Communicative competence in teaching speaking

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COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE IN
TEACHING SPEAKING
By
Jasno
UIN SUSKA RIAU
Abstract: The existence of Communicative Competence in
teaching speaking is importantly viewed as the basis as well
as the goal that must be achieved. Understanding the aspects
and characteristics of Communicative Competence can help
the speaking teachers to guide their learners into speaking
atmosphere that make them speak naturally. Negotiation of
meaning and management of interaction in communicative
competence reflect to the focus on the use of language, not on
the usage. Oral communicative tasks given to students are the
speaking teachers’ consideration to create students’ orally
natural communication.
Key Words: communicative competence, teaching speaking

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Introduction
Speaking is known as a productive skill used as
communication tool through oral form. As the first
manifestation of language, speaking places the first rank
in communication compared with the other skills. It can
be proven that most of communication interaction done
by human through speaking. Moreover, the learning-
purposes of language are firstly focused on the ability to
communicate in speaking. Yet, what is expected in
teaching the speaking is often far away of the target,
because much of the language teaching speaking refers
to grammatical or structure functions (usage) more than
communicative way (use). This condition should be
understood by the English teachers in order that they
really understand what to do in teaching speaking. They
would be able to make change and improvement of their
teaching, so that their students really feel the advantage
of their learning of language. The students will regard
speaking as the most important skill they can acquire,
and they assess their progress in terms of their
accomplishments in spoken communication. Difficulties
experienced by them in expressing their ideas in
speaking motivate them to do more.
In the communicative model of language teaching,
teachers should actually help their students develop this
body of knowledge by providing authentic practice that
prepares students for real-life communication situations.
They help their students develop the ability to produce
grammatically correct, logically connected sentences that

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are appropriate to specific contexts, and to do so using
acceptable (that is, comprehensible) pronunciation.
According to NCLC (2004: 1) Language learners need to
recognize that speaking involves three areas of
knowledge:

Mechanics 
(pronunciation, 
grammar, 
and
vocabulary): Using the right words in the right
order with the correct pronunciation

Functions (transaction and interaction): Knowing
when 
clarity 
of 
message 
is 
essential
(transaction/information exchange) and when
precise 
understanding 
is 
not 
required
(interaction/relationship building)

Social and cultural rules and norms (turn-taking,
rate of speech, length of pauses between
speakers, 
relative 
roles 
of