Blog Post #4 - Oral Communication

Oral Communication 

William Jennings Brian. Scopes Trail. 1925. (Public Domain).

 Debates, Speeches, and Dramatic Arts

         In my view, oral communication provides the foundation for literacy.  In general, the ability to learn and speak a language or multiple languages is an innate quality shared by all people.  It is by means of languages that we are readily able to communicate our personal thoughts and feelings.  Our ability to communicate through language provides us with the capacity to read and write.  Therefore oral communication is of fundamental importance for literacy as it establishes the possibility of literacy and its subsequent components.  In other words, developing strong oral communication skills is essential to advancing our ability to read and write.

Since oral communication has an integral role in literacy it should naturally play a major part in literacy education.  In this vein, the Ontario Curriculum Grades 1 – 8 Language claims that “(o)ral communication skills are fundamental to the development of literacy and essential for thinking and learning” (p.9).  This latter statement identifies the important role of literacy in the Ontario curriculum standards.  However, in my experience academic focus on oral communication is often subordinated to reading and writing.  I think that is an unfortunate error of judgment.  After all, if oral communication plays a fundamental role in literacy then strengthening oral communication skills should have a positive impact on the ability to read and write.

To help improve the oral communication of students I will discuss three relevant oral communication components in this blog post.  These are debates, speeches, and dramatic arts.  All three help to develop learning in relation to oral communication and, I believe, they offer the greatest potential to engage the interests of students.

Debates

Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, speak during the CNN Democratic Debate. 

In my opinion, classroom debates provide the greatest potential for expanding student learning of oral communication.  Furthermore, if done properly, debates can be a stimulating intellectual exercise that offers discussion on a variety of interests.  Significantly, organizing debates for academic purposes will require some thoughtful preparation.  To address this latter issue I will now consider the organization of classroom debates.

       One important aspect of debates is proper edict.  Students need to understand that an academic debate has rules and procedures.  That is, it is not two interlocutors constantly interrupting each other, as is usually the case with televised political debates.  In light of this I think it is worth the time to discuss "Robert's Rules" with students prior to the start of any formal debate.  This will help to improve decorum and order, essential components for any civilized debate.  It is also important that instructors establish clear rules and guidelines.  Rules for debating will depend on the context of the classroom (grade level, etc.).  Hence, it will require the professional judgment of the instructor to identify the rules of debate and to make sure they are understood by their students.  A good place for instructors to start is this list of debating rules provided by The Nova Scotia Debating Society.

       While rules and procedures are essential component to a well organized debate it is also important that students are interested in the subject matter they are debating.  This, I believe, is crucial for the liveliness and intensity of debates.  Hence, to help students develop an interest in debating they must be passionate about the issues they are discussing.  Student interests will vary depending on the context of the class.  However, one good place for instructors to begin researching debate topics is idebate.org.

Speeches and Dramatic Arts

Tennant and Tchaikowsky as Hamlet and Yorick. Royal Shakespeare Company.

       Two important subjects relevant to oral communication and education are speeches and dramatic arts.  I think both of these topics provide a wealth of opportunity for student exploration and captivation.  There are few people that find Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech uninspiring.  There also few people that fail to find beauty in Hamlet's most famous soliloquy.   From Sophocles' Antigone to Winston Churchill's "Their Finest Hour", speeches and plays have influenced the course of human history.  Therefore incorporating speeches and plays is not only a good way to improve the oral communication skills of students, it is also a good way to provide them with a platform for understanding historical development and personal self-reflection.  There are many effective ways to do this as an instructor.  One of my most fawned memories in high school literacy comes from my grade nine teacher of Shakespeare.  She did not allow us to simply read the play Julius Caesar, instead, as a class, we acted out every line.  Academic experiences such as this one have the potential to truly inspire students by illuminating them to the power of spoken words.  Acting out plays in class is certainly something I will be engaging in with my future classes.  There are plenty of plays out their for students to partake in (see Simply Scripts for some free plays to explore), and many examples of great speeches to inspire young rhetoricians (see The History Place for a wide variety of influential speeches).  As teachers of literacy it is important that student are provided with the opportunity to see what treasures the world has to offer that lay beyond the shallow confines of their television screens.  Unfortunately, many students are simply not allotted this opportunity.  With the vast amount of both speeches and plays available it is not only the privilege of instructors to present this material to students, but, I believe, it is their duty to do so.