Speaking skills

Speaking skills are sets of criteria that divide a spoken utterance for analysis, usually in oral exams such as University of Cambridge ESOL exams. There are four sets of criteria which can be taught, analyzed, improved and assessed either though dialogue or monologue, some requiring two speakers, such as with interactive communication, while others through monologue as with pronunciation.

The four skills are as follows:

Discourse management
Discourse management is a speaking skill, developed in monologue or dialogue, which refers to a person's ability to:
 * Sequence their ideas and contributions logically.
 * Use appropriate language to support their ideas and develop a speaking task.
 * Spend an appropriate amount of time fulfilling a task and/or on their length of turn.

Interactive communication
Interactive communication is a speaking skill which refers to a person's ability to:


 * Communicate effectively in a given context.
 * Demonstrate sensitivity to turn-taking without undue hesitation.
 * Use appropriate strategies to maintain and repair communication when it breaks/slows down.

Grammar and vocabulary
Grammar and vocabulary is a speaking skill which refers to a person's ability to:


 * Use a wide-ranging, appropriate & accurate use of structures & lexis in a given context.
 * Communicate ideas without making structural/lexical errors.
 * Convey ideas confidently without paraphrasing to circumnavigate complex structures/advanced vocabulary.

Pronunciation
Pronunciation is a speaking skill which refers to a person's ability to:


 * Be intelligible to a listener.
 * Accurately place stress at a word and sentence level.
 * Speak in natural prosody.
 * Link words and phrases.
 * Use intonation to appropriately convey meaning and tone of voice according to a context.