Simple Ways to Turn Any ESL Lesson into a Communicative One

🗣️ Introduction:

The Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach is one of the most effective methods in TEFL today. Rather than drilling grammar in isolation, communicative lessons give students real reasons to speak — building fluency, confidence, and practical skills.

6 Easy Ways to Make Your ESL Lesson More Communicative

1. Information Gap Activities

Each student has half the information and must communicate to complete the task (e.g., finding differences between two pictures). This naturally forces authentic questions and answers.

2. Role Plays with Purpose

Instead of “just acting,” give students goals — like returning a faulty product, applying for a job, or giving tourist advice. This boosts engagement and simulates real-world tasks.

3. Think-Pair-Share

After teaching a topic, ask a question. Students think silently, discuss with a partner, and then share with the class. This boosts confidence and participation.

4. Discussion Circles

Pose an open-ended question (“Should school uniforms be mandatory?”) and divide students into groups. Rotate roles: leader, timekeeper, speaker, note-taker. Everyone speaks.

5. Story Chains

Begin a story with one sentence. Each student adds the next. Great for practicing narrative tenses while building a fun group dynamic.

6. Problem-Solving Tasks

Present a situation (e.g., “You're lost in a foreign city without your phone”). Students must work together to solve it using only English.

✨ Bonus Tip:

Always provide language support before a communicative task — such as useful phrases, sentence starters, or vocabulary banks. This helps shy students participate with more ease.