192 Part III: Teaching Skills Classes
Interjecting
It may seem rude to butt in, but in real life sometimes you need to leave
before someone has said their piece or just get them to be quiet! Good
classroom management involves giving your students the skills to stop the
class show-off hogging the limelight. And if the teacher is rambling on and
not making much sense, it’s only fair that the students have the language to
politely protest, by using phrases such as:
✓ Could I stop you there?
✓ May I interrupt?
✓ Excuse me!
✓ Sorry but...
✓ I understand what you’re saying but...
Some students of English sound a bit rude because they don’t know what to
say. When they use these expressions instead of putting their hand in front of
your face to stop you, the politeness factor improves immediately. Sadly, a few
people just are rude in whatever language they use, and giving them expres-
sions like these just brings their personality to the fore.
Rephrasing
Instead of asking for repetition, you can teach your students to check
whether they’ve understood and prove that they’re listening by saying some-
thing like to following before putting what they heard into their own words:
✓ So what you’re saying is...
✓ Do you mean...
Summing up
When it’s time to signal the end of a conversation or highlight the main points
covered in a discussion, some useful little phrases, which students appreci-
ate (especially in business English) come in handy:
✓ To sum up then.. ., or, in summary...
✓ In conclusion...
✓ So the point is...
