by Masimba Mukichi

Created on: May 22, 2009   Last Updated: May 29, 2009

Speaking is an art which can be learned and developed over time. Research has it that young children master a language and speaking skills better than adults. It is ideal to teach and develop speaking skills and confidence in young students. There is a saying which goes, " if you want them to learn and understand catch them young."

Speaking skills can be developed in children by employing a beehive activity of techniques and methods. In a classroom situation children can develop speaking skills and boost their confidence by having dialogues using play telephones or real mobile phones. Engaging in dialogues will enable young students to respond to asked questions precisely and at the same time improve their speaking and listening skills. Drama in a classroom situation leaves no stone unturned in improving speaking skills. Drama will train pupils' voice projection and pronunciation of words. Drama will boost confidence in pupils in that they would not be shy to face the the crowd. Stage fright is usually eradicated by drama.

Children can compete in reciting poetry in class; this goes a long way in improving oratory skills. The more they recite poems to an audience the more they harness their speaking skills and in the end they become refined and confident young students. Watching BBC news readers on television is a recipe for developing speaking skills in children. The more they see Riz Khan Of Aljazeera, Jon Brain of BBC and Robson Mhandu of ZBC (Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation) the more they become copycats; hence their speaking skills and confidence are likely to improve. Let alone the idea that these young students would aspire to become journalist and news readers when they grow up.

Impromptu speeches at school assemblies can improve children's speaking skills and go a long way in shaping them into confident public orators. Debates can fine tune the shy Tom and the reserved Jane to open up and air their views in public. This method is very good at tapping the innate speaking skills of children. Reading and counting aloud is a tried and tested method of improving the art of public speaking amongst the little adults. Story telling remains the best method of improving speaking skills. The teacher should kick start a story telling lesson by telling a story to the pupils using gestures and variations of the voice. By so doing the children would want to emulate their teacher's style of story telling when they are given the chance to tell stories.

Picture compostion is another way of improving speaking skills and confidence of children. If children can formulate and tell stories using pictures then one would know that their speaking skills are improving from strength to strength. Musical games are also a force to reckon with in improving the confidence and public speaking skills of our dear young students. The learn and play calibre of musical games goes a long way in cultivating and nurturing effective public speakers. Reading newspapers and magazines aloud and in turn in small groups can also improve the speaking skills of children. At home parents can also test their children 's speaking skills by letting them narrate stories from films from the television and books.

In all public speaking is a skill for life which needs to be identified and developed at an early stage. Failing this, the world would be starved of future eloquent lawyers, news readers and actors, let alone effective poets.

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