Global issues require students to be able to discuss matters such as climate change, nuclear proliferation, cyberwarfare, terrorism, religious and racial differences, and female rights in a well-spoken and confident manner. A public school in London decided learning to speak was as important as reading and writing and began helping students learn the basics of discourse.
As we have seen in the presidential race in the US this year, discussing difficult topics can bring out horrible behavior that fails to lead to a solution. When I served on a jury for a criminal trial in Wisconsin last week, I was worried about my ability to get along with the other 11 jurors as we discussed the merits of the case.
Having training in oral communication is too important to ignore. Oral communication requires students to listen to another's argument and express a differing opinion politely. It requires using research to challenge another's thinking and to defend your own position.
Listen to or read the speeches of Churchill and John F. Kennedy to see how important word choice is. Try out new approaches in the classroom and around the dinner table, and learn the power of oral persuasion.
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