DEVELOPING SPEAKING SKILLS OF UNDERGRADUATES THROUGH COMMUNICATIVE OUTPUT ACTIVITIES

The IT revolution and globalization of business have brought communication skills to the forefront of academia and industry. With the whole world becoming a global market and business becoming diverse and result-oriented, professionals are facing newer challenges in English proficiency every day. Moreover, English is also considered a bridge to make them employable soon after completing their graduation. In this backdrop, Indian students have become more conscious about good speaking skills besides acquiring technical knowledge.

This global status of English has also led to significant changes in English Language Teaching and Learning. There is now a greater awareness among teachers of concepts, such as learner-centeredness and task-based learning. Learner-centered approach to language learning is considered effective by many ELT practitioners and teachers as compared to traditional approach.

In this paper, an attempt is made to find ways to successfully teach speaking skills to undergraduates, which will in turn, cater to the insatiable demand for English proficiency in the global market. In this context, the problems of undergraduate learners with regard to their background and speaking apprehensions are analysed and then an attempt is made to find suitable ways for developing speaking skills. Pair work and group work which is of central importance to successful teaching and learning of speaking skills is discussed in particular. Certain communicative output activities such as role plays, discussions, information gap exercise etc. with regard to developing speaking skills are discussed as effective strategies. The paper concludes with suggestions as to how teachers through well–prepared sessions can encourage learners to experiment and innovate with the language, and create a supportive atmosphere that allows learners to make mistakes without fear of embarrassment in the process of developing their proficiency. This will contribute to their self-confidence as speakers and to their motivation to learn more.