Taking the Fear out of Full-Class Discussions: Boosting Quiet Learners' Confidence to Speak

When it comes to language learning, confidence is everything. Some learners may have varied vocabularies, understand complex grammar, and know what they want to say. 

But when it comes to speaking in front of others, they may stumble. They may question themselves, get overwhelmed, and put too much pressure on perfection. 

In this blog post, we'll explore ways to encourage student participation in full-class discussions while providing support so they gain confidence using their English.

1. Create an encouraging classroom atmosphere

For learners to feel confident, the classroom has to feel like a safe space. This means building trust and fostering an atmosphere of mutual respect and support. 

On the first day of class, do some activities to help students get to know each other. For example, have them share an interesting fact about themselves or their main reason for learning English. Start simple, based on the level of the class, so that learners can feel confident using the language that they have. 

You could also have them collaborate to create posters on positive classroom behaviors, such as switching off mobile phones and being kind and respectful. 

For more ideas for icebreakers and building a positive classroom atmosphere, check out this blog post by Tanya Trusler on Ways to Make Students Feel Comfortable in Class. 

2. Allow thinking & planning time

Students are more likely to feel confident speaking up if they have had time to think, plan, and prepare. Make sure to give a sufficient pause after asking questions. You could even set a prescribed amount of thinking time. 

For example: 

Teacher: What did you do over the weekend? Think about this for one minute. Then answer. 

[pause]

Student 1: I went to the mall and met my friends. 

Before speaking activities, give students time to write down what they want to say. Encourage them to think of useful words and phrases, or perhaps even write their own script. This will make them more accurate and fluent when it comes to using their voice in larger groups. 

3. Try the think-pair-share method

The think-pair-share method is one common way to give students thinking time and increase their confidence. First, set the question or task and give students time to think about their answers. Allow them to take notes as required.

Then have students discuss their ideas with a partner. This gives students a chance to check that their ideas are correct or relevant and supports them with their language choices. 

Finally, have students share their ideas with the whole class. The previous step will have reassured them that their ideas are valid and, therefore, they will be more likely to share. 

4. Implement the 2, 4, 6, 8+ presentation method

Speaking in public can be scary in any language. Some learners will find this challenging even in their first language. 

One way I've always found helpful in building confidence is to allow students to practice with peers while slowly increasing the size of their audience. 

This 2, 4, 6, 8+ method lets students say the same one-minute presentation multiple times to a gradually larger audience. Students benefit through repetition and reflection. By the time they deliver the same presentation in front of the whole class, they've nailed it. 

First, give them the topic for a one-minute presentation and let them make notes by themselves. Then have them present their ideas in pairs. Encourage learners to give each other feedback and make tweaks.  

Once they are ready to present again, have students work in groups of four, delivering their one-minute presentation to three people. Again, have them give feedback to each other and review and revise their mini talk. 

Then increase the group size to six so they are delivering the same presentation for the third time, but to five people.

Continue by increasing the group size until they are confident with their content and delivery. Hopefully, all the practice will give them a huge boost in confidence to speak in front of the whole class. 

5. Give positive feedback

Finally, increase learners' confidence by giving them encouraging and supportive feedback. Praise and a warm smile can go a long way. 

When learners make mistakes, use the mistakes as learning opportunities and celebrate students' attempts. Each time students use English, they can learn something from it. (You may find this post useful: High-Impact Feedback Strategies.) 

You may also want to do this fun activity to help them become more aware of their self-talk. It helps them identify negative thoughts and reframe them as positive: Inner Troll Vs. Inner Angel.

Michelle Worgan has done a lot of work on supporting introverted learners. I highly recommend this blog post too: How to Make Your Classroom Introvert Ready.

How do you encourage quiet learners to speak in class? What are your top tips? Have you tried any of these methods? We'd love to know your thoughts and ideas.