I know full well the opposing arguments.
It’s outdated.
It’s subjective.
It’s discriminatory.
It’s discouraging.
It’s culture-denying.
But with the right touch and spirit of compassion, you’re helping your students immensely by encouraging clear and universally understood spoken language.
Here’s why:
It gives them a leg up.
Once in the real world, the ability to communicate well—no matter the profession—is an employment advantage. Clarity and brevity equal more success and better pay.
In fact, there are few professions where it doesn’t make a big difference. But it takes practice, lots of practice, almost like learning a second language.
It garners respect.
People judge. They judge harshly, unfairly, and based on superficials. Just the way it is. Therefore, we should arm our students with the ability to earn instant respect.
Speaking ability is immediate and impactful and the most critical factor in getting a yes or a no. It’s a tool they can use in any context or environment to their benefit.
It’s influential.
Communication marked by clarity and efficiency will make students more influential. This can be applied when getting job, arguing a point, securing a business loan, or selling anything.
It’s absolutely necessary for leadership positions, irrespective of career, community, athletics, or even just among friends.
It boosts confidence.
There isn’t a more profound confidence-builder than improving the ability to speak, whether publicly or in small-talk settings. The transformation can be life-changing.
It can also help overcome shyness, which affects up to 40 percent of students. It can open a rich world of diverse friendships and experiences.
It improves writing.
The way we speak forms the foundation of how we write. If you’re unable to speak using proper grammatical structure, then doing so in written form is impossible.
Writing improves with better speaking skills, which can often be easier to develop. It’s the key, in fact, that opens the door to good writing.
The World As Is
There are teachers who don’t agree with me for the reasons stated at the top of the article. I think they’re wrong and doing a disservice to students.
Understand that I’m not making an argument about how I believe the world should be with everyone speaking the King’s English. ‘Tis not thy intent.
I’m arguing that this is how the world is and we shouldn’t pretend that the way that many of our students speak in professional settings, like the classroom, isn’t going to affect them.
The idea is to equip them with another arrow in the quiver, nothing more.
The timing of this article is because communication skills among students is getting worse, I believe, by every measure. Furthermore, I’ve discovered that more and more teachers believe it’s wrong and even hurtful to try and fix it.
As far as how best to teach and encourage better spoken communication skills, I’ll save this topic for another day. In the meantime, if you have your own ideas, please share below.
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