| Within the framework of a genre-based approach, the teaching of speaking would seem to pose mere challenge for the teacher as not only should attention be devoted to linguistic aspects but also to strategic competence, sociocultural and discoursal aspects. Having been accustomed to conventional teaching putting the emphasis on linguistic aspects, the teacher needs to switch to a new teaching paradigm. Given this challenge, the paper discusses some fundamental points underpinning the genre-based approach in speaking. At the level of teaching technique, I propose 'Three Is' (Illustration-Interaction-lnduction) that enable learners to develop their awareness of the delicacy of 'talk' in discourse. This teaching technique is intended to present a piece of 'talk' embedded in its linguistic and sociocultural context. In so doing, the teaching of speaking is elevated to the level of consciousness beyond the mere practice which is generally believed to be the prime factor in developing speaking. |