Enhancing Your Clarity During OET Speaking

Excelling in the OET Speaking subtest requires clear communication. Let's explore some practical strategies for enhancing these essential skills.

1. Structure Your Responses

Organizing your thoughts before speaking can significantly improve clarity. This can start in the three minutes of preparation time.

During your prep time, ensure you know the main points you intend to cover. You can tell from the tasks in your role-play which ones require slightly more preparation, such as explaining specific information or giving instructions. I often ask the candidates I work with to quickly jot down the main ideas with bullet points on a piece of paper to keep them focused. This is especially helpful with instructions, as there will only be three to four points or instructions.

Following is a basic outline of how you can approach large tasks with explanations or instructions.

• Introduction: State what you will explain (signaling to the patient what will be discussed).

• Details: Provide specific information about the treatment or instructions. Break them down into small chunks—consider using labeling and chunking. This is where you can use bullet points to order your thoughts.

• Conclusion: Summarize key points and invite questions.

This approach ensures that your communication is logical and easy to follow.

2. Use Clear and Concise Language

Avoid medical jargon when speaking with patients. Instead, use simple language to explain complex concepts. For example, instead of saying "hypertension," say "high blood pressure." This practice enhances understanding and ensures that your message is accessible to all patients.

3. Practice Active Listening

Effective communication is a two-way street. By actively listening to your patients, you can respond more appropriately and ensure that your answers are relevant to their concerns. This attentiveness not only improves coherence but also builds rapport with patients.

4. Engage in Regular Practice

Consistent practice is key to improving your speaking skills. If you are finding this particularly difficult, pick out a single task where you have to give 3-4 instructions or points in an explanation. Voice record yourself giving those instructions. Repeat until you feel more comfortable that your communication is concise.

You can also engage in regular role-playing sessions with peers or mentors, focusing on various scenarios. This practice will help you become more comfortable with the language and improve your ability to communicate clearly and coherently.

5. Seek Constructive Feedback

After practice sessions, seek feedback from your speaking partner. They can provide valuable insights into areas where you can improve, such as clarity, tone, and overall communication style. Better yet, purchase this OET speaking package, which has a feedback checklist designed around the OET speaking criteria. Incorporating this feedback will help you refine your speaking skills and boost your confidence.

6. Record and Review Your Speaking

Recording your practice sessions allows you to self-evaluate your performance. Use the feedback checklist in the OET speaking package to make this easy. Listen to the recordings with the checklist in front of you to identify areas where you may be unclear or disorganized. This self-assessment can be a powerful tool for improvement.

7. Manage Your Speaking Pace

Speaking too quickly can lead to misunderstandings, while speaking too slowly may cause the listener to lose interest. Aim for a moderate pace, pausing at appropriate intervals to allow the listener to process information. This balance will help maintain clarity and coherence in your communication. A good piece of general advice is to speak around 75% of your L1. Another way to see if you are speaking too fast or slow is to take your cues from the interlocutor.

Implementing these strategies will help you enhance the clarity of your OET Speaking subtest. Remember, effective communication is a skill that can be developed with consistent practice and a mindful approach. Keep practicing, stay patient, and you'll see improvement over time.