Speaking spontaneously: hands-free speaking

Most speaking activities make use of written prompts or visual aids, such as questions or statements for discussion, role-cards or pictures. These are all invaluable stimuli for communication, but can also be restricting to some degree. For example, students need to hold something in their hand to refer to while speaking, thereby breaking eye contact and putting a barrier between speaker and listener. They may also need time to interpret the information and plan what to say, which means the exchange is not entirely spontaneous. Yet most oral interaction in English among learners outside the classroom, as well as between native speakers, is ‘hands-free’ and spontaneous.

Hands off!

There is plenty of scope for doing classroom speaking activities which reflect the outside world, activities where speakers communicate face to face and can listen, giving their full attention to their partner. Of course, students need a reason to talk, so it’s important to give a clear context and framework. The activities outlined below can be used to generate spontaneous speaking. You might decide to focus purely on students’ fluency and confidence. Alternatively, you could look at the activity as a diagnostic tool to find out where your students need input and remedial work. Just by looking at their partners and moving away from pens, paper, desks and screens, student interaction becomes more natural and relaxed. And the confidence and fluency gained from spontaneous speaking can have an extremely positive effect on classroom dynamics.

Quick pairs

Aim: A warmer to get students moving and having fun in a madcap situation; to maintain three dialogues simultaneously Time: 10 minutes

1. Put the students in pairs and ask them to stand up. Tell them they are Pair One and to decide who is a POLICE OFFICER and who is a LOST STRANGER. Tell them to form different pairs, Pair Two, and to decide who is a TENNIS COACH and who is a TENNIS BEGINNER. Tell students to make new pairs, Pair Three, and to be a HOTEL RECEPTIONIST and a GUEST.
2. Explain that when you call out ‘One’, they should form Pair One and start a dialogue. As soon as you call out a different number they must break off, go into that pair and start the appropriate dialogue. When they meet up with a partner for a second or third time they should continue the dialogue from where they left off.

Role reversals  

Aim: To give students practice in negotiating in personal relationships Time: 15–20 minutes

1. Students stand in pairs. Say, ‘You’re in the kitchen. It’s 6pm and a teenager, Chris, is waiting for Mum or Dad to arrive home from work. Mum or Dad is coming in the door. Freeze in position. You’re both holding something. What? When I say “Action”, begin the scene and talk about Mum or Dad’s day. When I say “Freeze”, freeze in position. 3-2-1 ACTION.’  
2. After a minute, freeze all the pairs and ask Chris and parent to look at how the other is standing and change places, exactly copying their partner’s posture and expression. Say, ‘When I say “Action”, continue from where I froze you. If you were Chris before, now you are Mum or Dad and the other way round. Talk about the evening meal. 3-2-1 ACTION.’  
3. After each of the following turns below, freeze the pairs and ask them to swap roles:
   • Chris politely asks Mum or Dad for some money for something. Mum or Dad wants to know all the details before deciding.
   • Mum or Dad says no politely and explains why. Chris tries to change Mum or Dad’s mind.
   • (After the meal) Mum or Dad comes into Chris’s bedroom to say goodnight. They don’t talk about Chris’s request.
   • Chris and Mum or Dad start talking about the request again. There is a happy or unhappy ending.

    

4. Get the students to replay the whole story, freezing and swapping roles at the same points (this time without you telling them to). The student who began the scene as Chris, begins as Mum or Dad, and vice versa. They should try to stick closely to the story, but the dialogue will obviously change.
5. Invite the students to show parts of their scenes to the whole class, ie Pair One shows section one, Pair Two section two, etc. Make sure you choose different endings, ideally at least one happy and one unhappy.

A memorable chat

Aim: To discuss, report and roleplay personal conversations Time: 15–20 minutes

1. Form a standing circle. Model the activity by approaching a few different students, making the same true statement using this formula: ‘Recently I had a really interesting chat with … about … .’
2. Give the students two minutes to mingle and repeat this procedure. Ask them to remember what all the other students chatted about and with whom.
3. Reform the circle. Refer to one student saying, for example, ‘Jan chatted to his history teacher about …’, gesturing to the other students that they should all say Jan’s conversation topic, eg ‘his favourite Chinese restaurant’. The named student then continues by referring to another group member and the whole group chorally says their topic of conversation, and so on.
4. In pairs, A has one minute to tell B more details about their own chat, then A and B get into position and have two minutes to roleplay the most interesting part of the conversation (in English!) as truthfully or imaginatively as they wish. They then swap roles and repeat the process.
5. Ask pairs to choose one of the two conversations and to show a one-minute extract to the others in turn. After observing, the other students have to name the conversation partner and the conversation topic by recalling stage 3.

David Heathfield is a freelance language and communication skills trainer and actor, who runs workshops for teachers, businesses and charities. Former DOS at the Isca School, he now teaches at Exeter University English Language Centre. His Teacher Resource Book Spontaneous Speaking: Drama Activities for Confidence and Fluency will soon be published by DELTA.

This article first appeared in English Teaching Professional, Issue 34, 2004

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