HOW TO DEVELOP

ELOQUENCE IN SPEAKING

FOR GIFTED STUDENS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1

I. Rationale .................................................................................................... 1

II. Aims of the study ...................................................................................... 1

III. Scope of the study ................................................................................... 1

IV. Significance of the study ......................................................................... 2

B. CONTENTS .............................................................................................. 2

I. Theoretical background ............................................................................ 2

1. Oral presentations .................................................................................... 2

2. Speaking Test Format of the National English Contest for high

school students in Vietnam ......................................................................... 3

3. Criteria of a good oral presentation ........................................................ 5

4. Eloquence features of an oral presentation ............................................ 5

a. Increased lexical density ................................................................... 6

b. Variation in speech rate ..................................................................... 6

c. Intonation ........................................................................................... 6

d. Pausing .............................................................................................. 6

II. Practice: How to speak eloquently? ...................................................... 6

1. Stages of preparing oral presentations .................................................... 6

2. Giving an oral presentation ..................................................................... 8

a. Structure of an oral presentation ....................................................... 8

b. Unity and coherence ........................................................................ 11

c. Cohesive devices ............................................................................. 12

3. Some samples of an oral presentation outline ....................................... 13

a. Discussion ....................................................................................... 14

b. Opinion ............................................................................................ 15

c. Enumeration .................................................................................... 16

4. Dos and don’ts in giving an oral presentation ....................................... 22

5. Giving feedback .................................................................................... 22

C. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ................................... 24

PRACTICE EXERCISES ON MAKING OUTLINES FOR ORAL

PRESENTATIONS AND SUGGESTED IDEAS ..................................... 25

APPENDIX ................................................................................................. 29

REFERENCES ........................................................................................... 32

1

A. INTRODUCTION

I. RATIONALE

In

the

increasingly

globalized

and

multicultural

world,

acquiring

a

new

language, especially English, as a foreign language seems to be an integral

demand of any person at any age. English now occupies a unique position as a

lingua franca and plays a more and more important role in the daily life of

people around the world. Of four language skills, speaking is considered as one

of the most important skills for learners to achieve the proficiency. This is the

means through which people can confidently communicate with others to

obtain

certain

goals

or

to

express

their

opinions,

intentions,

hopes

and

viewpoints.

Speaking has been classified in monologue and dialogue. According to Nunan

(1989), the former focuses on giving an oral presentation while the latter is

related to interacting with other speakers. It has been noticed that the oral

presentation

in

English

is

essential

in

present-day

academic

career

and

professional

success.

Therefore,

in

the

educational

context,

doing

oral

presentations is a frequently-used classroom activity to help learners improve

their speaking skill. Learners may be required to present their opinions about

curriculum-based

topics

such

as

environmental

protection,

technological

advancement, human right, and so on.

In the National English Contest for High school students in Vietnam in recent

years, oral presentation has been included in the computer-based Speaking

Test. Particularly, candidates are required to present on a given topic for 5

minutes. The difficulty level increases with their little time for preparation (5

minutes). Within time constraint, many test-takers face obstacles with regard

to brainstorming ideas, outlining the response and using lexis. From this real

circumstance, the study is conducted with the aim to preparing students for

their speaking performance in the test in particular and help them develop

eloquence in speaking in general.

II. AIMS OF THE STUDY

The study aims to provide an overview of oral presentations in the Speaking

Test for students taking part in the English National Contest in Vietnam and

suggest ways to improve eloquence in their general preformance.

2

III. SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study mainly focuses on providing an overview of oral presentations,

eloquence elements in speaking, teaching procedures as well as some exercises

followed

by

samples

for

students

to

practise

speaking

eloquently

in

a

presentation, particularly presenting their opinions about certain topics.

The subject of the study is eleventh and twelfth graders who are members of

the National English Team.

IV. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study is conducted with the hope to help students who are members of the

National English Team enhance eloquence in their oral presentation in the

Speaking Test. Insights from this study are beneficial to English language

learners who want to improve their speaking competence by means of oral

presentation. A collection of practice exercises and samples is also included so

that teachers and students can utilize it as a source of teaching and learning

materials.

B. CONTENTS

I. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

1. Oral presentation

Among activities that language teachers often carry out in class to help students

practice speaking skill, doing oral presentations is one of the most common.

Oral presentation is related to the process of delivering an address to a public

audience,

which

requires

adequate

planning

and

preparation

to

impart

knowledge or stimulate discussions (Islam, 2013). It provides “a rewarding and

stimulating experience both for teachers in developing facilitating skills and for

students in training themselves to have confident presentations in public”

(King, 2002).

Oral presentation is crucial for employability and academic study as it leads

students

to

enter

into

debate

and

sustained

reasoning

(Morley,

2001).

According

to

Hutchinson

and

Waters

(1987),

students

with

good

oral

presentation skills could fully participate in their learning, demonstrate their

communication ability and develop competencies in an area of their future

working places.

3

Because of the necessity of oral presentations, students need instructions and

guidance in preparing, organizing and delivering oral presentations effectively,

which is a key to eloquence enhancement.

2. Speaking Test Format of the National English Contest for High school

students in Vietnam

In the National English Contest for High school students in Vietnam, Speaking

Part is a compulsory component, accounting for 20 % of total marks.

In the Speaking Part, candidates are required to give a 5-minute response to one

random question from a list of ten. They also have 5 minutes to prepare notes

before giving an actual talk. Their responses are then recorded on the computer.

Following is the question sample of the speaking test in the National English

Contest for High school students in Vietnam.

Date of Test taken: December 2020.

Question1: Some people think that tourism does harm to local cultures, and

therefore should be banned. Others think otherwise, saying that local cultures

are affected by many factors and therefore tourism should not be banned.

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

You have 5 minutes to prepare for your talk. Good luck!

Question 2: Some people think that individualism brings may benefits to the

community. Others think otherwise, claiming that it does more harm than good.

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

You have 5 minutes to prepare for your talk. Good luck!

Question 3: Some people think that in the present context of Vietnam, it is

possible to promote economic development while still controlling the spread of

the COVID-19 pandemic. Others think otherwise, claiming that we need to

prioritize one mission over the other. Discuss both views and give your

opinion.

You have 5 minutes to prepare for your talk. Good luck!

…

Date of Test taken: December 2017

Question 1: Concern for the environment is growing rapidly. More and more

people

are

choosing

to

be

“eco-tourists”

–

travelling

in

responsible,

environmentally

friendly

ways.

As

a

result,

the

eco-tourism

industry

is

expanding. Do you think this is a positive trend? Get ready to talk to an

audience on this issue.

Question 2: As compared to the past, teenagers these days spend more of their

leisure time indoors with computers, digital gadgets, and TVs and less time

4

outdoors. Describe some of the problems this lack of outdoor leisure time may

cause and suggest some possible solutions. Get ready to talk to an audience on

this issue.

Question 3: Peer pressure is good for self-development. Do you agree or

disagree with the statement? Get ready to talk to an audience on this issue.

…

Date of Test taken: December 2014

Question

1:

Vietnam’s

population

has

reached

9

billion.

What

is

the

significance of this event? Get ready to talk to an audience on this issue.

You have 5 minutes to sketch out what you are going to say. You should

prepare notes instead of full sentences and try to SPEAK as naturally as

possible.

Your talking time should not exceed 5 minutes. Good luck!

Question 2: “Idleness is the source of all evils.” Do you agree or disagree? Get

ready to talk to an audience about this issue.

You have 5 minutes to sketch out what you are going to say. You should

prepare notes instead of full sentences and try to SPEAK as naturally as

possible.

Your talking time should not exceed 5 minutes. Good luck!

Question 3: Many people think that going overseas for university study is an

exciting prospect. What is your opinion? Get ready to talk to an audience about

the issue.

You have 5 minutes to sketch out what you are going to say. You should

prepare notes instead of full sentences and try to SPEAK as naturally as

possible.

Your talking time should not exceed 5 minutes. Good luck!

…

From collected speaking questions of the speaking part in the National English

Contest

for

high

school

students

in

Vietnam,

it

can

be

withdrawn

that

candidates are asked to give their opinion about a contemporary issue, and to

support their opinion with reasons and examples. A point of view or argument

is

also

presented

on

the

question.

Some

typical

question

topics

include

technology,

culture,

education,

family,

health,

transportation,

environment,

crime, travel, work, entertainment.

The task on the question often takes the form of a brief, general statement and

students have to say to what extent they agree or disagree with it. The task may,

however, presents two sides of an argument and ask them to discuss these

5

views before giving their own opinion. Another common type of task presents

them with a problem and asks them to describe possible causes and solutions.

Below is the summary of question types of Speaking Test in the Nation English

Contest for high school students in Vietnam.

Question Types

Key-word Instructions

Opinion

You express your views on a certain

topic.

To

what

extent

do

you

agree

or

disagree?

Do you agree or disagree?

What’s your opinion on this?

Discussion

You are given two different views

about

a

social

issue,

then

have

to

discuss both of them before offering

your own opinion.

Some people … Others … Discuss

both views and give your opinion.

Enumeration

A phenomenon is mentioned and you

are asked to discuss problems/causes

and

solutions

to

the

identified

phenomenon,

or

to

point

out

the

causes

and

effects

of

the

phenomenon, or the advantages and

disadvantages of the phenomenon.

What …?

How …?

Examiners

award

a

band

score

for

each

of

three

areas

with

following

weighting:

+ Fluency and cohesion: 40% of total marks

+ Ideas and accuracy (lexical and grammatical range): 40% of total marks

+ Presentation style: 20% of total marks

3. Criteria of a good oral presentation

Oral

presentation,

either

in

testing

or

non-testing

situations,

is

under

the

influence of many factors. Yuan and Ellis (2003) proposed pre-task planning

and

the

positive

effects

it

can

have

on

accuracy.

With

respect

to

how

presentations have been taught, Halliday’s genre approach has often been used

as the basis for teaching presentation courses (Webster, 2002). This involves

teaching genre specific language and other context specific items. As for

students, when asked about what constitutes a good presentation, they rated

6

criteria such as clarity of speech, correct language and audience appeal as the

main factors (Otoshi and Heffernen, 2008). Meanwhile, in the Speaking Part of

the National English Contest for High school students in Vietnam, cohesion,

fluency, lexical and grammatical accuracy, presentation style are the main

marking criteria.

Thorough understanding about components of a good oral presentation will

help teachers design suitable lessons to develop their students’ performance in

general and eloquence in particular.

4. Eloquence features of an oral presentation

An

oral

presentation

should

always

be

clear,

concise

and

backed

up

by

arguments. Its purpose is to express speakers’ opinions about certain topics.

Each subject discipline has certain language conventions and speaking styles

concerning genres. However, there are some general eloquence features of an

oral presentation that are relevant across all disciplines.

a.

Increased lexical density: A good presentation often requires a higher

level of lexical density. Highly-proficient speakers often use a wide

range of vocabulary. Depending on speaking themes, they will flexibly

choose words suitable for the context.

b.

Variation in speech rate: Speakers frequently make adjustments in their

speech rate during their talk. They vary between speaking rapidly and

slowly in order to deliver a speech effectively.

c.

Intonation:

Speakers

are

flexible

to

change

their

tone

of

voice

depending on what they are saying. The meaning of their words is

weighed and expressed through non-verbal communication including

voice tonality.

d.

Pausing: Pausing refers to temporary pauses and hesitation. It is an

interval of silence or the use of hesitation devices while thinking of ideas

to express. The speaker may use pauses to enhance the message delivery.

II. PRACTICE: HOW TO SPEAK ELOQUENTLY?

1. Stages of preparing an oral presentation

Following

are

stages

students

should

follow

during

their

practicing

oral

presentation to improve eloquence.

Stage 1: Analyzing the question

Students are required to read the speaking question carefully, underline key

words. Then students can figure out the basic requirements of the speaking

task: what the main topic is and how the talk will be organized.

7

Take the following question as an example.

“As compared to the past, teenagers these days spend more of their leisure

time indoors with computers, digital gadgets, and TVs and less time outdoors.

Describe some of the problems this lack of outdoor leisure time may cause and

suggest some possible solutions.”

From the underlined words and phrases, students can identify:

-

The main topic: more leisure time indoors for technological gadgets but

less time outdoors

-

Organization: Problems - Solutions

Stage 2: Making an outline

An outline is a list of the information which will be put in the presentation. An

outline begins with the main topic and controlled idea of the presentation,

shows the organization of the presentation, tells what ideas will be discussed,

which ideas will come first, second and so on.

Writing an outline before giving a presentation will show students what to

speak before actually beginning their speech, help make the speech well-

organized and clearly-focused. Also, the outline keeps students from forgetting

any important points.

Students can make a list of the key points and group together any points that

are similar, using the suggested mind-map template.

They can then discuss with other peers, compare each other’s notes to plan a

complete outline for the presentation.

Following is the note example for the aforementioned speaking question.

8

Stage 3: Practice

- Students use the note to practice their speaking. In order to give a good

presentation in their speaking test, they need to familiarize with questions types

and be quick at brainstorming ideas. Therefore, it is essential for teachers to

help them be fast to come up with ideas and build their talk appropriate for

specific genres.

2. Giving an oral presentation

When giving an oral presentation, students should take following factors into

account.

a.

Structure of an oral presentation

Ø

Introduction

This is the opening of the talk. It introduces the talk and arouses listeners’

interest. The introduction is aimed at proving information about the topic, the

aspect of the topic being dealt with, the attitude of the speaker towards the

topic.

Therefore,

the

introduction

acts

as

a

guideline,

helping

listeners

generalize how the talk will be going on.

There are two main statements in the introduction: general statements and

thesis statements. General statements give listeners the background information

which can be either facts or opinions about the topic of the talk. They should

lead listeners gradually from a general idea to a very specific idea. As for thesis

statements, they state the main idea of the talk. They are like an answer to the

question and provide listeners with a guide to its argument.

To make the introduction impressing for listeners, the speaker can include

interesting

facts

or

statistics,

a

personal

story

or

example,

an

interesting

quotation.

Following are some useful statements for the introduction of the presentation.

9

There is a public debate that ________.

Recently the problem/ issue has been brought into focus ________.

Nowhere in history has the issue been more visible than ________.

Many nations have been faced with the problem ________.

This issue has aroused heated debates recently.

It’s time we explored the myth ________.

Now people are beginning to realize that ________.

It’s interesting/ worthwhile to investigate this issue from different aspects.

I’d like to examine/ look into this issue in this presentation.

Ø

Body

The body is at the heart of the talk and consists of several parts. The purpose of

the body is to explain, illustrate, discuss or prove the thesis statement. When

developing ideas in the body, the speaker should discuss one aspect of the main

topic in each body part. The controlling idea in the developmental part should

support the central idea in the thesis statement. All developmental parts in the

body should have coherence and unity.

Ø

Conclusion

The conclusion is the last part of the talk. Its purpose is to signal the end of the

talk, summarize the main points and leave the listeners with the speaker’s

thought on the topic. It may emphasize an action that the speaker would like the

listeners to take. Remember not to introduce new ideas in the conclusion as this

violates

the

rule

of

unity.

A

conclusion

only

restates

or

give

further

commentary on ideas discussed in the talk.

The first sentence in a conclusion usually begins with a conclusion transition

signal such as in brief, in conclusion, in summary, in short, to sum up, etc.

Following are some useful statements for the conclusion part.

In conclusion, although ________, ________.

From what has been discussed above, we may draw the conclusion that

________.

In summary, it is important ________.

We need to take a second look at/ give a second thought to ________,

otherwise, ________.

In short, it’s time we put an end to ________.

To sum up, apparently, ________. If we are to________, it is essential

________.

We may have a long way to go before ________.

10

Below is the organization of an overall presentation.

ORGANIZATION OF AN ORAL PRESENTATION

INTRODUCTION (5-6 sentences)

-

General statements

-

A thesis statement

BODY (2-4 parts)

Part 1:

-

A topic sentence which is the main point of the talk

-

Supporting sentences (logical inference/examples/ explanation, etc.)

Part 2:

-

A topic sentence which is the main point of the talk

-

Supporting sentences (logical inference/examples/ explanation, etc.)

Part 3:

-

A topic sentence which is the main point of the talk

-

Supporting sentences (logical inference/examples/ explanation, etc.)

…

CONCLUSION (2-4 sentences)

-

A summary of the main points, or a restatement of the thesis in

different words

-

Final comments on the topic based on the ideas discussed in the talk

Let’s look at the following example of a full oral presentation.

Question:

“Many

companies

sponsor

sports

as

a

way

for

advertising

themselves. Some people think it is good for the world of sports, while others

think

there

are

disadvantages

to

this.

Discuss

both

sides

and

give

your

opinion.”

A student’ response

Introduction

“Imagine being a viewer on the football field. What will you first see? The

answer might be astonish… astonishing. It is not the players that you first see

but the running ads on the field. Those act like continuously advertising

products of some companies. Ah… It’s a common sight in the world sports

nowadays as companies and firms continuously sponsor sports to boost the

value of sports as well as advertising their products. Some people say it

decreases the sportsmanship altogether, many others are more optimistic and

say it’s a way of sustaining sports. And although I see convictions of both sides,

I think that the benefits outweigh demerits.”

11

Body

For a start, I do believe that too much advertising can be degradation of

sportsmanship. The commercialization of sports nowadays has made many

sports lovers feel fed up or even made them leave it. These people argue that

athletes nowadays only compete for monetary funding and they do not care

much about traditional values of their own sports anymore. They may say

footballers only compete to have high funding and good salaries. They don’t

really care much about what football is about or values of a true footballer.

They also opine that too many advertisements running on the filed or even

associated with sports can distract and discourage viewers from focusing on

the game. Let’s take an example. If you sit on a section on a stadium, keep

seeing ads running all the sides, you will be distracted and maybe you can’t

concentrate on what’s happening on the field. That will totally make the

experience of viewing the game boring and it’s not a very desirable one.

However, I do believe that these are only rare cases. The better side of sports

funding would be regarded as a better access. I would say that funding would

sustain sports and also attract more athletes and viewers into that same sport.

To begin with, I would say that many people need funding so as to continuously

competing. There are many sportsmen and athletes who are deprived or

destitute in terms of money and therefore, they need sponsorship to continue

competing. They would appreciate any monetary support from any donors and

that would allow them to continue fighting for their dream. Not only so, more

ads or more sponsorship could allow a sport to flourish. Let’s say if a very big

company continuously strike a deal with an athlete, that person could continue

fighting

and

promoting

a

product

of

the

company,

therefore

creating

a

mutually

beneficial

relationship.

That

would

help

sports

grow

together.

Therefore, not only the donors get benefits from it but also viewers and athletes

deliver the experience of a better performance.

Conclusion

To sum up, I would like to say that although there are some bad sides of sports

sponsorship, I do agree that this type of funding not only benefits athletes and

viewers but also be a bilateral beneficial aspect for these sponsors themselves.

(Transcript of a student’ response in the national team)

b. Unity and coherence

Unity in speaking is the connection of all ideas to a single topic. In an oral

presentation,

all

ideas

should

be

related

to

the

thesis

statement

and

all

supporting ideas in the main body part should be relevant to the topic sentence.

12

Coherence is related to unity. Ideas that are arranged in a clear and logical way

are coherent. When a talk is unified and coherent, the listeners can easily

understand the main points. As previously mentioned, creating an outline helps

make a well-organized presentation. Therefore, when organizing ideas, students

should think about what type of organization is the best for their topic or

speaking type. Here are some examples of types of speaking and good ways to

organize them.

Type of speaking

Type of organization

Classification

Comparison / contrast

Argumentation / persuasion

Cause / effect

Group ideas and explain them in a

logical order

Organize in point-by-point or block

style

Oder from least important to most

important

c. Cohesive devices

Cohesive devices are words and phrases that connect sentences and different

parts in the talk together, creating smooth flow of ideas. Transitions, pronouns

references, and repetition of key ideas are termed as “cohesive devices”.

Ø

Transitions

Many transition words and phrases in English are used to connect sentences

together or relate ideas to one another. Following are some common transitions

and their use in the talk.

Use

Transitions

Chronology

first, second

next

before

then

while

when

Comparison

likewise

compared to

similarly

as … as

Additional information

and

also

in addition

13

in fact

furthermore

moreover

Another …. is/ was

Examples

for example

in general

generally

for instance

specifically

in particular

Cause and effect

therefore

so

thus

as a result

since

because

Concluding ideas

in conclusion

in summary

finally

to conclude

to summarize

Ø

Pronoun reference

Two sentences can be connected by the use of a pronoun. A pronoun (he, she,

it, they, etc.) takes the place of a noun (a person, place, thing, or idea).

Ø

Repetition of key nouns or ideas

Another way to connect ideas in the talk is by repeating important words and

phrases. This will help the listeners remember the main ideas of the talk.

Let’s investigate the use of cohesive devices in one student’s response about

the disadvantages of too much sports advertising.

“For a start, I do believe that too much advertising can be degradation of

sportsmanship. The commercialization of sports nowadays has made many

sports lovers feel fed up or even made them leave. These people argue that

athletes nowadays only compete for monetary funding and they do not care

much about traditional values of their own sports anymore. They may say, for

example, footballers only compete to have high funding and good salaries.

They don’t really care much about what football is about or values of a true

footballer…”

14

“For a start” is the transition phrase signaling the opening of the new part in the

presentation. Similarly, “for example” is used when an instance is introduced.

There is also high frequency of pronoun references (they) and repetition of key

words and ideas (compete, sports, footballers, football). Diversification of these

types of cohesive devices in the talk helps link the ideas cohesively; therefore,

the listeners can catch up with the flow of information and grasp the gist of the

talk.

3. Some samples of an oral presentation outline

Students may find it hard to quickly response to the speaking questions of the

National

English

Contest.

The

key

here

is

to

identify

the

task

at

hand;

specifically, figuring out what type of the response the question asks for.

Basically, they can be divided into three major types: opinion, discussion and

enumeration. Following is the general guide in answering each of them.

a.

Discussion

Question: Some people … Others …Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Response:

I. Introduction

There is a discussion/debate/ controversy on ___________/ _______ is under

controversy.

Whether ______ has been a question of controversy.

Although some people advocate/ subscribe to the view that (view 1), others

argue/agree that view 2.

In this presentation, I’d like to elaborate on both views/ both sides of the

debate before giving my final thoughts on this issue.

II. Body

If you agree with both views

View 1:

On the one hand, there are strong arguments against/ in favor of _______/

There are several reasons for supporting the view.

+ Supporting ideas

View 2:

On the other hand/ there are several reasons why some people are against/

opposed to _____.

+ Supporting ideas

III. Your opinion + conclusion

In conclusion, it seems to me that ______/On balance, I would say that

________ ( each view has its own merits/ both are of equal importance/

15

significance) . Therefore, it is advisable to ______ in order that _____.

If you agree with one view

Body:

View 1: (Against)

On the one hand, those who feel that _____ might argue that _______ ./ there

are strong arguments against _______...

View 2 ( For)

However, I would argue that/ I am better convinced that ______

III. Conclusion

In conclusion, although (view 2), I still believe that (view 1).

b.

Opinion

Question: … To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Response:

(Comparison of A and B)

Type 1

Type 2

Introduction

1. Introducing the topic

_____

has

attracted

a

lot

of

public concern/a lot of attention

from those in concern.

2.

Stating

thesis

statement

(A>B)

While it is true that (B) is highly

essential, I strongly believe that

someone be likely to reap more

benefits from V-ing/ Noun (A)

1. Introducing the topic

_____

has

attracted

a

lot

of

public concern/a lot of attention

from

those

in

concern.

While

some

people

claim

that

____,

others argue that ____.

2. Stating thesis statement

I totally argue that (A and B) are

of equal importance/ both should

be taken into consideration.

Body

1. Body 1: “weaker view – B”

a. Topic sentence: The role of B

cannot be deniable.

b.

Main

idea

1

à

Supporting

evidence

c.

Main

idea

2

à

Supporting

evidence

1. Body 1: view A

a. Topic sentence: The role of A

cannot be deniable.

b.

Main

idea

1

à

Supporting

evidence

c.

Main

idea

2

à

Supporting

evidence

16

2. Body 2: “stronger view – A”

a. Topic sentence: However, I am

convinced that (A) will be much

more conducive to someone

b.

Main

idea

1

à

Supporting

evidence

c.

Main

idea

2

à

Supporting

evidence

2. Body 2: view B

a.

Topic

sentence:

B

is

also

beneficial in the same sense.

b.

Main

idea

1

à

Supporting

evidence

c.

Main

idea

2

à

Supporting

evidence

Conclusion

In conclusion, although there is

no

doubt

that

(B)

will

be

beneficial to ________ in certain

ways, from my perspective (A) is

likely

to

make

more

contributions to ________.

In conclusion, I strongly believe

that although A is beneficial to

________, it cannot outweigh the

role of B in ________.

•

Language Note: Stating counter-arguments

Although everyone believes that ________, I doubt/ wonder that the argument

bears much analysis.

Some people argue/ claim that ________. But more often than not, the opposite

seems to be the case. (Maybe it is just the other way around.)

There is probably some truth/ a certain plausibility in the arguments/ ideas, but

they ignore a deeper and more basic/ important fact that ________.

It’s a common belief that ________, but one vital fact is being left out of our

consideration.

Some people argue that ________. But this argument doesn’t work.

Some people may be right/ correct in saying/asserting that ________, but they

seem to neglect the fact that ________.

Some people propose/ advocate/ suggest that ________. But what they fail to

take into consideration is that ________.

There is absolutely no reason for us to believe/ accept that ________.

Some people object to the idea on the grounds that ________.

It’s a common belief that ________. Unfortunately, ________.

c.

Enumeration

v

Problems – Solutions

Question: What are problems of … and how can they be overcome?

17

Response:

I. Introduction:

[General statements]

+ There has been an ever-increasing awareness of ____

+ The rise in _________ in the past decades has fuelled public worries about

________.

+ In these years, the society has seen rapid proliferation of __________. It is

followed by a protracted debate over its negative impacts.

+ Of those issues that have concerned the government, academics and the

public throughout the world, __________ is one of the most prominent.

[Thesis statement]

In this presentation, I’d like to examine some problems/issues/matters of

______ and offer/ propose some solutions/ effective ways/ to deal with them.

II. Body:

1. Problem 1 + Solution 1

2. Problem 2 + Solution 2

…………………………….

1. Problems

Explain what problem is, the result

of the problem, give examples.

2. Solutions

State the solution, explain how it

solves the problem, give examples.

Approach 1

1. Problem 1 + Solution 1

One major problem of _____ is _____

One of the most serious problems facing people is ________

This

problem

could

be

solved

in

several

ways.

/

One

possible/

feasible/practical measure/ solution/ policy/ approach/ method to combat this

issue might be/ would be/ could be/ is ______. (The effect of ____ would be

______)

2. Problem 2 + Solution 2

Secondly, _____/ Another important issue which deserves people’s attention

is _______.

In order to tackle this matter/ improve the situation, governments/ individuals

should _____ _______

One practical solution is/ would be/ for + O + to-in

If the government could + bare-inf, the situation would be less severe.

Approach 2

18

1. Problems

Some problems can be anticipated when ______. /Undoubtedly, ______ face

several issues. One of the most serious issues is ______. Another noticeable

matter is ______. The obvious consequence of this phenomenon could be

______.

2. Solutions

Therefore,

prompt

measures

are

needed/necessary

to

redress

problems

described above. First and foremost, the government should ______. Another

feasible measure would be ______.

III. Conclusion

1. In conclusion, various measures can be taken to tackle the problems that

are certain to arise as S + V.

2. In conclusion, two major problems of _____ including _____ and ______

are set to bring the whole society in grave trouble. Therefore, immediate

actions should be taken to tackle such issues.

v

Causes – Solutions

Question: What are causes of … and what can be done to solve it?

Response:

I. Introduction

[General statements]

+ There has been an ever-increasing awareness of ____

+ The rise in _________ in the past decades has fuelled public worries about

________.

+ In these years, the society has seen rapid proliferation of __________.

+ Of those issues that have concerned the government, academics and the

public throughout the world, __________ is one of the most prominent.

[Thesis statement]

In this presentation, I’d like to examine/analyze some causes of ______/

reasons for/ sources of _____ and offer/ propose some solutions/ effective

ways to deal with them.

II. Body

1. Cause 1 + Solution 1

2. Cause 2 + Solution 2

…………………………….

1. Causes

Explain what causes are, the result,

give examples.

2. Solutions

19

State the solution, explain how it

solves the problem, give examples.

Approach 1

1. Cause 1 + Solution 1

One major/ primary/chief cause/source of _____ is _____

The main root/ culprit of ____ is ____

One underlying/root cause of _____ is ______ / ____ is known to contribute

to _____

This problem could be solved in several ways. / One possible measure to

combat this issue would be/is ______. The effect of ____ would be ______

2. Cause 2 + Solution 2

Secondly/ Another important cause which deserves people’s attention is

_______.

Another key factor contributing to/ leading to/ resulting in/ giving rise to

____ is _____

In order to tackle this matter/ improve the situation, governments/ individual

should _____ _______

Approach 2

Causes: A lot/host of factors may account for/ result in ____. One major/

primary/chief cause is _____. [ Explanation] Another important cause which

deserves people’s attention is ______.[ Explanation]

Solutions: There are several feasible measures that the council/ individuals

could take to solve the problem. One possible measure would be ______

Language Note:

A solution for the government is to + inf

To tackle this problem, people should

The way forward might be to + inf

This problem could be addressed by + V-ing

Dealing with this issue involves + V-ing

III. Conclusion

In conclusion, _____ is mainly caused by ______ / _____ is the obvious

result

of

____/

______

is

attributed

to

_____

(

Solutions).

Therefore,

aforementioned measures should be taken to prevent this issue from further

deteriorating.

v

Causes – Effects

20

Question: What are causes of … and its effects?

Response:

I. Introduction

[General statements]

It is generally/widely believed/ accepted that __________

There is an ever-increasing/ ever-growing number of _______

Recently ___________ has aroused wide/much public concern.

[Thesis statement]

-

In this presentation, I’d like to discuss/analyze some main/ major reasons

why this has occurred and examine the consequences of this worrying

trend.

-

In this presentation, I’d like to examine some major/ primary causes of

______

and

point

out

negative/

severe/

detrimental/serious/harmful

/adverse effects/ consequences/ influences/impacts.

II. Body

Body

1:

Causes

Body 2: Effects

Body

1:

Cause

1

-

Effect

Body 2: Cause 2 - Effect

Causes:

Indeed, a number/host of factors may account for/ lead to/ result in/ give rise

to the increased level of overweight. / A wide range of factors affecting ___

can be taken into consideration.

+ One major cause/source of ______ is _____/ One underlying/root cause of

_____ is ______ / ____ is known to contribute to _____.

+ One contributing factor is _____ ( Explanation)/ _____ lie(s) at the root of

obesity. / _____ get blamed for contributing to ____

+ In addition/ Furthermore, _____ is responsible for/ contributes to/ lead to/

result in/ _______

Effects:

Undoubtedly, ____ exert negative/ detrimental/ devastating/ serious/ severe/

influences/ impacts (on sth/sb).

+ First and foremost, _____ exacerbate(s) a large number of health problems.

/

The

most

obvious

effect

is

that

______

aggravate(s)numerous

health

problems.

21

+ Another potential repercussion is ______

+ Last but not least, ________ deserves the great attention.

III. Conclusion

In

conclusion,

_(problem)_____

is

attributed

to

(cause)_____

and

its

consequences should not be overlooked/ there are several causes of _____

and a variety of negative effects. Therefore, immediate actions/ measures are

needed/ should be taken

+ to prevent ______ from further deteriorating.

+ to tackle/ combat/eradicate/alleviate the issue.

v

Advantages – Disadvantages

Question: What are advantages and disadvantages of ________?/ Do you think

advantages of _______ outweigh its drawbacks?

Response:

I. Introduction

[General statements]

_______ has attracted a lot of attention from those in concern.

_______ has been a matter of great concern.

_______ has gained enormous popularity recently.

[Thesis statement] State “stronger view”

E.g. disadvantages > advantages

While

followers

of

this

trend

maintain/advocate

that

_______

has

provided/offered

numerous

benefits/

has

created

substantial

gains,

I

am

strongly convinced that/ I strongly argue that/ it is my firm belief that it is

likely to involve more harmful impacts/ exert more detrimental effects.

E.g. advantages > disadvantages

While

it

is

true

that

_______

has

exerted

several

adverse

effects/

has

provided numerous drawbacks/ downsides, it is my firm belief that that/ from

22

my perspective, those demerits cannot prevail/ overshadow/ outweigh the

potential advantages/benefits.

II. Body

(“weaker”

side) On

the

one

hand,

the

merits

of

________

cannot

be

questionable.

•

Advantage 1. The most obvious benefit is that/ One of the main

advantages is that ________.

•

Advantage 2. Another plus point of ________ is ________.

(develop each point of advantages in 2-3 sentences, using supporting ideas

and/or examples)

(“stronger” side) However, I would argue/ am better convinced that these

benefits are outweighed by the drawbacks.

•

Disadvantage

1.

Firstly,

one

of

the

primary/main

shortcomings

pertains/ relates to + noun

•

Disadvantage 2. Another downside which is worth mentioning/ which

deserves the great attention is that + clause

(develop

disadvantages

in

2-3

sentences,

using

supporting

ideas

and/or

examples)

III. Conclusion

Concluding part: In conclusion, it seems to me/ I am of the opinion that the

potential dangers of _______ are more significant than the possible benefits.

Recommendations: It is advisable to _______ so that ________.

4. Dos and Don’ts in giving an oral presentation

DOS

DON’TS

1. Well structure your presentation to

avoid being sidetracked.

1. Insert any of your own opinions,

interpretations,

deductions

or

comments irrelevant to the topic into

the presentation.

1.

2. Focus on key messages. Be

sure to present your talk with clear

points.

2. Add ideas which are too broad.

1.

3. Begin your presentation with

3.

Repeat

the

exact

words

in

the

23

a story or an intriguing question to

spark listeners’ curiosity and arouse

their interest.

speaking

question

in

the

introduction of the presentation.

1.

4. Use a conversational tone.

4. Just read the note with the flat

tone.

2.

5. Time your speech. Make sure

to leave unessential parts out so that

you can complete your speech within

the timeframe.

5. Forget to make adjustments to the

length of the speech in order to fit

the timeframe.

5. Giving feedback

Feedback exerts a profound impact on learning process when it comes to

eloquence improvement. In oral presentations, it is an integral part of

developing students’ disciplinary identity. In fact, it helps demonstrate how

well student’s argument and justification in their oral presentation work.

Also, constructive comments will help them to recognize errors and make

improvements in their presentation skills. Based on the criteria of a good

oral presentation, the following feedback form can provide a frame of

reference for accessors who can be either peers or teachers.

ORAL PRESENTATION FEEDBACK FORM

Speaker: ____________________ Topic:_______________________

i. CONTENT (IDEAS – VOCABULARY – GRAMMAR)

Comments on introduction (Capture attention? Clear topic?)

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Comments on body/main points (Clear argument? Convincing?)

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Comments on conclusion (Reviewed major points? Memorable?)

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Comments on organization (Flow? Clear transition? Order? Logic?)

24

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

ii. DELIVERY

Comments on speaking (Pronunciation? Tone? Speech rate?)

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

iii. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

It

is

important

for

teachers

to

give

student

speakers

immediate

oral

evaluation and teachable moment become part of the schedule. As oral

feedback may be either forgotten or misinterpreted by students in the “let-

down” after their performance, it will be helpful to provide them with a

record of response, specifically the suggested feedback form, for each

student. Using the same evaluation forms instead of free-form comments

facilitates

consistency

in

feedback

and

application

of

full

criteria

for

assessing all students’ performance.

In

addition,

peer

assessment

is

welcomed

as

students

become

active

listeners for the full presentation, learn from each other’s presentation

skills and each of them has a better idea of how to deliver their speech

effectively and reach the audience.

C. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Oral presentation skill plays a crucial role in both academic and professional

communication.

And

the

mastery

of

eloquence

in

speaking

is

crucial

to

communicate messages effectively and persuasively. It is the art involving

careful planning, delivery of information in the logical and convincing way to

catch the attention of listeners. Being able to master this skill, it is essential for

students to have thorough understanding about what constitutes a good oral

presentation and make a study plan accordingly. Stages of preparing an oral

presentation includes analyzing the speaking questions to identify the types of

response and brainstorming ideas to outline the presentation. A good oral

25

presentation must meet two criteria: unity and coherence. Also, within the

timeframe of presentation, familiarity with the organization and language use

of each type of speaking response is of great essence. Importantly, students

should be focused on improving their oral presentation, particularly how to

organize presentations, how to organize the content, how to signpost different

sections and how to make smooth and natural transitions between their points.

By watching best talks and performances from the TED conference via the

website https://www.ted.com/talks?language=vi, students can be inspired by

how eloquently the speakers are able to present their ideas. Noticing how these

experts

express

their

thoughts

is

a

great

resource

for

refining

students’

presentation skill. Listening to highly-trained professionals speak also provides

fantastic examples of how to present information to others in a succinct and

articulate way.

It is hoped that this study offers useful suggestions on improving eloquence in

speaking by thorough explanation, demonstration of stages, and some practice

samples with guiding questions.

26

PRACTICE EXERCISES ON MAKING OUTLINES

FOR ORAL PRESENTATIONS AND SUGGESTED IDEAS

1. Question: Highschool is the best time in a person’s life. Do you agree or

disagree? (National English Competition 2015)

→ Suggested outline:

A/ INTRODUCTION

- Highschool can be the most incredible time or a nightmare to some particular

individuals.

B/ BODY

I/ AGREEMENT

1. NEW SCHOOLS, NEW FRIENDS

•

Enter a different educational environment: meet new people

•

The place where you can express yourself and have a close friendship.

2. CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES

•

Be more active

•

Working with peers and seniors: learn about teamwork skills, find your

passion, open horizons, be more confident

•

Speak up your viewpoints and listen to other’s perspectives

•

Make new friends.

3. BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES, DIFFERENT STAGES OF EMOTIONS

•

Experience all kinds of things, meet many types of people -> be more

thoughtful and mature, make better decisions in life

•

First love: an important person, cute memory of the teenage years.

II/ DISAGREEMENT

1. SCHOOL VIOLENCE

•

physical injury + mental health problems.

→ Some even committed suicides.

2. STRESS

•

Their parents’ high expectation about academic achievement.

•

Peer pressure: struggle to achieve high marks but somehow cannot keep

up with their mates

27

C/ CONCLUSION

- Depending on each student' experience.

-

It can be high school time, but also another period.

-

Enjoy every moment we live, rather than rate them so that our life will be a

collection of best memories, not only just when we go to high school.

2. Question: “Home is where your heart is”. Do you agree or disagree?

(National English Competition 2015)

→ Suggested outline:

A/ INTRODUCTION:

- Home plays an important role in everyone's life.

- It is where we belong to no matter what

→Agree with the opinion: "Home is where our heart is".

B

/

BODY:

1. Definition:

- “Home is where the heart is”: Where you get affection, care and love

+ You may travel far and wide, but at the end of those journeys, home is where

you can lie down and rest

+ Home will give you the positive energy when you need.

- "Home": It could be anywhere - as long as you are accepted and loved at that

place, it's your home.

2. Reasons:

- Comfort and freedom: no need to wear the polite mask or please people

though we don't want to → be yourself.

- Mutual feelings: at 'home', we feel the warmth of love.

- No more constant worries or anxiety: a lovely place for you to come back

after a hectic day

C

/

CONCLUSION:

- Regardless of the format, home has been and will always be where our heart

is.

- Treasure your home.

3. Question: Peer-pressure is good for self-development. Do you agree or

disagree? (National English Competition 2017)

→ Suggested outline:

A/ INTRODUCTION

- Peer pressure: direct or indirect influence friends in the same age

28

and others have on us.

- Good or bad?

→ Stay neutral

B/ BODY

I. AGREEMENT: Some peers can be a good model

- Inspire you to be more diligent and determined on achieving your goals

→ catch up with other mates

- Gauge your behaviors, personality traits or contributions to the collective

→ try to improve and become the best version of yourself

- Be willing to put your neck on the line outgrow yourself

II. DISAGREEMENT:

-

Do things against your own will or beyond your current capabilities

-

Lack the ability to make decisions for themselves

-

Doubt your own ability → Become depressed about your failure

-

Become envious of others’ success and develop negative attitudes towards

them.

C/ CONCLUSION

-

Peer pressure can be both beneficial and detrimental

-

Everyone has their own color → choose what to learn from others instead

of just modelling another.

4. Question: Each university should carry out their own entrance

examination. What’s your opinion? (National English Competition 2015)

→ Suggested outline:

A/ INTRODUCTION

Covid-19 has caused many issues relating to teaching and learning

→ appropriate changes: Universities should have their own entrance.

examinations.

B/ BODY

1. Advantages:

- Recruit target students

+ Each university has its own standard

→ universities are more independent in enrolling students.

2. Disadvantages:

- More fraud and unfairness:

+ Examiners get their hands on the questions more easily → help some certain

students or make a fast buck.

29

+ No fair chances for other students.

- Unnecessarily high cost of organizing many exams

+ More tests → more paper used, larger number of staff involved, grading

+ Students have to move to different places for exams → More fuel for

travelling.

C/ CONCLUSION

- This issue has its own strengths and limitations.

- There should be some adjustments to accurately assessing students' ability.

5. Question: Some people think that newspapers are the best way to learn

news. However, others believe that they can learn news better through

other media. What is your opinion?

→ Suggested outline

A/ INTRODUCTION

- It is widely argued that newspapers are the most effective way to receive

news.

→ Opinion: Besides printed press, other sources of information should be

taken into account.

B/BODY

1. Benefits of reading news on newspapers

- Newspapers’ content is guaranteed as it is always heavily censored before

being broadcasted.

→ readers protect themselves from misleading information, which is rife on

the internet.

- Professional journalists from prestigious publishers satisfy even the most

demanding readers with academic writing style.

→ By learning from official sources of printed news, readers broaden their

vocabulary and language proficiency.

2. Benefits of updating news from other sources of information

-

Television,

news

sites,

and

news

apps

are

superior

to

conventional

newspapers in terms of updatability.

→ Rather than waiting for days or weeks, internet users and TV watchers get

aware of what is happening around the world in a matter of minutes.

- Diversity is one of the key advantages of social media over traditional

30

newspapers.

Spectators

of

modern

means

of

media

are

provided

with

comprehensive

analysis

from

multiple

perspectives

instead

of

one-way

information.

→ Not only is spectators’ critical thinking sharpened but also their freedom

of speech is ensured.

C/ CONCLUSION

- I do agree printed newspapers are dominant among certain groups of

readers, but other credible sources of information such as TV, online news

have gained increasingly popularity.

APPENDIX

SAMPLE TRANSCRIPT OF THE ORAL PRESENTATION OF

STUDENTS AND FEEBACK

Question: In some cities people are choosing cars instead of bicycles, while

in other cities riding bikes is replacing cars. Why is it the case? Which

development do you think is better?

Response:

Imagining having the opportunities to drive on a luxurious and comfortable

car, would you opt for this or would you still take a bike anywhere in order to

better protect the environment in which you are living? This is a big question

which has been divided in the public and created dual trends, one of which is

many cities would opt for driving cars instead of bicycles as majority, while in

other cities bikes are of great relevance and greatly preferred by citizens. I

would argue that the trend of this trend is caused by personal belief and

convictions regarding merits of transportation methods and I would argue that

the option of choosing bikes over cars is definitely better in multi-faceted ways.

Now let’s first investigate the reasons for the pattern of choosing either cars or

bikes over other commodities. In countries where cars are chosen over bikes, I

believe that they are pleased that their experiences are great improvement in

economic situations. These citizens there are having better living standards,

therefore, they are more willing to spend money on commodities and one of

them,

of

course,

should

be

transportation

methods.

Cars,

while

they

are

31

expensive, can be first of all, very personal and so they can travel using the

commodity every time they like going to any places that they want. It’s also a

symbol of wealth, therefore it is used by many people to display certain images

to other individuals and the society.

Turning to the next point why do some people prefer bikes over cars. In such

areas, people believe that cars no longer bring happiness but rather a nuisance

both to their mental health and environment. This is usually seen in superpower

nations like the USA, Japan and Western nations and so on. Most people in

such countries have already have the capability to purchase cars and they

already have it. This is the reason why all mass-scale traffic congestion occurs,

creating a lot of stress and strain since people have to wait too long. Not only

that, exhaust fumes from such a great volume of cars also take their toll on the

environment. And therefore, in recognition of such effects, the government have

taken active acts ah..actions in order to encourage the development of bike

system. A case in point which is Singapore with a very wonderful public bike

server which many people can make use of.

Personally, I would argue that using bikes instead of cars is both better for

environment and human’s health and this trend should be encouraged in all

nations. It is undeniable that countries where the atmosphere is polluted and

they have experienced a lot of traffic jams have already experienced with this

trend, whereas other countries which economy is on the development are not

facing with such problems. It is definitely better to counter such problems

before they take their toll on the population. And they will create a smaller

need to deal with huge consequences caused by the widespread car use.

To sum up, I’m firmly convinced that riding bikes is definitely better than cars

and so it’s a policy that should be endorsed nationwide by various countries all

over the world and it would definitely make our environment as well as

people’s mental well-being better.

Feedback

ORAL PRESENTATION FEEDBACK FORM

Speaker: ____________________ Topic:_______________________

i. CONTENT (IDEAS – VOCABULARY – GRAMMAR)

32

Comments on introduction (Capture attention? Clear topic?)

Good

lead-in

question,

clear

thesis

statements/

repetition

“I

would

argue”/ wrong word choices (e.g. the trend of this trend is caused by

personal belief and convictions regarding merits of transportation methods

→ the differences in their choice is due to personal preference regarding

merits of transportation methods)

Comments on body/main points (Clear argument? Convincing?)

Body 1: Need to elaborate more on the reasons related to financial status.

Ambiguous

meaning

“that

their

experiences

are

great

improvement

in

economic situations”.

Body 2: Just state “it takes toll on environment” without any example or

explanation. Singapore is cited as an example but it is not closely linked to

the topic sentence

Comments on conclusion (Reviewed major points? Memorable?)

Well-done

Comments on organization (Flow? Clear transition? Order? Logic?)

Well-structured, coherence among parts of the presentation with obvious

signals, but in body 1: unclear transition among reasons → quite hard to

follow.

ii. DELIVERY

Comments on speaking (Pronunciation? Tone? Speech rate?)

Good pronunciation. Quite fluent with a few pauses. A conversational

tone.

iii. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Well-done! Keep up with hard work.

33

REFERENCES

[1]

Hutchinson, T & Waters, A. (1987). English for specific purposes.

Cambridge: CUP.

[2]

King, J. (2002). Preparing EFL learners for oral presentations preparing.

Journal of Humanistic Studies, 4, 401-418.

[3]

Morley, L. (2001). Producing New Workers: Quality, Equality and

Employability in Higher Education. Quality in Higher Education, 7(2),

131-138.

[4]

Nunan, D. (1989). Designing Tasks for the Communicative Classroom.

New York: Cambridge University Press.

[5]

Otoshi, J., & Heffernen, N. (2008). Factors predicting effective oral

presentations in EFL classrooms. Asian EFL Journal, 10(1), 65-78.

[6]

Webster, F. (2002). A genre approach to oral presentations. The Internet

TESL Journal, 8(7). Retrieved from http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Webster-

OralPresentations.html.

[7]

Yuan, F., & Ellis, R. (2003). The effects of pre-task planning and on-line

planning on fluency, complexity and accuracy in L2 monoligic oral

production. Applied Linguistics, 24(1), 1-27.

[8]

https://www.ted.com/talks?language=vi,