Abstract:

The modern conditions of global digitalization urge the necessity for the new approaches in foreign language instruction which would match the learning style of digital natives born in the age of smart technologies and telecommunication. Modern language learners, university students in particular, can be considered easily self-taught provided that the topics studied fall within the scope of their interests. With a view to enhancing the process of English language acquisition by university students, the teaching staff of MGIMO University developed a range of steps necessary to stimulate social action and interaction in a language rather than their own paying sufficient attention to modern learners’ cognitive habits.

The paper highlights a teacher-student project LET’s Talk monthly hosted by MGIMO University as a platform meeting current educational requirements for authenticity and intellectuality and featuring public speaking as a key skill for future professionals. Public speaking develops both academic and social abilities, creating natural hunger for knowledge, which can present a viable solution for a range of higher education curricula. Matching almost any university program, this format provides the freedom to rediscover academic topics through the prism of learners’ interests, stimulating students’ work on public speaking skills in their pursuit of eloquence.

A practice of implementation of a course of English based on public speaking is described in the article as the second year of the project has been completed by the professors and students of Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University).
The idea behind LET’s Talk MGIMO is to put the theory they received at university into the practice they can experience - the development against the background of digital preferences characteristic of today’s learners.The project itself is also viewed as a training platform for students of PR department, the space where they latter can try the methods acquired tailoring them to the specific needs and conditions of a social event.

Designed as an extracurricular activity for those wishing to enhance their foreign language acquisition and to find an opportunity of extra speaking practice, LET’s Talk MGIMO now welcomes around 100 participants annually. The key aspects of the project implementation considered, the authors conclude with a series of practical recommendations suitable to facilitate a range of similar activities for teaching staff and students willing to engage in public speaking.

Keywords:

Public speaking, language learning, foreign speech, university study, innovative learning.