The Individual Oral

Tips for a More Engaging IO

Don’t be a robot! Yes, we said it! When you deliver your IO in a rehearsed and robotic
manner, you more often than not “detract from the oral” in terms of quality and listener
engagement. Remember, you chose this topic, so show some passion! Show some
enthusiasm! Show some life! We understand that you are nervous, but a more engaging
delivery will ensure that your listener (and examiner) can sense your joy and passion when
you speak. This often translates into a better overall impression and a happier listener.

Top 10 Tips for Improving Your IO Delivery:

1. Engage your listener.

○ It is important that the listener is paying attention and following your
argument. Speak in a way that shows you are talking TO them and sharing
your knowledge WITH them.

2. Do not use a script.

○ Yes, we know you probably went against our advice and wrote a script.
However, please remember to “be human” and not race through something
you have memorized. You KNOW this content! Speak naturally!

3. Vary your pace.

○ Do NOT speak all in one speed, one tone, one voice without inflection.
That’s boring! Speed up or slow down according to where you want to
emphasize key ideas. SLOW DOWN when you deliver the Global Issue -
your examiner is listening very carefully at that moment!

4. Punch important words.

○ Put stress on powerful words that help to emphasize your key points. Use
intonation and stress important aspects of the oral.

5. Elevate your vocabulary.

○ Find ways to insert more elevated vocabulary words but do not overdo this.
You want to elevate language but keep it natural. Be eloquent but not
pretentious. Find sophisticated words that you know and that you like.
6. Think like TED and use rhetoric.
○ Remember studying speeches with your teacher? What are some of those
key moves of persuasion in speeches? Use them in your IO!

7. Use clever sentence stems.

○ Sentence stems serve as signposts on a road map for the listener. It alerts
them of what is immediately coming:
■ “In the body of work as a whole…..”
■ “This helps to illustrate the Global Issue in that…”
■ “In short, we see that…”
■ “It is noteworthy that…”

8. Try the royal “we”.

○ Rather than talking in the first person and using “I” or remaining in the third
person objective, try to use some inclusive language. It reduces the distance
between the listener and the speaker and creates a more comfortable
environment for the IO.
■ “In line 4, we see…”
■ “We see this global issue throughout the work as a whole. In Act 3,...”
■ “In this case, we as the audience understand that…”

9. Ask questions and then answer them.

○ This is known as hypophora. Rather than asking a rhetorical question and
allowing the listener to reach their own conclusions, answer the question!
This allows you to tell the listener what you want them to think and plant an
idea into their minds.

10. Be yourself.
○ Ultimately, this is about YOU sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm with
your listener. Don’t try to be another person. You will be more relaxed if
you simply treat your teacher like any other person and simply be true to
yourself.
Watch. Learn. Master.

Be sure to check out the companion video to this document: IO - Tips for a More Engaging
IO. This will enable you to further understand key concepts and develop the critical skills
necessary that lead to success in IB English.