Oral training is a course aimed at improving speaking skills, in particular speaking fluency, flexibility and sophistication. OT2 focuses particularly on speaking in public, formal contexts, which requires skills distinct from those used in informal conversation.
Oral presentations are just one way in which these skills can be practised. There are many other contexts that require one type or other of public speaking. In each segment of this course we will begin with a topic (e.g. a news story you have read), an activity (e.g. using a questionnaire, presenting research findings) or a task (e.g. interview candidates for a job). Preparation activities will be carried out in groups in class, and information may also be gathered out of class, leading to the final presentation (a news programme, a presentation, a job interview). The preparation phase is at least as important as the presentation itself, as it is here that opportunities arise to improve one’s language and fluency. There will also be impromptu speeches each semester, where students speak with minimal preparation. Presentations will be filmed or recorded, so that students can watch and evaluate their own presentations, as well as those of other students.