Confident Communication Skills

Overview

A 60-minute interactive session designed to enhance Year 6 students' speaking and listening skills, improving clarity, confidence, responding appropriately, and practising effective verbal communication. All activities address the National Curriculum for England’s spoken language requirements for Year 6, focusing on Functional Skills that prepare pupils for real-life communication.

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National Curriculum Links

Spoken Language – Year 6
Pupils should be taught to:

• SL6.1: Speak clearly and convey ideas confidently, articulating and projecting appropriately
• SL6.2: Use discussion to communicate and negotiate ideas, challenging and building on others’ responses
• SL6.3: Listen and respond appropriately to adults and peers, asking relevant questions
• SL6.4: Gain, maintain and monitor the interest of the listener(s)
• SL6.5: Consider different viewpoints and seek to resolve disagreements through discussion
• SL6.6: Evaluate their own and others’ spoken language

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the session, pupils will be able to:

1. Speak clearly, confidently, and with appropriate volume and pace, to communicate ideas effectively.
2. Listen actively and respond constructively during paired and group discussions.
3. Demonstrate improved verbal negotiating and questioning skills in role-play scenarios.
4. Reflect on their own listening and speaking performance with peer and teacher feedback.

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Resources

• Scenario cards for role-plays (age-appropriate situations: e.g., planning a school event, resolving a playground disagreement)
• Listening exercise audio clips (short dialogues)
• Feedback checklists (simplified speaking and listening rubrics)
• Timer/watch for timed activities
• Whiteboard and markers
• Sticky notes for peer feedback

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

• Starter Activity: Brainstorm on the whiteboard: What makes someone a good communicator?
• Teacher introduces the learning objectives in child-friendly language.
• Highlight the importance of tone, clarity, volume, and active listening in effective communication.

2. Paired Discussion: Clarity and Confidence (10 minutes)

• Pupils pair up and take turns describing their favourite hobby or interest for 2 minutes each.
• Focus: speak clearly, maintain eye contact, use relevant vocabulary.
• Partners listen actively and afterwards give two positive verbal feedback comments focusing on clarity/confidence.

3. Listening Exercise and Response (10 minutes)

• Play a short dialogue (1-2 minutes) between two children discussing a problem (e.g., forgetting homework).
• Pupils in small groups answer questions about the dialogue to check understanding (e.g., What was the problem? How did the characters feel?).
• Follow up with a whole-class brief discussion on how well the listener understood and what helped their understanding (tone, pauses, clarity etc.).

4. Role-Play: Negotiation and Responding Skills (15 minutes)

• In groups of three, pupils take turns acting out scenarios from scenario cards (e.g., planning a group project or resolving conflict).
• Encourage using polite questioning, listening carefully to others, and building on their ideas.
• Teacher circulates to support and observe the quality of communication.

5. Group Feedback and Self-Assessment (10 minutes)

• Groups share a short reflection on their role-play experience, focusing on what went well and what could improve.
• Peer feedback with sticky notes: each pupil writes one strength and one area to develop about a partner’s speaking or listening skills.
• Use a simple rubric addressing: Clarity, Confidence, Listening, Responsiveness.
• Teacher models self-assessment on own example to guide pupils.

6. Plenary and Next Steps (5 minutes)

• Recap key learning points: Why clear speaking and active listening matter.
• Quick quiz or thumbs up/down – pupils self-rate how confident they feel about speaking and listening now compared to before.
• Set a ‘communication challenge’ for the week (e.g., ask a family member about their day and respond carefully).

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Assessment Criteria

Criteria	Working Towards	Expected	Greater Depth
Clarity of Speech	Sometimes unclear speech or quiet voice	Clear speech and appropriate volume most of the time	Clear, confident speech with varied pace and tone
Confidence in Speaking	Shows some hesitation or lacks eye contact	Speaks with growing confidence and some eye contact	Speaks confidently with sustained eye contact and expression
Active Listening	Sometimes distracted or miss key points	Listens attentively and responds appropriately	Shows excellent focus, asks relevant questions and paraphrases
Effective Response	Responds briefly without elaboration	Responds and builds on others' ideas	Responds thoughtfully, negotiates and clarifies ideas skilfully
Collaboration and Feedback	Needs reminding to participate	Takes turns and contributes ideas clearly	Leads discussions, encourages others and uses feedback effectively

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Differentiation and Inclusion

• Provide sentence starters for less confident speakers.
• Role-play roles can be assigned based on pupils’ confidence levels.
• Use visual prompts during listening tasks for pupils with processing difficulties.
• Pair pupils strategically – buddy higher-attaining speakers with those needing encouragement.

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Teacher Notes

• Emphasise relating skills learned to real-life situations they encounter at school and home.
• Encourage the use of ‘I’ statements during discussions to promote ownership of ideas.
• Monitor group dynamics carefully to ensure everyone participates equally.
• Use positive reinforcement to build self-esteem around speaking aloud.

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This lesson develops essential communication skills aligned with Year 6 national expectations, engaging pupils in meaningful, practical ways to refine their speaking and listening proficiency in preparation for secondary school and beyond.