Teachers urged to train digital speaking with structure

teaching digital – A Denver-based education consultant argues that many students speak poorly not because they can’t, but because schools fail to teach the two-part craft of building a talk and performing it—especially in digital formats like short videos, podcasts, and classroo

Students talk in every classroom—sometimes casually during discussions, sometimes formally during debates, reciting poems for parents, presenting research, or using the school broadcast system.

But when classrooms shift to screens, the weakness shows up faster. Speaking, the argument goes, is often treated like something students simply “have,” instead of a skill they can be taught.

Erik Palmer. an education consultant from Denver who focuses on practical ways to teach oral communication skills. makes the case directly: most students don’t speak very well. and the attitude that it can’t be improved does students a disservice. He points to how oral communication remains central in business and social life—and how. in a world where AI can read and write for us. well-spoken people will stand out. “Every day improved verbal communication skills will make your students’ lives better,” he says.

The framework Palmer promotes is built around a simple distinction: all speaking has two parts—building a talk and performing a talk. Building is what happens before students speak: thinking through the audience. organizing content. preparing visual aids. even considering how to dress. Performing is what happens during delivery: posture, voice, pacing, eye contact, gestures, and energy that makes words land.

He says this approach can be taught as deliberately as math or writing, not left to chance.

Palmer’s focus then turns to the digital tasks that now sit at the end of many curricular units. He describes how a health teacher might have students make Instagram shorts about fitness, nutrition, hygiene, smoking, and alcohol. A history teacher might produce a YouTube video using a green screen behind students talking about Reconstruction. A geography teacher might record students talking about the South American country they were assigned. An English teacher might have students submit video poetry readings to Schoology. A Spanish teacher might ask students to produce TikTok vocabulary lessons.

Each task, he says, takes effort before students hit record—and it also requires instruction on how to speak while recording.

Before recording, Palmer argues, teachers may be tempted to use AI to generate content. He says he doesn’t object to starting there. but he insists the framework clarifies why more is needed for engagement. AI might provide information such as that saturated fats increase LDL cholesterol and cause plaque buildup in arteries. but Palmer asks whether an audience will understand what that means. AI might also supply historical facts like Hiram Revels and Blanche Bruce becoming the first Black U.S. senators, but he questions whether that will stay memorable for 7th graders.

He warns that checklist-style assignments—like having students name a country, its size, physical features, exports, famous people, food, language, religion, and currency—are easy for AI to generate, yet they often miss what students actually care about.

Palmer’s first step is audience analysis. He says teachers should teach students to ask: Who is the intended audience?. What do they know?. What do they need to know?. What are they capable of knowing?. What are they interested in knowing?. He adds that not all facts resonate. and not all famous poems appeal to 6th graders or not all Spanish words are useful in daily conversation.

Then comes step two: designing the content. Palmer contrasts dutiful reporting—stating the name of a book. main characters. setting. plot. and an opinion—with more engaging choices. He says amusing videos and sport highlights are only a click away. so students must learn to select content that holds attention. In that comparison. “explaining how the main character’s traits are common to all of us and how those traits get her into trouble” is presented as the kind of insight students should aim for. while items like “the size of the country in square miles” are treated as weaker choices.

Step three is the opening. Palmer argues students shouldn’t begin with “I’m going to tell you about…” and instead should brainstorm openings that make listeners curious and willing to keep watching. He gives sample openings: imagining a French fry stuffed directly into the heart to explain how cholesterol in fries “kinda does that. ” using a Spanish-learning promise—“If you learn 300 words. you can understand 90% of conversations in Spanish”—to frame a video series. and describing poetry as something changed by a personal discovery.

After those pre-recording lessons, Palmer turns to how students perform once they press the button.

One pressure point is where viewers are actually watching. He says thinking back to audience analysis should include how viewers access the content—whether on a tablet or cell phone—because small screens and small speakers limit what works. He also highlights distractions around listeners, arguing that talking won’t sustain interest by itself; speakers must perform. That leads to instruction on voice and life.

Palmer stresses that every word must be heard. He says teachers should teach students how to adjust volume and microphones so listeners won’t strain to catch the message. He even illustrates what happens with unclear pronunciation: “Thane q furjoiny uz on taze poetry podcass” is what listeners might hear through small speakers if a student speaks normally. while clearer enunciation like “Thank you for joining us on today’s poetry podcast” is what students should aim for.

He also argues that what sounds lively in person can sound flat online. To show the effect. Palmer uses a short repeated line—“Don’t give that to your sister!”—and changes the intended meaning through inflection: “Oh oh. I’m in trouble. ” then “Oops. I was supposed to give her something else. ” and finally “Right. I was supposed to give it to Kim’s sister.” His point is that changing inflection changes meaning. and it helps make “boring stuff” more interesting.

To drive that lesson home, he compares a hard-hitting statistic about childhood obesity with how it lands when spoken. He uses the same set of figures both times: “Fifty years ago, 5% of American children were obese. Now four times as many kids are obese. That’s 21%. The number has quadrupled. Obesity can shorten lives by up to 20 years.” The difference he emphasizes is delivery—adding life to the words rather than reading them flat.

Palmer ends with a process lesson that’s both practical and blunt: record, rerecord, and rerecord until the words come alive. He says the first take will not be enough to hold listeners’ attention, and students should raise the bar with every recording.

The message is that teachers can teach this. Palmer argues that three minutes can feel like forever to students making audio and video. and that online competition for attention is brutal. Yet he maintains the skill is teachable: with simple lessons in audience analysis. content design. powerful openings. clear volume. enunciation. and vocal energy. student products can stand out.

That idea sits underneath his broader belief that oral communication is a modern advantage. Palmer calls it “a 21st century superpower.”

Palmer is an internationally acclaimed speaker and has given keynotes and led in-service trainings for districts across the US and for educators around the world. He is a frequent contributor to educational magazines and the author of several books. including Well-Spoken: Teaching Speaking to All Students (2nd Edition – Routledge/Stenhouse. 2025). Teaching the Core Skills of Listening & Speaking (ASCD. 2014). Researching in a Digital World (ASCD. 2015). Good Thinking: Teaching Argument. Persuasion. and Reasoning (Stenhouse Publishers. 2016). Own Any Occasion: Mastering the Art of Speaking and Presenting (ATD Press. 2018). and Before You Say a Word: A School Leader’s Guide to Clear and Compelling Communication (ASCD. 2024). He is also a program consultant for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Into Reading and Into Literature language arts programs.

His background includes Oberlin College, University of Denver Law School, and the University of Colorado. Over a 20-year career, he taught English, math, science, and civics, and coached sports as well as debate and forensics.

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