Students plan, rehearse and deliver spoken texts such as presentations and interviews, adapting voice and structure for audience and purpose

What this dot point is asking

A lot of real-world English is spoken, not written: a presentation to a class, a talk at a community meeting, a job interview, a phone call to a service. This dot point asks you to plan, rehearse and deliver spoken texts and to adapt your voice and structure for your audience and purpose. Spoken English is its own skill. A speech that reads well on paper can fall flat when delivered, and a relaxed chat can fail an interview. Your task is to learn how speaking works and to practise it deliberately.

The answer

A good spoken text is planned like a written one but delivered like a performance. The content matters, but so does how you say it: your pace, your volume, your pauses and your eye contact. The audience cannot reread you, so clarity and signposting matter even more than in writing.

Speaking is not writing read aloud

The most common misunderstanding is treating a presentation as an essay read out. Spoken English needs:

• Shorter sentences, so the listener can follow without losing the thread.
• Signposting words ("First", "The main thing is", "Finally") so the listener knows where they are.
• Repetition of key points, because a listener cannot scroll back.
• A natural, spoken rhythm, not dense written phrasing.

Plan your content fully, but write it in the way you would actually say it.

Structure for a presentation

A reliable shape:

• Open: greet the audience and tell them what your talk will cover.
• Body: two or three clear points, each with an example.
• Close: restate the main message and end on a strong final line.

Telling the audience your structure at the start ("I'll cover three things") helps them follow and helps you stay on track.

Delivery you can control

You cannot change being nervous, but you can control a few things that make a real difference.

• Pace: slow down. Nervous speakers rush. A pause is not a mistake; it gives the audience time to absorb.
• Volume: speak up enough to be heard at the back.
• Eye contact: look at the audience, not only at your notes.
• Notes: use cue cards with key words, not a full script you read word for word.

Rehearsal is where this is built. Practise aloud, time yourself, and run it in front of one other person if you can. The dot point says "rehearse" for a reason; delivery improves enormously with practice.

Interviews

A job interview is a high-stakes spoken text. Prepare answers to likely questions (your strengths, why you want the job, a time you solved a problem) but do not memorise them stiffly. Speak clearly, give specific examples, and ask one question of your own at the end to show interest. The register is formal and polite but warm. This is the speaking side of the job-application skills the module also teaches in writing.

Examples in context

Imagine two students giving the same two-minute talk about a part-time job. The first reads a dense paragraph from a page without looking up, in a flat rush. The audience loses the thread within seconds. The second uses cue cards, opens with "Today I'll tell you the three things my job taught me", pauses between points, looks up at the room, and ends with a clear final line. Same content, very different result. The second student understood that spoken English is delivered, not just written. That difference is exactly what this dot point assesses.

Common mistakes

Try this

• Plan a two-minute talk on a topic you know, written in short, spoken sentences with clear signposting.
• Make cue cards with key words only, then deliver the talk aloud and time it.
• Practise one interview answer using a specific real example, then ask a friend for one piece of feedback on your pace and eye contact.