other skills he could teach well.

Speaking actually is very easy to teach if the teacher has a gift of gab. The basic premise here is a pattern. It is through role modeling. I always believe that people learn how to talk that way. When we were children, we acquire speaking through the examples of people around us. When I was young, I always listen to people and mimic them afterwards. My grade five teacher was my real model and I like my name to be “Grace” because I want to be graceful when I talk. Then I got into people who lectured a lot and I want to do that, speak like they do. Though many people believe I can speak well, I never was satisfied of myself. I have always wanted to improve my speaking skills that my model changes from one person to another. After high school graduation, I had a different thought. I thought my enunciation was good, speaking grammar was well but content-wise was not well. So, I tried hard to improve my content. I read voraciously on variety of topics. I got interested on any material particularly those I have never read before. I read, read and read that reading became my hobby. I read everywhere. Then it became my pleasure, a form of relaxation. There were times that I would lie down on bed, raise my feet and read a loud then comment on what I had read. I had never let a night without reading. Sometimes I memorize some lines. I copy some and I made it part of me. Little have I known that it would really pay well and would improve my power of speech? Now, I am speaking well enough. I can say practically things I would like to say without faltering and stammering.
This pathway is what I am trying to develop with my students since my long research on speaking made me to see not enough materials to help people develop.Teaching speaking is establishing or building up confidence. That explains the tips, tricks and activities. I tried hard to come up then with a fertile ground for students to speak or true acculturation. I give them example, avenue, leeway and momentum and it was not that easy though. The level goes with vocabulary, span of time, topic and structure. Lower level uses simple vocabulary and expressions, shorter time, easy topics and less complicated structure than that of the higher once. The Korean dictionary was chronicled and categorized words according to level and I agree to that. So, I never expected beginners to talk better but the advanced to talk like advanced.

Speech is contagious. Speech is innate. As they say, “Nature has given speech to man not that he should speak to himself, which is no purpose, but to the end that it helps others and you see that the tongue serves us to teach, to command, to discuss, to sell, to counsel, to correct, to dispute, to judge, to express the affection of the heart: as a means whereby people come to love one another and to link themselves together….”

Will that not be enough guideline for us to develop our students' power of speech.