Unit(s): Language Clarity and Impromptu Speaking
Purpose:
The purposes of this exercise are to illustrate that specific and concrete words and examples provide the listeners with a clearer understanding of the speaker's ideas than do abstract and general terms and to give the students experience in impromptu speaking.
Objectives:
The students will understand the importance of language clarity in the communication process.
Students will demonstrate impromptu speaking skills.
Materials:
- Cards containing a commonly used and general word or phrase. See the attached list of possibilities.
- Key words that speakers may not say in their speeches should be underlined. (Current slang expressions and cliches are generally effective phrases to select.)
Procedure:
- Each student draws a card containing a commonly used and general word or phrase. The student's task is to define the word or phrase so that the audience can guess it.
- When introducing the exercise to the class, one should give the students directions such as the ones that follow.
- After each speech, the instructor should find out how many in the audience correctly guessed the word or phrase and what some incorrect guesses were. If time is limited, this can be done after all speeches are finished.
- After all speeches, the teacher should help the students to decide why some phrases were easy to guess and why some were difficult. (I have found it easy to use examples from the students' speeches to illustrate that listeners usually do not have a clear understanding of a speaker's ideas when abstract terms are used to describe another general term.
- This exercise can easily be adapted to small groups where students can speak several times in a round robin format. (If the exercise is done in small groups, be sure listeners do not turn the game into password and call out any possibilities.
In a moment you will draw (or be given) a card containing a word or phrase. You are to give an impromptu speech to this class defining the words you have drawn. Your goal is to have members of the class guess what is on your card. You may define the words in any way you wish. For example, you may use synonyms or antonyms or give comparisons or contrasts or provide examples, or you may do all of these. But under no circumstances may you use in your speech any of the underlined words on the card or any of their derivatives.
You have up to one minute to speak. If you are still speaking after one minute, a stop card will be shown, and you are to end by finishing your sentence. When you finish, all members of the audience will write down what they think the word or phrase is.
As a member of the audience, you are to be silent. Resist the temptation to call out words. Wait until a speech is finished and then write down the word or phrase you believe the speaker is defining.
spoiled brat a good school It's a bummer.
boring class bad music school spirit
good teacher unfair test good movie
rude person good American freedom
coward nice looking It's the pits