an online book by David Gurteen
Oracy is the ability to speak persuasively, articulate thoughts and ideas clearly, listen powerfully to others, clarify our own ideas and understanding, influence each other through conversation, and express our views with confidence and humility.
The term oracy was coined by Andrew Wilkinson, a British researcher and educator, in the 1960s. This word is formed by analogy from literacy and numeracy. The purpose is to draw attention to the neglect of oral skills in education.
Credit: Wikipedia - oracyGurteen Knowledge Blog July 30, 2022, 16:14I have started to write about rhetoric in my blook though it is still a work in progress. I was never taught rhetoric in school, so I was unaware of its long history and depth. Like many people, I also tended to take a negative view of the concept, given … Continue reading Comparing Oracy and Rhetoric What’s the difference?
Gurteen Knowledge Blog October 3, 2023, 11:50I attended a Henley Forum meeting last week where, among other things, we briefly discussed why Knowledge Management had not been more widely adopted. One of the issues raised was that KMers have perhaps not been effective at presenting the case for KM. During the discussion, I asked if anyone … Continue reading Do You Know What Oracy Is? Oracy is the ability to speak persuasively
In education, considerable emphasis is placed on numeracy and literacy – the ability to understand and work with numbers and the ability to read and write. But what about the capacity to listen and to speak? Why is so little importance attached to oracy? Credit: David Gurteen Source: Conversational Leadership | OracyPosts where this quotation … Continue reading Why Is So Little Importance Attached to Oracy? David Gurteen
Gurteen Knowledge Blog October 24, 2023, 07:52We’ve become so reliant on written exams and essays that we’ve forgotten the value of old-school oral assessments. This fascinating article, Bring Back the Lost Art of Oral Exams, reminds us that oral exams have a long, venerable history dating back millennia. Though they faded in popularity over time, oral … Continue reading Reviving Oral Exams The value of oral assessments in education
Gurteen Knowledge Blog February 28, 2024, 19:38Watch this brief video, which is under 2 minutes long. It shows a young woman asking a question of Allen West (an American politician) in an aggressive manner. I wonder where she learned this confrontational style. She likely picked it up from observing professional interviewers and politicians exhibiting similar behavior. … Continue reading The Importance of Teaching Respectful Conversation A necessity for a healthy society
Our research shows that when students learn how to use talk to reason together, they become better at reasoning on their own. Credit: Neil Mercer Source: Why teach oracy?Posts where this quotation is embedded Oracy The ability to express oneself in and understand spoken language Oracy Is a Core Conversational Leadership Skill Communicating effectively in spoken language Rediscovering … Continue reading Using Talk to Reason Together Neil Mercer
Our spoken language allows us to do more than just share information — it enables us to think and reason together. Credit: David Gurteen Posts where this quotation is embedded Oracy The ability to express oneself in and understand spoken language Oracy Is a Core Conversational Leadership Skill Communicating effectively in spoken language Rediscovering Rhetoric Rethinking how we … Continue reading Our Spoken Language Enables Us to Think Together David Gurteen
Oracy is the ability to speak persuasively, articulate thoughts and ideas clearly, listen powerfully to others, clarify our own ideas and understanding, influence each other through conversation, and express our views with confidence and humility. Credit: David Gurteen Posts where this quotation is embedded Oracy The ability to express oneself in and understand spoken language Oracy Is … Continue reading What Is Oracy? David Gurteen
Gurteen Knowledge Blog July 22, 2022, 14:36You may enjoy these three talks by Rory Stewart from the BBC Radio 4 Seriously series of audio documentaries and podcasts. In the talks, Rory looks at the history of argument and explores its importance and the fact that it is the foundation of our democracies and how we make … Continue reading The Long History of Argument A series of talks by Rory Stewart
Rhetoric is about far more than influencing people through speech. It is how we communicate effectively in our daily lives and, in addition to speech, can take the form of text, images, videos, or any other form of media. Credit: David Gurteen Posts where this quotation is embedded Oracy The ability to express oneself in and … Continue reading What Is Rhetoric? David Gurteen
The Oracy Lab is an experimental space for exploring the power and possibilities of spoken communication for conveying meaning and co-creating a deeper understanding of the complexity and dynamics of the world. Credit: David Gurteen Posts where this quotation is embedded Oracy The ability to express oneself in and understand spoken language Oracy Is a Core Conversational … Continue reading What Is an Oracy Lab? David Gurteen
Writing with AI Isn’t Necessarily Cheating Protected: My Writing Process ## Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Conversations shape how we understand and adapt to change. When dialogue is restricted by rigid goals or constrained by fixed … Continue reading The Vector of Great Conversations A parallel between the vector theory of change and conversational leadership
Introduction: Conversational Learning The Power of Peer Learning Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Traditional lectures often fail to engage students in real understanding. People need more than just information—they need to make sense of it through … Continue reading The Power of Peer Instruction Why explaining ideas to others leads to deeper learning
What Is a Real Conversation? The Value of Conversation ** Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Numerous words or phrases describe the varied forms of conversation and speech. This page lists some of the more common ones … Continue reading The Language of Conversation and Speech Meanings of words describing conversation and speech
Introduction: Conversational Leadership Skills Conversational Self-awareness Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Without oracy skills, we would struggle to communicate our ideas and opinions, leading to challenges in personal and professional settings. This can include difficulty building … Continue reading Oracy Is a Core Conversational Leadership Skill Communicating effectively in spoken language
Why Face-to-face Interaction Matters ** Friends with Cognitive Benefits Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Before the widespread use of writing, oral communication was the primary method of sharing knowledge and culture in society. This oral tradition … Continue reading Orality ** The practice of transmitting knowledge, culture, and traditions through spoken language
Dialogic Organization Development The Power of Team Huddles Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Flipped teaching reverses, or “flips”, traditional in-class lectures and homework. Students watch the teacher’s prerecorded lecture at home, and in-class time is used … Continue reading Flipped Teaching Speech is a bad medium for communicating information – so watch lectures at home
The Power of Team Huddles Ongoing Performance Conversations Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close The Oracy Lab is an experimental space for exploring the power and possibilities of conversations and spoken communication for conveying meaning and co-creating … Continue reading The Oracy Lab An experimental space for exploring the power and possibilities of conversations
Become a Conversation Architect Rediscovering Rhetoric Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close In education, considerable emphasis is placed on numeracy and literacy — understanding and working with numbers and reading and writing. But what about the capacity … Continue reading Oracy The ability to express oneself in and understand spoken language
Oracy What Is the Difference Between Rhetoric and Oracy? Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Rhetoric is often construed as insincere or meaningless language that sounds clever. This is an unduly negative perspective. Rhetoric is a critical … Continue reading Rediscovering Rhetoric Rethinking how we influence and communicate every day
Rediscovering Rhetoric Introduction: the Power of Conversation Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close On the face of it, rhetoric and oracy would seem the same, but although they have much in common, they have some significant differences. … Continue reading What Is the Difference Between Rhetoric and Oracy? Rhetoric is monologue, oracy is dialogue
