Having a Logical Mind in IBT Speaking

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INTRODUCTION

One of the most important things a student should achieve while taking the TOEFL IBT speaking part exam is how to be able to speak logically. As a general rule in speaking, we are able to judge a person by the way he speaks. The common mistake student make is that they tend to speak without even thinking first. They answer in haste to a question thrown to them without even processing both the question and the answer. Many would agree that “silent water runs deep.” This means that people who talk less tend to speak with logic and authority than people who talk too much. Excellent answers for the test need not be lengthy, they can be short but they should be done with tact and really make a lot of sense. Most of the time, the answer becomes too long because of too much redundant words or phrases. Too much redundancy while taking the test will lessen your mark in the test. If vocabularies are too many, there is a greater risk of speaking foolishly. So, to be able to learn the strategies on how to speak logically, students should learn the following steps:

Step 1:       STUDENTS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION FIRST

One crucial point to be able to speak logically in the test is by making sure that one truly understands the question or the problem that needs to be answered or solved. If the answer that one gives is not even related to the question, then the answer becomes totally illogical. Even if all the grammars, dictions and even the choice of words are carefully said, the whole thing becomes nonsense. As they say, human beings were created with two ears, two eyes and one mouth because God wants us to listen more, see and observe more and speak less. In the medical field, doctor should be able to find the sickness first before being able to prescribe the right medicine. To be

able to give the best solution and answers, students must be able to know and understand what the problem or question is.

Step 2:       LEARN TO ORGANIZE YOUR THINKING AND IDEAS

I often hear students say “oops! I put my foot into my mouth again.” Students often speak words that they would regret later on once they are able to take the time to really think of the whole thing. Students often end up making the wrong decision or saying things that they would regret later on when they allow their emotion especially if it is negative to control them. To be able to speak logically requires a lot of brain power that is why it is logic. In the book of proverbs it says “as a man thinketh, so is he.” This simply means, students are what they think. During their idle times before the test, what students can do is think of questions, scenarios and situations of TOEL speaking test, then also think of the most logical answer that they can give. It is during this time that student’s brain is functioning more and not their emotion and adrenalin. They can process and practice everything properly without pressure. When the time comes that they come face to face with these questions, then they are prepared to answer confidently and logically because they were able to organize their thinking and plan ahead of time about the answer.

Step 3:       REHEARSE

After organizing ones thought, students should practice on how to deliver their organized thing king and ideas out loud to themselves and, if appropriate, to a few others. Do it out loud because the words always come out right in your head, but if you have to speak them you'll catch some problems before hand. Most of the time students know what they want to say but when they say it out will be quite different from what they had thought. Do it again repeatedly. Keep doing it until you are comfortable and improved. Rehearsing is also a good way to build a student’s confidence in speaking. Practice makes perfect, it can really give student an ideal score in the exam.

Step 4:       EXPRESS YOURSELF IN AN APPROPRIATE METHOD

Examiners are smart and they see right through us. They can sense if students are being true to what we are saying or if we are just being hypocritical or just memorized some answers. One thing I observe is that the examiners that make a lot of impact to the examiners are those who speak sincerely and with passion from their hearts. They have the power to let the examiner what they want to express and compel them without trying very hard.   The whole thing should become very natural and effortless to have an excellent score.  Mean what you say and say what you mean during the test.

Expressing themselves properly requires a lot of tact.  Students should have to say what they have to say in the exam to be able to speak logically. Sometimes the way students express themselves make examiner decide whether they will give a high score or just the opposite. As students express themselves, they should always be mindful of their choice of words and even tone of their voice.

Step 5:       BE CLEAR ON WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY

To be able to be understood by the examiners, the student should speak with a firm, strong and confident voice. Examiners tend to pay more attention if the student speaks with confidence. On the other hand, examiners get bored and sleepy when the student speaks with a voice as soft as a whisper or as slow as a donkey walk. Each syllable should be pronounced very clearly and accurately. Of course, it would be best if the student can deliver their answer with the proper diction and accent. There are times that examiners get distracted with the accent of the student. Because of this, the examiners tend to get the wrong information as the student meant it this way, but his accent give the words different meaning already. Some examiners would then find the whole thing funny and weird. A student must have confidence to be able to speak clearly.

As much as possible, we should speak the words in layman’s term. Sometimes in an effort to impress the examiner, the student speaks high-sounding words that the examiners are not able to relate to. This tends to make the examiner feel that they are not smart enough to be able to understand what the “smart” speaker is talking about. I have observed that books and novels that are best sellers are those that people from all walks of life can relate to.

Step 6:       RELATE YOUR OPINIONS

If students want to speak with logic, they have to speak of facts. But they are also free to give their opinions about the whole thing. They can give illustrations to prove their point, or they can just simply state their reasons for having the said opinion. They can even look at history and get their basis there. They can also consider the opinions of the majority of their classmates. They can gather some statistics, data or consensus to back up and support their opinions. In some cases, there are really no right or wrong answers, they are just a matter of differences of opinion. Thus, can give student extra scores in TOEFL IBT speaking test.

Step 7:       LEARN TO RELAX ... YOU ARE READY FOR THE TEST

You have prepared for this exam so there is no need to be worried. You know the material and you know what the examiners would like to hear. Now just go out and deliver a polished, rehearsed answer confidently. You have to believe that you can do it to be able to have an excellent mark.

To be able to speak logically in the test, students answers must be realistic, reasonable, time bound, manageable and attainable. It has to be based on facts and not merely on here says memorized, rumors, gossips, wild guesses, feelings, etc. They have to really understand what the question is all about. After having understood the question, they have to utilize their brain by organizing their thinking in order to produce a logical answer. Careless thinking gives careless answers. Do not give answers in haste especially when it is the emotion that is controlling us. For example when a student is nervous he/she cannot think in the right way. When nervousness overwhelms, logic is gone. Be true to what you are saying for there is conviction in it. Trying to impress examiner with your answer may lead us to give illogical answers because they are not sure on what they are saying. Eloquence in test is very important to be able to speak clearly and be understood by the examiner because your brains allow you to give reasoning. And also this allows you to think carefully about what you want to say.