It is generally accepted that the personality of a person can be known from the style of his speaking. If the style is entertaining and interest evoking, then he is praised by all. On the contrary if his style is uninteresting, unclear and meaning evading, then he is not liked by any. In interviews for any service, the members of the board judge the personality of the candidate from his speaking i.e., how he answers the questions. It is sound that some persons influence the mass by their speaking style.

As writing is a skill, similarly speaking is a skill. It is found that many highly learned teachers cannot teach well due to their lack of communication skill. For this now there are many institutions which train students in spoken English. Unfortun-ately, there are, perhaps, no institutions for spoken Oriya.

A child’s first school is his home and first teachers are his/her parents. Hence the parents should teach their children the correct speech, correct pronunciation and correct words.

In pre-primary stage, children imitate the speaking style of others. So in home parents should teach correct speech and in schools teachers should do the same. Not only  clear pronunciation, but also knowledge of grammar and sentence construction are essential primary requisites for correct and proper speaking.

A two year old child speaks one word’s sentence as: go, eat, went, ate, etc. By the age six the child uses a sentence consisting of five words. By the age 13, he uses 12 words, sentence and by the age 15/16 his range touches 20 words, sentence. So for this a few tips are given below :

1. When teaching very young child, show pictures of words, you want to teach. (such books are available in market)

2. Do not teach words that are beyond his experience. Choose words from around home, garden, and child’s immediate environment.

3. First picture, then word.

4. When the child learnt all alphabets, begin with simple words.

5. Before sending your child to nursery, kindergarten or day care schools, teach your child common and simple speaking usually at home.

6. When he/she begins reading, ask him/her to read loudly. (silent reading will be from class V)

7. When in primary school, tell him/her stories and ask him to retell the story you told.

8. Stories must be on animals, fairies, and humorous stories, as children like these three categories most.

9. When he/she is in class V or VI ask him to give a speech on any ordinary and known subjects.

10. In home, all members should speak correctly and properly so that the child will quickly imitate it.

11. Last but not in the least, never reprimand, rebuke, insult, threaten, beat your child even if he commits mistakes.

Parental encouragement and care are the surest way to develop proper skill of speaking.