https://ijmri.de/index.php/jmsi
volume 4, issue 4, 2025
773
DEVELOPING ENGLISH SPEAKING COMPETENCE: TEACHING TECHNIQUES
Maxkamova Komila Toktamuratovna
English teacher at the "International
school of finance technology and science" institute
Annotation:
Gaining proficiency in speaking is crucial to learning English. One of the most
fundamental communicative abilities in a language is speaking, which is crucial for language
acquisition. This article methodically looks at a variety of successful teaching strategies meant
to help language learners become more proficient speakers of English. It delves into
methodologies that promote fluency, accuracy, and confidence in oral communication, such as
communicative language teaching, task-based learning, role-playing, and targeted pronunciation
drills. The paper also discusses the importance of creating supportive classroom environments,
leveraging technology, and adopting appropriate error correction strategies to maximize learner
engagement and progression in spoken English. The ultimate goal is to provide educators with a
comprehensive overview of pedagogical tools to develop robust speaking skills.
Keywords:
English speaking competence, teaching techniques, oral proficiency, communicative
language teaching (CLT), role playing, commuticative games, simulation exercises, speaking
genres, presentation, discussion, pre-speaking activity, post-speaking activity, pronunciation,
intonation, rhythm, grammatical accuracy.
In the globalized world, English has solidified its position as the primary lingua franca, making
effective oral communication a paramount goal for millions of second and foreign language
learners. Developing English speaking competence is not merely about accumulating vocabulary
and grammatical structures; it encompasses the ability to produce intelligible, fluent, and
accurate speech to convey meaning effectively in diverse social contexts. This complex skill
requires a combination of linguistic knowledge (grammar, vocabulary, phonology), strategic
competence (compensatory strategies), and sociolinguistic competence (appropriateness of
language use).
When they first begin studying a foreign language, students of all ages want to learn how to
speak it. They should be aware of the target language's objectives because speaking abilities,
like all other abilities, are not developed on their own. Special exercises and activities must be
used for their formation; as a result, they must be learnt, with a primary focus on skill
development.
Typically, start by teaching the fundamentals of speaking. Pronunciation, vocabulary and
grammar development, and listening abilities are all included. It is very impossible to
distinguish the process of developing these skills throughout the early stages of learning. The
teacher presents the new framework to the audience. It entails learning new vocabulary,
intonation, and sounds.
Speaking proficiency is seen by many language learners as the key to language proficiency. For
these students, being able to communicate with others is far more important than being able to
read, write, or understand spoken language. They believe that speaking is the most crucial skill
they can learn, and they evaluate their development based on their spoken communication
https://ijmri.de/index.php/jmsi
volume 4, issue 4, 2025
774
achievements. Although speaking is an essential component of language learning, students
frequently believe that speaking is the end result of language acquisition. In order for students to
use speaking as a learning tool, instructors assist them in developing their speaking skills.
Even though teaching speaking is so important, it can be difficult. Learners frequently struggle
with worry, low self-esteem, and a lack of opportunity for real-world experience. As a result,
teachers need to use a variety of instructional methods that go beyond mechanical exercises and
rote memorisation. The purpose of this article is to examine and summarise a number of
successful teaching strategies and useful tactics that can greatly aid in the growth of English
speaking proficiency in language classes, enabling students to become competent and self-
assured oral communicators.
Instructors can help students overcome this reticence by assuring them that misunderstanding
and the need for clarification can occur in any type of interaction, whatever the participants'
language skill levels.
Among the speaking genres are identification (sharing one's likes and dislikes), reasoning
(sharing one's line of thought with an active listener), description (sharing the specifics with an
active listener) and narration (sharing the progression of events with an active listener).
Language-in-action (people talking and doing things), commenting (opinions and points of view),
service encounters (buying and selling goods and services), debate and argument (looking for a
solution and pursuing one's point), learning (using language in learning), and decision-making
(people working towards a decision) are other genres. The proficiency level is demonstrated by
the ability to perform these genres. In daily life, the language is employed in this manner.
Study the list of speaking genres, indicate real world situations where these genres can occur.
Some examples have been given to you.
In order to teach speaking, communicative exercises are structured as information transfer, which
involves taking specific facts from a nonverbal format, such as a table, graph, map, etc.
Information gap exercises are another kind of activity where the one with the information
conveys it to the person without it. An information gap can be likened to a jigsaw puzzle, where
each student has a piece of information that must be assembled through oral communication.
Communicative games have a task, rules, participants, competition, winners Games can be
classified as follows:
Information gap games (the winner is the first who compiles together all the necessary
information from other participants);
https://ijmri.de/index.php/jmsi
volume 4, issue 4, 2025
775
Matching, contrasting and comparing games (fitting, exchanging, collating, spotting
differences);
Sequencing games (the winner is the first who does the correct sequencing);
Guessing games (the winner is the first who does the correct guess, e.g. «Who am I?»,
wearing a sticky label on one's forehead and asking questions about oneself);
Community games (popular past-time games like "crosswords", "dominos" or "bingo"
with a language focus in mind);
Attention games (the winner is the one who is most attentive in performing the tasks);
Memory games (the winner is the one whose memory works best);
General knowledge games (the winner is the best one at general knowledge quizzes);
Board games (a game organized between couples or groups of partners with a playing
board, e.g. a grid and dice with a task in each box of the grid and the order of tasks determined
by casting the dice).
Simulation exercises replicate reality in order to aid with language learning. Simulation can
include problem-solving and role-playing. Scenarios and roles can serve as the basis for role-
plays. Problems and viewpoints are typically the basis of discussions.
At least four characteristics can be used to characterise role-playing: realism (the circumstances
can be real or imagined), situation (the situation can be very typical for everyday life or unlikely),
closeness (the plot can be very close to one's own experience or distant), and personality (the
role-play characters can be similar to the participants or different from them). Role-playing can
be small-scale (lasting for a lesson or less), large-scale (lasting for more than a lesson or perhaps
for the entire term), semi-controlled (participants are expected to use the prescribed language to
some extent), free (participants are responsible for the message and not for the prescribed
language), or controlled (participants are responsible for the language they use).
The steps of running a role-play in the lesson are shown by the graph
Role-play in the lesson are shown by the graph:
- Choosing role-playing participants
- Arranging communication setting
- Distributing the roles
- Selecting the language
- Developing the plot
- Acting out the role-play
- Reflecting оп the procedure (plot development, using the language, finding the resolution to the
drama)
Discussions serve as a study simulation of reality that includes problem-raising tasks,
polarisation of opinions, decision-making, problem-solving, and participants' cooperative or
opposing points of view.
A presentation is an organised speech given to an audience, either individually or in a group.
Presenting a presentation involves the following steps: presenting the topic and the team, acting
out the presentation scenario, and getting feedback. To maintain the audience's interest during
the performance, specific presenting strategies are employed.
https://ijmri.de/index.php/jmsi
volume 4, issue 4, 2025
776
Select your presentation's topic and include examples of how you plan to maintain the audience's
interest.
Pre-speaking activity is to prepare the participants for the main speaking activity. Schemata
activation is recalling prior world-knowledge of the participants that is relevant to the speaking
situation. Questions, pictures and texts can be used to these ends. Brainstorming is an activity
used to generate ideas in small groups before the main speaking activity. The purpose is to
generate as many ideas as possible within a specified time period. The ideas are not evaluated
until the end of activity time. Motivation of participants can be enhanced when they clearly see
the communicative problem and the ways to resolve it. While-speaking the participants actually
resolve the communicative problem and produce its resolution as a result of the role-play,
problem-solving, socialization or communication game. Post-speaking can provide opportunities
for the learners to re-visit the language and ideas produced and to think of the ways to make
communication more effective. An important part of the post-speaking activity is the
development of integrated communicative skills, ie reading-and-speaking task, listening-and-
speaking task, speaking-and-writing task etc.
There is a lot of concern about how teachers teach their pupils to speak English and become
proficient in it because most students do not have the opportunity to utilise it in everyday
conversations and frequently do not interact with English-speaking people. This is a result of
teachers' resourcefulness, as they employ various methods, tactics, and ideas to help pupils
improve their speaking abilities. They employ a variety of strategies and techniques to help
students become more proficient communicators. In order to improve students' attitudes, they
create courses that make studying English more pleasurable.
Importantly, the existence of Communicative Competence is seen as both the foundation and the
objective that needs to be met in speaking instruction. Speaking instructors can better direct their
students into a speaking environment where they feel comfortable speaking by having a thorough
understanding of the components and traits of communicative competence. The emphasis on
language use rather than usage is reflected in communicative competence, which involves
managing interactions and negotiating meaning. Speaking teachers take into consideration
giving pupils oral communicative assignments in order to foster communication.
In the modern world, pedagogical practice and science solve the problem of improving language
teaching methods and forms aimed at solving the problems of modernizing education, improving
the quality and efficiency of vocational training. Here we focus on the question of the formation
of communicative competence in language education. Communicative competences are seen as a
broad term that is based not only on the structural features of language, but also includes its
social, pragmatic, and contextual features. Considering that the leading methodological principle
in teaching languages is the principle of communicative orientation, the authors consider it
important to select and organize linguistic material, specify situations and spheres of
communication. On the basis of the analysis of the educational material, the authors conclude
that the content of school language education is important, focused on the development of
motivation of students to learn languages and on the formation and improvement of skills of
cognitive, communicative, practical and creative activity. Communication is undoubtedly one of
the most important and most common activities or process in people's everyday lives in society.
Taking into account all means of communication and theories that people also communicate by
their appearance, it can be assumed that it is almost impossible to find a person who does not
communicate.
The term communication is widely used in various context and throughout many disciplines
these days. As theories of communication are in the focus of several disciplines, from
psychology and pedagogy to linguistics, there have been many attempts to define communication,
https://ijmri.de/index.php/jmsi
volume 4, issue 4, 2025
777
but establishing a single definition that would be applicable in all disciplines seems to be
impossible. Clevenger says that "the continuing problem in defining communication for
scholarly or scientific purposes systems from the fact that the verb 'to communicate is well
established in the common lexicon and therefore is not easily captured for scientific use".
While communicative activities are vital, specific drills remain essential for refining
pronunciation, intonation, rhythm, and grammatical accuracy, particularly at lower proficiency
levels.
Pronunciation Drills. Focusing on problematic phonemes, minimal pairs (e.g., 'ship' vs. 'sheep'),
word stress, and sentence stress. Tools like phonetic charts and audio recordings can be highly
effective.
Intonation and Rhythm Drills. Practicing sentence patterns, question intonation, and common
phrases to sound more natural and intelligible. Shadowing (repeating speech immediately after
hearing it) is a powerful technique.
Choral Repetition. Group repetition of phrases, sentences, or dialogues helps build confidence,
reduces individual anxiety, and allows learners to internalize patterns of spoken English.
Sentence Pattern Drills. Repetitive practice of specific grammatical structures in a controlled
manner to build automaticity (e.g., "I like…ing," "Have you ever…?").
How and when errors are corrected significantly impacts a learner's willingness to speak. A
balanced approach is crucial:
Fluency vs. Accuracy Focus. During communicative activities, prioritize meaning and flow.
Overt correction might be counterproductive. Errors can be noted for later, generalized feedback.
Delayed Correction. Provide feedback after an activity or conversation, allowing learners to
complete their thoughts without interruption.
Peer/Self-Correction. Encourage learners to identify and correct their own or their peers' errors.
This promotes metacognitive awareness and autonomy.
Recasts and Clarification Requests. Teachers can gently rephrase an incorrect utterance correctly
(recast) or ask for clarification, prompting the learner to self-correct.
Selective Correction. Focus on errors that impede intelligibility or are consistently repeated.
Avoid correcting every single mistake.
Conclusion
In conclusion, developing English speaking competence is a dynamic and iterative process that
demands a multifaceted pedagogical approach. There is no single "magic bullet"; rather, a blend
of techniques is required to cater to the diverse needs and learning styles within an EFL
classroom. The principles of Communicative Language Teaching and Task-Based Learning
provide a robust framework for meaningful interaction, while targeted drills ensure the
development of accuracy and intelligibility.
Crucially, effective speaking instruction transcends mere linguistic input. It involves creating a
supportive and low-stress environment where learners feel empowered to experiment with the
language, make mistakes, and learn from them. The strategic use of error correction, coupled
with the judicious integration of technology and authentic materials, can significantly enhance
the learning experience. By continuously varying techniques and focusing on both fluency and
https://ijmri.de/index.php/jmsi
volume 4, issue 4, 2025
778
accuracy, educators can effectively guide learners on their journey to becoming confident,
articulate, and competent speakers of English.
References:
1.
Johnson, K. Five principles in a scommunicative exercise types. Communicative Syllabus
Design and Methodology. Prentice Hall, 1982. P. 163-175
2.
Jordan, R. Pyramid discussion. ELTJ 44/1. 1990. P. 48. 66
3.
A Course in Langsunge Teaching. CUP. 1996. P. 16-17
4.
Maxkamova Komila Toktamuratovna. “THE APPLICATION OF ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION”. 2025. International Journal of
Artificial
Intelligence
5
(04):
1542-47.
https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai/article/view/4136.
5.
Maxkamova
Komila
Toktamuratovna.
(2025).
INTEGRATING
READING
STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE SPEAKING SKILLS IN THE ENGLISH CLASSROOM.
International Multidisciplinary Journal for Research & Development, 12(01). Retrieved from
https://www.ijmrd.in/index.php/imjrd/article/view/2524
6.
Bayramova B. TECHNOLOGY IN TEACHING SPEAKING // Мировая наука. 2023.
№5 (74).
7.
Umurova Kh.H. IMPROVING SPEAKING IN INTEGRATION // Теория и практика
современной науки. 2018. №5 (35).
8.
Sarvinoz Suyunovna Mustafayeva TEACHING SPEAKING-TIPS TO DEVELOP THE
SPEAKING SKILLS OF ESL STUDENTS // Academic research in educational sciences. 2021.
№11.
9.
Mustafayeva Mavlyuda Anvarovna The importance of speaking skills for EFL learners //
Достижения науки и образования. 2018. №5 (27).
10.
Khojikulov Shukrulla Kodirovitch Principles of teaching speaking skills // Проблемы
педагогики. 2020. №4 (49).
