ceciliafelsenstein Speaking and oral communication skills are often taken for granted in education. We sometimes assume students naturally know how to present, speak confidently, or express ideas clearly — but that isn’t always the case.
If we want to truly improve students’ speaking skills, we need to teach, model, and practise these abilities with intention.
I will share with you some strategies I use with my high school students throughout the year to help them reinforce speaking skills.
Strong oral communication is essential far beyond the classroom. Whether students need to present at work, contribute during a meeting, or speak in front of an audience, these skills must be developed gradually and consistently.
In this post, I’m sharing the strategies and activities I use with my high school students throughout the year to help them improve their speaking skills in meaningful, practical ways.
1. Teach the fundamentals of effective speaking
Before students begin presenting, we spend time reviewing the essential components of a strong oral presentation.
We look at structure, clarity, body language, pacing, pronunciation, and audience engagement. These guidelines are revisited regularly until students internalise them.
If you’re looking for a starting point, check out these 10 FREE Activities on How to Deliver an Oral Presentation — they give students a clear framework to understand and practise the basics of speaking.
2. Learn by doing: repeated presentation practice
One of the best ways to improve students’ speaking skills is through repeated practice. As Dewey famously promoted, learning by doing allows students to apply skills instead of just talking about them.
Throughout the year, I assign a variety of topics and tasks (you can find some of these useful) that require students to prepare and deliver oral presentations.
We do this three times a year, which lets students see their progress and builds confidence over time. Each round becomes smoother, stronger, and more intentional.
3. Evaluate each presentation with clear tools
Assessment is an important part of improving speaking skills. Students benefit from knowing what they’re doing well and what they need to work on next.
You can explore the rubrics and the checklist that guides my evaluation process. These tools help students understand expectations and reflect on their performance.
4. Keep the audience engaged with active-listening tasks
One challenge that came up early on was: What do the rest of the students do while one person is presenting?
If we want to truly improve students’ speaking skills, we also need to improve their listening skills. A disengaged audience doesn’t support a productive speaking environment.
To solve this, I developed 12 Activities on Peer Feedback & Active Listening during Oral Presentations. These tasks keep students focused, encourage critical thinking, and help them provide meaningful feedback to their classmates.
Final Thoughts
If we want to improve students’ speaking skills, we must teach speaking explicitly, provide opportunities to practise, and support both speakers and listeners. With clear expectations, structured activities, and purposeful evaluation, students gain the confidence they need to communicate effectively — in school and beyond.
You can get the whole bundle of Effective Strategies to Improve Students’ Speaking Skills in the Classroom 👇
Want more strategies for speaking and communication? Stay tuned for upcoming posts and resources!
