Speaking English is perhaps the hardest part about learning English as a foreign language. Because of this, teachers should dedicate a portion of every lesson to ESL speaking exercises. Choose exercises that allow students to practice a variety of skills, such as pronunciation, listening and conversational skills. Each class is different, so be sure to tailor your exercises to the types of activities that your class enjoys. Use games in children's classes, for example, and practice realistic situations in adult classes.

Reading Aloud
Start your class by having students read aloud. This helps students warm up without the pressure of thinking about what they should say. Asking students to read aloud will also help to practice pronunciation. You can have one student read a paragraph or short speech or have two students read a dialogue.

For beginning students, choose dialogs that are practical, such as asking for directions or going to the hospital--things that they may have to do if they are traveling abroad. With more advanced students, you can choose dramatic pieces, such as those found in a play. This can help teach advanced speaking skills like voice inflection. Reading aloud is a also particularly good way for a shy student to get some English practice, as she may hesitate to participate in class.

Role Play
Move on to role playing, which allow ESL students to practice real-life situations. This is essential for those that are learning English to live or travel abroad. Common situations such as shopping or ordering at a restaurant can bring anxiety if you don't speak the language well. Practice can ease these anxieties. You can use role playing with both young and old students, beginner or advanced. Simply adjust the vocabulary words to suit the level.

Communicative Worksheets
When you'd like to see a bit more interaction in your class, try using communicative worksheets. These are questions that students must ask one another. For example, you may request that that they find someone in the class that knows how to ski or play a musical interest. You can make this more exciting by creating the questions as a bingo game and whoever gets the bingo first is the winner. Communicative worksheets can make a good icebreaker in new classes.

Around the World
End the class with an ESL speaking game, such as Around the World. Students must sit in their desk. Chose one student to go around the world. She stands next to another student and those two compete. You hold up a flash card and the two students must try to be the first to say the word. The student who says it first can move on to compete with the next student, and so on. A student wins when she makes her way around the whole classroom. Make this easy be requiring students to simply say the vocabulary word and make it harder by requiring them to use it in a sentence.