Communication Challenges | EFL Practice Activities & Learner Strategies

Help learners move beyond knowing English and start using it to communicate with greater confidence.

Communication Challenges is a practical EFL resource booklet designed to help teachers tackle some of the most common difficulties learners face when communicating in English. Students may know the vocabulary and grammar they need, but real communication also requires them to listen, respond, adapt, keep a conversation going and make themselves understood in real time.

This booklet explores eight common communication challenges, giving teachers practical strategies for helping learners develop the skills they need to become more confident, flexible and independent users of English.

Topics include getting reluctant learners talking, developing conversation skills, dealing with communication breakdowns, improving real world listening, making better use of pair and group work, encouraging spontaneous speaking, helping learners recognise their progress and improving spoken intelligibility.

Each section looks at why learners may struggle, what teachers can look out for and practical ways to help, alongside quick ideas that can be easily incorporated into everyday English lessons. The booklet also includes larger classroom activities and printable resources that give students opportunities to put these communication strategies into practice.

Activities encourage learners to ask follow up questions, react and add to conversations, explain unfamiliar ideas, listen for overall meaning, exchange information, solve problems, improvise and respond without relying on a prepared script. The focus is not on perfect English or eliminating learners’ accents, but on helping students communicate successfully and make themselves easier to understand.

With a mixture of teacher guidance, quick classroom activities, speaking games, listening tasks, pair and group work, printable materials and learner strategies, Communication Challenges can be used as a complete resource or dipped into whenever a particular communication difficulty arises.

Perfect for:

• EFL, ESL and ESOL teachers looking for practical speaking, listening and communication activities.
• Building learners’ confidence and independence in real life English communication and spontaneous speaking.
• Pair work, group work and communicative English lessons where students need meaningful reasons to listen, respond and interact.

Please Note: Once you have completed your purchase, you will receive a PDF to download and print. This is a digital download. No physical product will be shipped.