It takes two to communicate

This year's BT Schools Awards recognise the vital importance of speaking and listening skills in the classroom. Stephen Hoare looks at how this impacts on later life.

History and literature present plenty of examples where the spoken word has triumphed over other forms of communication. Shakespeare's plays are best experienced in the theatre where the power and rhythms of language talk directly to audiences. And great statesmen like Winston Churchill have inspired the nation with their oratory in times of crisis.

Certain professions have always demanded excellent speaking and listening skills. Lawyers, for example, need the ability to interpret a complicated brief to make a clear-cut case in front of a jury. Doctors, counsellors and therapists have to be able to listen to their patients to get to the root of their problems. And journalists need to be able to hold figures of authority to account, to put the questions the public would like to see answered and to uncover the facts.

Interviewing politicians, in the hands of a seasoned journalist like James Naughtie, is an art form that calls for careful concentration. The interviewer establishes meaningful dialogue where questions are addressed, not merely swept aside. Emily Maitlis, a presenter for BBC London Today, puts it this way: "I'm an active listener. When interviewing someone, always listen to what they are saying and ask questions related to what they tell you. This means thinking on your feet."

But speaking and listening are of growing importance in every walk of life and in every career. We live in an age of instant communications: email, mobile phone text messaging and 24-hour online news. The personalities selected for our vox pop reveal the pivotal role that speaking and listening plays in their working lives, from the actress whose convincing performances depend on her being able to relate to the words being spoken by her fellow actors, to the MP who listens attentively to the concerns of her constituents.

With less time to craft carefully worded speeches or letters, people's ability to listen and to respond appropriately is, often as not, the key to a successful outcome. And in a service culture, companies that can listen to what their customers are saying will enjoy competitive advantage. "Look at the job adverts in the national papers," says Dave Hancock, head of BT education and volunteering. "Four out of six white-collar jobs demand good communication skills. And where once the human resources director used to say 'our greatest asset is our people', now its 'our greatest asset is our people and their ability to work together'."

The need to develop skills for employability is behind the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA)'s decision to revamp how English is taught. The initiative, English 21, has involved extensive consultation with employers who told the exams watchdog that not enough was being done to promote good speaking and listening skills. The consultation with schools and college on revising English assessment by 2015 is likely to attach more importance to ICT and new media and how speaking and listening is influenced by new technology.

"Employers tell us that, whereas 20 years ago managers spent 20% of their time in discussions, now it is 50%," says Sue Horner, head of English language at the QCA. "To succeed in businesses you have to be good at persuasive talking: selling an idea to your bosses, raising the funding, communicating with the workforce."

And listening is equally important as the key to successful industrial relations and plays a large role in maintaining your integrity, according to former TGWU boss Sir Bill Morris. At the end of the day, communication - speaking and listening - is about much more than talking people over to your point of view or addressing audiences, it is about building relationships with family and friends and interacting with others in any context, whether it is collaborating to fulfil a task or taking part in team sports.

Even more important is laying the foundations of speaking and listening. The relationship formed from eye contact and sounds between a newborn baby and its mother is the building block for language development and socialisation.

Liz Attenborough of the National Literacy Trust reveals how an NLT campaign, Talk To Your Baby, is helping to raise awareness of the vital role parents can play by speaking and listening to their child. "Babies learn by imitation and practising themselves. Babies are born sociable but their learning will suffer if there's no-one to be social with."

(Written by Stephen Hoare and published in Education Guardian, 27.09.05)