Listening and speaking (communication)

Global societal and technological trends are shaping the future workplace, such as changes brought about by AI, automation and as the world looks to reduce the impacts of climate change. Core transferable skills such as listening and speaking (communication) are becoming increasingly valuable to employers along with these shifts and can transfer across different roles and industries. 

Teach students that listening and speaking (or communication) is about receiving, retaining and transmitting information and ideas, influencing others, and using critical thinking skills to evaluate different perspectives. Explain that communication is at the heart of collaboration, leadership, and problem solving.

The activities in this lesson helps students build confidence in expressing their ideas clearly, listening actively to others, and adapting their communication style to different audiences and situations.

Teaching Resources:

• Listening and speaking (communication): Lesson plan and presentation slides – for use with a group of students in the classroom
• Listening and speaking (communication): Student worksheets
• Secondary school: Skills tracker – an optional resource to support students keep track of the skills they have developed and plan how they can practise them
• Listening and speaking icon: available to download and incorporate in your wider teaching materials to help students recognise other contexts where they are learning and utilising listening and speaking skills. 

Lesson learning outcomes:

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify the essential aspects of good communication, including its contribution to effective teamwork
• Demonstrate essential aspects of listening and speaking and other forms of communication
• Explain potential consequences of poor communication at work.

Continue developing your students’ listening and speaking skills

This lesson features in the employability skills scheme of learning for 11–14-year-olds.  They provide a ready-made sequence of curriculum linked resources to help you build progression in your learners' knowledge over time. Visit the Scheme of learning homepage to support with your planning.