Learn English Easily: Refreshing Guide for Speaking ~ MUET SPEAKING 800/2

My dear students, let us begin with a smile as it is the most effective ice breaker and will open the door into positive aura. Our gestures, posture, level of confidence while speaking play a very important role in effective expression and lowering our level of anxiety. The lower our anxiety level, the higher our performance. Everything we think and do creates energy, so developing positive self talk consistently can create positive energy, eventually reducing the level of anxiety and increasing the level of self confidence.

Marks given for MUET (Malaysian University English Test) speaking are based on the 3 criteria:

I. Task Fulfillment ~understand and focus on the task (present relevant ideas), generate & organize your ideas, (providing relevant ideas),showing a mature treatment of topic ~use HOTS (higher order thinking skills: analysis, synthesis, evaluation, affective)

II. Language~ expressing the points clearly, using appropriate & varied vocabulary, linking ideas and grammatical accuracy. Deliver your speech confidently (presentation of view points) Using effective language functions (defining, classifying, describing, explaining, comparing and contrasting, expressing agreement and disagreement, seeking clarification, drawing conclusions, stating and justifying points of view, presenting an argument) by abiding on the rules of social etiquette in conversation .

III. Communicative ability~ fluency, ability to maintain discussion, pronunciation, stress & intonation, using good body language when delivering the reasons, using confident & convincing style while maintaining social etiquette in communication.

Here are some tips for note management & presentation for MUET speaking task:

TASK A (individual presentation)

Write your points in a draft, organise your ideas systematically :

Introduction:

Introduce the topic

Give definition

Highlight the main points of the task

Body:

1st point:

Explanation:

Elaboration (example):

2nd point:

Explanation:

Elaboration (example):

3rd point:

Explanation:

Elaboration (example):

(use transitional markers to connect the ideas and mention the most important point first)

Conclusion(Closing statement):

Restate your view point.

Sum up the three main points.

Give suggestion, recommendations or advice.

TASK B ( group discussion)

Group discussion presentation:

Opening the discussion: introduce the subject

Managing the disscusion:

a. Do not dominate or be too passive,

b. Initiating ~ spark up conversation

c. Possess a good listening skill~ so that the view of others could be comprehended and digested accordingly.

d. Turn-taking~ be cooperative

e. Interrupting ~be polite

f. Prompting~ alert in responding

g. Negotiating ~ respect others view points, search for a point that can absorb or correlate all the other points if possible.

Conclude the discussion:

Closing~ get the group to come to an agreement

Finally, remember that negative self talk can stress us, so turn it into positive self talk and live in the positive light by trying to be strong without being hard, trying to heal without hurt, trying to create pleasure and not pressure and believe that success is for those who live in Love and Light!

With love and prayers,

Teacher Sakinah